1930s Fever Relief
Found this while searching through my recipes folder for some good ones to post. It’s an interesting look at how fever was approaching in the 1930s, I like the idea of Sarah or Bucky making this lemonade for Steve one time while he was ill. I’d be very curious to know how medically accurate this advise is today (I know I have at least two followers who are currently or have studies in medical fields), and if Steve’s mother, being a nurse, would have followed them. Regardless, still an interesting find. I think I’ll look for more of these Nurse’s Notebook articles.
The article advises the patient should receive the following:
Contact doctor.
Bed-rest and moved a little as possible.
“His diet temporarily discontinued”
Made comfortable to help reduce their temperature.
Water, fruit juices, and other liquids in large quantities, “at least a full glass of fluid every hour”. This so to reduce the temperature, cool the blood, and dilute the toxins in their system.
“Plain, cold water, alcohol mixed with water and sometimes alcohol alone are the most common materials used”.
Sponging at regular intervals, to reduce temperature.
Spirits of niter: Regarded as a harmful practice.
Helpful in many circumstances, but some people cannot take it.
Freshness a concern, left standing for 6 months or more could lead to it becoming impure and loosing potency.
Medicine should only be used if directed by their doctor.
For high temperatures, mouth, tongue, and lips should be kept moist.
Recommend “Equal parts of lemon and albolene”
Regular mouthwash or “equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water”
Effervescent Lemonade For the Fever Patient ¾ cup cold water. 1.4 teaspoon soda, free from lumps. 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar. Juice of 1 lemon. Prepare lemonade to taste, cool, add the soda and stir thoroughly. Drink the beverage while effervescing. Carbonated water may be used instead of soda and water if desired.
Originally posted in the Wednesday, February 6, 1935 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
I have no idea what “spirits of niter” are and am frankly a little worried to find out…
Reducing body temperature with sponging with alcohol isn’t the WORST idea but it isn’t really good, either. Fever serves a purpose–it makes your body less ideal as a host. Even small variations in temperature can slow organismal replication. You don’t want to bring down fever unless it’s symptomatic and causing the patient real distress, or if it gets high enough that you are risking actual tissue damage. (In which case, the first thing WE do is medications, but rapid cooling techniques are an option–I’ve never seen them used, though.)
And sponging with alcohol can disturb the skin barrier, which probably wouldn’t be a big deal for most patients but for me would trigger a massive eczema attack and leave me more vulnerable to infection. Asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis often go together–they’re called the atopic triad–so I wouldn’t be shocked if Steve had all three, plus/minus eosinophilic esophagitis, the newest condition recognized as associated with atopia.
Holding food is an old wives’ tale but very popular even today.
Pushing fluids won’t “dilute the toxins” but it’s probably a good idea. Trying to fight off illness while dehydrated is going to be unnecessarily difficult. I pretty much always recommend hot tea, but that’s personal rather than scientific. Ginger ale can settle an upset stomach but you’d want something made with a significant amount of actual ginger. Most commercial formulations aren’t. That lemonade sounds refreshing and wouldn’t do any harm.
I don’t know how much of this Sarah Rogers would have known, unfortunately–they don’t teach us history of medicine! I wish there had been an elective on it…
@scientia-rex You are making me sob, you’re perfect! Thank you for the amazing analysis!
Oh my goodness, I vaguely remember this and after actually getting a couple of years into residency I have some thoughts:
-I know other people brought this up but “sweet spirit of nitrate” is ethyl nitrate and was banned by the FDA in 1980 for lack of evidence of benefit + evidence of harm
-pushing fluids is just Good when you’re ill. Maybe it DOES dilute the toxins, who knows. But it prevents kidney injury in my patients, so fluid-load away!
-I’m way more into the idea of sponging now. Water, alcohol, whatever. Honestly, if his fever is above 102 just sponge that boy. Fevers suck.
-do NOT swish your mouth with hydrogen peroxide and water!!!! just don’t
Apparently actually practicing medicine* has chilled me out a lot on “vaguely magic stuff we do”
*nothing that I say should be construed as actual medical advice, for all you know I’m a dog
