Hooping cough :

Hooping cough(whooping cough)

 Description of disease :
 A convulsive cough, accompanied with a shrill whoop, and returning in fits which are frequently terminated by vomiting of food and mucus. The disease commences with cough, hoarseness, and other symptoms of a common cold; and in the second or third week, the cough peculiar to this disorder makes its appearance. The paroxysms usually occur every two or three hours, and are often worse during the night, or every other day. Between the paroxysms, with the exception of being weak, the patient shows no apparent symptoms of disease.

 The catarrhal stage
 Symptoms
 Those of an ordinary cold – sneezing, watery discharge from the nose, watery eyes, hoarseness, dry cough, headache, oppression at the chest, feverish nights, etc., lasting for two or three weeks.
 Medicinal treatment
 Aconitum napellus
 May be given on the first appearance of fever symptoms.
 Dose. -Two drops in a dessertspoonful of water every four hours. Infants may have half this quantity.
 Belladonna
 If there is a hard dry cough, worse at night, or if there be headache, or sore throat, or symptoms of congestion in the head.
 Dose. -Two drops in a dessertspoonful of water every three or four hours. Infants should have half this quantity.
 Ipecacuanha
 If from the commencement the cough is attended with suffocative symptoms, and bluish face, and is particularly useful if Nux has proved insufficient.
 Dose. -As Belladonna.
 Nux vomica
 If there is a dry fatiguing cough attended with vomiting, danger of suffocation, and bluish face, and is a useful medicine to be used in alternation with Ipecacuanha, or to precede that remedy.
 Dose. -As Belladonna or taken in alternation with Ipecacuanha at intervals of three or four hours.
 Pulsatilla pratensis
 If from the commencement the cough is loose, with vomiting of mucus or food, or is attended with a mucous diarrhoea.
 Dose. -As Belladonna.
 Accessory treatment
 The diet should be light, and easy of digestion; if much fever is present, it should consist of arrowroot, gruels, barley-water, etc., otherwise, light meats, mutton, fowl, and the like. -See Catarrhal Fever and Cough.

The convulsive, or whooping stage :
Symptoms. -Violent paroxysms of cough of a convulsive and suffocative character, and distinguished by a peculiar whoop. The face and neck are sometimes swollen and livid, the eyes protruded and full of tears. The duration of the paroxysms varies from one to five minutes, at the termination of which there is often vomiting or expectoration of food or ropy mucus. This stage lasts from five to six weeks.

 Medicinal treatment
 Drosera rotundifolia
 Is useful when the whoop is fully established, and when there is vomiting of food or mucus. There may be fever or an absence of it.
 Dose. -Two drops in a dessertspoonful of water every two or three hours. Infants may have half this quantity.
 Ipecacuanha
 See under Catarrhal Stage; -Suffocative symptoms or violent vomiting.
 Dose. -As Drosera.
 Veratrum album
 If Drosera is not sufficient, and the violence of the paroxysms remains unabated, or if there be great weakness, or suffocative fits.
 Dose. -As Drosera.
 Accessory treatment
 The diet must be nourishing, and the strength of the patient well kept up. Plenty of fresh air and regular exercise should be enjoined. Linseed tea, or gum-arabic water (see Cough) will be found useful to allay the irritability of the throat. All sources of irritation and excitement should be excluded from the invalid.

 The stage of convalescence:
 Symptoms. -All the symptoms gradually become milder, the paroxysms are less frequent and the cough less urgent.
 Medicinal treatment
 Pulsatilla pratensis
 Is often useful towards the end of the disease, when the cough is moist, with easy expectoration.
 Dose. -Two drops in a dessertspoonful of water three times a day. A teaspoonful for an infant.
 Accessory treatment
 In protracted cases, nothing is so efficacious as change of air, especially to the seaside, which often succeeds after all other means have been tried in vain. Cold bathing is frequently of much service.