them in two, sew the selvedges together, and hem the sides.
xvi. When you are particular in wishing to have precisely what
you want from a butcher, go and buy it yourself.
xvii. A flannel petticoat will wear as nearly as long again, if
turned hind part before, when the front begins to wear thin.
xviii. People in general are not aware how very essential to the
health of the inmates is the free admission of light into
their houses.
xix. When you dry salt for the table, do not place it in the salt
cellars until it is cold, otherwise it will harden into a
lump.
xx. Never put away plate, knives and forks, &c., uncleaned, or
great inconvenience will arise when the articles are wanted.
xxi. Feather beds should be opened every third year, the ticking
well dusted, soaped, and waxed, the feathers dressed and
returned.
xxii. Persons of defective sight, when threading a needle, should
hold it over something white, by which the sight will be
assisted.
xxiii. In mending sheets and shirts, put in pieces sufficiently
large, or in the first washing the thin parts give way, and
the work done is of no avail.
xxiv. When reading by candle-light, place the candle behind you,
that the rays may pass over your shoulder on to the book.
This will relieve the eyes.
xxv. A wire fire-guard, for each fire-place in a house, costs
little, and greatly diminishes the risk to life and
property. Fix them before going to bed.
xxvi. In winter, get the work forward by daylight, to prevent
running about at night with candles. Thus you escape grease
spots, and risks of fire.
xxvii. Be at much pains to keep your children's feet dry and warm.
Don't bury their bodies in heavy flannels and wools, and
leave their arms and legs naked.
xxviii. Apples and pears, cut into quarters and stripped of the
rind, baked with a little water and sugar, and eaten with
boiled rice, are capital food for children.
xxix. A leather strap, with a buckle to fasten, is much more
commodious than a cord for a box in general use for short
distances; cording and uncording is a tedious job.
xxx. After washing, overlook linen, and stitch on buttons, hooks
and eyes, &c.; for this purpose keep a "house-wife's
friend," full of miscellaneous threads, cottons, buttons:
hooks, &c.
xxxi. For ventilation open your windows both at top and bottom.
The fresh air rushed in one way, while the foul escapes the
other. This is letting in your friend and expelling your
enemy.
xxxii. There is not any real economy in purchasing cheap calico for
night-shirts. Cheap calico soon wears into holes, and
becomes discoloured in washing.
xxxiii. Sitting to sew by candle-light at a table with a dark cloth
on it is injurious to the eyesight. When no other remedy
presents itself, put a sheel of white paper before you.
xxxiv. Persons very commonly complain of indigestion; how can it be
wondered at, when they seem, by their habit of swallowing
their food wholesale, to forget for what purpose they are
provided with teeth.
xxxv. Never allow your servants to put wiped knives on your table,
for, generally speaking, you may see that that have been
wiped with a dirty cloth. If a knife is brightly cleaned,
they are compelled to use a clean cloth.
xxxvi. There is not anything gained in economy by having very young
and inexperienced servants at low wages; the cost of what
they break, waste, and destroy, is more than an equivalent
for higher wages, setting aside comfort and respectability.
xxxvii. No article in dress tarnishes so readily as black crape
trimmings, and few things injure it more than damp;
therefore, to preserve its beauty on bonnets, a lady in nice
mourning should in her evening walks, at all seasons of the
year, take as her companion an old parasol to shade her
crape.
[GUARD THE FOOT, AND THE HEAD WILL SELDOM HARM.]
475. Domestic Pharmacopoeia.
In compiling this part of our hints, we have endeavoured to supply
that kind of information which is so often wanted in the time of need,
and cannot be obtained when a medical man or a druggist is not near.
The doses are all fixed for adults, unless otherwise specified. The
various remedies are arranged in sections, according to their uses, as
being more easy for reference,
476. Collyria, or Eye Washes
477. Alum.
Dissolve half a drachm of alum in eight ounces (half a pint) of water.
_Use_ as astringent wash. When twice as much alum and only half the
quantity of water are used, it acts as a discutient, but not as an
eye-water.
_Note_ that this and the following washes are for _outward
application_ only.
478. Common.
Add half an ounce of diluted acetic acid to three ounces of decoction
of poppy heads.
_Use_ as anodyne wash.
479. Compound Alum.
Dissolve alum and white vitriol, of each one drachm, in one pint of
water, and filter through paper.
_Use_ as astringent wash.
480. Zinc and Lead.
Dissolve white vitriol and acetate of lead, of each seven grains, in
four ounces of elder-flower water; add one drachm of laudanum
(tincture of opium), and the same quantity of spirit of camphor, then
strain.
_Use_ as detergent wash.
481. Acetate of Zinc.
Dissolve half a drachm of white vitriol in five ounces of water.
Dissolve two scruples of acetate of lead in five ounces of water. Mix
these solutions, then set aside for a short time, and afterwards
filter.
_Use_ as astringent wash; this forms a most valuable collyrium.
482. Sulphate of Zinc.
Dissolve twenty grains of white vitriol in a pint of water or rose
water.
_Use_ for weak eyes.
483. Zinc and Camphor.
Dissolve a scruple of white vitriol in ten ounces of water; add one
drachm of spirit of camphor, and strain.
_Use_ as a stimulant.
484. Compound Zinc.
Dissolve fifteen grains of white vitriol in eight ounces of camphor
water (_Mistura camphoræ_), and the same quantity of decoction of
poppy heads.
_Use_ as anodyne and detergent wash: it is useful for weak eyes.
485. Confections and Electuaries.
486. Purpose.
_Confections_ are used as vehicles for the administration of more
active medicines, and _Electuaries_ are made for the purpose of
rendering some remedies palatable. Both should be kept in closely
covered jars.
487. Almond Confection.
Remove the outer coat from an ounce of sweet almonds, and beat them
well in a mortar with one drachm of powdered gum arabic, and half an
ounce of white sugar.
_Use_ to make a demulcent mixture known as "almond emulsion."
488. Alum Confection.
Mix two scruples of powdered alum with four scruples of treacle.
_Dose_, half a drachm.
_Use_ as astringent in sore throat, relaxed uvula, and ulcerations of
mouth.
489. Orange Confection.
Take one ounce of the freshly rasped rind of orange, and mix it with
three ounces of white sugar, and beat together till perfectly
incorporated.
_Dose_, from one drachm to one ounce.
_Use_ as a gentle stomachic and tonic, and as a vehicle for
administering tonic powders.
490. Black Pepper Confection.
Take of black pepper and elecampane root, each one ounce; fennel
seeds, three ounces; honey and sugar, of each two ounces. Rub the dry
ingredient to a fine powder, and when the confection is wanted, add
the honey, and mix well.
_Dose_, from one to two drachms.
_Use_ in haemorrhoids, or piles.
[BETTER PAY THE COOK THAN THE DOCTOR.]
491. Cowhage.
Mix in treacle as much of the fine hairs or spiculæ of cowhage as the
treacle will take up.
_Dose_, a teaspoonful every morning and evening.
_Use_ as an anthelmintic.
492. Senna Confection. No. 1.
Take of senna, powdered, four ounces; figs, half a pound, viassia
pulp, tamarind pulp, and the pulp of prunes, each four ounces;
coriander seeds, powdered, two ounces; liquorice root, one ounce and a
half; sugar, one pound and a quarter; water, one pint and a half. Rub
the senna with the coriander, and separate, by sifting, five ounces of
the mixture. Boil the water, with the figs and liquorice added, until
it is reduced to one half; then press out and strain the liquor.
Evaporate the strained liquor in a jar by boiling until twelve fluid
ounces remain; then add the sugar, and make a syrup. Now mix the pulps
with the syrup, add the sifted powder, and mix well.
_Use_ as a purgative.
493. Senna Confection. No. 2.
A more simple confection, but equally efficacious, may be made in the
following manner. Infuse an ounce of senna leaves in a pint of boiling
water, pouring the water on the leaves in a covered mug or jug, or
even an old earthenware teapot. Let the infusion stand till it is
cold, then strain off the liquor, and place it in a saucepan or
stewpan, adding to it one pound of prunes. Let the prunes stew gently
by the side of the fire till the liquor is entirely absorbed.
_Use_ as a purgative or laxative, giving half a teaspoonful to little
children and a teaspoonful to children over ten years of age.
494. Castor Oil and Senna Confection.
Take one drachm of powdered gum arabic, and two ounces of confection
of senna, and mix, by gradually rubbing together in a mortar, with
half an ounce of castor oil.
_Dose_, from half an ounce to an ounce.
_Use_ as a purgative.
495. Sulphur and Senna Confection.
Take of sulphur and sulphate of potash, each half an ounce; confection
of senna, two ounces; oil of aniseed, twenty minims; mix well.
_Dose_, from one to two drachms.
_Use_ as a purgative.
496. Cream of Tartar Confection.
Take one ounce of cream of tartar, one drachm of jalap, and half a
drachm of powdered ginger; mix into a thick paste with treacle.
_Dose_, two drachms.
_Use_ as a purgative.
497. Antispasmodic Electuary.
Take six drachms of powdered valerian and orange leaves, mixed and
made into an electuary, with a sufficient quantity of syrup of
wormwood.
_Dose_, from one to two drachms, to be taken two or
three times a day.
498. Decoctions.
These should only be made as they are wanted; pipkins or tin saucepans
should be used for the purpose; and no decoction should be boiled
longer than ten minutes.
499. Chimaphila.
Take one ounce of pyrola (chimaphila, or winter-green), and boil it in
a pint and a half of water until the water is reduced to one pint;
then strain.
_Dose_, from one to two ounces, four times a day.
_Use_ in dropsies, as a diuretic.
500. Logwood.
Boil one ounce and a half of bruised logwood in two pints of water
until the water is reduced to one pint; then add one drachm of bruised
cassia, and strain.
_Dose_, from one to two ounces.
_Use_ as an astringent.
501. Dandelion.
Take two ounces of the freshly-sliced root, and boil in a quart of
water until it comes to a pint.
_Dose_, from two to four ounces, that is to say, from an eighth of a
pint to a quarter of a pint.
_Use_ for sluggish state of the liver.
502. Embrocations and Liniments.
These remedies are used externally as local stimulants, to relieve
deep seated inflammations when other means cannot he employed, as they
are more easily applied locally.
503. Anodyne and Discutient.
Take two drachms of scraped white soap, half a drachm of extract of
henbane, and dissolve them by a gentle heat in six ounces of olive
oil.
_Use_ for glandular enlargements which are painful and stubborn, about
half an ounce to be well rubbed into the part twice a day.
504. Strong Ammoniated.
Add one ounce of strong liquid ammonia to two ounces of olive oil,
shake well together until properly mixed.
_Use_ as a stimulant in rheumatic pains, paralytic numbnesses, chronic
glandular enlargements, lumbago, sciatica, &c.
_Note_ that this embrocation must be used with care, and only employed
in very obstinate cases.
505. Compound Ammoniated.
Add six drachms of oil of turpentine to the strong ammoniated liniment
above.
_Use_ for the diseases mentioned in the preceding paragraph and
chronic affections of the knee and ankle joints.
506. Lime and Oil.
Take equal parts of common linseed oil and lime water and shake well.
_Use_ for burns, scalds, sun peelings, &c.
507. Camphorated.
Take half an ounce of camphor and dissolve it in two ounces of olive
oil.
_Use_ as a stimulating and soothing application for stubborn breasts,
glandular enlargements, dropsy of the belly, and rheumatic pains.
508. Soap Liniment with Spanish Flies.
Take three ounces and a half of soap liniment, and half an ounce of
tincture of Spanish flies, mix and shake well.
_Use_ as stimulant to chronic bruises, sprains, rheumatic pains,
and indolent swellings.
509. Turpentine.
Take two ounces and a half of resin cerate, and melt it by standing
the vessel in hot water, then add one ounce and a half of oil of
turpentine, and mix.
_Use_ as stimulant to ulcers, burns, scalds, &c.
510. Enemas.
These are a peculiar kind of medicines, administered by injecting them
into the rectum or outlet of the body. The intention is either to
empty the bowels, kill worms, protect the lining membrane of the
intestines from injury, restrain copious discharges, allay spasms in
the bowels, or to nourish the body. These clysters, or glysters, are
administered by means of bladders and pipes, or a proper apparatus.
511. Laxative.
Take two ounces of Epsom salts, and dissolve in three quarters of a
pint of gruel, or thin broth, with an ounce of olive oil.
512. Nutritive.
Take twelve ounces of strong beef tea, and thicken with hartshorn
shavings or arrowroot.
513. Turpentine.
Take half an ounce of oil of turpentine, the yolk of one egg, and half
a pint of gruel. Mix the turpentine and egg, and then add the gruel.
_Use_ as an anthelmintic.
514. Common.
Dissolve one ounce of salt in twelve ounces of gruel.
515. Castor Oil.
Mix two ounces of castor oil with one drachm of starch, then rub them
together, and add fourteen ounces of thin gruel.
_Use_ as a purgative.
516. Opium.
Rub three grains of opium with two ounces of starch, then add two
ounces of warm water.
_Use_ as an anodyne in colic, spasms, &c.
517. Oil.
Mix four ounces of olive oil with half an ounce of mucilage and half a
pint of warm water.
_Use_ as a demulcent.
518. Asafoetida.
Mix one drachm of the tincture of asafoetida in a pint of barley
water.
_Use_ as an anthelmintic, or in convulsions from teething.
519. Gargles.
These are remedies used to stimulate chronic sore throats, or a
relaxed state of the swallow, or uvula.
520. Acidulated.
Mix one part of white vinegar with three parts of honey of roses, and
twenty-four of barley water.
_Use_ in chronic inflammation of the throat, malignant sore
throat, &c.
521. Astringent.
Take two drachms of roses and mix with eight ounces of boiling water,
infuse for one hour, strain, and add one drachm of alum and one ounce
of honey of roses.
_Use_ for severe sore throat, relaxed uvula, &c.
[VIOLENT PASSIONS LEAD TO GREAT DEPRESSIONS.]
522. For Salivation.
Mix from one to four drachms of bruised gall-nuts with a pint of
boiling water, and infuse for two hours, then strain and sweeten.
523. Tonic and Stimulant.
Mix six ounces of decoction of bark with two ounces of tincture of
myrrh, and half a drachm of diluted sulphuric acid.
_Use_ in scorbutic affections.
524. Alum.
Dissolve one drachm of alum in fifteen ounces of water, then add half
an ounce of treacle, and one drachm of diluted sulphuric acid.
_Use_ as an astringent.
525. Myrrh.
Add six drachms of tincture of myrrh to seven ounces of infusion of
linseed, and then add one drachm of diluted sulphuric acid.
_Use_ as a detergent.
526. For Slight Inflammation of the Throat.
Add one drachm of sulphuric ether to half an ounce of syrup of
marsh-mallows, and six ounces of barley water. This may be used
frequently.
527. Lotions.
Lotions are usually applied to the parts required by means of a piece
of linen rag or piline, wetted with them, or by wetting the bandage
itself.
They are for _outward application only_.
528. Emollient.
Use decoction of marsh-mallow or linseed.
529. Elder Flowers.
Add two drachms and a half of elder flowers to one quart of boiling
water, infuse for one hour, and strain.
_Use_ as a discutient.
530. Sedative.
Dissolve one drachm of extract of henbane in twenty-four drachms of
water.
531. Opium.
Mix two drachms of bruised opium with haif a pint of boiling water.
_Use_, when cold, for painful ulcers, bruises, &c.
532. Stimulant.
Dissolve one drachm of caustic potash in one pint of water, and then
gradually pour it upon twenty-four grains of camphor and one drachm of
sugar, previously bruised together in a mortar.
_Use_ for fungoid and flabby ulcers.
533. Ordinary.
Mix one drachm of salt with eight ounces of water.
_Use_ for foul ulcers and flabby wounds.
534. Cold Evaporating.
Add two drachms of Goulard's extract, and the same quantity of
sulphuric ether to a pint of cold water.
_Use_ as lotion for contusions, sprains, inflamed parts, &c.
535. Hydrochlorate of Ammonia.
Dissolve two drachms of sal ammoniac in six ounces of water, then add
an ounce of distilled vinegar and the same quantity of rectified
spirit.
_Use_ as a refrigerant.
536. Yellow Lotion.
Dissolve one grain of corrosive sublimate in an ounce of lime water,
taking care to bruise the crystals of the salt in order to assist its
solution.
_Use_ as a detergent.
_Note_, that corrosive sublimate is a _violent and deadly poison_.
537. Black Wash.
Add half a drachm of calomel to four ounces of lime water, or eight
grains to an ounce of lime water; shake well.
_Use_ as a detergent.
538. Acetate of Lead with Opium
Take twenty grains of acetate of lead, and a drachm of powdered opium,
mix, and add an ounce of vinegar and four ounces of warm water, set
aside for an hour, then filter.
_Use_ as an astringent.
539. Creosote.
Add a drachm of creosote to a pint of water, and mix by shaking.
_Use_ as an application in cutaneous diseases.
540. Galls.
Boil one drachm of bruised galls in twelve ounces of water until only
half a pint remains, then strain, and add one ounce of laudanum.
_Use_ as an astringent and sedative.
541. Ointments and Cerates
These remedies are used as local applications to parts, generally
ulcers. They are usually spread upon linen or other materials.
542. Camphorated.
Mix half an ounce of camphor with one ounce of lard, having, of
course, previously powdered the camphor, by adding a few drops of
spirits of wine.
_Use_ as a discutient and stimulant in indolent tumours.
543. Chalk.
Mix as much prepared chalk as you can into some lard, so as to form a
thick ointment.
_Use_ as an application to burns and scalds.
544. For Itch.
Mix four drachms of sublimed sulphur, two ounces of lard, and half a
drachm of diluted sulphuric acid together.
_Use_ as an ointment to be rubbed into the body.
545. For Scrofulous Ulcerations.
Mix one drachm of ioduret of zinc and one ounce of lard together.
_Use_ twice a day to the ulcerations.
546. Catechu.
Mix one ounce of powdered catechu, two drachms and a half of powdered
alum, one ounce of powdered white resin, and two ounces and a half of
olive oil, together.
Use for flabby and indolent ulcerations.
547. Tartar Emetic.
Mix twenty grains of tartar emetic and ten grains of white sugar with
one drachm and a half of lard.
_Use_ as a counter-irritant in white swellings, &c.
548. Pills.
549. Strong Purgative.
Take of powdered aloes, scammony, and gamboge, each fifteen grains,
mix, and add sufficient Venice turpentine to make into a mass, then
divide into twelve pills.
_Dose_, one or two occasionally.
550. Milder Purgative.
Take four grains of powdered scammony and the same quantity of
compound extract of colocynth, and two grains of calomel; mix well,
and add two drops of oil of cloves, or thin gum-water, to enable the
ingredients to combine properly, and divide into two pills.
_Dose_, one or two when necessary.
551. Common Purgative.
Take of powdered jalap and compound extract of colocynth each four
grains, of calomel two grains, mix as usual, and divide into two
pills.
_Dose_, one or two occasionally.
552. Tonic.
Mix twenty-four grains of extract of gentian and the same of purified
green vitriol (_sulphate of iron_) together, and divide into twelve
pills.
_Dose_, one or two when necessary. Use in debility.
553. Cough.
Mix one drachm of compound powder of ipecacuanha with one scruple of
gum ammoniacum and one of dried squill bulb in powder. Make into a
mass with mucilage, and divide into twenty pills.
_Dose_, one, three times a day.
554. Astringent.
Mix sixteen grains of acetate of lead (_sugar of lead_) with four
grains of opium, and make into a mass with extract of dandelion, so as
to make eight pills.
_Dose_, from one to two. Use as an astringent in obstinate diarrhoea,
dysentery, and spitting of blood.
555. Mixtures.
556. Fever, Simple.
Add three ounces of spirit of mindererus (_Liquor ammonia acetatis_),
three drachms of spirits of sweet nitre, four drachms of antimonial
wine, and a drachm of syrup of saffron, to four ounces of water, or
medicated water, such as cinnamon, aniseed, &c.
_Dose_, for an adult, one or two tablespoonfuls every three hours. Use
as a diaphoretic.
557. Aromatic.
Mix two drachms of aromatic confection with two drachms of compound
tincture of cardamoms, and eight ounces of peppermint water.
_Dose_, from one ounce to one and a half. Use in flatulent colic and
spasms of the bowels.
558. Cathartic.
Dissolve two ounces of Epsom salts in six ounces of compound infusion
of senna, then add two ounces of peppermint water.
_Dose_, from one and a half to two ounces. Use as a warm and active
cathartic.
559. Diuretic.
Dissolve one drachm of powdered nitre in three ounces of camphor
mixture; add five ounces of the decoction of broom, with six drachms
of sweet spirits of nitre, and three drachms of tincture of squills;
mix.
_Dose_, one teaspoonful every two hours, or two tablespoonfuls every
three hours. Use, excellent in dropsies
560. Cough.
Dissolve three grains of tartar emetic and fifteen grains of opium in
one pint of boiling water, then add four ounces of treacle, two ounces
of vinegar, and one pint more of boiling water.
_Dose_, from two teaspoonfuls to two tablespoonfuls, according to
circumstances, every three hours, or three times a day. Use in common
catarrh, bronchitis, and irritable cough.
561. Cough (for Children).
Mix three drachms of ipecacuanha wine with half an ounce of oxymel of
squills, the same quantity of spirits of tolu, one ounce of mucilage,
and two ounces of water.
_Dose_, one teaspoonful for children under one year, two teaspoonfuls
from one to five years, and a tablespoonful from five years, every
time the cough is troublesome.
562. Antispasmodic.
Dissolve fifty grains of camphor in two drachms of chloroform, and
then add two drachms of compound tincture of lavender, six drachms of
mucilage of gum arabic, eight ounces of aniseed, cinnamon, or some
other aromatic water, and two ounces of distilled water; mix well.
_Dose_, one tablespoonful every half hour if necessary. Use in cholera
in the cold stage, when cramps are severe, or exhaustion very great;
and as a general antispasmodic in doses of one dessert spoonful when
the spasms are severe.
563. Tonic and Stimulant.
Dissolve one drachm of extract of bark, and half a drachm of powdered
gum arabic, in six ounces of water, and then add one ounce of syrup of
marshmallow, and the same quantity of syrup of tolu.
_Dose_, one tablespoonful every three hours. Use after fevers and
catarrhs.
564. Stomachic.
Take twenty grains of powdered rhubarb, and rub it down in three
ounces and a half of peppermint water, then add sal volatile and
compound tincture of gentian, each one drachm and a half; mix.
_Dose_, from one to one ounce and a half. Use this mixture as a tonic,
stimulant, and stomachic.
565. Drinks.
566. Tamarind. (1)
Boil two ounces of the pulp of tamarinds in two pints of milk, then
strain. Use as cooling drink.
567. Tamarind. (2)
Boil two ounces of the pulp in two pints of warm water, and allow it
to get cold, then strain. Use as cooling drink.
568. Powders.
569. Compound Soda.
Mix twenty-four grains of calomel, thirty-six grains of
sesquicarbonate of soda, and one drachm of compound chalk powder,
together. Divide into twelve powders. One of the powders to be given
for a dose when required. Use as a mild purgative for children during
teething.
570. Tonic.
Mix one drachm of powdered rhubarb with the same quantity of dried
carbonate of soda, then add two drachms of powdered calumba root.
_Dose_, from ten to twenty grains as a tonic after fevers, in all
cases of debility, and dyspepsia attended with acidity.
571. Rhubarb and Magnesia.