M. M. Warm bath. Fomentation. Alcohol externally. Poultice. Oiled silk. Mercurial ointments on small surfaces at once. See Class II. 1. 4. 12. Solutions of lead on small surfaces at once.
10. _Dolor urens._ Smarting follows the edge of a knife in making a wound, and seems to be owing to the distention of a part of a fibre, till it breaks. A smarting of the skin is liable to affect the scars left by herpes or shingles; and the callous parts of the bottoms of the feet; and around the bases of corns on the toes; and frequently extends after sciatica along the outside of the thigh, and of the leg, and part of the foot. All these may be owing to the stimulus of extension, by blood or serum being forced into vessels nearly coalesced.
M. M. Emplastrum de minio put like a bandage on the part. Warm fomentation. Oil and camphor rubbed on the part. Oil-silk covering. A blister on the part. Ether, or alcohol, suffered to evaporate on the part.
11. _Consternatio._ Surprise. As our eyes acquaint us at the same time with less than half of the objects, which surround us, we have learned to confide much in the organ of hearing to warn us of approaching dangers. Hence it happens, that if any sound strikes us, which we cannot immediately account for, our fears are instantly alarmed. Thus in great debility of body, the loud clapping of a door, or the fall of a fire-shovel, produces alarm, and sometimes even convulsions; the same occurs from unexpected sights, and in the dark from unexpected objects of touch.
In these cases the irritability is less than natural, though it is erroneously supposed to be greater; and the mind is busied in exciting a train of ideas inattentive to external objects; when this train of ideas is dissevered by any unexpected stimulus, surprise is excited; as explained in Sect. XVII. 3. 7. and XVIII. 17. then as the sensibility in these cases is greater, fear becomes superadded to the surprise; and convulsions in consequence of the pain of fear. See Sect. XIX. 2.
The proximate cause of surprise is the increased irritation induced by some violent stimulus, which dissevers our usual trains of ideas; but in diseases of inirritability the frequent starting or surprise from sounds not uncommon, but rather louder than usual, as the clapping of a door, shews, that the attention of the patient to a train of sensitive ideas was previously stronger than natural, and indicates an incipient delirium; which is therefore worth attending to in febrile diseases.