Chapter 15 of 73
BLOOD POISONING.
The Royal Road to Health; Or, the Secret of Health Without Drugs · Chas. A. (Charles Alfred) Tyrrell
This may arise from various causes, such as the infection of a wound, contact with some irritating vegetable substance like the poison ivy, or by inhaling noxious gases, or handling certain metals, such as copper and lead; but the most common cause is the re-absorption into the blood, through the intestinal walls, of the waste products of the system; in fact, it may be confidently asserted that ninety-nine per cent. of such cases are due to this cause. When it is considered that a virulent poison introduced in the rectum has been known to cause death in a rabbit within two minutes, the absorptive character of the walls of the colon may be faintly estimated. True, the toxic substances generated in the body are not so rapid in their action, but they are none the less deadly. It is to this that all skin diseases, together with rheumatism, gout, neuralgia and a host of other troubles, are undoubtedly due.
TREATMENT.
Clean out the human cesspool by frequent use of the "Cascade," thus preventing any further deposition of these impure substances in the blood, and keep it clean by more or less constant use. In acute cases, take frequent Turkish baths, to help elimination by way of the skin, and keep that organ active by frequent warm baths and vigorous friction with a moderately coarse towel. Let the diet be plain and moderate, never eating to excess, and drink freely of water, to keep the blood liquid, and practice the habit of breathing deeply, to oxygenate the blood.