themselves to a level with the brutes, or the rabble, by gratifying
their sloth, or by eating and drinking promiscuously whatever
pleases their palates, or by indulging their appetites of every
kind. But whether they understand physic or not, let them consult
their reason, and observe what agrees, and what does not agree with
them, that, like wise men, they may adhere to the use of such things
as conduce to their health, and forbear everything which, by their
own experience, they find to do them hurt; and let them be assured
that, by a diligent observation and practice of this rule, they may
enjoy a good share of health, and seldom stand in need of physic or
physicians."
1770. Health in Youth.
Late hours, irregular habits, and want of attention to diet, are
common errors with most young men, and these gradually, but at first
imperceptibly, undermine the health, and lay the foundation for
various forms of disease in after life. It is a very difficult thing
to make young persons comprehend this. They frequently sit up as late
as twelve, one, or two o'clock, without experiencing any ill effects;
they go without a meal to day, and to-morrow eat to repletion, with
only temporary inconvenience. One night they will sleep three or four
hours, and the next nine or ten; or one night, in their eagerness to
get away into some agreeable company, they will take no food at all,
and the next, perhaps, will eat a hearty supper, and go to bed upon
it. These, with various other irregularities, are common to the
majority of young men, and are, as just stated, the cause of much bad
health in mature life. Indeed, nearly all the shattered constitutions
with which too many are cursed, are the result of a disregard to the
plainest precepts of health in early life.
1771. Disinfecting Liquid.
In a wine bottle of cold water, dissolve two ounces acetate of lead
(sugar of lead), and then add two (fluid) ounces of strong nitric acid
(aquafortis). Shake the mixture, and it will be ready for use.
A very small quantity of the liquid, in its strongest form, should be
used for cleansing all kinds of chamber utensils. For removing
offensive odours, clean cloths thoroughly moistened with the liquid,
diluted with eight or ten parts of water, should be suspended at
various parts of the room.--In this case the offensive and deleterious
gases are neutralized by chemical action.
Fumigation in the usual way is only the substitution of one odour for
another. In using the above, or any other disinfectant, let it never
be forgotten that _fresh air_, and plenty of it, is cheaper and more
effective than any other material.
1772. Disinfecting Fumigation.
Common salt, three ounces; black manganese, oil of vitriol, of each
one ounce; water two ounces; carried in a cup through the apartments
of the sick; or the apartments intended to be fumigated, where
sickness has been, may be shut up for an hour or two, and then opened.
1773. Coffee a Disinfectant.
Numerous experiments with roasted coffee prove that it is the most
powerful means, not only of rendering animal and vegetable effluvia
innocuous, but of actually destroying them. A room in which meat in an
advanced degree of decomposition had been kept for some time, was
instantly deprived of all smell on an open coffee-roaster being
carried through it, containing a pound of coffee newly roasted. In
another room, exposed to the effluvium occasioned by the clearing out
of the dung-pit, so that sulphuretted hydrogen and ammonia in great
quantities could be chemically detected, the stench was completely
removed in half a minute, on the employment of three ounces of
fresh-roasted coffee, whilst the other parts of the house were
permanently cleared of the same smell by being simply traversed with
the coffee-roaster, although the cleansing of the dung-pit continued
for several hours after.
The best mode of using the coffee as a disinfectant is to dry the raw
bean, pound it in a mortar, and then roast the powder on a moderately
heated iron plate, until it assumes a dark brown tint, when it is fit
for use. Then sprinkle it in sinks or cess-pools, or lay it on a plate
in the room which you wish to have purified. Coffee acid or coffee oil
acts more readily in minute quantities.
1774. Charcoal as a Disinfectant.
The great efficacy of wood and animal charcoal in absorbing effluvia,
and the greater number of gases and vapours, has long been known.
Charcoal powder has also, during many centuries, been advantageously
employed as a filter for putrid water, the object in view being to
deprive the water of numerous organic impurities diffused through it,
which exert injurious effects on the animal economy. Charcoal not only
absorbs effluvia and gaseous bodies, but especially, when in contact
with atmospheric air, oxidize, and destroys many of the easily
alterable ones, by resolving them into the simplest combinations they
are capable of forming, which are chiefly water and carbonic acid. It
is on this oxidizing property of charcoal, as well as on its absorbent
power, that its efficacy as a deodorizing and disinfecting agent
chiefly depends.
1775. Charcoal as an Antiseptic.
Charcoal is an antiseptic, that is to say, a substance which arrests
the decay and decomposition of animal substances. Meat, poultry, game
or fish, &c., may be preserved for a longer period in hot weather by
sprinkling it with powdered charcoal, which should be washed off in
clean cold water before the article is cooked.
1776. Charcoal Respirators.
It has been proposed to employ charcoal ventilators, consisting of a
thin layer of charcoal enclosed between two thin sheets of wire gauze,
to purify the foul air which is apt to accumulate in water-closets, in
the close wards of hospitals, and in the impure atmospheres of many of
the back courts and mews-lanes of large cities, all the impurities
being absorbed and retained by the charcoal, while a current of pure
air alone is admitted into the neighbouring apartments. In this way
pure air may be obtained from exceedingly impure sources. The proper
amount of air required by houses in such situations might be admitted
through sheets of wire gauze or coarse canvas, containing a thin layer
of coarse charcoal powder.
A tolerably thick charcoal ventilator, as described above, could be
very advantageously applied to the gully-holes of common sewers, and
to the sinks in private dwellings, the foul water in both cases being
carried into the drain by means of tolerably wide syphon pipes,
retaining always about a couple of inches of water. Such an
arrangement would effectually prevent the escape of any effluvia,
would be easy of construction, and not likely to get soon out of
order.
In respirators for the mouth the air is made to pass through a quarter
of an inch of coarsely powdered charcoal, retained in its place by two
sheets of silvered wire gauze, covered over with thin woollen cloth,
by which means its temperature is greatly increased. The charcoal
respirator possesses a decided advantage over respirators of the
ordinary construction, in that all disagreeable effluvia are absorbed
by the charcoal, so that comparatively pure air is alone inhaled.
Adaptations may be made to cover the nostrils as well as the mouth,
for protecting the wearer against fevers and other infectious
diseases, and chiefly for use in chemical works, common sewers, &c.,
to protect the workmen from the noxious effects of the deleterious
gases to which they are frequently exposed.
1777. Charcoal applied to Sores, &c.
Charcoal powder has been most successfully employed at hospitals, to
arrest the progress of gangrene and other putrid sores. The charcoal
does not require to be put immediately in contact with the sores, but
is placed above the dressings, not unfrequently quilted loosely in a
little cotton wool. In many cases patients who were rapidly sinking
have been restored to health.
1778. Disinfection of Rooms.
Any room, however offensive it may be, can be perfectively deodorized
by means of a few trays filled with a thin layer of freshly-heated
wood charcoal. From these and other considerations it is evident that
charcoal is one of the cheapest and best disinfectants. Unlike many
other disinfectants, it evolves no disagreeable vapours, and if heated
in close vessels will always act, however long it has been in use,
quite as effectively as at first. The efficiency of the charcoal may
be greatly increased by making it red-hot before using it. This can
easily be done by heating it in an iron saucepan covered with an iron
lid. When the charcoal is to be applied to inflammable substances,
such as wooden floors, &c., of course it must be allowed to cool in
close vessels before being used.
1779. Sir William Burnett's Disinfecting Fluid.
Of late years new disinfectants for the removal of disagreeable and
offensive odours, and the preservation of meat, &c., have been brought
into use. Sir William Burnett's disinfecting fluid is too well known
to require description. It is invaluable in a sick room, and is sold
by all chemists and druggists.
1780. Glacialine.
This is a new disinfectant and antiseptic, which is highly recommended
and largely used for the preservation of meats, liquids, and all goods
of a perishable character from acidity, as in the case of beer, or
decomposition. It is sold by most chemists, druggists, and oilmen.
1781. Chloride of Lime.
This substance, which is well known for its bleaching properties is a
useful disinfectant. It will neutralise the foul smell arising from
drains, closets, &c., when mixed with water and thrown down the pipes
whence the smell proceeds. A little dissolved in a bucket of water,
when used in scrubbing rooms and passages, will purify them and render
them wholesome, and also whiten the boards. It is sold by oilmen &c.,
at 3d. or 4d. per lb.--a much lower rate than that at which it is sold
by chemists.
1782. Carbolic Powder and Fluid.
Carbolic acid in a fluid state is a highly concentrated disinfectant,
and a strong irritant poison. Care should be taken in its use and
storage, as many lives have been lost through taking carbolic acid
under the impression that it was some medicine or beverage. It is far
safer when in the form of powder which has been impregnated with the
acid. The powder has a pink colour, is recommended by the Government,
and is sold at the rate of 2d. per pound by oilmen, &c.
1783. Domestic Hints (Sheep Near Sea).
_Why is the flesh of sheep that are fed near the sea more nutritious
than that of others?_
Because the saline particles (sea salt) which they find with their
green food give purity to their blood and flesh.
1784. Domestic Hints (Marbled Fat in Meat).
_Why does the marbled appearance of fat in meat indicate that it is
young and tender?_
Because in young animals fat is dispersed through the muscles, but
in old animals it is laid in masses on the outside of the flesh.
1785. Domestic Hints (White and Red Meat).
_Why is some flesh white and other flesh red?_
White flesh contains a larger proportion of albumen, (similar to the
white of egg) than that which is red. The amount of blood retained
in the flesh also influences its colour.
1786. Domestic Hints (Raw and Cooked Oysters).
_Why are raw oysters more wholesome than those that are cooked?_
When cooked they are partly deprived of salt water, which promotes
their digestion; their albumen also becomes hard (like hard boiled
eggs).
1787. Domestic Hints (Green Oysters).
_Why have some oysters a green tinge?_
This has been erroneously attributed to the effects of copper; but
it arises from the oyster feeding upon small green sea-weeds, which
grow where such oysters are found.
1788. Domestic Hints (Twice-Boiled Cabbage).
_Why is cabbage rendered more wholesome by being boiled in two
waters?_
Because cabbages contain an oil, which is apt to produce bad
effects, and prevents some persons from eating "green" vegetables.
When boiled in two waters, the first boiling carries off the greater
part of this oil.
1789. Domestic Hints (Just-Scraped Horseradish).
_Why should horseradish be scraped for the table only just before it
is required?_
Because the peculiar oil of horseradish is very volatile; it quickly
evaporates, and leaves the vegetable substance dry and insipid.
1790. Domestic Hints (Mint with Pea Soup).
_Why is mint eaten with pea soup?_
The properties of mint are stomachic and antispasmodic. It is
therefore useful to prevent the flatulence that might arise,
especially from soups made of green or dried peas.
1791. Domestic Hints (Apple Sauce with Pork and Goose).
_Why is apple sauce eaten with pork and goose?_
Because it is slightly laxative, and therefore tends to counteract
the effects of rich and stimulating meats. The acid of the apples
also neutralizes the oily nature of the fat, and prevents
biliousness.
1792. Domestic Hints (Thunderstorms Souring Milk).
_Why does milk turn sour during thunderstorms?_
Because, in an electric condition of the atmosphere, ozone is
generated. Ozone is oxygen in a state of great intensity; and oxygen
is a general acidifier of many organic substances. Milk may be
prevented from becoming sour by boiling it, or bringing it nearly to
boiling point, for, as the old proverb says, "Milk boiled is milk
spoiled." Heating the milk expels the oxygen.
1793. Domestic Hints (Butter from Churning).
_Why does the churning of cream or milk produce butter?_
Because the action of stirring, together with a moderate degree of
warmth, causes the cells in which the butter is confined to burst;
the disengaged fat collects in flakes, and ultimately coheres in
large masses.
1794. Domestic Hints (Blue Mould on Cheese).
_What is the blue mould which appears sometimes upon cheese?_
It is a species of fungus, or minute vegetable, which may be
distinctly seen when examined by a magnifying glass.
1795. Domestic Hints (Tenderness in Birds).
_Why are some of the limbs of birds more tender than others?_
The tenderness or toughness of flesh is determined by the amount of
exercise the muscles have undergone. Hence the wing of a bird that
chiefly walks, and the leg of a bird that chiefly flies, are the
most tender.
1796. Domestic Hints (Tea Curing Headache).
_Why does tea frequently cure headache?_
Because, by its stimulant action on the general circulation, in
which the brain participates, the nervous congestions are overcome.
1797. Domestic Hints (Clothes for Hot Weather).
_Why are clothes of smooth and shining surfaces best adapted for hot
weather?_
Because they reflect or turn back the rays of the sun, which are
thus prevented from penetrating them.
1798. Domestic Hints (Loose Clothing Warmer).
_Why is loose clothing warmer than tight articles of dress?_
Because the loose dress encloses a stratum of warm air which the
tight dress shuts out; for the same reason, woollen articles, though
not warmer in themselves, appear so, by keeping warm air near to the
body.
1799. Domestic Hints (Tea Made Best with Boiling Water).
_Why should the water poured upon tea be at the boiling point?_
Because it requires the temperature of boiling water to extract the
peculiar oil of tea.
1800. Domestic Hints (First Infusion Best).
_Why does the first infusion of tea possess more aroma than the
second?_
Because the first infusion, if the water used is at the boiling
temperature, takes up the essential oil of the tea, while the second
water receives only the bitter extract supplied by the tannic acid
of tea.
1801. Domestic Hints (Sky-Blue for Fair People).
_Why does a head-dress of sky-blue become a fair person?_
Because light blue is the complementary colour of pale orange, which
is the foundation of the blonde complexion and hair.
1802. Domestic Hints (Brighter Colours for Dark People).
_Why are yellow, orange, or red colours suitable to a person of dark
hair and complexion?_
Because those colours, by contrast with the dark skin and hair, show
to the greater advantage themselves, while they enrich the hue of
black.
1803. Domestic Hints (Light Green for Fair Complexions).
_Why is a delicate green favourable to pale blonde complexions?_
Because it imparts a rosiness to such complexions--red, its
complementary colour, being reflected upon green.
1804. Domestic Hints (Light Green Unfavourable for Ruddy Complexions).
_Why is light green unfavourable to ruddy complexions?_
Because it increases the redness, and has the effect of producing an
overheated appearance.
1805. Domestic Hints (Violet Unfavourable for All).
_Why are violet draperies unfavourable to every kind of complexion?_
Because, reflecting yellow, they augment that tint when it is
present in the skin or hair, change blue into green, and give to an
olive complexion a jaundiced look.
1806. Domestic Hints (Blue Unsuitable for Brunettes).
_Why is blue unsuitable to brunettes?_
Because it reflects orange, and adds to the darkness of the
complexion.
1807. Domestic Hints (Blue Veils for Complexion).
_Why do blue veils preserve the complexion?_
Because they diminish the effect of the scorching rays of light,
just as the blue glass over photographic studios diminishes the
effect of certain rays that would injure the delicate processes of
photography. [1]
[Footnote 1: "Housewife's Reason Why," containing upwards of 1,500
Reasons upon every kind of Domestic Subject. London: Houlston and
Sons. 2s. 6d.]
1808. Fancy Needlework.
Although there is a continual change in designs and materials for
fancy needlework of every description, the fundamental principles on
which this kind of work in all its various branches is executed remain
the same. These are carefully, though briefly set forth in the
following series of instructions on this subject.
1809. Instructions in Crochet.
1810. Popularity of Crochet.
Perhaps no kind of work has ever attained such popularity as
_Crochet_. Whether as a simple trimming, as an elaborate quilt, or as
a fabric, almost rivalling Point Lace, it is popular with every woman
who has any time at all for fancy work, since it is only needful to
understand the stitches, and the terms and contractions used in
writing the descriptions of the different designs, to be enabled to
work with ease the most beautiful pattern that ever appeared in
crochet.
1811. Stitches used in Crochet.
These, with their abbreviations, are:
Ch., chain stitch;
S., single crochet;
Dc., double crochet;
L., long stitch;
Double and treble long.
1812. Chain Stitch, ch.
Hook the cotton into a loop, and keep on looping the cotton through a
previous stitch till a succession of chains are made to form a
foundation.
1813. Single Crochet, S.
This occurs only in working designs; the hook is inserted in a stitch,
and the cotton is pulled through that and the cotton which is on the
hook at the same time; it thus makes a close tie.
1814. Double Crochet, or Dc.
With cotton on the hook insert the latter into a stitch, draw the
cotton through; there are now two loops on the hook, take up the
cotton on the hook, and with cotton again upon the hook draw it
through the two loops.
1815. Long Stitch, or L.
With the loop of last stitch on the hook, twist the cotton over the
hook, place the latter through a stitch, draw the cotton through, then
put the cotton over the hook, draw the cotton through two loops, and
again through two loops.
1816. Double and Treble Long.
With the hook in a loop, twist the cotton twice or three times over
the hook, and draw the hook successively through either two or three
loops.
1817. Square Crochet.
Square crochet is also sometimes used. The squares are either open or
close. An open square consists of one L, two Ch, missing two on the
line beneath, before making the next stitch. A close square has three
successive L's. Thus, any given number of close squares, followed by
an open, will have so many times three L's; consequently any
foundation for square crochet must have a number that can be divided
by three.
1818. To Contract an Edge.
This may be done in Dc, or long stitch. Twist the thread round the
hook as often as required, insert it in the work, and half do a
stitch. Instead of finishing it, twist the thread round again, until
the same number of loops are on, and work a stitch entirely; so that,
for two stitches, there is only one head.
1819. To Join on a Thread.
Joins should be avoided as much as possible in open work. In joining,
finish the stitch by drawing the new thread through, leaving two
inches for both ends, which must be held in.
1820. To Use several Colours.
This is done in single crochet. Hold the threads not in use on the
edge of the work, and work them in. Change the colour by beginning the
stitch in the old colour, and finishing it with the new, continuing
the work with the latter holding in the old. If only one stitch is
wanted in the new colour, finish one stitch, and begin the next with
it; then change.
1821. To Join Leaves, &c.
When one part of a leaf or flower is required to be joined to another,
drop the loop from the hook, which insert in the place to be joined;
draw the loop through and continue.
1822. To Work over Cord.
Hold the cord in the left hand with the work, and work round it, as
you would over an end of thread, working closely. When beads are used
they must be first threaded on silk or thread, and then dropped,
according to the pattern, on the _wrong_ side of the work. This side
looks more even than the other: therefore, when bead purses are worked
from an engraving, they are worked the reverse of the usual way, viz.,
from right to left.
1823. Oriental Crochet erroneously termed Tricotee.
This is worked by just making a chain the length required. Then put
the hook through a loop of the chain, pull the wool through without
twisting it, and so continue to the end, keeping all the stitches on
the hook. _In returning_, twist the wool over the hook, pull it
through the first loop, twist the wool again over the hook, pull it
through the next, and so continue to the end. There will now be a row
of flat loops, but not on the edge. Work exactly as at the first row
which was worked with the chain row, but in this there is no chain row.
1824. Instructions in Netting.
1825. Regularity in Netting.
The beauty of netting consists in its firmness and regularity. All
joins in the thread must be made in a very strong knot; and, if
possible, at an edge, so that it may not be perceived.
1826. Implements used in Netting.
These are a netting needle and mesh. In filling a netting needle with
the material, be careful not to make it so full that there will be a
difficulty in passing it through the stitches. The size of the needle
must depend on the material to be employed, and the fineness of the
work. Steel needles are employed for every kind of netting except the
very coarsest. They are marked from 12 to 24, the latter being
extremely fine. The fine meshes are usually also of steel; but, as
this material is heavy, it is better to employ bone or wooden meshes
when large ones are required. Many meshes are flat; and in using them
the _width_ is given.
1827. Diamond Netting.
The first stitch in this work is termed _diamond_ netting, the holes
being in the form of diamonds. To do the first row, a stout thread,
knotted to form a round, is fastened to the knee with a pin, or passed
over the foot, or on the hook sometimes attached to a work cushion for
the purpose. The end of the thread on the needle is knotted to this,
the mesh being held in the left hand on a line with it. Take the
needle in the right hand; let the thread come over the mesh and the
third finger, bring it back under the mesh, and hold it between the
thumb and first finger. Slip the needle through the loop over the
third finger, under the mesh and the foundation thread. In doing this
a loop will be formed, which must be passed over the fourth finger.
Withdraw the third finger from the loop, and draw up the loop over the
fourth, gradually, until it is quite tight on the mesh. The thumb
should be kept firmly over the mesh while the stitch is being
completed. When the necessary number of stitches is made on this
foundation, the future rows are to be worked backwards and forwards.
To form a _round_, the first stitch is to be worked into immediately
after the last, which closes the netting into a circle.
1828. Round Netting.
Round Netting is very nearly the same stitch. The difference is merely
in the way of putting the needle through the loop and foundation, or
other stitch. After passing the needle through the loop, it must be
brought out, and put _downwards_ through the stitch. This stitch is
particularly suitable for purses.
1829. Square Netting.