802. Manual Treatments

Shabbos 21:30

One may not scrape his skin with a utensil designed for that purpose but if one's hands are soiled with excrement or with mud, he may scrape them in the normal fashion without any concern. One may apply oil to and peel the wound of a person to make it feel good but one may only do so for an animal in order to alleviate pain. If an animal has overeaten, we may have it run around the courtyard so that it will feel better. If it overheats, we may stand it in water to cool off. We are not concerned that this will lead a person to grind herbs for medicine.

Shabbos 21:31

One may not cause himself to regurgitate on Shabbos by use of an emetic because he may come to crush herbs. It is permitted to cause oneself to regurgitate by using one’s hand. One may not press an infant’s stomach in order to make him evacuate his bowels; this is a preventive measure out of the concern that one may come to give the child medicinal herbs. One may place a cup over a baby’s navel in order to raise it, to place a brace on an infant to straighten its limbs, to raise ears by hand or by using an implement, etc. since all of these are performed using hand and not with herbs. These are all permitted because someone is experiencing discomfort and there is no concern that one will come to crush herbs for medicinal use.