HOME HEALTH GLIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 January 1943, Page 5

HOME HEALTH GLIDE

USE CASTOR OIL—WITH CARE. MAY CAUSE GRAVE DANGER. (By the Health Department.) Castor oil is something most of us would rather not think about as a cure for upsets in small tummies it has many unpleasant childhood memories. But a spoonful at the right time can work wonders when things' go a little wrong inside. Even such a long-standing remedy as castor oil must be used with care, however. If used unwisely it may cause grave danger. It was the policy of one famous physician never to give a patient with a stomach ache an aperient. He considered that if the pain was bad enough to make the patient come to him, the wrong treatment was to give a dose of castor oil. The reason for this precaution is that a pain in the stomach’is so often due to an inflammation of the bowel such as occurs in appendicitis. And if there's any appendicitis present an aperient introduces added irritation that may spell serious trouble. The effect of an aperient such as castor oil is to cause the bowel to contract strongly, thereby spreading the inflammation and perhaps causing peritonitis, often with fatal results. Most doctors have seen such accidents occur. Fortunately—and this is more common with children —the patiient often vomits the castor oil. This is a defence on the part of the body. If a child or an adult has stomach ache, especially in the centre of the stomach, do not give an aperient, but get a doctor’s advice. If there is constipation, without pain, castor oil or liquid paraffin will relieve the symptoms, and is usually quite harmless. But if constipation is present, and there is pain in the stomach as well, castor oil should never be given.