Nervous Vomiting.

This condition frequently occurs without any anatomical lesion of the stomach to account for it. It is reflex in its origin, and most frequently occurs in hysterical women, although there are notable exceptions. Thus seasickness, attended by vomiting, is experienced by the great majority of both men and women who take an ocean voyage. Sick headache is a very common example, while the vomiting of pregnancy is reflex in character.

Organic lesion of other organs is frequently attended by vomiting, as is seen in Bright's disease, organic diseases of the liver, spleen, or of the nervous system. Gall-stones and renal calculi may be attended by vomiting, while irritation of the rectum, uterus, urethra, or vagina may result in this unpleasant condition. Neurasthenic and hysterical patients are notable examples of this condition.

The symptoms of this form of vomiting differ somewhat from those that usually occur in lesions of the stomach.

The food is usually ejected without much effort, and nausea is not often present. In some cases, only certain articles of food are vomited, while in others the diet seems to make but little difference. In hysterical patients, there is usually but slight disturbance of nutrition, but where organic diseases of other parts are the cause, unless corrected, death may result.

Treatment consists in determining the exciting cause, and removing it where possible, when the vomiting ceases.

The Eclectic Practice of Medicine, 1907, was written by Rolla L. Thomas, M. S., M. D.