wrong at that point. It is, as the name
implies, a trouble affecting the _nerves_ which are connected with the
painful part, and usually there is nothing whatever wrong where the
pain is felt. Where, however, violent pain in the head or jaws results
from chill, there is an altogether different trouble, though it is
often called by the same name.

We have seen a man who had been in agony all night with pain all over
his head. We took a large piece of flannel, about the size of a small
blanket, rolled it up so as to get about a quart of boiling water
poured into the heart of the roll. We kneaded the whole for a little
time, to have the heat and moisture well diffused through the flannel.
We now placed a large towel fourfold on the pillow under the patient's
head, so that it could be brought as a good covering over the hot
blanket when that was on. We opened up the blanket steaming hot and
laid the head in the heart of it, bringing it carefully up all round,
then brought the large towel over all, and tucked him tidily in about
the shoulders. In less than two minutes he exclaimed, "I'm in
Paradise!" The pain was all gone, and in its place was a positive
sensation of delight. There was nothing here but a chilled skull to
deal with, and as soon as it felt the heat and relaxed, the man was
perfectly relieved. Then came the question as to how what had been got
was to be secured, so that he might continue well. After he lay about
three-quarters of an hour in this hot fomentation of the head, we took
it off, and rubbed gently some warm olive oil into the roots of the
hair, and all around the head and neck. We then gave all a good dry
rubbing with a hard towel, and covered up his head carefully, and kept
it covered for a day or two. He required no more treatment of any kind.

But when this treatment increases the pain, or fails altogether to
remove it, we have a trouble which calls for the _very opposite
treatment_. Then we have true neuralgia, which may be in any part of
the body, and which is relieved by cooling the roots of the nerves
which supply that part. For the face and jaws, cold must be applied to
the back of the head, neck, or brain generally. For pains in arms, cold
is to be applied to the upper, and for pain in legs to the lower part
of the spine; for pain in the body, cool the whole length of the spine.
The cooling is done by cloths moistened in cold water and well wrung
out, pressed on gently over the part, and ren