Disease Detection
How TO DETECT DISEASE.—In ascertaining the nature of the disease with which one may be confronted, one should note the appearance of the patient and the external and internal conditions of the body as outlined in the pages which follow. After noting the constitution, sex and age, take the tem¬perature, pulse and breathing, note the ccndition of the mouth, tongue and skin, the urine, the fecal discharges, the condition of the nervous system, the state of the mind, and so on. For taking the temperature and counting the pulse and respiration see Nursing. (Vol. VII. Sec. 3.)
FACIAL SIGXS.—Sunken cheeks covered with sallow, flabby tissue signify deficient digestive and assimilative power, per¬haps some wasting disease. Pale, compressed, thin lips often indicate sexual and other deficiencies. Xarrow nostrils mean improper breathing and deficient lung power; if collapsed, adenoids or nasal obstruction. Coldness of the tip of the nose shows intestinal torpidity; redness of the tip of the nose, in¬testinal catarrh, dyspepsia, or menstrual difficulty usually amenorrhea. A yellow, sallow face often denotes liver de¬rangement or anemia, but also numerous other abnormal con¬ditions.
A waxy complexion is common among sufferers from Bright’s disease “and usually is associated with a puffiness, especially under the eyelids. Paleness shows internal con¬gestion or a deficiency in the amount of the red blood cor¬puscles (anemia). In women, paleness often is a symptom of menstrual irregularities. Advanced cancer also gives a pe¬culiar pallor with a yellowish cast to the skin. Redness of face, especially if dark red, may be due to overeating, or to apoplectic or gouty tendencies. Red spots upon pale cheeks suggest tuberculous difficulties, though in some cases worms occasion them. Local redness takes place when there is ‘in¬flammation.