of this vegetable are of service in restoring the tone of the skin,
and assisting the capillary vessels in sending forth new hair; but it
is not infallible. Should it succeed, however, the growth of these new
hairs may be assisted by the oil of myrtle-berries, the repute of
which, perhaps, is greater than its real efficacy. Even if they do no
good, these applications are harmless.
2420. Baldness.
The decoction of boxwood, which has been found successful in some
cases of baldness, is thus made:--Take of the common box, which grows
in garden borders, stems and leaves four large handfuls; boil in three
pints of water, in a closely covered vessel, for a quarter of an hour,
and let it stand in a covered earthenware jar for ten hours or more;
strain, and add an ounce and a half of eau-de-Cologne or
lavender-water, to make it keep. The head should be well washed with
this solution every morning.
[NEVER QUIT CERTAINTY FOR HOPE.]
2421. Lotion for the Cure and Prevention of Baldness.
Eau-de-Cologne, two ounces; tincture of cantharides, two drachms; oil
of rosemary, oil of nutmeg, and oil of lavender, each ten drops. To be
rubbed on the bald part of the head every night.
2422. Remedy for Rheumatism, Lumbago, Sprains, Bruises, Chilblains, and
Bites of Insects.
One raw egg well beaten, half a pint of vinegar, one ounce of spirits
of turpentine, a quarter of an ounce of spirits of wine, a quarter of
an ounce of camphor. These ingredients to be beaten well together,
then put in a bottle and shaken for ten minutes, after which, to be
corked down tightly to exclude the air. In half an hour it is fit for
use.
_Directions_.--To be well rubbed in, two, three, or four times a day.
For rheumatism in the head, to be rubbed at the back of the neck and
behind the ears. This mixture should not be used for broken chilblains.
2423. Excellent Remedy for Sprains.
Put the white of an egg into a saucer; keep stirring it with a piece
of alum about the size of a walnut, until it becomes a thick jelly;
apply a portion of it on a piece of lint or tow large enough to cover
the sprain, changing it for a fresh one as often as it feels warm or
dry. The limb should be kept in a horizontal position by placing it on
a chair.
2424. Remedy for Blistered Feet.
Rub the feet, on going to bed, with spirits mixed with tallow, dropped
from a lighted candle into the palm of the hand.
2425. Boils.
These should be brought to a head by warm poultices of camomile
flowers, or boiled white lily root, or onion root; by fermentation
with hot water, or by stimulating plasters. When perfectly ripe and
ready to break, they may be discharged by a needle or the lancet.
_Constitutional treatment:_--Peruvian bark, and port wine, and
sea-bathing are desirable. Gentle purgatives should be given
occasionally.
2426. Bunions.
Bunions may be checked in their early development by binding the joint
with adhesive plaster, and keeping it on as long as any uneasiness is
felt. The bandaging should be perfect, and it might be well to extend
it round the foot. An inflamed bunion should be poulticed, and larger
shoes be worn. Iodine, twelve grains; lard or spermaceti ointment,
half an ounce, makes a capital ointment for bunions. It should be
rubbed on gently twice or thrice a day.
2427. Cure of Warts.
The easiest way to get rid of warts is to pare off the thickened skin
which covers the prominent wart; cut it off by successive layers;
shave it till you come to the surface of the skin, and till you draw
blood in two or three places. When you have thus denuded the surface
of the skin, rub the part thoroughly over with _lunar caustic_. One
effective operation of this kind will generally destroy the wart; if
not, cut off the black spot which has been occasioned by the caustic,
and apply the caustic again, or _acetic acid_ may be applied in order
to get rid of it.
2428. Corns (1).
Any remedy for these painful growths, to be effectual, must include
removal of the usual cause--pressure by tight or ill-fitting boots.
Strong acetic acid may be used, but great care is necessary in
applying it, to avoid burning the adjacent parts. _Soft corns_ may be
cured by extract of lead.
2429. Corns (2).
A very good remedy for corns is that known as "Celandine," which is
harmless and easily applied. Any chemist will supply it.
2430. To Cure Stings of Bees and Wasps.
The sting of a bee is generally more virulent than that of a wasp, and
with some people attended with very violent effects. The sting of a
bee is barbed at the end, and is consequently always left in the
wound; that of a wasp is pointed only, so that the latter insect can
sting more than once, which a bee cannot do. When stung by a bee, let
the sting be instantly pulled out; for the longer it remains in the
wound, the deeper it will pierce, owing to its peculiar form, and emit
more of the poison. The sting is hollow, and the poison flows through
it, which is the sole cause of the pain and inflammation. The pulling
out of the sting should he done carefully, and with a steady hand; for
if any part of it breaks in, all remedies then, in a great, measure,
will be ineffectual. When the sting is extracted, suck the wounded
part, if possible, and very little inflammation, if any, will ensue.
If hartshorn drops are immediately afterwards rubbed on the part, the
cure will be more complete.
2431. A Cure for Bee Stings, etc.
Among other simple remedies for this purpose, rubbing the part
affected with sweet oil, the juice of onion, or the blue bag used in
washing, slightly moistened, will be found efficacious.
2432. Nettle Stings.
The sting of a nettle may be cured by rubbing the part with rosemary,
mint, or sage leaves. Dock leaves are also said to supply an effectual
remedy.
2433. Arnica for Bites.
A correspondent of the _Times_ says:
"Noticing in your paper an account of the death of a man from the
bite of a cat, I beg to trouble you with the following case, which
occurred to myself about three weeks ago:--I took a strange dog
home, which produced consternation among the cats. One of them I
took up, to effect a reconciliation between her and the dog. In her
terror, she bit me so severely on the first finger of the left hand,
as not only to cause four of the teeth of her lower jaw to enter the
flesh, but so agonizing was her bite that the pressure of her palate
caused the finger to swell at the joint on the opposite side to
where the lower teeth entered the finger. In a minute or two the
pain was about as excruciating as anything I ever felt--certainly
greater than I have suffered from a wound. I got some tincture of
arnica, diluted with about twelve times the quantity of water, and
proceeded to bathe the finger well with it. In about half a minute
the blood began to flow freely, the pain ceased, and the swelling
abated, and up to this moment I have had no further inconvenience or
pain, not even soreness."
2434. Cure for Burns.
Of all applications for a burn, there are none equal to a simple
covering of common _wheat flour_. This is always at hand; and while it
requires no skill in using, it produces most astonishing effects. The
moisture produced upon the surface of a slight or deep burn is at once
absorbed by the flour, and forms a paste which shuts out the air. As
long as the fluid matters continue flowing, they are absorbed, and
prevented from producing irritation, as they would do if kept from
passing off by oily or resinous applications, while the greater the
amount of those absorbed by the flour, the thicker the protective
covering. Another advantage of the flour covering is, that next to the
surface it is kept moist and flexible. It can also be readily washed
off, without further irritation in removing. It may occasionally be
washed off very carefully, when the crust that it forms has become
dry, and a new covering be sprinkled on.
2435. Remedy for Burns and Scalds.
Take chalk and linseed, or common olive oil, and mix them in such
proportions as will produce a compound as thick as thin honey; then
add vinegar so as to reduce it to the thickness of treacle; apply with
a soft brush or feather, and renew the application from time to time.
Each renewal brings fresh relief, and a most grateful coolness. If the
injury is severe, especially if it involve the chest, give ten drops
of laudanum to an adult, and repeat it in an hour, and again a third
time. To a child of ten years give, in like manner, only three drops,
but beware of giving any to an infant. This plan with an internal
stimulant, according to age, as brandy, or salvolatile, or both,
should be at once adopted, until the arrival of the medical attendant.
2436. Lime-Water.
Lime-water beaten up with sweet oil is an excellent application for
burns.
2437. Pitting in Small Pox.
The following is a simple process that has been adopted most
successfully, not only in cases of small pox, in which it completely
prevented pitting, but in all eruptive diseases generally, such as
measles, scarlatina, nettlerash, chicken pox, &c., relieving the
itching, tingling, and irritation of those complaints, and thereby
affording great relief, especially in the case of children. It
consists in smearing the whole surface of the body, after the eruption
is fairly out, with bacon fat; and the simplest way of employing it is
to boil thoroughly a small piece of bacon with the skin on, and when
cold to cut off the skin with the fat adhering to it, which is to be
scored crosswise with a knife, and then gently rubbed over the surface
once, twice, or thrice a day, according to the extent of the eruption
and the recurrence of itching and irritation.
Another plan, practised by Dr. Allshorn, of Edinburgh, is to mix three
parts of oil with one of white wax, by heat, and while warm and fluid
to paint over the face and neck with a camel-hair brush. As this cools
and hardens it forms a mask, which effectually excludes the air, and
prevents pitting. It is said that if light is admitted into the
patient's room through yellow blinds, so that the red and blue rays of
the sun are excluded, pitting will be prevented.
2438. Cutaneous Eruptions.
The following mixture is very useful in all cutaneous eruptions:
Ipecacuanha wine, four drachms; flowers of sulphur, two drachms:
tincture of cardamoms, one ounce. Mix: one teaspoonful to be taken
three times a day, in a wineglassful of water.
2439. Wash for a Blotched Face.
Rose water, three ounces: sulphate of zinc, one drachm. Mix; wet the
face with it, gently dry it, and then touch it over with cold cream,
which also dry gently off.
2440. Freckles.
To disperse them, take one ounce of lemon juice, a quarter of a drachm
of powdered borax, and half a drachm of sugar; mix, and let them stand
a few days in a glass bottle till the liquor is fit for use, then rub
it on the hands and face occasionally.
2441. To Remove Freckles.
Dissolve, in half an ounce of lemon juice, one ounce of Venice soap,
and add a quarter of an ounce each of oil of bitter almonds, and
deliquated oil of tartar. Place this mixture in the sun till it
acquires the consistency of ointment. When in this state add three
drops of the oil of rhodium and keep it for use. Apply it to the face
and hands in the manner following:--Wash the parts at night with
elder-flower water, then anoint with the ointment. In the morning
cleanse the skin by washing it copiously in rose water.
2442. Wash for Sunburn.
Take two drachms of borax, one drachm of Roman alum, one drachm of
camphor, half an ounce of sugar candy, and a pound of ox-gall. Mix and
stir well for ten minutes or so, and repeat this stirring three or
four times a day for a fortnight, till it appears clear and
transparent. Strain through blotting-paper, and bottle up for use.
2443. Teething.
Young children, whilst cutting their first set of teeth, often suffer
severe constitutional disturbance. At first there is restlessness and
peevishness, with slight fever, but not unfrequently these are
followed by convulsive fits, as they are commonly called, which are
caused by the brain becoming irritated; and sometimes under this
condition the child is either cut off suddenly, or the foundation of
serious mischief to the brain is laid.
The remedy, or rather the safeguard against these frightful
consequences, is trifling, safe, and almost certain, and consists
merly in lancing the gum covering the tooth which is making its way
through. When teething is about it may be known by the spittle
constantly drivelling from the mouth and wetting the frock. The child
has its fingers often in its mouth, and bites hard any substance it
can get hold of. If the gums be carefully looked at, the part where
the tooth is pressing up is swollen and redder than usual; and if the
finger be pressed on it the child shrinks and cries, showing that the
gum is tender.
When these symptoms occur, the gum should be lanced, and sometimes the
tooth comes through the next day, if near the surface; but if not so
far advanced the cut heals and a scar forms, which is thought by some
objectionable, as rendering the passage of the tooth more difficult.
This, however, is not so, for the scar will give way much more easily
than the uncut gum. If the tooth do not come through after two or
three days, the lancing may be repeated; and this is more especially
needed if the child be very fractious, and seems in much pain.
Lancing the gums is further advantageous, because it empties the
inflamed part of its blood, and so relieves the pain and inflammation.
The relief children experience in the course of two or three hours
from the operation is often very remarkable, as they almost
immediately become lively and cheerful.
[CONTENTMENT WILL BOTH CLOTHE AND FEED.]
2444. Cure for Toothache.
Two or three drops of essential oil of cloves put upon a small piece
of lint or cotton wool, and placed in the hollow of the tooth, will be
found to have the active power of curing the toothache without
destroying the tooth or injuring the gums.
2445. Gutta Percha Tooth-Stopping.
Since the introduction of gutta-percha, the use of metallic
succedaneum for filling decayed teeth has been superseded, especially
in cases where the cavities are large. The gutta-percha is inodorous,
cheap, and can be renewed as often as required. It is only necessary
to soften it by warmth, either by holding it before a fire, or
immersing it in boiling water. Succedaneum is best when the decayed
spots are very small.
2446. Succedaneum.
Take an old silver thimble, an old silver coin, or other silver
article, and with a very fine file convert it into filings. Sift
through gauze, to separate the coarse from the fine particles. Take
the finer portion, and mix with sufficient quicksilver to form a stiff
amalgam, and while in this state fill the cavaties of decayed teeth.
This is precisely the same as the metallic amalgam used by all
dentists.
_Caution_.--As it turns black under the action of the acids of the
mouth, it should be used sparingly for _front_ teeth. A tooth should
never be filled while it is aching.
2447. Rose Lipsalve.
i. Oil of almonds, three ounces; alkanet, half an ounce. Let them
stand together in a warm place, then strain. Melt one ounce and a
half of white wax and half an ounce of spermaceti with the oil; stir
it till it begins to thicken, and add twelve drops of otto of roses.
ii. White wax, one ounce; almond oil, two ounces; alkanet, one
drachm; digest in a warm place, stir till sufficiently coloured,
strain and stir in six drops of otto of roses.
2448. Ventilating Bedrooms.
A sheet of finely perforated zinc, substituted for a pane of glass in
one of the upper squares of a chamber window, is the cheapest and best
form of ventilator; there should not be a bedroom without it.
2449. A Simple Method of Ventilation.
Get a piece of deal two inches wide and one inch thick, and as long as
the width of the sashes of the window in which it is to be used. Care
should be taken to ascertain the width of the sashes exactly, which
may be done by measuring along the top of the lower sash, from one
side of the sash frame to the other. Raise the lower sash--drop in
the piece of wood, so that it rests on the bottom part of the window
frame, the ends being within the stops on either side, and then close
the sash upon it. If properly planed up, no draught can enter between
the wood and the bottom of the sash; but the air can enter the room in
an upward direction, through the opening between the top of the lower
sash and the bottom of the upper sash, any direct draught into the
interior of the room being prevented by the position of the lower sash.
[THE QUIET MIND ENJOYS THE SWEETEST REST.]
2450. Bedclothes.
The perfection of dress, for day or night, where warmth is the
purpose, is that which confines around the body sufficient of its own
warmth, while it allows escape to the exhalations of the skin. Where
the body is allowed to bathe protractedly in its own vapours we must
expect an unhealthy effect upon the skin. Where there is too little
allowance for ventilation, insensible perspiration is checked, and
something analogous to fever supervenes; foul tongue, ill taste, and
lack of morning appetite betray the evil.
2451. Vapour Baths.
Vapour baths may be made by putting boiling water in a pan, and
placing a cane-bottom chair in the pan, the patient sitting upon it,
enveloped from head to foot in a blanket covering the bath. Sulphur,
spirit, medicinal, herbal, and other baths may be obtained in the same
manner. They should not be taken except under medical advice.
2452. Vapour Bath at Home.
Another equally easy but far more effectual method of procuring a
vapour bath at home is to attach one end of a piece of gutta-percha
tubing to the snout of a kettle on the fire, and to introduce the
other end below the chair, on which the person who requires the bath
is sitting, enveloped in a blanket as described above.
2453. Hot Water.
In bruises, hot water is the most efficacious, both by means of
insertion and fomentation, in removing pain, and totally preventing
discoloration and stiffness. It has the same effect after a blow. It
should be applied as quickly as possible, and as hot as it can be
borne. The efficacy of hot water in preventing the ill effects of
fatigue is too well-known to require notice.
2454. Thinning the Blood.
It is desirable to consider the means of thinning the blood, when it
has been deprived, by too profuse transpiration in hot, dry winds, of
its aqueous particles, and rendered thick and viscid. Water would
easily supply this want of fluidity if it were capable of mingling
with the blood when in this state; acid matter cannot be ultimately
combined with the blood when the body is in this state. In order to
find a menstruum by which water may be rendered capable of combining
ultimately with the blood, of remaining long in combination with it,
and of thinning it, we must mix it with a substance possessing the
property of a soap, and consequently fit to dissolve viscous matters,
and make them unite with water.
The soap must contain but little salt, that it may not increase the
thirst of the parched throat. It must not have a disagreeable taste,
that it may be possible to drink a considerable quantity of it: and it
must be capable of recruiting the strength without overloading the
stomach.
Now all these qualities are to be found in the yolk of egg. No
beverage, therefore, is more suitable (whilst it is very agreeable)
for hot, dry weather than one composed of the yolk of an egg beaten up
with a little sugar according to taste, and mixed with a quart of cool
spring or filtered water, half a glass of Moselle or any other Rhenish
wine, and some lemon juice. The wine, however, may be omitted, and
only the lemon juice be used; in like manner, hartshorn shavings
boiled in water may be substituted for the yolk of egg. Equal
quantities of beef tea and whey are good for delicate infants.
2455. Beverage for Hot Weather.
The yolk of eggs beaten up, lump sugar (to taste), Rhenish wine or
not, citric acid powdered, or tartaric acid (small quantity, exact
quantity soon found); one or two drops of essence of lemon on a lump
of sugar, to make it mix readily with the water; one quart of water.
This is really an excellent, agreeable, and, without the wine, an
inexpensive beverage.
[LITTLE COMFORTS BEGET MUCH HAPPINESS.]
2456. To Ascertain the State of the Lungs.
Persons desirous of ascertaining the true state of their lungs should
draw in as much breath as they conveniently can, they are then to
count as far as they are able, in a slow and audible voice, without
drawing in more breath. The number of seconds they can continue
counting must be carefully observed; in cases of consumption the time
does not exceed ten, and is frequently less than six seconds; in
pleurisy and pneumonia it ranges from nine to four seconds. When the
lungs are in a sound condition, the time will range as high as from
twenty to thirty-five seconds.
2457. To Avoid Catching Cold.
Accustom yourself to the use of sponging with cold water every morning
on first getting out of bed. It should be followed by a good deal of
rubbing with a wet towel. It has considerable effect in giving tone
to the skin, and maintaining a proper action in it, and thus proves a
safeguard to the injurious influence of cold and sudden changes of
temperature. Sir Astley Cooper said,
"The methods by which I have preserved my own health are
--temperance, early rising, and sponging the body every morning
with cold water, immediately after getting out of bed,--a practice
which I have adopted for thirty years without ever catching cold."
2458. How to Prepare Artificial Sea-Water.
In each gallon of river or rain water dissolve about six ounces of
sea-salt, either by stirring it or suspending it in the water in a
linen or muslin bag. It dissolves as readily in cold as in hot water.
Sea-salt is produced by evaporation of sea-water. Common salt is
sometimes supplied in place of it; but the genuine sea-salt,
manufactured by well-known firms, which can be procured of any grocer
or of most chemists, is specially prepared to enable persons to have a
salt-water bath at home.
2459. Change the Water in which Leeches are Kept.
Once a month in winter, and once a week in summer, is sufficiently
often, unless the water becomes discoloured or bloody, when it should
be changed every day. Either clean pond water or clean rain water
should be employed.
2460. Damp Linen.
Few things are attended with more serious consequences than sleeping
in damp linen. Persons are frequently assured that the sheets have
been at a fire for many hours, but the question is as to what sort of
fire, and whether they have been properly turned, so that every part
has been exposed to the fire. The fear of creasing the linen, we know,
prevents many from unfolding it, so as to be what we consider
sufficiently aired: but health is of more importance than appearances;
with gentleness there need be no fear of want of neatness.
2461. Improving Camomile Tonic.
Dried orange peel added to camomile flowers, in the proportion of half
the quantity of the flowers, improves the tonic.
2462. Gingerbread Aperient.
Gingerbread, made with oatmeal or with barley flour, is a very
agreeable aperient for children. Beware of giving children medicines
too frequently.
2463. Cod Liver Oil.
This very beneficial drug, formerly so unpopular on account of its
rank odour and nauseous taste, has of late years largely increased in
consumption through the skilful manipulations of modern science in its
preparation, whereby both the smell and the flavour have been almost
entirely removed, rendering it capable of being taken by even the most
delicate stomach. It is extremely efficacious in cases of consumption
and debility, checking the emaciation, regulating the appetite, and
restoring vitality. Coffee, new milk, and orange wine, whichever the
patient may fancy, are among the best mediums for taking the oil.
[A CUP MUST BE BITTER THAT A SMILE WILL NOT SWEETEN.]
2464. Camomile Flowers.
Camomile flowers should be gathered on a fine day, and dried upon a
tray placed in the sun. All herbs for medicinal purposes and uses
should be treated in the same manner.
2465. Decoction of Sarsaparilla.
Take four ounces of the root, slice it down, put the slices into four
pints of water, and simmer for four hours. Take out the sarsaparilla,
and beat it into a mash; put it into the liquor again, and boil down
to two pints, then strain and cool the liquor. Dose, a wineglassful
three times a day. Use--to purify the blood after a course of mercury;
or, indeed, whenever any taint is given to the constitution, vitiating
the blood, and producing eruptive affections.
2466. Preston Salts.