Diet.—­Milk, broth and egg albumen and plenty of water to drink. (See laryngitis for diet.)

Acute pleurisy (Inflammation of the Pleura).—­The pleura covers the wall of the chest cavity and infolds or surrounds the lungs.  Pleurisy means the inflammation of this pleura or covering.

[42 Mothers’ remedies]

Causes.—­Exposure to cold, etc.  Onset may be gradual or sudden, with chills fever and sharp stitches in the side near the arm pit or breast.  The patient lies on the affected side during the attack, the pain is made worse by breathing, coughing or motion.  The cough is dry and painful, with difficult breathing.  The temperature 102 to 103.  Sometimes there is fluid accumulated in the cavity.  In about seven to ten days the fever and other symptoms disappear.  The fluid is absorbed quickly if it is scanty, often very slowly if abundant.  This fluid is contained in the cavity of the pleura.  The pleura covers the lungs.  Its outer layer is attached to the ribs and costal cartilages in front and ribs behind, goes around the foot of the lungs underneath, then turns around under the side of the lungs and comes in front, making a sac.  The two layers in health touch each other, but are separated when there is fluid in the cavity.  The inner layer covers the lungs and drops into the grooves of the lungs.  You can thus readily understand how easy it is for the pleura to be attacked.  Also when the lung is inflamed we have what we call pleura-pneumonia.  Pleurisy is a very painful disease.  It hurts to move, breathe, or cough.  The patient holds his chest when he coughs.  The fluid that forms is poured out from the inflamed membrane, sometimes it is so great in quantity it must be drawn off,—­tapped; we then call this hydrothorax,—­water in the chest.

Diet and Nursing—­The patient should be kept quiet and in the easiest position.

Milk diet is the best to use.  There should not be much liquid diet, except milk.  The milk may be diluted with lime water if necessary.  Malted milk, Mellin’s food, imperial granum, can be used when the milk cannot be taken.

Physicians’ treatment for Pleurisy.—­1.  Home Remedy.—­The patient must go to bed and remain there.  It is a good thing to get the patient in a sweat.  For this purpose you can use the corn sweat described under treatment of la grippe.  This will ease the patient and may shorten the attack.

I have great faith in this remedy in most inflammatory diseases.  I had a patient sick with pleurisy; she did not get along fast enough to suit me, her color was a yellow-green.  I advised the corn sweat and she improved fast from that time.  Her night dress was green in color after the sweat.  I have saved pneumonia cases in the same way.  Of course, some cases may be too weak to stand it.

[Respiratory diseases 43]