A Treatise on the Nature, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment of Insanity; With Practical Observations on Lunatic Asylums, and a Description of the Pauper Lunatic Asylum for the County of Middlesex, at Hanwell, with a Detailed Account of Its Management (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1838 Excerpt: ...from the action usually produced on the skin by this remedy. We find the application of cold to the shaved head to be the most effectual means, in the first stage of the disease, to procure sleep; and, afterwards, useful exercise out of doors. I have repeatedly seen patients who had been in the most violent state of excitement, and entirely without sleep for many days and nights, notwithstanding every effort has been used to procure it by the administering various narcotics, and the use of hop pillows, sink into the most comfortable repose on using the pediluvium, and applying cold to the shaven head. I have sometimes thought, that the placing a patient on a bed, kept gently rocked by a person not in the room with him, might have a tendency to produce sleep. This might be easily contrived, but I have not tried its effect. In the first stage of the disease we ought, if possible, to avoid the use of narcotic medicines; and to endeavour to procure sleep, by allaying irritation, in the method above pointed out-I wish particularly to press this, because much has been said by some authors, on the necessity of procuring sleep by any means; and of keeping up the strength of the constitution with hearty suppers, porter and other stimulants. There is no doubt that a full meal very often produces sleep; and, that in the more chronic stage of the disease the exhaustion is often very great, and the constitution consequently requires an extra quantity of food. If the patient, under these circumstances, goes to bed with a stomach nearly empty, he will get no sleep; but hearty suppers are not admissible in the incipient stage. The diet should be low, if the patient can bear it; but certainly, in this stage, never stimulating. It may in general be confined to gruel, milk, a...