internal mucous membranes is less common than from the skin.  The appetite is poor, palpitation of the heart and feebleness and irregularity of the pulse are prominent symptoms.  Owing to the sore gums the patient is unable to chew the food.  The urine often contains albumin and is scanty and concentrated.  There are weariness, depression, headache and finally delirium or coma, or symptoms due to hemorrhages within the brain; or day and night blindness may be present.

Recovery.—­The patient will recover if the cause can be removed, unless it is far advanced.  Death may result from complications.

Treatment.  Preventive.—­Fresh or canned vegetables or fruit must be eaten.

Treatment for the attack.—­Dr. Osler, of England, says:  “I think the juice of two or three lemons daily and a diet of plenty of meat and fresh vegetables will cure all cases unless they are far advanced.  For the stomach small quantities of scraped meat and milk should be given at short intervals, and the lemon juice in gradually increasing quantities.  As the patient gains in strength you can give a more liberal diet, and he may eat freely of potatoes, cabbage, water cresses, and lettuce.  A bitter tonic may be given.  Permanganate of potash or dilute carbolic acid forms the best mouth-wash.  Penciling the swollen gums with a tolerably strong solution of nitrate of silver is very useful.  Relieve the constipation by enemas.”

Addison’s disease.  Diseases of the Suprarenal (above Kidneys) Bodies.—­A constitutional disease characterized by great weakness, stomach and bowel symptoms, heart weakness, and dark coloring of the skin.

Causes.—­It usually occurs in men from twenty to forty years old.  The skin and mucous membrane and sometimes the serous, like the pleura, etc., membranes are pigmented (darkened).

Symptoms.—­There is a gradual onset of weakness, changeable symptoms in the stomach and bowels and darkening of the skin.  There is great feeling of fatigue and feeble irregular action of the heart; nausea and vomiting and often absence of appetite and some diarrhea.  The abdomen may be painful and drawn back in the course of the disease.  The pigmentation (coloring of the skin) varies from the light yellow to dark brown, olive or black.  It usually begins on the skin or regions naturally pigmented; or where pressure is exerted by the clothing.  The mucous membranes are also pigmented.  Death may occur from fainting, extreme weakness, convulsions or delirium or through tuberculosis.  Usually death occurs within one year, though this may occur in a few weeks to two years, sometimes after intervals of improvement.

[256 Mothers’ remedies]

Treatment.—­This must be to meet the indications as they arise.  It is a serious disease and should be under the supervision of a competent physician.

Diseases of the spleen. 1.  Rupture of the spleen.—­This may occur spontaneously from no apparent cause, or from hurts received in cases of typhoid or malaria.