This section is from the "Encyclopedia Of Practical Receipts And Processes" book, by William B. Dick. Also available from Amazon: Dick's encyclopedia of practical receipts and processes.
5764. Remedy for Shortness of Breath. Take spirits of ether, 1 ounce, and camphor, 12 grains. Make a solution, of which take a tea-spoonful during the paroxysm. This is usually found to afford instantaneous relief in difficult breathing, depending on internal disease and other causes, where the patient, from a quick and very laborious breathing, is obliged to be in an erect posture.
5765. To Relieve Shortness of Breath. Take 1/4 ounce powder of elecampane root, 1/2 ounce powder of liquorice, as much flower of brimstone and powder of aniseed, and 2 ounces sugar-candy powdered. Make all into pills, with a sufficient quantity of tar; take 4 largo pills when going to rest. This is an incomparable medicine for asthma.
5766. Palpitation of the Heart. Soda water, either the usual carbonated water, or prepared from effervescing soda powders, frequently gives instant relief in an attack of palpitation of the heart.
5767. To Relieve Palpitation of the Heart. Take 40 drops tincture of digitalis (fox-glove) ; 20 drops tincture of aconite ; 2 drachms tincture of henbane; 6 drachms camphor-water. Dose, a tea-spoonful 3 times a day.
5768. Biliousness. Persons subject to bilious attacks should be particularly careful to guard against excess in eating and drinking, and should especially avoid those articles of food which, from experience, they find to disagree with them. A mutton chop undercooked is an excellent article for the breakfast or lunch of a bilious patient; and mutton or beef, either broiled or roasted, so that the gravy be retained, is better for dinner than many articles apparently more delicate. Beer and porter should be particularly avoided, as well as puddings and most articles of pastry, as they are very indigestible. Hard cheese, butter, unripe fruit, and especially beans, peas, and nuts, are also objectionable. An attack of bile may frequently be prevented by the use of a saline purgative, and it may generally bo removed by a blue pill, followed with a mild purgative.
5769. To Remove Tumors. To remove tumors, Dr. Simpson, of Edinburgh, introduces a hollow acupuncture needle, or very fine trocar (a surgical instrument in the form of a fine hollow needle) into their tissue, and injects a few drops of some irritant liquid, such as a solution of chloride of zinc, perchloride of iron, or creosote. The effect has been to destroy the vitality of the tumors so treated, and they have been separated. A similar plan has been adopted in Paris by M. Maisonneuve. He had slender stylets made of a paste composed of flour, water, and chloride of zinc. These are baked. A puncture is made in the tumor, the caustic stylet is inserted, broken off, and left. Several malignant tumors have been successfully treated in this manner, and in some cases a healthy granulating surface was left, after the separation of tumors which had been destroyed in this manner.
 
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