Emetics like Lobelia may be employed with perfect safety during every stage of pregnancy; and most of the derangements of the system consequent upon that state, such as a feeling of fulness, dizziness, or violent pain in the head; pain and distress in the back and loins; extreme sickness; water brash—that most disagreeable affliction; and distress at the stomach, may be quickly relieved and entirely eliminated, by the active Lobelia emetic preceded by the use of an enema and the sheet ablution. Women carried through several complete courses of medicine during the two weeks preceding their confinement, invariably derive great benefit, and complete relief from distress, by this method. A full course of medicine administered just before confinement is incomparably the best plan that has ever been
THE MEDICINES OF NATURE 49
adopted for insuring an easy and safe labor.
Puerperal fever, convulsions, and other forms of disease which sometimes are resultant on confinement, may, in the greater number of instances be prevented, or at least the system be placed in a far better condition to resist the influence of the exciting cause of the disease, by a course of medicine.
The condition of the stomach always excites a controlling influence over local diseases, such as painful swellings in every part of the body, swollen breasts, swellings in the groin, neuralgia, local inflammations, gout, diseases of the kidneys, carbuncles, affections of the spine and abscesses. In the early stage painful swellings can be brought to a crisis and dispersed without suppuration taking place, by giving vapor or pack baths and emetics, together with a proper use of Internal Baths to assist the action of the bowels in cleansing the system of impurities.
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