Chapter XIV: Part V: Mistress--Mother--Nurse--And Maid (2)

864. _Wounded Feet._--When a nail or pin has been run into the foot, instantly bind on a rind of salt pork; if the foot swell, bathe it in a strong decoction of wormwood, then bind on another rind of pork, and keep quiet till the wound is well. The lockjaw is often caused by such wounds, if neglected.

865. _For a Bruise or Sprain._--Bathe the part in cold water, till you can get ready a decoction of wormwood. This is one of the best remedies for sprains and bruises. When the wormwood is fresh gathered, pound the leaves and wet them either with water or vinegar, and bind them on the bruise; when the herb is dry, put it into cold water, and let it boil a short time, then bathe the bruise and bind on the herb.

Always keep cotton wool, scraped lint, and wormwood on hand.

866. _Ear-ache in Children._--The ear-ache is usually caused by a sudden cold. Steam the head over hot herbs, bathe the feet, and put into the ear cotton wool wet with sweet oil and paregoric.

867. _To make Artificial Sea Water, for bathing Children._--Take common sea salt, two pounds; bitter purging salt, two ounces, magnesia earth, half an ounce; dissolve all in river water, six gallons. These are the exact proportions and contents of sea water, from an accurate analyzation.

868. _Another method of making Sea Water._--Take common salt, half an ounce; rain, or river water, pure, a pint; spirit of sea salt, twenty drops. Mix it.

869. _Valuable concise Rules for preserving Health in Winter._--Keep the feet from wet, and the head well defended when in bed; avoid too plentiful meals; drink moderately warm and generous, but not inflaming liquors; go not abroad without breakfast. Shun the night air as you would the plague; and let your houses be kept from damps by warm fires. By observing these few and simple rules, better health may be expected than from the use of the most powerful medicines.

870. _Avoid, as much as possible, living near Church-yards._--The putrid emanations arising from church-yards are very dangerous; and parish-churches, in which many corpses are interred, become impregnated with an air so corrupted, especially in spring, when the ground begins to grow warm, that it is prudent to avoid this evil as much as possible, as it may be, and, in some cases, has been, one of the chief sources of putrid fevers which are so prevalent at that season.

871. _Cautions in visiting Sick Rooms._--Do not venture into a sick room if you are in a violent perspiration; for the moment your body becomes cold, it is in a state likely to absorb the infection; nor visit a sick person, (if the complaint be of a contagious nature,) with an _empty stomach_, nor swallow your saliva. In attending a sick person, place yourself where the air passes from the door or window, to the bed of the invalid, not between the invalid and the fire, as the heat of the fire will draw the infectious vapor in that direction, and you would run much danger from breathing in it.

872. _Syncope, or Fainting._--When fainting comes on from loss of blood, inanition, or sudden emotions of the mind, the patient should be placed in a horizontal position, with the head gently raised. Volatile salts should be applied to the nose, and when the patient is sufficiently recovered, a few spoonfuls of warm cordial medicine should be administered.

873. _Preventive of Autumnal Rheumatisms._--For the sake of bright and polished stoves, do not, when the weather is cold, refrain from making fires. There is not a more useful document for health to the inhabitants of this climate, than "follow your feelings."

874. _To promote Sleep._--No fire, candle, rush-light, or lamp, should be kept burning, during the night, in a bed-room; for it not only vitiates the air, but disturbs the nerves of the child. Keep the bed-chamber well ventilated--this greatly promotes healthful rest.

875. _Useful Properties of Celandine._--The juice of this plant cures tetters and ring-worms, destroys warts, and cures the itch.

876. _Singularly useful Properties of Garlic._--The smell of garlic, which is formidable to many ladies, is, perhaps, the most infallible remedy in the world against the vapors, and all the nervous disorders to which women are subject. Of this (says St. Pierre) I have had repeated experience.

877. _The Usefulness of two common Plants._--Every plant in the corn-field possesses virtues particularly adapted to the maladies incident to the condition of the laboring man. The poppy cures the pleurisy, procures sleep, stops hemorrhages, and spitting of blood. Poppy seeds form an emulsion similar to that from almonds in every respect, when prepared in the same manner. They also yield, by expression, fine salad oil, like that from Florence. The blue-bottle is diuretic, vulnerary, cordial, and cooling; an antidote to the stings of venomous insects, and a remedy for inflammation of the eyes.

QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD NURSE.

878. _Good Temper._--An even temper is among the principal qualifications, if not the most desirable one, for a good nurse; and without this gentleness and a kind manner, she must be considered deficient.

879. _Firmness._--Next in importance to good temper, are _firmness_ and decision of character, the exercise of which is frequently, or rather absolutely indispensable, in the management of the sick.

880. _Discrimination._--This talent enables the nurse to distinguish between circumstances which, to an unobserving person, appear nearly allied to each other, but where there is, in reality, an important difference. It is only or generally acquired by experience and observation, and requires good sense as its foundation and support. It is the faculty of right judgment.

881. _Self-denial._--The business of taking care of the sick, if rightly attended to, requires a devotion to the interests and wants of the patient, which can only be given by the good nurse, who can willingly, and from her heart, practise the heavenly precepts of doing as she would be done by, and denying herself any indulgences that interfere with her duties.

882. _General Intelligence._--Another important qualification of a good nurse, is such knowledge of reading, and subjects of general interest, as make her able to interest and amuse her patient during the weary hours of slow recovery, or desponding intervals of intermitting diseases.

883. _Abstinence from improper habits._--The habit of using snuff in any manner--smoking--sipping intoxicating liquors--taking opium--or indulging in any improper and disagreeable habit of actions or expressions, should be carefully avoided by those who hold the responsible and important station of nurses of the sick.

884. _Cleanliness._--This is a cardinal virtue; and no woman can be a good nurse who is careless in her own apparel, and slatternly in her habits. In the preparation of food for the sick, the most scrupulous neatness should be observed.

885. _Industry, Economy, and Good Housewifery._--All three of these qualifications are essential, and usually associated in the same person; but, the _exercise_ of qualities is necessary to their improvement--and a nurse who has proved herself competent, is most worthy of being trusted.

886. _Prudence and Piety._--The principles of true discretion, or prudence of character, are based on the Christian religion, as are all the moral virtues. The nurse must be religious, or she will rarely be discreet; and the opportunities constantly afforded her of influencing the mind and heart of her patient, render her station one of great trust and responsibility. A _good nurse_ is a woman that deserves honor as well as reward.

887. _Rules for the Nurse._--1. Keep the patient's room quiet, well-aired, and clean as possible.

2. Never excite disagreeable mental emotions in the sick, by telling sad stories and melancholy news; nor allow the presence of unpleasant persons or objects.

3. Never whisper, nor seem to be telling what the sick are not permitted to hear.

4. Administer to the necessities of the invalid, promptly and kindly; but do not worry him with questions and constant attentions, when these are not needed.

5. Never disturb the quiet sleep of the patient, even to give medicine, unless peremptorily charged to do so by the physician. A refreshing sleep is often better than medicine, for the sick; but do not sleep yourself, and allow the suffering one to lie awake, and needing your care.

888. _Administering Medicine._--There are certain rules, if observed in giving medicine, that will render the duty less disagreeable to the nurse, by making it more tolerable to the patient.

1st. Select the most agreeable and suitable ingredient in which it is to be exhibited.

2d. Take as small a quantity of this as can possibly be made to answer the purpose of mixing.

3d. If it be disagreeable to the taste, prepare the mouth for its reception by holding in, and rinsing it with some acid, as strong vinegar, lemon juice, or something of the kind.

4th. Never mix the medicine within sight or hearing of the patient.

5th. Let it be prepared without her knowledge; and insist upon its being taken immediately upon being presented, for the longer her mind is permitted to dwell upon it, the more abhorrent it will become.

6th. Endeavor to destroy the taste and smell as much as possible, by any appropriate means, when it has not been done by the apothecary or physician.

7th. Let the mouth be well rinsed with the acid after taking it, and let a swallow or two of lemonade, or some other admissible drink, be taken.

889. _Plasters and Poultices--Mustard Plasters._--Take a sufficient quantity of bread crumbs finely rubbed, add mustard in proportion to the required strength; form a poultice of the proper consistency, by adding vinegar or water. Dr. Wood thinks water preferable, as he is of the opinion that vinegar destroys an essential property of the mustard. Mustard employed for this purpose should be whole grain, fresh as can be procured, and bruised or mashed in a mortar, or by any other convenient means. When mustard cannot be procured, horse radish leaves may be substituted; they must be rolled with a rolling-pin, to mash and make soft the hard stems, and withered by pouring over them a little scalding water.

After they have been applied, the feet must be frequently examined to see that they do not get cold. Often more harm than good is done by the nurse neglecting this part of her duty. Burdock and cabbage leaves are frequently directed to be applied to the feet; they are prepared in the same manner, and require the same attention.

890. _Spice Plaster._--Pulverized cloves, cinnamon, and Cayenne pepper, half an ounce each; mix, and add flour and wine of galls, or diluted spirits, to form this plaster; lay it hot on the region of the stomach. It is excellent for pains and spasms.

891. _Alum Cataplasm._--Take any quantity of the white of eggs; agitate it with a large lump of alum, till it be coagulated.

892. _Cataplasm of common Salt._--Take crumbs of bread, and linseed meal, of each equal parts; water, saturated with salt, a sufficient quantity to give it a proper consistency.

This poultice may be applied to the indolent swellings of the glands, in scrofulous habits, where the patient is deprived of the benefit of the sea air and water. A constant use of it will frequently occasion great inflammation of the skin, requiring a suspension of its use for a few days; but as soon as the inflammation subsides, it should be repeated. By the use of this poultice, strumous humors, and scrofulous enlargements, of a chronic nature, have been totally dispersed.

893. _Cerate of Cantharides._--Take of spermaceti ointment, six drachms; cantharides, in fine powder, one drachm. Mix them together.

This is the proper application to keep up a constant discharge from the part to which a blister has been applied.

894. _Bark Poultice._--Take of Peruvian bark, one ounce: sprinkle it over a piece of thick muslin of the required size; take another piece of the same size; lay it over the bark, and quilt them together, to keep the bark to its place; moisten it with brandy or vinegar. Some of the aromatics may be used in conjunction with the bark, if indicated.

Let it be worn over the stomach and bowels. It has proved singularly beneficial in cases of obstinate intermittents, and debility arising therefrom.

895. _Mush Poultice._--Mush poultices are sometimes ordered; this constitutes an invaluable application in cases of violent pain in the stomach and bowels, such as colic, cramp, &c. It is made by simply boiling the corn-meal until it attains the proper consistency. It must be spread on a cloth, and applied as warm as can be endured. We have known the most inveterate cases relieved by it in fifteen minutes.--_Shore._

FOOD FOR THE SICK AND FOR CHILDREN.

896. A few rules, the reasons for which may be found in the Introductory Remarks of "Mrs. Hale's New Cook Book," will be of some advantage here:--

First. Select those substances that are the most soluble--that are readily converted into chyle by the _gastric juice_.

Second. Those that experience has shown to be the most nutritious.

Third. Those that contain the least amount of stimulus.

Fourth. These to be given in quantity and frequency proportioned to the general strength or debility of the patient.

By careful observation, the feelings of the invalid will be found to furnish the most unequivocal evidence of the truth of the foregoing principles--any deviation from which will soon be attended with symptoms more or less unpleasant.

897. _Arrow-root_--Contains, in small bulk, a greater proportion of nourishment than any other farinaceous substance yet known.

Take of arrow-root, one table-spoonful; sweet milk, half a pint; boiling-water, half a pint: boil these together for a few moments.

898. _Arrow-root Jelly._--Take one spoonful of arrow-root, and cold water sufficient to form a paste; add one pint of boiling water: stir it briskly, and boil it a few minutes, when it will become a smooth, clear jelly. A little sugar and sherry wine may be added, for debilitated patients; but for infants, a drop or two of the essence of caraway-seed or cinnamon is preferable, wine being very apt to become acid in the stomach of infants, and thus disagree with the bowels.

899. _Sago._--Take two table-spoonfuls of sago, and one pint of boiling water; stir together, and boil gently, until it thickens. Wine, sugar, and nutmeg may be added, according to circumstances.

900. _Boiled Flour._--Take of fine flour, one pound; tie it up in a linen cloth as tight as possible, and, after frequently dipping it in cold water, dredge the outside with flour, till a crust is formed round it, which will prevent the water soaking into it while boiling. It is then to be boiled until it becomes a hard, dry mass.

Two or three spoonfuls of this may be grated, and prepared in the same manner as arrow-root, for which it forms an excellent substitute, and can be obtained in the country, where, perhaps, the other cannot.

901. _A nourishing Jelly for a Sick Person._--Put into a stone jar or jug, a set of calf's-feet, cut in pieces, a quart of milk, five pints of water, a little mace, half an ounce of isinglass, and a handful of hartshorn shavings. Tie some brown paper over the jug, and put it into the oven with household bread. When done, strain it through a sieve; and when cold, take off the fat. Some of it may occasionally be warmed up with wine and sugar. It is good taken as broth, with herbs.

902. _Restorative._--One ounce of candied eringo-root, one ounce of sago, one ounce of pearl-barley, and one ounce of rice. Boil them in four quarts of water, till reduced to half that quantity. Take a dessert-spoonful either in milk or wine.

903. _Vegetable Soup._--Take one turnip, one potato, and one onion; let them be sliced, and boiled in one quart of water for an hour; add as much salt and parsley as is agreeable, and pour the whole on a slice of toasted bread.

904. _Egg Gruel._--Boil a pint of new milk; beat two new-laid eggs to a light froth, and pour in while the milk boils: stir them together thoroughly, but do not let them boil, sweeten it with the best of loaf-sugar, and grate in a whole nutmeg; add a little salt, if you like it. Drink half of it while it is warm, and the other half in two hours. It is said to be good for the dysentery, as well as nourishing.

905. _Rice Jelly._--Boil a quarter of a pound of rice-flour with half a pound of loaf-sugar, in a quart of water, till the whole becomes one glutinous mass; then strain off the jelly, and let it stand to cool. This food is very nourishing and beneficial to invalids.

906. _Gruels._--Have ready a pint of boiling water, and mix three large spoonfuls of finely-sifted oat-meal, rye, or Indian, in cold water; pour it into the skillet while the water boils; let it boil eight or ten minutes. Throw in a large handful of raisins to boil, if the patient is well enough to bear them. When put in a bowl, add a little salt, white sugar, and nutmeg.

907. _Stewed Prunes._--Stew them very gently in a small quantity of water, till the stones slip out. Physicians consider them safe nourishment in fevers.

DRINKS FOR THE SICK.

908. Water is the beverage prepared by the bountiful Creator to allay the thirst of all living creatures on the earth; and when the bare quenching of thirst is the object, clear, pure cold water is the best drink that can be given: but, when other objects are to be attained, a combination becomes necessary, into which, generally, enters an acid, an alkali, a stimulus, a tonic, or some article of nourishment. In bilious diseases, acidulated drinks are often found beneficial--and one of the best of these is in the form of lemonade.

909. _Lemonade._--Take fresh lemon-juice, four ounces; fresh and very thin-peeled lemon, half an ounce; white sugar, four ounces; boiling water, three pints. Let this mixture stand till cold, then strain for use. As this drink sometimes causes pain in the bowels, it should not be drank too freely.

910. _Apple-Water._--Take one tart apple of ordinary size, well baked; let it be well mashed; pour on it one pint of boiling water; beat them well together; let it stand to cool, and strain it off for use. Add loaf-sugar, if the patient desire it.

911. _Vinegar Mixture._--Take of good vinegar three ounces, water, one pint; loaf-sugar, two-and-a-half ounces.

ALKALESCENT DRINKS.

912. These are used for what is commonly termed, a _sour stomach_--_heart-burn_--arising from indigestion. The following is the combination employed by an eminent physician, in his own case.

913. _Dyspeptic Ley._--Take of hickory ashes, 1 quart; soot, two ounces; boiling water, 1 gallon. Mix, and let them stand for twenty-four hours, frequently stirring the ingredients; then pour off the ley, and bottle it up. A tea-cup of this liquor may be given three times a-day.

STIMULATING DRINKS.

914. These are given in cases of great debility. Madeira, sherry, or port wines are usually combined with some other fluid, like the following.

915. _Wine Whey._--Take of fresh cow's milk, half a pint; white Madeira wine, one ounce. Boil the milk, then add the wine.

916. _Mustard Whey._--Cow's milk, 1 pint; bruised mustard seed, one ounce; simmer together till the curd separates, then add half a pint of Madeira wine. A spoonful of this to be taken every hour or two, in low fevers and cases of debilitated stomachs.

TONIC DRINKS.

917. _Decoction of Peruvian Bark._--Peruvian bark, bruised, one ounce; cold water, one pint. Boil together for ten minutes, then add half an ounce of Virginia snake-root, and two drachms of orange-peel, bruised. Keep the infusion near the fire for half an hour, in a close vessel. A wine-glassful may be taken every hour.

918. _Columbo Root and Ginger._--Colombo root, bruised, one ounce; ginger, two drachms; boiling water, one pint. Let them infuse one hour by the fire; and give of the strained liquor (cold) a wine-glassful every two hours.

This infusion, when freely used, has proved successful in bowel complaint (chronic diarrhea) of long standing.

919. _Peruvian Bark and Valerian._--For this decoction, take Peruvian bark, bruised, one ounce; water, one pint; take of Valerian root, one ounce; boiling water, one pint; infuse for one hour and strain. Add the decoction of bark to this infusion, and give a tea-cupful, cold, three or four times a-day.

This is chiefly employed in rheumatic headache in which it is sometimes very serviceable. It was a favorite prescription of the late Dr. Parrish.

920. _Chamomile and Orange-peel._--For this infusion, take chamomile-flowers, one ounce; orange-peel, half an ounce; cold water, three pints; soak together twenty-four hours. Take a tea-cupful four times a-day.

The chamomile infusion is more agreeable to the taste when cold, and is less apt to spoil than when made of boiling water.

921. _Wild Cherry-tree Bark._--Take of this bark, dried and bruised, one ounce; orange-peel, bruised, two drachms; water, one pint. Boil the bark alone for ten minutes, then add the orange-peel. Take a wine-glassful, cold, twice a-day.

922. _Dog-wood Bark._--Dog-wood bark, bruised, one ounce; water, one pint. Boil for twenty or thirty minutes and strain. A wine-glassful may be given every hour. This is a very good substitute for Peruvian bark in fever-and-ague.

923. _Sage Tea._--Night sweats have been cured, when more powerful remedies had failed, by fasting morning and night, and drinking cold sage tea constantly and freely.

924. _Gentian-root Infusion._--Gentian-root, half an ounce; orange-peel, pounded, two drachms; hot water, one pint. Let these stand an hour. This will be found useful in debility of the digestive organs. A wine-glassful may be given every two or three hours.

925. _Infusion for Rheumatism._--One ounce of gum-guaiacum must be bruised and put into a pint of French brandy, in which it must remain for at least thirty hours. When the gum is dissolved, shake the bottle, and pour a little of this infusion into rather more than a wine-glassful of tepid water; take this at bed-time, for three nights.

926. _Mixture for Rheumatism._--One ounce of salad mustard must be simmered in a pint of soft water, till the liquor is reduced to half a pint; strain it through muslin, and add a pint of milk, fresh from the cow. Let it boil only two minutes, and take a small tea-cupful, milk-warm, night and morning.

NUTRITIVE DRINKS.

927. _The best Method of obtaining pure Soft Water for Medicinal Purposes, without distilling it._--Place an earthen pan in the fields, at a considerable distance from the smoke of any town, to catch the rain as it falls. People living in the country, can easily save this clean, pure rain-water. Set it for an hour in a cool cellar, or put ice into it, and it is the most reviving drink for a thirsty invalid.

928. _Toast and Water._--Toast thin slices of bread on both sides carefully; then pour cold water over the bread and cover it tight for one hour; or use boiling water, and let it cool.

929. _Waters for cooling Draughts of Preserved or Fresh Fruits--Apple Water, Lemon Water, &c._--Pour boiling water on the preserved or fresh fruits, sliced; or squeeze out the juice, boil it with sugar, and add water.

930. _Barley Water._--Take pearl barley, two ounces; wash it, till it be freed from dust, in cold water: afterwards boil it in a quart of water for a _few_ minutes, strain off the liquor, and throw it away. Then boil it in four pints and a half of water, until it be reduced one half.

931. _Laxative Whey._--Take of the dried buds of the damask rose, one ounce; rennet whey, one quart. Let them stand together twelve hours, then strain off the liquor, and add of crystals of tartar, and white sugar, a suitable proportion, to render it more active, and at the same time more palatable.

932. _Wine Whey._--Wine whey is a cooling and safe drink in fevers. Set half a pint of sweet milk at the fire, pour in one glass of wine, and let it remain perfectly still, till it curdles; when the curds settle, strain it, and let it cool. It should not get more than blood-warm. A spoonful of rennet-water hastens the operation. Make palatable with loaf-sugar and nutmeg, if the patient can bear it.

933. _Lemon Syrup, for a Cough._--To a pint and a half of water, add two large poppy-heads, and two large lemons. Boil them till they are soft, press the lemons into the water, strain the liquor, and add half a drachm of saffron, and half a pound of brown sugar-candy, pounded. Boil all together till the sugar-candy is dissolved; stir the whole till you perceive it will jelly; strain it a second time, and take the seeds from the poppies.

934. _Turnip Syrup, for a Cold or Affection of the Lungs._--Roast twelve or more fine turnips in an apple roaster, press the juice from them, and add sugar-candy to your taste. Take a tea-cupful at night and in the morning.

935. _Rose Gargle._--Take of red rose-buds, dried, half an ounce; boiling water, two pints; diluted vitriolic acid, three drachms; mix these together, macerate for half an hour, and draw off the liquor. Sweeten with an ounce of honey.

936. _Detergent Gargle._--Borax powder, two drachms; rose-water, six ounces; honey of roses, one ounce. Mix together. To be used in the thrush.

937. _Common Gargle._--Honey-water, seven ounces; honey of roses, six drachms; vinegar, half an ounce; tincture of myrrh, two drachms. Mix these together.

938. _Starch Injection._--Take of the jelly of starch, four ounces; linseed oil, half an ounce. Mix them over a gentle heat, and add forty drops of tincture of opium. To be used in alvine fluxes, to allay the irritation which occasions constant tenesmus.

939. _Spermaceti Ointment._--Take of spermaceti, half an ounce; white wax, two ounces; olive oil, four ounces. Melt them together over a slow fire, and keep stirring till cold.

940. _Elder-flower Ointment._--Gather the buds or earliest flowers of the elder-bush; simmer these in fresh butter, or sweet lard; it makes a healing and cooling ointment for the skin, in cutaneous diseases.

941. _Elder-flower Poultice._--A poultice of elder-flower tea and biscuit, is good as a preventive to mortification.

942. _White-bean Poultice._--Nothing is so good to take down swellings, as a soft poultice of stewed white beans, put on in a thin muslin bag, and renewed every hour or two.

A FEW SIMPLE MIXTURES, &c.

943. _Squill Mixture._--Take of the milk of ammoniacum, four ounces; syrup of squills, three ounces; mix them together. Dose, two large spoonsful every sixth hour. It is efficacious in coughs, asthma, and oppression on the chest.

944. _Chalk Mixture._--Take of prepared chalk, one ounce; double refined sugar, six drachms; gum arabic, in powder, one ounce; water, two pints. Mix them together.

945. _Camphor Mixture._--Take of camphor, one drachm; rectified spirit of wine, a few drops. Rub them together. Add half an ounce of double refined sugar and one pint of boiling distilled, or rain water. When cold, strain off the liquor.

946. _Infusion of Senna._--Take of senna leaves, one ounce and a half; ginger, in powder, one drachm; of boiling distilled, or rain water, one pint. Macerate for an hour. When cold, strain off the liquor.

947. _Cordial Julep._--Take of peppermint water, four ounces; pimento water, two ounces; compound spirit of ammonia, tincture of castor, of each two drachms. Mix them together. Dose, two large spoonsful.

948. _Mucilage of Quince Seed._--Take of quince seeds, one drachm; rain or distilled water, half a pint. Boil over a gentle fire, until the liquor becomes thick and viscid.

949. _Lime Water._--Take of quick lime, eight ounces; rain or distilled water, twelve pints. Suffer them to stand together one hour, then decant the liquor.

950. _Alum Whey._--Take of alum, two drachms; cow's milk, one pint. Boil them together, until the curd be formed; then strain off the liquor, and add spirit of nutmeg, two ounces; syrup of cloves, one ounce.

It is employed with advantage in diabetes, in uterine and other fluxes.

951. _Whortleberries._--Whortleberries, commonly called huckleberries, dried, are a useful medicine for children. Made into tea, and sweetened with molasses, they are very beneficial, when the system is in a restricted state, and the digestive powers out of order.

952. _Blackberries._--Blackberries are extremely useful, in cases of dysentery. To eat the berries is very healthy; tea, made of the roots and leaves is beneficial; and a syrup made of the berries is still better. Blackberries have sometimes effected a cure when physicians despaired.

953. _Method of causing Children to cut their Teeth easily._--Feed them with an ivory spoon and boat--to be made thick, round, and smooth at the edges. Ivory being of the same hardness and texture as the jaws and tender teeth, the gums are not hurt or injured, but, when they are thus pressed, facilitate the teeth in their progress; whereas, the silver implements, being of a hard texture, and the edges made thin, bruise and wound the gums, and make a hard seam; so that the teeth cannot make their way direct, and, if they do cut, come irregularly; so that the operation of lancing is frequently absolutely necessary, which, of course, must prejudice the teeth, as some are exposed before the time they are fit to cut.

By this method, fevers, convulsions, &c., owing to the teeth being not able to find their way through the hard seam, may be prevented. It must be often observed, that children cry much when feeding, as if ill, or disgusted with their food; whereas it is frequently owing to quite the contrary; for, being hungry, and over eager to take their food, they press hard, through eagerness, on the boat and spoon, which, being sharp, bruises and cuts the gums, and consequently causes great pain, which, by the ivory implements, will be prevented. Those who cannot afford ivory, may have horn or wood, or even pewter is greatly preferable to silver, provided the edges are made thick, round, and smooth. The wooden sort, unless they are kept very sweet and clean, on that very account, are the least eligible, and should be made, however, of box, or such hard and close-textured wood as is the least liable to be tainted by the milky food.

954. _Rules for the Preservation of the Teeth and Gums._--The teeth are bones, thinly covered over with a fine enamel, and this enamel is more or less substantial in different persons. Whenever this enamel is worn through by too coarse a powder, or too frequently cleaning the teeth, or eaten through by a scorbutic humor in the gums, the tooth cannot remain long sound, any more than a filbert-kernel can, when it has been penetrated by a worm.

The teeth, therefore, are to be cleaned, but with great precaution; for, if you wear the enamel off faster by cleaning the outside than nature supplies it within, your teeth will suffer more by this method, than perhaps by a total neglect.

955. _Stammering._--Impediments in the speech may be cured, where there is no mal-formation of the organs of articulation, by perseverance, for three or four months, in the simple remedy of reading aloud, with the teeth closed, for at least two hours in the course of each day.

956. _Of Preservers, and Rules for the Preservation of Sight._--Though it may be impossible to prevent the absolute decay of sight, whether arising from age, partial disease, or illness, yet, by prudence and good management, its natural failure may certainly be retarded, and the general habits of the eyes strengthened, which good purposes will be promoted by a proper attention to the following maxims:--

1. Never sit for any length of time in absolute gloom, or exposed to a blaze of light. The reasons on which this rule is founded, prove the impropriety of going hastily from one extreme to the other, whether of darkness or of light, and show us that a southern aspect is improper for those whose sight is weak and tender.

2. Avoid reading small print.

3. Never read in the dark; nor, if the eyes be disordered, by candle-light. Happy those who learn this lesson betimes, and begin to preserve their sight before they are reminded by pain of the necessity of sparing them. The frivolous attention to a quarter of an hour in the evening, has cost numbers the perfect and comfortable use of their eyes for many years; the mischief is effected imperceptibly--the consequences are inevitable.

4. The eye should not be permitted to dwell on glaring objects, more particularly on first waking in the morning; the sun should not, of course, be suffered to shine in the room at that time, and a moderate quantity of light only be admitted. It is easy to see that, for the same reasons, the furniture of a bed should be neither altogether of a white or red color; indeed, those whose eyes are weak, would find considerable advantage in having green for the furniture of their bed-chamber. Nature confirms the propriety of the advice given in this rule; for the light of the day comes on by slow degrees, and green is the universal color she presents to our eyes.

5. The long-sighted should accustom themselves to read with rather less light, and somewhat nearer to the eye than what they naturally like; while those that are short-sighted, should rather use themselves to read with the book as far off as possible: by this means, both would improve and strengthen their sight; while a contrary course will increase its natural imperfections.

There is nothing which preserves the sight longer than always using, both in reading and writing, that moderate degree of light which is best suited to the eye: too little, strains them--too great a quantity, dazzles and confounds them. The eyes are less hurt by the want of light, than by the excess of it: too little light never does any harm, unless they are strained by efforts to see objects to which the degree of light is inadequate; but too great a quantity has, by its own power, destroyed the sight. Thus, many have brought on themselves a cataract, by frequently looking at the sun or a fire; others have lost their sight by being brought too suddenly from an extreme of darkness into the blaze of day. How dangerous the looking on bright, luminous objects, is to the sight, is evident from its effects in those countries which are covered, the greater part of the year, with snow, where blindness is exceedingly frequent, and where the traveller is obliged to cover his eyes with crape, to prevent the dangerous and often sudden effects of too much light: even the untutored savage tries to avoid the danger, by framing a little wooden case for his eyes, with only two narrow slits. A momentary gaze at the sun will, for a time, unfit the eyes for vision, and render them insensible to impressions of a milder nature.

957. _The Feet_--Should be washed in cold water every morning, and wiped very dry. Stockings, if too small, cripple the feet as surely as small shoes. Always be careful to give the foot room enough, and you will be rarely troubled with corns. When the toe-nails have a tendency to turn in, so as to be painful, the nail should always be kept scraped _very thin_, and as near the flesh as possible. As soon as the corner of the nail can be raised up out of the flesh, it should be kept from again entering, by putting a tuft of fine lint under it.

958. _For Sore Feet._--The thin white skin which comes from suet, is excellent to bind upon the feet, for chilblains. Rubbing with Castile soap, and afterwards with honey, is likewise highly recommended.

959. _A Vapor-Bath at home._--Place _strong_ sticks across a tub of water, at the boiling-point, and sit upon them, entirely enveloped in a blanket, feet and all. The steam from the water will be a vapor-bath. Some people put herbs into the water. Steam-baths are excellent for severe colds, and for some disorders in the bowels. They should not be taken without the advice of an experienced nurse or physician. Great care should be taken not to renew the cold after; it would be doubly dangerous.

RULES FOR WOMEN SERVANTS.

960. _Of the Cookmaid._--When a young woman undertakes the situation of cookmaid in a family, where only one or two other servants are kept, she will have many duties to perform, besides preparing and dressing the provisions, although that is her principal business. What those duties are, will, of course, depend very much upon the habits of the family with whom she lives; and whether there is a man-servant or a boy kept; as, if not, the cleaning of knives, shoes, and various things that would be done by them, become the business of the cook-maid.

961. _General duties of the Cookmaid._--The part of the house in which her chief work lies is the kitchen; but she is also expected to clean the passage or hall, the stone door-steps, the bell-pull, name-plate, knocker, and all things outside the house which are kept cleaned; also, the kitchen stairs, pantry, servants' offices, and areas; and, in many families, the dining-room as well as the kitchen windows, and the light over or at the sides of the hall door. It is her place to scour the dresser, table, shelves, &c., in the kitchen and pantry, and to keep both places clean and in order; to wash the plates and dishes, to keep the saucepans and all other vessels used in cooking, or for keeping eatables in, perfectly clean, so that they may always be ready for use; to wash and keep the pudding-cloths sweet and clean; to sweep the carpet, and clean the grate, fender, fire-irons, and hearth, in the breakfast-parlor; to clean the kitchen candlesticks; to assist the housemaid in making the beds after they have been laid open to air; to answer the door to the trades-people; and, if there is no man-servant, nor boy kept, to brush the clothes and shoes of the gentlemen of the family.

It is of great importance that the cookmaid should be cleanly in her person, as well as in her cooking; and that she should never be seen with dirty hands, which may be easily prevented by using thick gloves, when blacking a stove or doing any other dirty work, and always washing her hands as soon as she has finished. Nothing can be more disagreeable than to see the person who prepares one's meals with dirty hands or apron.

962. _Arrangements for Work in the Kitchen._--The cookmaid should always be furnished with her own pails, brushes, flannels, and everything she requires for her own work, and should never use the housemaid's pails or brushes, nor suffer the housemaid to use hers. A strict attention to this rule prevents much discomfort and confusion, and the work is sure to be done with more regularity, and much time saved.

963. _Work in the Breakfast-room._--Your work in the breakfast-room generally is to light the fire, clean the stove, fender, fire-irons, and hearth; take up the ashes, sweep the carpet, shake the hearth-rug, and lay it down again; but this is sometimes varied in different families. If you find there are more cinders than you can use for lighting the fire, you should take them down to burn in the kitchen.

964. _Of Neatness in the Breakfast-room._--In order to avoid soiling the carpet in the breakfast-parlor, while you are lighting the fire and cleaning the stove, you should have a piece of drugget, about a yard wide and two yards long, or cloth of some kind, to lay down; but whichever you use, always use it the dirty side upwards. Without this precaution, the most careful person cannot prevent the carpet from getting dirty before the fire-place.

965. _Punctuality in Servants._--Punctuality is a very essential quality in a cookmaid, who ought to regulate her work so that the dinner should always be ready at the appointed time; and to avoid any mistake in this particular, she should know precisely the length of time required to cook each kind of food, according to the taste of those for whom she cooks, and then she should allow herself about fifteen to twenty minutes more, to take up the dinner, and for any little hindrance that may occur, she will be tolerably exact. The best means of being punctual is to keep everything in its proper place, and fit for use, so that no time may be lost in looking for this thing or that, or in having to clean any utensils that may be wanted for cooking.

966. _Economy in the Kitchen._--Never waste anything, but have places and purposes for all articles in your keeping. Habits of economy are easily acquired, and the cookmaid would do well to consider how much more valuable she must be to her employers, and how much more she will be respected, if she be careful, and make the most of the property that is intrusted to her charge, than if she uses it wastefully.

967. _Cleaning the Hall, &c._--If you are quick with the breakfast-parlor work, you will, very likely, have time to clean the door-steps and passage before breakfast, which is much better than leaving them till afterwards: but this will, of course, depend on the breakfast-hour, as you must not, on any account, neglect to see that the water in the kettle is boiling, the urn-iron hot, and everything ready to take up the moment it is wanted.

968. _Making Breakfast._--If you have toast to make, or bacon to cook, take care to have a clear fire, so that it may be done quickly, when wanted, and not before; for both toast and bacon should be hot from the fire, and not suffered to stand after they are done. Dry toast should be thin and crisp; to keep it so, set it on its edge in the toast-rack, directly it is made.

Never boil eggs by guess; if you have no clock in the kitchen, you should have a sand-glass or egg-boiler, for in guessing at the time, it is not possible to be quite exact, and half a minute too much or too little will spoil an egg. It is the duty of the cookmaid to prepare the breakfast; and that of the housemaid to carry it up to the breakfast-parlor.

969. _Cold Meats at Breakfast._--In some families, whatever cold meat or cold poultry may have been left from the previous day, is served up at breakfast; in which case it is the cookmaid's duty to send it up, laid out neatly on clean and rather small-sized dishes, with breakfast plates and small clean knives and forks; sometimes it will require a little putting to rights, by trimming, and garnishing with a few sprigs of parsley, which, of course, she will attend to.

970. _To arrange for Children, &c._--If the children of the family breakfast in the nursery, or require to go to school early, you will, most probably, be expected to cut their bread and butter, and get their breakfast ready for them; or, at all events, assist in doing so. It is your place also to get the kitchen breakfast ready for yourself and the housemaid, &c.; and it will materially add to the comfort of your situation, if you take care to keep your table-cloth clean, and neatly folded, so that it may not have an untidy appearance when spread upon the table; and let the knives, and all the things you use for yourself and fellow servants, be clean like those you send up to the table of the family.

971. _Taking Directions for Dinner._--In most families, it is the custom of the lady of the house, to go into the kitchen every morning, to make arrangements with the cook about the dinner, and to give out from the store-closet such things as may be required for the day's use, either by the cookmaid or housemaid. You must then remember to ask for whatever you will want, so that you may not have to give trouble a second time. Some ladies prefer that the cookmaid should come into the parlor, to receive directions. Should this be the custom, you should make it a rule to wash your hands, and put on a clean apron, before you go in. There are some foolish servants, who have a mistaken notion that a lady should not trouble herself much with her kitchen; but every one ought to have the good sense to know that it is the province and duty of a mistress to superintend the order and management of every part of her household; and those servants who are conscious that they waste not, and perform their duties to the best of their ability, will never feel an objection; but, on the contrary, will be pleased that their mistress should see that they do so.

972. _Making Beds, &c._--When you have taken orders about dinner, you should go up into the bed-rooms, to assist the house-maid in making the beds--having already washed your hands, and put on your clean bed-apron. It is very proper to keep a bed-apron entirely for this purpose, one that will wrap quite round you, and tie together behind; and to take it off, and fold it up, as soon as the beds are made. It will serve for a week, with care; therefore, if you make a rule to put on a clean one every Monday morning, the bed-clothes and furniture will never get soiled by rubbing against your gown or clothes. Attention to such little niceties as these is so easy, that it is surprising any one should neglect them, particularly as they make all the difference between a good servant and a bad one.

973. _Arrangement of the Dinner-Table._--Always have the salt-cellars filled with fine clean salt, and the cruets and cruet-stand dusted; and that each of the cruets are about half-full of vinegar, oil, pepper, sugar, &c., such as they are intended to hold; and although this is the housemaid's duty, it is only kind in the cookmaid to give the housemaid all the information she may require or ask for; a good dinner will look very unhandsome, unless the housemaid takes care that the salts and cruets are clean, and sufficiently filled to accompany it to table. The housemaid should also see that the mustard-cruet is quite clean, before it is put on the table; for if the mustard is dried on the edges, or on the spoon, it has a very disagreeable appearance, and betokens an untidy servant.

974. _The Dinner-Hour, and its Duties._--In order more surely to be correct to the dinner-hour, allow yourself from fifteen to twenty minutes for taking up the dinner, and for any hindrances that may occur; and take care to have the fire made up in proper time for cooking--regulating the size of it according to what you have to cook. It should be stirred as little as possible while you are cooking; indeed, a good cookmaid stirs her fire only once during her roasting, and that is when she turns the meat, or alters the hanging of it, at which times she takes the meat and dripping-pan away from the fire, as stirring creates both dust and smoke; but as dust or coal may, by accident, fall into the dripping-pan, keep ready a dish-cloth, to wipe it out directly. Be mindful, also, to keep in the house a stock of the things that are commonly wanted, such as flour, salt, pepper, spices, &c.; but always make a point of using up what you had, before you begin upon the fresh supply; and be sure to put them away into their proper places, as you receive them--as mustard, pepper, spices, tea, coffee, &c., will spoil, if kept in the papers they are sent home in.

975. _Of Re-cooking._--In cities, where the master of the house is often engaged in business until late in the day, the dinner-hour may be as late as four or five o'clock; in that case, there is an early dinner for the children and servants, for whom a pudding is usually to be made. It is a very material part of your business to know how to dress over, nicely, anything left from the preceding day's dinner, so that it may be used in the kitchen, if not required in the dining-room. For this purpose, you should, when a joint is brought down from the dining-room, put it on a clean dish, and pour the gravy into a small basin or jelly-pot, and you will find it very useful in making nice, savory dishes of cold meat, or to put into hashes and stews, or warming up for gravy.

976. _Hot Plates for Dinner._--Before sending up dinner, take care that you have enough hot plates. It is better to heat a few more than the exact number, lest an extra one may be wanted.

977. _Serving up Dinner._--Whilst the dinner is being served up, the cook-maid may be required to assist, by taking the dishes to the door of the dining-parlor; also, in some families, by taking them from the housemaid, or from the outside of the dining-room door, when they are done with, that the housemaid, if she waits at dinner, may not have to leave the room. And the cookmaid will save herself much time and trouble, if she gets her dish-tub, in the sink, half filled with hot water, so that she may put the dishes and plates into it the moment they are brought from the dinner-table.

978. _Washing Dishes._--The dirty dishes and plates should be put into a dish-tub of warm water, immediately they are taken from the dinner table; for, by this means, half the trouble of washing-up will be saved, as it will prevent the gravy, mustard, juice, &c., from cooling and drying on the plates and dishes. When you commence washing them, add sufficient boiling water to make it hot enough to wash them in, and with a dish-cloth wash them clean on both sides, one at a time. Rinse them immediately, in a pan full of cold water, part of which should stand under the tap, which should be turned a little on to keep it full. The reason for keeping the pan full of water and running over, is, that any grease, &c., which may rinse off the plates and dishes, may swim over into the sink in the act of rinsing, otherwise it would remain on the water, and make those you rinse, after the first few, look greasy, instead of clean and bright.

979. _Washing Saucepans, Kettles, &c._--When you have washed all the dishes and plates used at dinner, as above directed, and put them in the rack to drain, the saucepans and kettles which have been used for cooking, should next be cleaned. The proper plan is to fill them with cold water as soon as the food has been taken out of them, as, by this means, whatever may hang about the sides cannot stick close, nor dry on hard, and they will clean much more readily. If the insides are discolored or dirty, a little soda or wood-ash is the best thing to clean them with; or, if they are very dirty, the wood-ashes, or some soda, must be boiled up in them. They should afterwards be well rinsed with boiling-hot water, wiped, and made perfectly dry, by being placed for some time bottom upwards, before the kitchen fire. The upper rims of saucepans, and the rims and insides of the lids, must be kept quite clean. If tin saucepans are not completely dry, they will soon get rusty, and if copper ones are not perfectly cleaned and dried, they become poisonous. Never leave food of any kind in a saucepan to become cold.

980. _Washing Pudding-cloths, &c._--Pudding-cloths should be washed as soon as possible after the puddings are taken out of them. They should be washed in clean warm water, without soap, rinsed and thoroughly dried before being folded and put in the kitchen drawer, otherwise they will give a musty smell to the puddings that are next boiled in them. The paste-brush, egg-whisk and sieves must also be washed, first in cold and then in warm water, and put away clean and dry, or they will spoil whatever you use them for afterwards. All things through which eggs are strained, should be washed, first in cold and then in hot water.

981. _Cleaning the Sink._--First, wipe into one corner and take up all the little bits of gristle, fat, or vegetables, or whatever else may have collected in the sink; and, if you live in or near to a town, throw it on the back part of the top of the kitchen fire; for, if thrown into the dust-bin, it will either entice rats or other vermin, or else cause an offensive and unwholesome smell. If forced down the sink holes, the same unpleasant consequences will follow, besides stopping-up and destroying the drains. But if you live in the country where a pig is kept, it may be thrown into the pig tub with the dish washings.