HEALTH AND BEAUTY.
_Rules for the preservation of Health, and simple Recipes
found often efficacious in common diseases and slight
injuries_--_Directions for preparing Remedies and ministering to
the Sick and Suffering_--_The Toilet, or hints and suggestions for
the preservation of Beauty, with some useful Recipes for those who
need them_.
335. _Means of preserving Health._--Light and sunshine are needful
for your health. Get all you can; keep your windows clean. Do not
block them up with curtains, plants, or bunches of flowers: these
last poison the air in small rooms.
Fresh air is needful for your health. As often as you can, open all
your windows, if only for a short time, in bad weather; in fine
weather, keep them open, but never sit in draughts. When you get up,
open the windows wide, and throw down the bed-clothes, that they may
be exposed to fresh air some hours daily before they are made up.
Keep your bed-clothes clean; hang them to the fire when you can.
Avoid wearing at night what you wear in the day. Hang up your day
clothes at night. Except in the severest weather, in small crowded
sleeping-rooms, a little opening at the top of the window-sash is
very important; or, you will find one window-pane of perforated zinc
very useful. You will not catch cold half so easily by breathing
pure air at night. Let not the beds be directly under the windows.
Sleeping in exhausted air creates a desire for stimulants.
Pure water is needful for your health. Wash your bodies as well as
your faces, rubbing them all over with a coarse cloth. If you cannot
wash thus every morning, pray do so once a week. Crying and cross
children are often pacified by a gentle washing of their little hands
and faces--it soothes them. Babies' heads should be washed carefully,
every morning, with yellow soap. No scurf should be suffered to
remain upon them. Get rid of all slops and dirty water at once,
but do not throw them out before your doors; and never suffer dead
cabbage-leaves or dirt of any kind to remain there; all these poison
the air, and bring fevers. All bad smells are _poison_; never rest
with them. Keep your back yards clean. Pig-sties are very injurious;
slaughter-houses are equally hurtful: the smells from both excite
typhus fever, and cause ill health. Frederick the Great said, that
one fever was more fatal to him than seven battles. Disease, and
even death, is often the consequence of our own negligence. Wash
your rooms and passages at least once a week; use plenty of clean
water; but do not let your children stay in them while they are
wet--it may bring on croup or inflammation of the chest. If you read
your Bibles--which it is earnestly hoped you do--you will find how
cleanliness, both as to the person and habitation, was taught to the
Jews by God himself; and we read in the 4th chapter of Nehemiah, that
when they were building their second temple, and defending their
lives against their foes, having no time for rest, they contrived
to put off their clothes for washing. It is a good old saying, that
_Cleanliness is next to Godliness_. See Heb. x. 22.
Wholesome food is needful for your health. Buy the most
strengthening. Pieces of fresh beef and mutton go the farthest.
Eat plenty of fresh salt with food; it prevents disease. Pray do
not let your children waste their pocket-money in tarts, cakes,
sugar-plums, sour fruit, &c.; they are very unwholesome, and hurt
the digestion. People would often, at twenty years of age, have
a nice little sum of money to help them on in the world, if they
had put in the savings-bank the money so wasted. Cocoa is cheaper
and much more nourishing than tea. None of these liquids should be
taken _hot_, but lukewarm; when hot, they inflame the stomach, and
produce indigestion. All kinds of intoxicating drinks are to be
avoided, or taken in the utmost moderation. If possible, abstain from
them altogether. Money saved from drink, will help to educate your
children, and make your homes happier.
We are all made to breathe the pure air of heaven, and therefore much
illness is caused by being constantly in-doors. This is especially
the case with mothers of families, young milliners, ironers,
shoe-makers, tailors, &c. Let such persons make a point, whenever it
is possible, of taking exercise in the _open air_ for at least an
hour and a half, _daily_. Time would be saved in the long-run, by
the increased energy and strength gained, and by the warding off of
disease.
Be sure to get your children vaccinated, between the third and sixth
month after birth, before teething begins, and when they are in a
good state of health for it. This would save a great many lives.
On no account give your children laudanum, or any kind of sleeping
medicine; numbers are killed by it.
336. _Directions in severe Sickness._--Whenever any one of your
family is taken violently ill, send as soon as possible for the most
skilful physician--and follow, carefully, his orders. But, many
times, the mother is the best physician, and the only one needed
for her children, if she has been trained to take proper care of
her own health, as every woman should be. The following recipes and
directions may be of great service to young mothers, and those who
have not been accustomed to minister to the sick.
337. _To purify the Chambers of the Sick._--Close the windows and
doors of the room to be purified, except one door; close also
the chimney aperture, except two or three inches at the bottom,
and remove all the iron and brass furniture; then put three
table-spoonsful of common salt into a dish or pan, place it upon the
floor of the apartment, and pour at once upon the salt a quarter of
a pint of oil of vitriol; retire, and close the room for forty-eight
hours, during which time vapor will continue to rise and diffuse
itself completely through the room, so as to destroy the matter on
which infection depends. The room may then be entered, the doors
and windows thrown open, and a fire made in the grate, so that the
apartment may be perfectly ventilated.
338. _To prevent Infection._--As a preservative, carry with you and
smell occasionally, a handkerchief sprinkled with this mixture; half
an ounce of spirits of camphor, half a pint of water, and five ounces
of pyroligneous acid.
Cascarilla bark is good to smoke, to prevent the effects of malaria,
and in sick rooms to correct bad effluvia. It yields a fine aromatic
odor, and is very wholesome for sedentary and studious people to
smoke, if mixed with good tobacco. The proportions for either of
these purposes are as follow: one pound of Turkey tobacco, four
ounces of Dutch canister tobacco, and one ounce of Cascarilla bark,
broken small; mix the above, and smoke a pipe of it every evening,
when the house is shut up; it is also a good digester after meals.
339. _Fumigating Pastilles._--Pound and mix gum benjamin and
frankincense in powder, of each two drachms; gum myrrh, storax,
cascarilla bark, and nitre, of each, powdered, one ounce and a half;
and charcoal powder, one ounce: moisten, and shape into pastilles
with gum-water, and a very little turpentine.
The stalks of dried lavender, if burnt, have an agreeable scent, and
form a substitute for pastilles; they may be cut small, and burnt in
little vessels.
340. _To use Chloride of Lime._--This preventive of contagion may be
used as follows: stir one pound of the chloride of lime into four
gallons of water; allow it to settle for a short time, pour off the
clear solution, and keep it in well-corked bottles.
In houses infected, sprinkle the rooms morning and evening with the
above liquid; and pour some of it into shallow dishes or basins.
Sprinkle it about the room and bed-linen occasionally, and admit
fresh air. Infected linen should be dipped in the mixture about five
minutes, and then in common water, before it is sent to the wash.
A wine-glassful added to the water of a night-chair or bed-pan, will
prevent any smell. To destroy the effluvia from drains, sewers,
cesspools, &c., pour into them a quart of the mixture, with a pail of
water.
Meat sprinkled with, or dipped in the mixture, and hung in the air,
will not be attacked by flies, nor be tainted, for some time.
Water in cisterns may be purified, and its animalcula killed, by
putting about a pint of the mixture to one hundred gallons of water.
This mixture will also destroy bugs, if the joints and crevices of
bedsteads be washed with it. It will likewise remove the smell of
paint in a day, if the newly painted room be sprinkled with it, and
if some be placed there in dishes or saucers.
341. _Disinfecting Liquid._--In a wine-bottle full of cold water
dissolve two ounces of sugar of lead, and add two ounces of
aqua-fortis. Shake the mixture well. A very small quantity of the
liquid in its strongest form should be used for cleansing all chamber
utensils. To remove offensive odors, dilute the liquid with eight
or ten parts of water, moisten clean cloths thoroughly with it, and
hang them in various parts of the room. The offensive gases are
neutralized by chemical action. Fumigation is merely substituting one
odor for another. In all practicable cases, _fresh air_, and plenty
of it, is far the best disinfectant.
342. _To prevent Abrasions of the Skin in persons confined to their
beds; a very valuable recipe._--Apply occasionally to the tender
parts of the body, with a feather, this mixture. Beat to a strong
froth the white of an egg, then drop in gradually, while beating it,
two tea-spoonfuls of spirits of wine. Bottle it for use.
343. _To prevent Discolorations of the Skin after a blow or
fall._--Moisten a little dry starch or arrow-root with cold water,
and lay it on the injured part. It should be done immediately, so
as to prevent the action of the air upon the skin; however, it may
be applied with good effect some hours afterwards. It is a French
receipt, and is quite valuable.
344. _A recipe for Neuralgia in the Face._--Make a lotion with half a
pint of rose-water and two tea-spoonfuls of white vinegar. Apply it
to the part affected, three or four times a-day, using a fresh linen
cloth each time. In two or three days the pain will pass away. This
has been an effectual cure with many, but as the disease arises from
various causes, there is no specific for it.
345. _Eye Water for weak eyes._--Infuse in boiling water, till cold,
half an ounce of poppy heads, and the same quantity of chamomile
flowers. Strain this mixture, and add two table-spoonfuls of vinegar,
and one of brandy. Apply it warm, night and morning.
346. _Another._--Put into a two-ounce phial fifteen drops of
laudanum, fill it with two-thirds of rose-water, and one-third of
rectified spirits of Mindererus. Use it with a sponge.
347. _To cure a Bruise in the Eye._--Take conserve of red roses, or
a bruised apple, put them in a fold of thin cambric, apply it to the
eye, and it will draw the bruise out.
348. _Cold or Inflammation of the Eyes._--Mix a few bread crumbs with
the white of an egg, put it in a bag of soft muslin, and apply it
to the eye. It will afford relief in a few minutes, and generally a
cure in a day. It is best applied at night, or when lying down. When
removed, bathe the eye well with warm water, using a bit of muslin,
not a sponge.
349. _Carvacrol, the new remedy for the Tooth-ache._--Dr. Bushman
gives (in the _Medical Times_) the following account of this new
compound, which, though well known in Germany as a quick and
effectual cure for one of the most worrying ills "that flesh is heir
to," is now for the first time published in England. Carvacrol is
an oily liquid, with a strong taste and unpleasant odor. It may be
made by the action of iodine on oil of caraway or on camphor. A few
drops applied on cotton wool (to a decayed and painful tooth) give
immediate relief. Carvacrol much resembles creosote in appearance,
and is used in similar cases of tooth-ache, but its effect is much
more speedy and certain.
350. _To cure Tooth-ache._--A remedy, often effectual, is to fill the
mouth with warm water, and immediately after with cold.
351. _Another cure for Tooth-ache._--Powdered alum will not only
relieve the tooth-ache, but prevent the decay of the tooth.
352. _Gum-boils._--A gum-boil is sometimes a primary disease,
depending on an inflammation of the gums from accidental and common
causes, in which case the lancet, or leaving it to nature, soon
restores the gum to a healthy state; but it more generally arises
from a carious tooth, in which case extraction is necessary. If
there be any constitutional disturbance about the face, leeches and
purgatives, and the usual means for subduing inflammation may be
resorted to.
353. _Diseases of the Ear._--Sometimes ear-ache is connected with
chronic ulceration in the internal and external part of the
ear--when injections of warm water and soap are advisable. In this
case, there is sometimes a constant fœtid discharge--for which the
following mixture has been recommended:--Mix three drachms of ox-gall
and one drachm of balsam of Peru. Put a drop on a little cotton in
the ear.
354. _Temporary Deafness._--If the ear be inflamed, inject water into
it with a syringe, as warm as the patient can bear it, and foment the
part with the decoction of poppy-heads and chamomile flowers. Should
this not relieve the pain, a drop of oil of cloves with a little oil
of almonds should be dropped into the ear, and cotton wool put into
it. If the ear discharge much, inject warm water with Castile soap
into it.
355. _For a Pain in the Ear._--Oil of sweet almonds, two drachms, and
oil of amber, four drops. Apply four drops of this mixture, when in
pain, to the part affected.
356. _Another cure for the Ear-ache._--Dip a little cotton into a
mixture of oil of sweet almonds and laudanum, and put it into the
ear; or, apply a small poultice, in which is put a raw chopped clove
of garlic; or, roast a small onion, and put as much of the inside
into the ear as you conveniently can.
357. _To kill Earwigs, or other Insects, which may accidentally
have crept into the Ear._--Let the person under this distressing
circumstance lay his head upon a table, the side upwards that is
afflicted; at the same time, let some friend carefully drop into
the ear a little sweet oil or oil of almonds. A drop or two will be
sufficient, which will instantly destroy the insect and remove the
pain, however violent.
358. _Bleeding at the Nose._--In obstinate cases, blow a little gum
Arabic powder up the nostrils through a quill, which will immediately
stop the discharge.
359. _Another cure for Bleeding at the Nose._--_Elevating the
patient's arm_ will often have the desired effect. The explanation
is based upon physiological grounds: the greater force required to
propel the blood through the vessels of the arm, when elevated,
causes the pressure upon the vessels of the head to be diminished, by
the increased action which takes place in the course of the brachial
arteries. If the theory be sound, both arms should be elevated.
360. _To destroy Corns and Warts._--Put into an earthen pipkin a
quarter of a pint of linseed oil, to which add one ounce of resin and
a little litharge. Warm them together; spread them upon leather, and
apply them to corns or warts.
361. _To destroy Warts._--Dissolve as much common washing soda as the
water will take up; wash the warts with this for a minute or two, and
let them dry without wiping. Keep the water in a bottle, and repeat
the washing often. It will remove the largest warts.
Caustic is an effectual though troublesome application. The juice
of the common annual spurge plant is as efficacious a remedy; as is
the bark of the willow tree, burnt to ashes, mixed with vinegar, and
applied to the warts. The juice of the marigold is another remedy.
362. _A certain cure for Warts._--Steep in vinegar the inner rind of
a lemon for twenty-four hours, and apply it to the wart. The lemon
must not remain on more than three hours, and should be applied fresh
every day. To apply acetic acid with a camel's hair-brush, is still
better.
363. _Corns on the Feet._--These are usually made by wearing shoes
over-tight; but, walking on pavement in very thin shoes will cause
corns and bunions, because of bruising the feet on the hard stones.
364. _To prevent Corns from growing on the Feet._--Easy shoes;
frequently bathing the feet in lukewarm water, with a little salt or
potashes dissolved in it.
365. _Sir H. Davy's Corn Solvent._--Potash, two parts; salts of
sorrel, one part; each in fine powder. Mix, and lay a small quantity
on the corn for four or five successive nights, binding it on with a
rag.
366. _To cure Corns._--_An effectual remedy._--The cause of corns,
and likewise the torture they occasion, is simply friction; and to
lessen the friction, you have only to use your toe as you do in like
circumstances a coach wheel--lubricate it with some oily substance.
The best and cleanest thing to use, is a little sweet oil rubbed on
the affected part (after the corn is carefully pared) with the tip
of the finger, which should be done on getting up in the morning,
and just before stepping into bed at night. In a few days the pain
will diminish, and in a few days more it will cease, when the nightly
application may be discontinued.
367. _Another cure for Corns._--Place the feet for half an hour for
two or three nights successively, in a pretty strong solution of
common soda. The alkali dissolves the indurated cuticle, and the corn
falls out spontaneously, leaving a small excavation, which soon fills
up. This is an almost certain remedy.
368. _To cure soft Corns._--Dip a soft linen rag in turpentine, and
place it over the corn night and morning. In a few days the corn
will disappear. A little sweet oil rubbed on them is often of great
service. Or, a small piece of cotton placed between the toes is
sometimes efficacious; or, the juice or pulp of a lemon.
369. _To cure Bunions in their commencement._--Bind the joint
tightly, either with broad tape or adhesive plaster. The strip should
be kept on as long as the least uneasiness is felt. It should wrap
quite round the foot.
370. _Lotion for Chilblains._--Mix distilled vinegar and spirit of
mindererus, of each four ounces, with half an ounce of borax.
In common cases of chilblains, apply pieces of soft linen, moistened
with spirits of camphor, soap liniment, camphor liniment, &c. When
the swellings break, apply emollient ointments for a few days. Equal
quantities of sweet oil, lime water, and spirits of wine, are also an
excellent remedy for chilblains.
371. _Simple remedy for Chilblains._--Soak them in warm bran and
water, then rub them well with mustard-seed flour; but it will be
better if they are done before they break.
372. _Another remedy._--Cut an onion in thick slices, and with these
rub the chilblains thoroughly, on two or three nights, before a good
fire, and they will soon disappear.
373. _Sir A. Cooper's Chilblain Liniment._--One ounce of camphorated
spirit of wine, half an ounce of liquid subacetate of lead; mix, and
apply in the usual way three or four times a day. Some persons use
vinegar as a preventive; its efficacy might be increased, by the
addition to the vinegar of one-fourth of its quantity of camphorated
spirit.
374. _Note._--Those who are most liable to chilblains, should, on the
approach of winter, cover the parts most subject to be affected, with
woollen gloves or stockings, and not expose the hands or feet too
much to wet and cold.
375. _To stop violent Bleeding from a Cut._--Make a paste, by mixing
fine flour with vinegar, and lay it on the cut.
376. _An excellent Styptic._--The outside woof of silk-worms has been
tried with great success by several people, more especially by a
lady, who, in mending a pen, cut her thumb to the bone, and through
part of the nail; it bled profusely; but, by trying this styptic, and
binding up the wound, the hemorrhage stopped, and the wound healed in
three days.
377. _A new and useful Styptic._--Take brandy, or common spirit,
two ounces; Castile soap, two drachms; potash, one drachm; scrape
the soap fine, and dissolve it in the brandy; then add the potash,
and mix it well together, and keep it close stopped from the air in
a phial. When you apply it, warm it in a vessel, or dip pledges of
lint into it, and the blood will immediately congeal. It operates by
coagulating the blood, both a considerable way within the vessels, as
well as the extravasated blood without, and restraining, at the same
time, the mouths of the vessels.
It forms a valuable embrocation, in cases of tumors or swellings from
bruises, by being frequently rubbed on the part. It is also used in a
similar manner for rheumatic pains.
378. _To prevent Wounds from mortifying._--Sprinkle sugar on them.
The Turks wash fresh wounds with wine, and sprinkle sugar on them.
Obstinate ulcers may be cured with sugar dissolved in a strong
decoction of walnut leaves.
379. _To cure Ring-worms._--Dissolve borax in water, and apply it at
first, it will produce a burning sensation and redness; it should
then be discontinued for a few days, and being resumed, the ring-worm
will soon disappear.
To sponge the head daily with vinegar and water, in the proportion of
half a pint of vinegar to a pint and a half of water, will prevent or
cure ring-worms.
380. _Another cure for Ring-worms._--To one part of sulphuric acid,
add about twenty parts of water. Use a brush or feather, and apply it
to the part, night and morning. A very few dressings will generally
cure. If the solution is too strong, dilute it with more water; and
if the irritation is excessive, rub a little oil or other softening
applicant; but avoid soap.
While the patches are in an inflamed and irritable condition, it
is necessary to limit the local applications to regular washing or
sponging with warm water, or some softening fomentation.
381. _Cure for Erysipelas._--A simple poultice made of cranberries,
pounded fine, and applied in a raw state, has proved a certain remedy.
382. _Remedy for fainting._--First place the patient in the
horizontal posture, throw cold water over the face, and bathe
the hands with vinegar and water; loosen the dress, and admit a
free current of fresh, cool air. Pungent salts, ether, or _eau de
Cologne_, should be held occasionally to the nose, and the temples
should be rubbed with either of the two latter. When the patient has
partly recovered, a small quantity of wine, cold water, or ten or
twenty drops of sal-volatile or ether, in water, should be given.
383. _Remedy for Fits._--If a person fall in a fit, let him remain
on the ground, provided his face be pale; for should it be fainting
or temporary suspension of the heart's action, you may cause death
by raising him upright, or by bleeding; but if the face be red or
dark-colored, raise him on his seat, throw cold water on his head
immediately; cold water is the best restorative.
384. _German method of preventing Hysterics._--Caraway seeds, finely
pounded, with a small proportion of ginger and salt, spread upon
bread and butter, and eaten every day, especially early in the
morning, and at night, before going to bed, are successfully used in
Germany, as a domestic remedy against hysterics.
385. _Stomachic Mixture._--Camphor julep, one ounce; sweet spirit
of nitre, half an ounce; compound tincture of cardamoms, spirit of
anise-seed, of each five drachms; oil of caraway, twelve drops;
syrup of ginger, two drachms; peppermint-water, two drachms. Mix. A
table-spoonful occasionally in flatulency and dyspepsia.
386. _Red lavender drops for Nervous Attacks._--Fill a quart bottle
with the blossoms of lavender, and pour on it as much brandy as it
will contain; let it stand ten days, then strain it, and add of
nutmeg bruised, cloves, mace, and cochineal, a quarter of an ounce
each, and bottle it for use. In nervous cases, a little may be taken
dropped on a bit of sugar; and in the beginning of a bowel complaint,
a tea-spoonful, taken in half a glass of peppermint water, will often
prove efficacious.
387. _Eggs in Jaundice._--The yolk of an egg, either eaten raw, or
slightly boiled, is perhaps the most salutary of all the animal
substances. It is a natural soap, and, in all jaundice cases no
food is equal to it. When the gall is either too weak, or, by
accidental means, is not permitted to flow in sufficient quantity
into the duodenum, our food, which consists of watery and oily
parts, cannot unite so as to become chyle. Such is the nature of the
yolk of an egg, that it is capable of uniting water and oil into an
uniform substance, thereby making up for the deficiency of natural
bile.--_Dr. A. Hunter._
388. _Aperient for Children._--Gingerbread made with oatmeal instead
of flour, is a very useful aperient for children.
389. _Cramp._--Cramp in the calves of the legs is a very disagreeable
complaint, to which those who have their legs confined in tight boots
are subject in travelling. An effectual preventative of this pain, is
to stretch out the heel of the leg as far as possible, at the same
time drawing up the toes towards the body.
A garter applied tightly round the limb affected will, in most cases,
speedily remove this complaint. When it is more obstinate, a brick
should be heated, wrapped in a flannel bag, and placed at the foot
of the bed, against which the person troubled may place his feet.
_No remedy, however, is equal to that of diligent and long-continued
friction._
Cramp is apt to attack the calves of the legs and toes soon after
retiring to rest. Get out of bed, and exercise the muscles vigorously.
390. _For Spasms._--Mix four table-spoonsful of camphor julep and
twenty drops of sal-volatile, for a dose, to be repeated twice or
thrice a day.
391. _To apply Leeches._--Make the part clean and dry, and dry the
leeches in a clean cloth; if this fail, scratch the surface of the
skin with a point of a lancet, and apply the leech on the spot,
moistened with the blood. To apply a number of leeches, put them into
a very small wine-glass, which hold over them till they are fixed.
If the skin be much inflamed and heated, pour a little tepid water
into the water containing the leeches, before they are taken out to
be applied. If sulphur be taken internally, or applied externally,
leeches will not bite; neither will they bite if the skin be covered
with perspiration; or if there be tobacco smoke or vinegar-vapor in
the room.
All that is requisite to stop the bleeding, after the leech is taken
away, is constant pressure on the spot; a piece of sponge or cotton,
the size of a pin's head, is to be put upon the aperture, and kept
there by cross slips of adhesive plaster spread upon linen, or the
surgeon's strapping: if greater pressure be necessary, some linen may
be placed between the stopper and the plaster.
392. _A useful embrocation for Rheumatism, Lumbago, or
Strains._--Half an ounce of strongest camphorated spirit, one ounce
spirits of turpentine, one raw egg, half pint best vinegar. Well
mix the whole, and keep it closely corked. To be rubbed in three or
four times a day. For rheumatism in the head, or face-ache, rub all
over the back of the head and neck, as well as the part which is the
immediate seat of pain.
393. _For Gout and Rheumatism._--Mix in one pound of honey one ounce
of flour of sulphur, half an ounce of cream of tartar, two drachms
of ginger, in powder, and half a nutmeg, grated: for rheumatism,
add half a drachm of gum-guaiacum, powdered. The full dose is two
tea-spoonsful at bed-time and early in the morning, in a tumbler of
hot water. This is "the Chelsea Pensioners' recipe."
394. _Influenza._--Influenza is an Italian word, and means what we
express in English by almost the same word, influence. The word as
applied to this disease, originated from the belief held by our
ancestors, of the influence of the stars upon human affairs. When a
complaint suddenly appeared, and affected great numbers without an
obvious cause, the visitation was ascribed to the stars. Whatever
might have been the origin of the name, it is an appropriate one, for
the Influenza certainly springs from some pervading influence. It
may, for anything we can prove to the contrary, be occasioned by some
subtle poison diffused throughout the atmosphere, which medical men
call a _miasm_. Bad air, rising from marshy ground, occasions ague;
and bad air arising from drains in towns, from cess-pools, and other
collections of filth, gives rise to the worst kinds of fever. And it
is not a matter of chance: the ague will continue in marshy countries
till these are drained; and in the dirty quarters of a large town,
there is sure to be typhus fever. If we cannot, in these cases, see,
taste, or touch the bad air, or even smell it, we know that fens
poison the air with a matter that causes ague, and animal refuse
with what causes fever and many other diseases. But, the existence
of a peculiar poison in the air in influenza, is very doubtful. It
is likely, however, and generally believed by medical men, that
influenza arises from certain states or changes in the air connected
with heat and moisture. Now, though it appears in hot weather and
cold, in dry and wet, it may still depend on certain conditions of
the weather, just as a person will sometimes take a cough in a warm
moist day, and again in a dry east wind; and just, in fact, as we see
a fog, which depends on atmospheric changes, produced under different
circumstances. The brisk air of the country often gives town-people
a head-cold, and country people sometimes suffer in the same way
when they visit town. During every season, certain people have
"head-colds," coughs, and "feverish colds." These are produced by
certain states of climate acting on certain states of constitution.
At particular seasons such complaints abound--at others they abound
still more; and again, from some singularity, they prevail so much,
that people say, there is an _Influenza_.
In simple cases, confinement to a pure and temperate air, warm
drinks, and a warm bath, or at least a warm foot-bath, with an extra
blanket, and a little more rest than usual, keeping to mild food
and toast and water, and taking, if necessary, a dose of aperient
medicines--is all that is required. In serious cases, the domestic
treatment must become professional. Mustard plasters to the back,
relieve the head-ache. Squills, and other medicines, "loosen" the
outstanding cough. Bark and wine, and even cold baths, are sometimes
requisite for the weakness left behind. But these things can only be
used with discrimination by a regular professional man.
395. _For the Breath._--Persons who suffer from difficulty of
breathing and oppression on the chest, will find great relief
from the following simple contrivance. A tea-kettle is to be
kept boiling, either over a fire or over a common night-lamp or
nursing-candlestick. A tin tube is to be fitted on to the spout of
the tea-kettle, of such length and form as to throw the steam in
front of the sick person, who will then breathe in it. This prevents
the distressing sensation occasioned by inhaling the cold night air,
which will be felt by persons suffering from asthma or water on the
chest, and which is not obviated either by clothing or fire.
396. _To relieve Asthma._--Soak some blotting-paper in a strong
solution of saltpetre; dry it, take a piece about the size of your
hand, and on going to bed, light it, and lay it upon a plate in your
bed-room. By doing so, persons, however badly afflicted with asthma,
will find that they can sleep almost as well as when in health. (Many
persons have experienced relief from the use of this specific.)
397. _Relief for Asthma--another way._--Mix two ounces of the best
honey with one ounce of castor oil, and take a tea-spoonful, night
and morning.
398. _Gargle for Sore Throat._--On twenty-five or thirty leaves of
the common sage, pour a pint of boiling water; let the infusion stand
half an hour. Add vinegar enough to make it moderately acid, and
honey to the taste. Use it as a gargle, several times a day. This
combination of the astringent and emollient principle seldom fails to
produce the desired effect.
399. _To prevent Lamps from being pernicious to Asthmatic persons, or
others liable to Complaints of the Chest._--Let a sponge, three or
four inches in diameter, be moistened with pure water, and in that
state be suspended by a string or wire, exactly over the flame of the
lamp, at the distance of a few inches; this substance will absorb all
the smoke emitted during the evening or night; after which, it should
be rinsed in warm water, by which means it will be again rendered fit
for use.
400. _The use of Tar-water in expanding the Lungs of Public Speakers,
&c._--It has been found by the experience of many, that drinking
tar-water very much deterges and opens the lungs, and thereby gives
a very sensibly greater ease in speaking. A quart of tar is to be
stirred six minutes in a gallon of water; but if there be somewhat
less tar, it may do as well, especially at first, to try how it sits
on the stomach. Take about one-fourth of a pint, at four several
times, at a due distance from meals. Begin taking it in the spring
for about fourteen days, and continue it for a greater length of
time, as occasion may require.
401. _To prevent Danger from Wet Clothes._--Keep if possible in
motion, and take care not to go near a fire or into any very warm
place, so as to occasion a sudden heat, till some time after you have
been able to procure dry clothes.
402. _Cold and Damp Feet._--Nothing can be more erroneous than the
notion that by pouring spirits into boots and shoes, when the feet
are wet, will prevent the effects of cold; on the contrary, the
practice often produces cold, inflammation, and obstruction in the
bowels. When the spirit reaches the feet, it immediately evaporates:
the stronger it is, the more quickly it evaporates, and the greater
is the cold produced.
403. _For Whooping Cough._--Mix two tea-spoonfuls of paregoric
elixir, one table-spoonful of oxymel of squills, and the same
quantity of water and mucilage of gum-arabic. A tea-spoonful may be
taken three or four times a-day, or when the cough is troublesome.
Treat the whooping cough with the same care as you would any other
cough. Keep the children warmly clothed, and dryly lodged, and
in the house, at all times, except in warm sunny days, when air
and exercise in moderation, observing that they do not overheat
themselves, may do good. Put their feet in a pan of warm water just
before they go to bed, and be careful to wipe them dry and wrap them
in flannel. During the day they must wear woollen stockings and
thick-soled shoes. Let their drink be toast-water, tea and raspberry
vinegar mixed with water, two table-spoonfuls to a half-pint, or
less if it be very sharp. Red or black currant-jelly dissolved in
water makes a pleasant, cool drink. Be sure you give no kind of quack
medicines--but an occasional dose of simple opening medicine, if
the bowels are confined; and a quarter of a grain, or half a grain
of plain ipecacuanha powder in a tea-spoonful of gruel or jelly at
bed-time. Rub the chest and between the shoulders, with equal parts
of rum and turpentine, adding a little oil, if it is too harsh for
the skin. The child might suck an ipecacuanha lozenge two or three
times a-day. Effervescent, saline draughts are very grateful and
beneficial, where there is not only continual nausea, but frequent
sickness from the spasmodic nature of the cough. If it be attended
with pain in the chest or side, seek advice from a medical man
without delay.
404. _For common Coughs._--Mix one ounce of oil of almonds, one
drachm of powdered gum arabic, one ounce of syrup, and one ounce and
a half of water; take a tea-spoonful or two occasionally.
405. _Winter Cough._--Mix two ounces of oxymel of stramonium with six
ounces of the decoction of Iceland moss; take a dessert-spoonful when
the cough is troublesome.
406. _For Cough and Hoarseness._--Beat well a newly laid egg, and
stir it into a quarter of a pint of new milk, warmed, to which add a
table-spoonful of capillaire.
A piece of anchovy will almost instantly restore the just tone of
voice to any one who has become hoarse by public speaking.
407. _White Mixture for Coughs._--Beat well the yolk of an egg, mix
with it in a mortar half a drachm of powdered spermaceti, a little
loaf sugar and twenty drops of laudanum (tincture of opium); add a
gill of water, and mix well: a table-spoonful of this mixture will
relieve an obstinate cough.
Or, mix half a pint of almond emulsion, two drachms of syrup of
poppies, the same of oxymel of squills, and one drachm of powder of
gum tragacanth; two table-spoonfuls to be taken often.
408. _Colds._--A daily exposure to the outward air is absolutely
necessary to secure us against the injurious influence of our
variable climate. For cure of catarrh, reduce the amount of food,
take exercise, keep the bowels open, and bathe the feet in warm water
at bed-time.--_Henderson._
409. _For a Cold in the Head._--What is called a head-bath is useful.
Fill a wash-hand basin with boiling water, and add an ounce of flour
of mustard; then hold the head, covered with a cloth to prevent the
escape of the steam, over the basin as long as any steam arises.
410. _For a troublesome Cough._--Take of treacle and the best white
wine vinegar six table-spoonfuls each; add forty drops of laudanum;
mix it well, and put it into a bottle. A tea-spoonful to be taken
occasionally when the cough is troublesome.
411. _For a sudden Hoarseness._--Mix one tea-spoonful of sweet
spirits of nitre in a wine-glassful of water. This may be taken two
or three times a day.
412. _Hoarseness._--A piece of flannel, dipped in brandy, and applied
to the chest, and covered with a dry flannel, is to be worn all
night. Four or six small onions, boiled, and put on buttered toast,
and eaten for supper, are likewise good for colds on the chest.
413.--_Children's Coughs._--A few tea-spoonfuls of warm treacle taken
occasionally, and particularly at bed-time, or when the cough is
troublesome, will be found beneficial, especially for infants and
children.
414. _For a "hacking" Cough._--Dissolve an ounce of mutton suet in a
pint of milk, and drink it warm.
415. _For a Cough._--Mix vinegar and treacle in equal quantities,
and let a tea-spoonful be taken occasionally, when the cough is
troublesome. This is the recipe of Dr. James, of Carlisle.
416. _Quinsy, or Ulcerated Sore Throat._--Bake or roast three or
four large onions or six smaller ones, till soft. Peel them quickly,
and beat them flat with a rolling-pin or glass bottle. Then put
them immediately in a thin muslin bag that will reach from ear to
ear, and about three inches deep. Apply it speedily, and as warm as
possible, to the throat. Keep it on day and night, changing it when
the strength of the onions appears to be exhausted, and substituting
fresh ones. Flannel must be worn round the neck after the poultice is
removed.
417. _Saline Draught._--Dissolve one scruple of carbonate of potassa,
(salt of tartar), in a table-spoonful of lemon-juice, and three
table-spoonfuls of water; sweeten with lump sugar, and drink while it
effervesces. This is an excellent remedy for sore throats, nausea, &c.
418. _Another._--Dissolve one drachm each of nitric acid and
carbonate of potassa in three-quarters of a pint of water; add one
ounce each of syrup of orange-peel and spirit of nutmeg, and mix. Two
table-spoonfuls to be taken in fevers and inflammatory sore throats.
419. _To make Gargles._--For relaxed sore throat, mix five ounces of
Cayenne pepper gargle, two ounces of infusion of roses, and one ounce
of syrup of roses.
Or, mix with the Cayenne pepper gargle, three ounces of vinegar,
three drachms of tincture of myrrh, and four drachms of honey of
roses.
For inflammatory sore throats, mix six ounces of infusion of roses,
one ounce of tincture of myrrh, and one ounce of honey of roses.
Or, mix one drachm and a half of saltpetre, two ounces of honey, and
six ounces of rose-water.
For scorbutic gums, mix six ounces of infusion of roses, one ounce of
borax, and one ounce of honey of roses.
To make the Cayenne pepper gargle, pour six ounces of boiling water
upon one scruple of Cayenne pepper; cover it, and let it stand for
three hours.
420. _To cure Hiccough._--This is caused by flatulency, indigestion,
and acidity. It may be relieved generally by a sudden fright or
surprise, or any sudden application of cold; also by drinking cold
water slowly; eating a small piece of ice, taking a pinch of snuff,
or anything that excites coughing. Or, take one tea-spoonful of
common vinegar.
421. _A simple cure for Dysentery--which has never failed._--Take
some butter off the churn, immediately after being churned, just
as it is, without being salted or washed; clarify it over the fire
like honey. Skim off all the milky particles when melted over a
clear fire. Let the patient (if an adult) take two table-spoonfuls
of the clarified remainder, twice or thrice within the day. This has
never failed to effect a cure, and in many cases it has been almost
instantaneous.
422. _For Diarrhœa._--Fill a tea-cup with dry flour, press it down,
and cover it with a buttered cloth, tying it very closely; boil it
three hours, when turn it out to cool into a hard mass. Grate a tea
or a dessert-spoonful of it into peppermint water for children, or
into a glass of port wine for adults.
423. _Chalk Mixture._--Mix half an ounce of prepared chalk, the same
of lump sugar, and one ounce of powdered gum Arabic, with a pint of
water. This is an excellent remedy for diarrhœa.
424. _Fig Paste for Constipation._--Cut up small one pound of figs,
and mix it with two ounces of senna carefully picked over, and one
tea-cupful of molasses; stew it till it becomes thoroughly mixed
and firm; then cool it. A piece about half as large as a fig will
generally be sufficient.
425. _Laxatives._--Infusions of Epsom salts and senna are often taken
as laxatives, or opening medicines. It is a well-known fact, that a
tea-spoonful of salts in a tumbler of cold water, if drunk before
breakfast, is as effectual a dose as the usual ounce. Senna, too,
if steeped in cold water, is equally efficacious, and free from the
nauseous bitter taste which it has when infused in boiling water.
426. _To cure Boils._--Boil in half a pint of milk one table-spoonful
of shot; pour it off, and drink it in small doses.
427. _To cure a Felon._--A felon generally appears on the end of the
fingers or thumbs; it is extremely painful for weeks, and sometimes
for months, and, in most cases, cripples or disfigures the finger
or thumb that falls a victim to it. But it can easily be cured, if
attended to in time. As soon as the pain is felt, take the thin white
skin of an egg, which is found inside next to the shell; put it round
the end of the finger or thumb affected, and keep it there until
the pain subsides. As soon as the skin becomes dry, it will be very
painful, and likely continue so for half an hour or more; but be not
alarmed. If it grows painful, bear it; it will be of short duration
in comparison to what the disease would be. A cure will be certain.
BURNS AND SCALDS.
428. We mention several remedies which have obtained popular
reputation in these accidents, and which are valuable not only as
giving more or less relief, but as being generally at hand, or to be
readily procured in every dwelling. They are, wheat flour, which may
be thickly sprinkled over the injured parts with a common kitchen
dredger, till a perfect crust is formed--an excellent application.
Finely-scraped chalk or magnesia, applied in the same way. These
act both by excluding the atmospheric air, and absorbing the fluid
secreted by the vessels of the inflamed surface. Another application
reported to be very efficacious in allaying the pain, is a piece
of lint wetted with a saturated solution of carbonate of soda. A
poultice of grated raw turnip or potato, applied cold, is quickly
productive of ease in slight burns, but requires renewing often
enough to keep up the sensation of coldness.
429. _Burns._--Apply to, or wrap round the burnt part, some folds
of cotton bought in sheets; however severe the pain may be, it will
abate in a few hours. Should blisters arise, they may next day be
carefully pricked with a needle, so as to break the skin as little as
possible; and the cotton kept on till the cure is effected.
430. _A remedy for a Burn or Scald._--Apply immediately a thick
covering of wool to the burnt part, and bind it on tight; in the
course of half an hour very little pain will be felt, and scarcely
any blister will remain. As this remedy is so simple, no housekeeper
should be without loose wool at hand, in case of an accident. This
remedy was discovered by the child of a woolcomber having been
dreadfully scalded: its mother laid it in a basket of newly carded
wool, whilst she ran for a doctor; when she returned, she found the
child fast asleep amongst the wool, and when it awoke the excessive
pain had subsided. We have frequently tried it, and invariably with
success.
431. _For Burns and Scalds._--Plunge the injured part into cold
spring or ice water; or, lay on it pounded ice wrapped in linen.
Or, dissolve four ounces of alum in a quart of hot water; dip a cloth
into it, and lay it on the part. As soon as it becomes hot and dry,
repeat the application.
Apply to a burn, bruise, or cut, the moist surface of the inside
coating of the shell of a raw egg; it will adhere of itself, and heal
without pain.
432. _Efficacy of Vinegar in curing Burns and Scalds._--Vinegar is
a great antiseptic and corrector of putrescence and mortification.
The progressive tendency of burns of the unfavorable kind, or those
that are ill-treated, is to putrescence and mortification. When the
outward skin is not broken, it may be freely used every hour or two;
where the skin is broken, and if it gives pain, it must be gently
used. But, equal parts of tepid vinegar and water applied every three
or four hours, is the best rule to be directed by.
433. _Vitriol Accidents._--For a burn by vitriol, or any similar
cause, lay on, with a feather, the white of eggs mixed with powdered
chalk, and immediate relief will follow.
Or, immediately after the accident, plunge the scalded limb in spirit
of turpentine, and keep it there a few minutes.
Or, dissolve in water or fresh soap-boilers' lees, a little soda or
potash, and apply it instantly, and it will prevent all injury to the
person or clothing.
FEVERS.
434. Feverish symptoms in young children may be reduced, and often
entirely cured by sponging in tepid or cold water, according to
the age and condition of the patient. Rest, in a clean bed, after
sponging, is necessary. Should the fever continue, a gentle emetic
may be given. Cold water is the best beverage in fevers, but if very
thirsty, give the child a little warm tea.
435. _Dr. Dickson's cure for a Fever._--When a man is hot, and his
skin dry all over, no matter what the cause be, you may bring his
condition to the state of health by throwing cold water over him.
You may do the same by an emetic. Oh! an emetic has a wonderful
power in fever; and the old physicians treated all fevers in the
first instance by emetics. They did not trouble themselves much
about the cause. The _state_ of the patient was what they cared
most about. When he was cold, they warmed him, sometimes with one
thing, sometimes with another. When hot, they cooled him; not in the
Sangrado fashion of these days, by draining him of his life's blood;
but by the employment of an emetic, or by sponging him over with cold
water!
436. _Easy and almost instantaneous cure for the Fever and Ague._--An
hour or two before the fit comes on, take a new-laid egg, in a glass
of vinegar or brandy, and go to bed immediately.
This very simple recipe has cured a great many, after more celebrated
preparations have proved unsuccessful.
437. _Cure for Yellow Fever._--The New Orleans Tropic gives the
following recipe, which is said to be used with great success in
Mexico, in cases of yellow fever: "A tumbler two-thirds full of olive
oil, well mixed with the juice of _two limes_, and a tea-spoonful of
fine table salt, is the common remedy in that country; that he has
seen it used in hundreds of cases, many of them the most desperate
he ever saw, and that he never knew it fail to produce a cure in a
solitary instance! It sometimes causes the patient to vomit; in such
cases it should be repeated until the stomach will retain it."
438. _Treatment of Scarlet Fever--important prescription._--Dr.
Lindsly, of Washington, strongly recommends the mode of treatment of
scarlet fever, resorted to by Dr. Schneemann, physician to the King
of Hanover. It is as follows, and exceedingly simple:
_Treatment of Scarlet Fever by inunction._--From the first day
of the illness, and as soon as we are certain of its nature, the
patient must be rubbed morning and evening over the whole body with
a piece of bacon, in such a manner that, with the exception of the
head, a covering of fat is everywhere applied. In order to make this
rubbing-in somewhat easier, it is best to take a piece of bacon the
size of the hand, choosing a part still armed with the rind, that we
may have a firm grasp. On the soft side of this piece slits are to be
made, in order to allow the oozing out of the fat. The rubbing must
be thoroughly performed, and not too quickly, in order that the skin
may be regularly saturated with the fat. The beneficial results of
the application are soon obvious; with a rapidity bordering on magic,
all, even the most painful symptoms of the disease are allayed;
quiet, sleep, good humor, appetite, return; and there remains only
the impatience to quit the sick room.
439. _Inflammatory Fevers._--In diseases termed "inflammatory,"
what measure so ready or so efficacious as to dash a pitcher or two
of cold water over the patient--_Cold Affusion_, as it is called?
Whilst serving in the army, I cured hundreds of inflammatory fevers
in this manner--fevers, that, in the higher ranks of society, under
the bleeding and starving systems--would have kept an apothecary and
physician--to say nothing of nurses and cuppers--visiting the patient
twice or thrice a day for a month, if he happened to live so long.
Gentlemen, with the cold dash you may easily,
"While others meanly take whole months to slay,
Produce a cure in half a summer's day."--DR. DICKSON.
440. _Beverage for Fevers._--Boil two drachms of powdered alum in a
pint of milk, and strain. The draught is a wine-glassful.
441. _Mustard Poultices._--Make a bag of the size required of fine,
close muslin; mix equal quantities of mustard and flour, (or a
larger proportion of mustard, should the case require it), with
boiling water, until of a proper consistency. Fill the bag with it;
sew it up, and, covering it with a handkerchief or piece of clean,
soft linen, apply it to the part affected. When it has been on long
enough, take it off, and lay on another piece of soft linen.
442. _Bread Poultice._--Mr. Abernethy directs a bread and water
poultice to be made as follows:--Put half a pint of hot water into
a pint basin; add to this as much of the crumb of bread as the
water will cover, then place a plate over the basin, and let it
remain about ten minutes; stir the bread about in the water, or, if
necessary, chop it a little with the edge of a knife, and drain off
the water, by holding the knife on the top of the basin, but do not
press the bread as is usually done; then take it out lightly, spread
it about one-third of an inch thick on some soft linen, and lay it
upon the part. If it be a wound, you may place a bit of lint dipped
in oil beneath the poultice. There is nothing better than the bread
poultice for broken surfaces.
443. _Linseed Poultice._--Is made by simply mixing linseed meal into
a paste with hot water.
444. _Management of Blisters._--Spread the plaster thinly on paper
or linen, and rub over it a few drops of olive oil. In this way the
blister acts speedily, and with less irritation than usual.
445. _Simple Ointment._--This is made by melting in a pipkin, by the
side of the fire, without boiling, one part of yellow or white wax,
and two parts of hog's lard or olive oil.
446. _Spermaceti Ointment._--This consists of a quarter of an ounce
of white wax, three-quarters of an ounce of spermaceti, and three
ounces of olive oil, melted as before. This is the common dressing
for a blister.
447. _Elder-flower Ointment._--This is the mildest, blandest, and
most cooling ointment which can be used; and it is very suitable
for anointing the face or neck when sun-burnt. It is made of fresh
elder-flowers, stripped from the stalks, two pounds of which are
simmered in an equal quantity of hog's-lard till they become crisp;
after which, the ointment, whilst fluid, is strained through a coarse
sieve.
448. _Calamine Ointment, or Turner's Cerate._--This consists of half
a pound of yellow wax and a pint of olive oil, which are to be melted
together; this being done, half a pound of calamine powder is to be
sifted in, and stirred till the whole be completely mixed.
449. _Sulphur Ointment._--This is made by rubbing well together three
ounces of flowers of sulphur and half a pound of hog's lard. This
ointment, if properly applied, is a certain cure for that nastiest
of all nasty, and most easily-caught disease, the itch, which,
although generally found among poor people, occasionally steals into
the houses of the wealthy. The proper mode of managing it is, for
the infected to rub himself well all over with the ointment, night
and morning, for three days, during which time he must wear, without
change, some old body-linen, stockings, and gloves, and lie in a
pair of old sheets or blankets. Washing in the least degree is to
be carefully avoided as the plague, for it will protract the cure.
On the fourth day let him go into a warm bath, wash himself clean,
and he will then be found quite well. Everything which had been worn
during the cure should be burnt, sheets and all; but the blankets may
be scoured.
PLASTERS, BLISTERS, OINTMENTS, &c.
450. The beneficial influence obtained from all such local
applications depends upon the change of temperature they are capable
of producing. Their results will vary with constitutions. Most
patients, who suffer from chronic disease, point to a particular spot
as the locality where they are most incommoded with "cold chills."
This is the point for the application of the galbanum or other "warm
plaster." A plaster of this kind to the loins has enabled me to cure
a host of diseases that had previously resisted every other mode
of treatment. The same application to the chest, when the patient
complained of chilliness in that particular part, has materially
aided me in the treatment of many cases of phthisis. In both
instances, where _heat_ was the more general complaint, cold sponging
has been allowed by an equally beneficial effect.
The ingredients of plasters, blisters, ointments, lotions, &c., what
are they but combinations of the agents with which we combat fever?
Their beneficial influence depends upon the change of motion and
temperature which they produce by their electrical or chemical action
on the nerves of the part to which they are directed. Cantharides
will not blister the dead--they have very little effect even on a
dying man!--_Dr. Dickson's Lectures._
451. _Liquid Opodeldoc._--Dissolve one ounce of camphor in a little
spirits of wine, and two ounces of soft soap in a little water; put
these into a bottle, add half a drachm of oil of rosemary and the
same of oil of thyme; shake them well together; add three-quarters of
a pint of spirits of wine, and a quarter of a pint of water; set it
in a warm place, and shake it occasionally, for a few days. This is
an excellent remedy for bruises, sprains, chilblains, &c.
452. _Extract of Arnica, for Bruises, Sprains, Burns, &c._--Take
one ounce of arnica flowers, dried; that prepared by the Shakers is
considered the best; and put them in a wide-mouthed bottle; pour
just enough scalding water over them to moisten them, and afterwards
about a pint or a pint and a half of spirits of wine. In case of a
burn or bruise, &c., wet a cloth in the arnica and lay it on the part
affected. Renew the application occasionally, and the pain will soon
be removed.
453. _For a Sprain._--Mix equal parts of spirit of camphor, distilled
vinegar, and turpentine, and rub the part affected.
Cold water applications are excellent for sprains; as, to bathe the
part in cold water, to pour cold water upon it, or to put bandages
wet in cold water around it.
Extract of arnica, applied to a sprain, will remove the pain in a
short time.
454. _Contusions or Bruises._--In slight bruises, and those not
likely to be followed by much inflammation, nothing more is usually
necessary than to bathe the part in cold water, or with spirit,
as eau de Cologne, brandy, &c., mixed with an equal proportion of
vinegar and water. In more severe cases, however, and where the
accident is near an important part, as the eye, or any of the
joints, it becomes a desirable object to prevent the approach of
inflammation. This is to be attempted by the application of leeches,
repeating them according to circumstances; purgatives and a low diet
may become necessary. In the last stage of a bruise, where there is
merely a want of tone in the parts, and swellings from the effused
blood, &c., friction should be employed, either simply, or with any
common liniment, as opodeldoc. Wearing a bandage, pumping cold water
on the part, succeeded by warm friction, also a saturated solution
of common salt in water, have each been found beneficial. The roots
of bryony and Solomon's seal, bruised and applied as a poultice, are
efficacious in hastening the disappearance of the lividity of bruises.
455. _Lime Water._--Pour three quarts of water upon eight pounds of
unslaked lime; let stand half an hour, when add three gallons of
water, and pour it off.
It is useful in cases of derangement of the digestive organs.
456. _Walnut Water._--This is recommended as a remedy in subduing
nausea and vomiting, if administered in doses of a wine-glassful
every half-hour. It is distilled from green walnuts, angelica-seeds,
and brandy.
457. _Uses of Borax._--Powdered borax, mixed with honey, or conserve
of roses, is an excellent remedy for inside sores of the mouths of
children.
If a little of the mixture be dissolved in warm water, it will form,
when cold, an efficacious gargle for an ulcerated sore throat.
If a weak solution of borax in rose-water be constantly applied, by
means of a fine linen cloth, over the redness which often affects the
noses of delicate persons, it will relieve the sense of heat, and
remove the redness. Many other spots on the face may be similarly
removed.
It is likewise a very useful application to chilblains.
458. _The virtues of Sage._--This valuable herb was held in such high
esteem among the ancients, that they have left us a Latin verse,
which signifies--
_"Why should a man die whilst he has sage in his garden?"_
It is reckoned admirable as a cordial, and to sweeten and cleanse
the blood. It is good in nervous cases, and is given in fevers,
with a view to promote perspiration. With the addition of a little
lemon-juice, it is very grateful and cooling.
459. _Sage Tea._--Wood sage, which grows naturally, is the finest
kind; with a little alum it makes an excellent gargle for a sore
throat. It may be made as tea, but is better if boiled.
460. _Senna Tea._--Macerate for an hour, in a covered vessel, one
ounce and a half of senna, a drachm of ginger, sliced, and a pint of
boiling water; the dose is from one-half to a wine-glassful. Or, mix
two drachms of senna, with a little Bohea tea, in a quarter of a pint
of boiling water, and add, when poured off clear, a little sugar and
milk.
461. _Chamomile Tea._--Take of chamomile flowers one ounce, boiling
water, one quart; simmer for ten minutes, and strain.
Chamomile tea is well known as an emetic, when taken in a tepid
state. In some parts of England, a strong infusion of chamomile is
frequently taken at bed-time, as hot as it can be swallowed, when it
produces perspiration, and next morning acts as a purgative. It is
also there considered as one of the best remedies for indigestion,
colic, pains and obstructions of the bowels, especially when arising
from cold. A cup of coffee taken hot on an empty stomach, will
frequently be as efficacious as the chamomile, in either of the above
cases.
A small cupful of the tea, cold, taken in the morning, fasting, is
often serviceable for indigestion. Chamomiles are also employed in
fomentations, their greatest use being to retain the heat of the
application.
462. _Linseed Tea._--Pour two quarts of boiling water upon one ounce
of linseed, and two drachms of liquorice-root, sliced; let it stand
six hours.
463. _Mint Tea._--Mint, to be used as tea, should be cut when just
beginning to flower, and should be dried in the shade. The young
leaves are eaten in salads, and some eat them as the leaves of sage,
with bread and butter.
464. _Nitre_ is a cheap and valuable medicine, both cooling and
purifying to the blood. In the feverishness that attends a cold,
from seven to ten grains of purified nitre, in a glass of water, may
be taken two or three times a day, with safety and advantage. For old
wounds, such as are commonly called "a bad leg," great benefit will
be derived from taking a solution of nitre, prepared thus:--In one
pint of boiling water, dissolve two ounces of saltpetre; of which
take a table-spoonful twice a day. If it should occasion pain, a
little hot ginger-tea will soon give relief.
465. _To make Verjuice._--The acid of the juice of the crab or
wilding is called by the country people, verjuice, and is much used
in recent sprains, and in other cases, as an astringent or repellant.
466. _Medicines in Travelling._--In case of change of food
disagreeing with the stomach, dissolve a tea-spoonful of Epsom salts
in half a pint of water, as warm as it can be drunk, and repeat the
dose every half-hour, until it operates.
For diarrhœa, or acidity of stomach, mix one drachm of compound
powder of kino, with half an ounce of compound powder of chalk;
divide into six powders, and take one or two a day, in three
table-spoonfuls of water, and a tea-spoonful of brandy.
467. _To prevent Sea-sickness._--Pass a broad belt round the body,
and place within it, on the region of the stomach, a pad stuffed
with wool or horse-hair; this, when tightly braced, restrains the
involuntary motion of the stomach, occasioned by the lurching of the
vessel. During sickness, very weak cold brandy and water will be
found the best means of allaying the heat and irritation.
The frequent use of any sea-sickness preventive is, however, attended
with danger.
468. _Valuable properties of Cherry-tree Gum._--The gum that
exudes from the trunk and branches of the cherry-tree is equal to
gum-Arabic. Hasselquist relates that, during a siege, more than an
hundred men were kept alive for two months nearly, without any other
sustenance than a little of this gum taken into the mouth sometimes,
and suffered gradually to dissolve.
469. _How to get Sleep._--How to get sleep is to many persons a
matter of high importance. Nervous persons who are troubled with
wakefulness and excitability, usually have a strong tendency of blood
on the brain, with cold extremities. The pressure of the blood on the
brain keeps it in a stimulated or wakeful state, and the pulsations
in the head are often painful. Let such rise and chafe the body and
extremities with a brush or towel, or rub smartly with the hands to
promote circulation and withdraw the excessive amount of blood from
the brain, and you will sleep in a few moments. A cold bath, or a
sponge bath and rubbing, or a good run, or a rapid walk in the open
air, or going up or down stairs a few times, just before retiring,
will aid in equalizing circulation, and promoting sleep. These rules
are simple and easy of application in castle or cabin, and minister
to the comfort of thousands who would freely expend money for an
anodyne to promote "Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep."
470. _Remedy for Bad Breath._--Take from five to ten drops of
muriatic acid, in an ale-glassful of barley-water, and add a little
lemon-juice and lemon-peel to flavor; mix for a draught to be taken
three times a day, for a month or six weeks at least, and, if
effectual, it may be continued occasionally. Another medicine of this
kind, which has often proved beneficial when the stomach has been
wrong, and the bowels costive, is the following: Take one drachm of
sulphate of magnesia, two drachms of tincture of calumba, one ounce
and a half of infusion of roses; make a draught, to be taken every
morning, or every other morning, an hour before breakfast, for at
least a month.
471. _Corpulence._--Those who are afflicted with corpulence should
not allow themselves above six hours' sleep in the twenty-four. They
should take as much exercise as possible, and avoid cream, malt
liquors and soups--at least until they have succeeded in reducing
their bulk. Salt provisions are good, having a tendency to promote
perspiration, and carry off fat. Soda water is also beneficial.
_Recipe_: Take Castile soap, in the form of pills, or electuary, of
from one to four drachms dissolved in a quarter of a pint of soft
water, when going to bed. But let not our lovely girls abuse their
constitutions by drinking vinegar for this purpose, for consumption
has often been produced by that habit.