AMERICAN REVOLUTION: DOMESTIC MEDICINE

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Worm treatments during the U.S. revolutionm way before allopathy

decided that there is almost no way for humans in the USA to be infected with

parasites despite all other animals being infected.

 

 

Book of domestic medicine used during the U.S. revolution.

 

 

 

http://www.americanrevolution.org/med35.html

 

 

AMERICANREVOLUTION.ORG

 

DOMESTIC MEDICINE

 

CHAP. XXXV.

 

OF WORMS.

 

THESE are chiefly of three kinds, viz. the taenia or tape-worm; the

teres, or round and long worm; and the ascarides, or round and short

worm. There are many other kinds of worms found in the human body; but

as they proceed in a great measure from similar causes, have nearly

the same symptoms, and require almost the same method of treatment, as

these already mentioned, we shall not spend time in enumerating them.

 

THE tape-worm is white, very long, and full of joints. It is generally

bred either in the stomach or small intestines. The round and long

worm is likewise bred in the small guts, and sometimes in the stomach.

The round and short worms commonly lodge in the rectum, or what is

called the end gut, and occasion a disagreeable itching about the seat.

 

THE long round worms occasion squeamishness, vomiting, a disagreeable

breath, gripes, looseness, swelling of the belly, swoonings, loathing

of food, and at other times a voracious appetite, a dry cough,

convulsions, epileptic fits, and sometimes a privation of speech.

These worms have been known to perforate the intestines, and get into

the cavity of the belly. The effects of the tape-worm are nearly the

same with those of the long and round, but rather more violent.

 

ANDRY says the following symptoms particularly attend the solium,

which is a species of the tape-worm, viz. swoonings, privation of

speech, and a voracious appetite.The round worms called ascarides,

besides an itching of the anus, cause swoonings and tenesmus, or an

inclination to go to stool.

 

CAUSES. - Worms may proceed from various causes, but they are seldom

found except in weak and relaxed stomachs, where the digestion is bad.

Sedentary persons are more liable to them than the active and

laborious. Those who eat great quantities of unripe fruit, or who live

much on raw herbs and roots, are generally subject to worms. There

seems to be a hereditary disposition in some persons to this disease.

I have often seen all the children of a family subject to worms of a

particular kind. They seem likewise frequently to be owing to the

nurse. Children of the same family, nursed by one woman, have often

worms, when those nursed by another have none.

 

SYMPTOMS. The common symptoms of worms, are paleness of the

countenance, and at other times, an universal flushing of the face;

itching of the nose; this however is doubtful, as children pick their

noses in all diseases: starting, and grinding of the teeth in sleep;

swelling of the upper lip; the appetite sometimes bad, at other times

quite voracious; looseness; a sour or stinking breath; a hard swelled

beIly; great thirst; the urine frothy, and sometimes of a whitish

colour; griping, or colic pains; an involuntary discharge of saliva,

especially when asleep; frequent pains of the side, with a dry cough,

and unequal pulse; palpitations of the heart; swooning; drowsiness;

cold sweats; palsy; epileptic fits, with many other unaccountable

nervous symptoms, which were formerly attributed to witchcraft, or the

influence of evil spirits. Small bodies in the excrements resembling

melon or cucumber seeds are symptoms of the tape-worm.

 

I LATELY saw some very surprising effects of worms in a girl about

five years of age, who used to lie for whole hours as if dead. She at

last expired, and, upon opening her body, a number of the teres, or

long round worms, were found in her guts, which were considerabIy

inflamed; and what anatomists call an intus susceptio, or involving of

one part of the gut within another, had taken place in no Iess than

four different parts of the intestine canal. That worms exist in the

human body there can be no doubt; and that they must sometimes be

considered as a disease, is equally certain: but this is not the case

so often as people imagine. The idea that worms occasion many diseases

gives an opportunity to the professed worm-doctors of imposing on the

credulity of mankind, and doing much mischief.They find worms in every

case, and liberally throw in their antidotes, which generally consist

of strong, drastic purges: I have known these given in delicate

consttutions to the destruction of the patient, where there was not

the least symptom of worms.

 

MIEDICINE. - Though numberless medicines are extolled for killing and

expelling worms, a medical writer of the present age has enumerated

upwards of fifty British plants, all celebrated for killing and

expelling worms, yet no disease more frequently baffles the

physician`s skill. In general, the most proper medicines for their

expulsion are strong purgatives; and to prevent their breeding,

stomachic bitters, with now and then a glass of good wine.

 

THE best purge for an adult is jalap and calomel. Five and twenty or

thirty grains of the former with six or seven of the latter, mixed in

syrup, may be taken early in the morning, for a dose. It will be

proper that the patient keep the house all day, and drink nothing

cold. The dose may be repeated once or twice a-week, for a fortnight

or three weeks. On the intermediate days the patient may take a drachm

of the powder of tin, twice or thrice a-day, mixed with syrup, honey

or treacle.

 

THOSE who do not chuse to take calomel may make use of the bitter

purgatives; as aloes, hiera picra, tincture of senna, and rhubarb, & c.

 

OILY medicines are sometimes found beneficial for expelling worms. An

ounce of sallad oil and a table-spoonful of common salt may be taken

in a glass of red port wine thrice a-day, or oftener, if the stomach

will bear it. But the more common form of using oil is in clysters.

Oily clysters, sweetened with sugar or honey, are very efficacious in

bringing away the short round worms called ascarides, and the teres.

 

THE Harrowgate water is an excellent medicine for expelling worms,

especially the ascarides. As this water evidently abounds with

sulphur, we may hence infer, that sulphur alone must be a good

medicine in this case; which is found to be a fact. Many practitioners

give flour of sulphur in very large doses, and with great success. It

should be made into an electuary with honey or treacle, and taken in

such quantity as to purge the patient.

 

WHERE Harrowgate water cannot be obtained, sea-water may be used,

which is far from being a contemptible medicine in this case. If

sea-water cannot be had, common salt dissolved in water may be drunk.

 

I HAVE often seen this used by country nurses with very good effect.

Some flour of sulphur may be taken over night, and the salt-water in

the morning.

 

BUT worms, though expelled, will soon breed again, if the stomach

remains weak and relaxed; to prevent which, we would recommend the

Peruvian bark. Half a drachm of bark in powder may be taken in a glass

of red port wine, three or four times a-day, after the above medicines

have been used. Lime-water is likewise good for this purpose, or a

table-spoonful of the chalybeate wine taken twice or thrIce a-day.

Infusions or decoctions of bitter herbs may likewise be drank; as the

infusion of tansy, water trefoil, camomile-flowers, tops of wormwood,

the lesser centaury, & c.

 

FOR a child of four or five years old, six grains of rhubarb, five of

jalap, and two of calomel, may be mixed in a spoonful of syrup or

honey, and given in the morning. The child should keep the house all

day, and take nothing cold. This dose may be repeated twice a-week for

three or four weeks. On the intermediate days the child may take a

scruple of powdered tin and ten grains of aethiops mineral in a

spoonful of treacle twice a-day. This dose must be increased or

diminished according to the age of the patient.

 

BISSET says, the great bastard black hellebore, or bear's foot, is a

most powerful vermifuge for the long round worms. He orders the

decoction of about a drachm of the green leaves, or about fifteen

grains of the dried leaves in powder, for a dose to a child betwixt

four and seven years of age. This dose is to be repeated two or three

times. He adds, that the green leaves made into a syrup with coarse

sugar is almost the only medicine he has used for round worms for

three years past. Before pressing out the juice, he moistens the

bruised leaves with vinegar, which corrects the medicine. The dose is

a tea-spoonful at bed-time, and one or two next morning,

 

I HAVE frequently known those big bellies, which in children are

commonly reckoned a sign of worms, quite removed by giving them white

soap in their pottage, or other food. Tansy, garlic, and rue, are all

good against worms, and may be used various ways. We might here

mention many other plants, both for external and internal use, as the

cabbage-bark, & c. but think the powder of tin with aethiops mineral,

and the purges of rhubarb and calomel, are more to be depended on.

 

BALL'S purging vermifuge powder is a very powerful medicine. It is

made of equal parts of rhubarb, scammony, and caiomel, with as much

double refined sugar as is equal to the weight of all the other

ingredients. These must be well mixed together, and reduced to fine

powder. The dose for a child is from ten grains to twenty, once or

twice a-week. An adult may take a drachm for a dose. A powder for the

tape-worm resembling this, was long kept a secret on the Continent; it

was lately purchased by the French king, and will be found under the

article Powder, in the Appendix.

 

PARENTS who would preserve their children from worms ought to allow

them plenty of exercise in the open air; to take care that their food

be wholesome and sufficiently solid: and, far as possible, to prevent

their eating raw herbs, roots, or green trashy fruits. It will not be

amiss to allow a child who is subject to worms, a glass of red wine

after meals; as every thing that braces and strengthens the stomach is

good both for preventing and expelling the vermin.

 

WE think it necessary here to warn people of their danger who buy

cakes, powders, and other worm medicines, at random from quacks, and

give them to their children without proper care. The principal

ingredients in most of these medicines is mercury, which is never to

be trifled with. I lately saw a shocking instance of the danger of

this conduct. A girl who had taken a dose of worm powder, bought of a

travelling quack, went out, and perhaps was so imprudent as to drink

cold water, during its operation. She immediately swelled, and died on

the following day, with all the symptoms of having been poisoned.

 

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