Part 57

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.