f communicated to the limb. But
we must not confine our treatment to the spinal cord. The squeezing, or
gentle pressure, must be carried down the limb; and when new life has
been infused so far, it will be well to apply the pressure between the
hands to the swollen and painful part. _See_ Massage.

Palpitation.--Ordinarily we are not aware of the beating of the heart,
enormous as is the work it does; but in certain cases this beating
becomes distressingly violent, especially on lying down flat or in
ascending hills or stairs. The latter cases are the more serious, yet
both kinds we have found quite curable. In treatment, fomentation must
be avoided, and so must doses of the nerve-damaging drug, digitalis.
The best way is to _cool the heart_, and thus relieve its superabundant
action. But care must be taken that _cold be not applied to a feeble
heart_, but only where action is evidently superabundant. It is usually
easy to distinguish the two kinds of palpitation. The cooling can be
done by pressing towels wrung out of cold water all over the heart
region of the left side. Then rub the part so cooled with olive oil,
dry off, and let the patient rest. This may be done in the morning
before rising. In cases where the heart is feeble, the following
treatment should be carried out instead of the cold towels:--Begin at
bedtime with a cloth covered with creamy soap lather, and placed quite
warm all over the body of the patient. It should be fastened on with
the body of a dress, or thin vest, so that it may be kept close to the
skin during the night. In the morning the back should be gently washed
with hot vinegar, dried, and gently rubbed with warm olive oil. In
those cases where the palpitation is only part of a general
nervousness, which causes great distress and sleeplessness at night,
the back should be lathered all over with soap (_see_ Lather and Soap)
at bedtime, and the cloth with lather left on all night. In the
morning, dry off, rub gently with hot vinegar, and then with hot olive
oil. If the palpitation resists this treatment, then cold towels should
be gently pressed to the _spine_, until the whole system is quieted.
The back should then be rubbed with warm olive oil. So far as this
restless action is concerned, this is all that is required for complete
cure. We are writing thus in view of cases declared hopeless, but the
patients are now in perfect health. We remember one at this moment in
which the heart's acti