Chapter XVI: Introduction (7)

In all cases where the patient is too ill or forbidden to sit up in bed, a feeding cup with a curved spout should be used. The nurse’s hand should be passed beneath the pillow, and the head and pillow gently raised together. Where there is extreme prostration a glass tube, bent at a right angle, one end of which is placed in the cup containing the food and the other in the patient’s mouth, will enable him to take liquids with scarcely any effort.

If the patient is in a state of delirium, or unconscious, endeavor to arouse him somewhat before giving him his food. Sometimes merely putting the spoon in his mouth is enough, but at other times you will require to get it well back on the tongue. In such cases, watch carefully to see that the liquid is swallowed before attempting to give a second spoonful.

When it comes to the convalescent patient the food is no less important than during the time of illness. Serve it on a tray, covered with a fresh napkin, have the dishes and spoons clean and shining, and be careful not to slop things into the saucers. Take the tray from the room as soon as the meal is ended, for uneaten food sometimes becomes very obnoxious to the sick person if it remains in sight. To provide food for the sick which is both suitable and attractive sometimes requires great care, judgment and patience, but the effort is worth all the trouble it costs. The aim should be to give what will be at the same time easy to digest and of nutritive value after it is digested. In another department of this work will be found many recipes adapted for invalids.

Medicine should be given at regular hours, and careful attention should be paid to the directions as to the time when the doses are to be given, as, for instance, before or after meals. The exact quantity ordered should be given, as even a slight error may defeat the results intended. Never give any medicine without looking at the label, being absolutely certain that you have the right one. Never allow a bottle to stand uncorked, for many mixtures lose their strength when exposed to the air.

TEMPERATURE AND PULSE

We follow Mr. Curran again in his clear statement of the importance of temperature in disease. Every household should have a clinical thermometer to use in taking the temperature of the patient in the event of sickness. The average normal temperature in adults is from 98.4 to 98.6 degrees. There is a daily variation of sometimes 1.5 degrees, the highest point being reached in the evening. Exercise, diet, climate and sleep cause deviation from the standard. Almost every disease, however, carries with it an abnormal variation in temperature. If the rising temperature does not always show what the disease is, it does show what it probably is not. For instance, a rapid rise of three of four degrees above the healthy standard does not mean typhoid fever, but may mean measles or scarlet fever, and in whooping-cough and smallpox, the highest temperature precedes those diseases from two to four days. In diphtheria there is this rise before anyone thinks of looking at the throat. Increase of temperature calls for cooling remedies, external and internal, and degrees of temperature below the standard require warming and sustaining treatment.

An increase of temperature beginning each day a little earlier is a bad sign; one beginning later promises well. A decrease of fever beginning each day earlier is a good sign, but if later each day, is a bad one. A very high temperature, say 105 degrees, is dangerous in itself, but more so if it has come on gradually as the last of a series. A fall of temperature below normal is far more dangerous than a much greater corresponding rise. One degree below normal is more an indication of a bad condition than two and one-half above normal. In convalescence if there is no rise of temperature after eating there is no nourishment secured from the food; if there is a sudden or high rise of more than one degree the food was too stimulating or bulky. To be beneficial in convalescence food must increase the temperature a quarter to half a degree and this must almost subside when digestion is over, though leaving a gradual improvement in the average daily temperature.

Temperature from 106 degrees upward and from 95 degrees downward is extremely dangerous and virtually a sign of fatal ending. As the temperature increases or decreases from normal toward these extremes, it consequently becomes more threatening. Temperature should be taken by placing the bulb of the clinical thermometer in the rectum or under the tongue.

There is a close connection between the temperature and the pulse, both of which guide the judgment in matters of health. The pulse is most rapid at birth, and becomes constantly slower until old age, ranging from a maximum at the beginning of 130 to 150 pulsations a minute to a minimum at the end of life of 50 to 65 pulsations. The average pulse through the period of adult life is from 70 to 75 beats per minute. It is considered that every rise of temperature of one degree above normal corresponds with an increase of ten beats of the pulse per minute.

We have already spoken of the importance of the bath in health. Baths have their equal importance in sickness, and their direct effect upon many diseases. All the vital organs are affected through the skin, and by keeping it in a healthy condition the circulation of the blood, the action of the kidneys and bowels and all the digestive processes are promoted, many diseases warded off, and the assimilation of food aided. In many fevers, for instance, a sponge bath with water a few degrees cooler than the normal temperature of the body will give great comfort and relieve and reduce the temperature materially. A warm bath with water about at the temperature of the body, or a degree or two less, produces no shock to the system but makes the pulse beat a little faster and causes a little more activity of circulation.

Put bran enough in the water to make it milky, and the bath will assist in softening the skin, when it is dried and flaky. Put in a pound of rock salt to every four gallons of water and you will find the bath useful in invigorating feeble constitutions.

=Thirst is Nature’s Signal= that the system needs an increased supply of water just as truly as appetite shows need for food. It is relieved not only by water but by barley water, toast water and similar drinks, by small pieces of ice held in the mouth, and by drinks made from the juices of fruit. Care must be used, however, in the employment of these apparently harmless things, or injury may follow from taking them to excess.

=Bed Sores= are the inflamed spots which occur on the body, often as a result of carelessness during a long illness. They are not likely to occur if the bedding is kept smooth and free from wrinkles and the patient kept dry, his position varied as frequently as possible, and the proper bathing not neglected. If such sores threaten there are several remedies which will help to prevent them. Alcohol, brandy or glycerine rubbed over the parts exposed to pressure, after washing in the morning and evening, will serve to harden the place where applied. A solution of nitrate of silver, painted on threatened but unbroken skin as soon as it becomes red, will prevent sores. In the early stages of bed sores apply a mixture of equal parts of rectified spirits and white of egg. Put it on with a feather and renew as it dries till an albuminous coating is formed. For bed sores occurring in typhoid and other fevers an excellent prescription is composed of two parts of castor oil and one of balsam of Peru, which are spread on pieces of lint, laid on the sore and covered with a linseed poultice to be changed three or four times a day.

=The Characteristics of Fever= are a rising of the temperature, and, as a rule, increased rapidly of the circulation as shown by the pulse, and alterations in the secretions of the body, which are usually diminished. Fever diet consists in giving the patient plenty of milk, arrowroot or broth, composing a light, easily-digested fluid diet, every three hours, day and night. If milk alone is used the patient can take from three to five pints in twenty-four hours. The general treatment recommended for fevers consists in sponging off the body of the patient under the bed clothes with cool water three or four times a day, keeping him lightly covered, the room well ventilated, and its temperature from sixty-eighty to seventy degrees. He should be given plenty of cooling drinks in small quantities from fear of overloading his stomach, but frequently repeated even if he has to be coaxed to take them. The secretions of the kidneys and bowels must be kept up by such medicines as are prescribed by the physician in charge.

SIMPLE HOUSEHOLD REMEDIES, HERBS AND OTHERWISE

Those who live in the city, where a doctor can be summoned in a few minutes, if needed, cannot realize how important it is that the farmer’s wife should keep a supply of simple remedies on hand and know how to use them. It is a good plan to have an herb bed in one corner of the garden, where catnip, thoroughwort, camomile, hoarhound, pennyroyal, etc., can be grown. These are nature’s remedies and are often just as effective and always safer than strong drugs. Almost all kinds of herbs should be gathered while in blossom and tied up in bunches until dry. Then put them in bags, keeping each kind separate, and labeling them. The bags keep them clean and the labels enable one to find them quickly. In the springtime when one feels languid and miserable, a cup of boneset or thoroughwort tea, taken several mornings in succession, will arouse the sluggish liver and make quite a difference in one’s feelings.

For sprains, bruises and rheumatism steep tansy in vinegar, having it almost boiling hot; wring woolen cloths out of it and apply, changing often. Plantain grows almost everywhere and is very useful as a medicine. A strong tea made of the leaves or a poultice made of them and applied quite hot to the cheek will relieve facial neuralgia, A tea made of the seeds and taken in tablespoonful doses every ten minutes is good for sick stomach.

If it is desirable to preserve plant remedies make a strong decoction by steeping in water kept just below boiling point half an hour. Strain it and to one pint of the liquid add one gill of alcohol. Put it in bottle, cork tightly and it will retain its virtues as long as desired.

Many fruits and vegetables possess valuable medicinal properties. Tomatoes, either canned or fresh, are a pleasant remedy for constipation. Blackberry cordial is an old and well-tried remedy for diarrhea and dysentery. To prepare it get the fresh berries; mash them with a potato masher and let them stand several hours; then strain out the juice. To one quart of juice add one pound of granulated sugar and one heaping teaspoonful each of cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. All the spices except the nutmeg should be tied in a cheesecloth sack before they are put in. Boil until it is a rich syrup; put it in bottles and seal while hot.

Many housewives who have used borax in various ways have never known its value as a medicine. It is almost the only antiseptic and disinfectant known that is entirely safe to use. Clothes washed in borax water are free from infection, and can be worn again without fear of contagion. A solution of ten grains of borax to one ounce of pure soft water is an excellent lotion for sore eyes. Apply it two or three times a day until it strengthens and heals them. Half a teaspoonful of borax and a pinch of salt dissolved in a cupful of water and used frequently as a gargle will cure sore throat.

A heaping tablespoonful of table salt or two of mustard stirred into a glass of warm water will start vomiting as soon as it reaches the stomach, which is one of the best remedies known for poisoning. A teacupful of very strong coffee will nullify the effects of opium, morphine or chloroform.

WHAT TO PUT IN A REMEDY CUPBOARD

In every house there should be a remedy cupboard. We do not mean the ordinary medicine chest with innumerable bottles huddled together, but a well-stocked emergency cupboard, easy of access, and containing simple remedies for the many aches and pains of humanity. Such a medicine chest is considered by some as one of the most important pieces of furniture in the house. It should be more like a little cupboard than a chest. It may be made of a rather shallow box, fitted with shelves, and there should be a door which fastens with a lock and key. The key should be kept by the mother, so that no one can go to the chest without permission. It should be fastened rather high up against the wall. In this chest should be kept everything that experience has proven to be essential in the treatment of such emergency cases as most mothers have to deal with.

No household is conducted without an occasional accident or bruise; burns and ugly cuts are all of frequent occurrence where there are children. If there is a place where one can always find some soft medicated cotton, bandages of different widths, absorbent gauze and a bottle of some antiseptic solution, it will prevent the frantic running about when such articles are needed and save to the sufferer many throbs of pain. To be thoroughly satisfactory the emergency cupboard must be kept in perfect order and systematically arranged. For instance, in one compartment keep the every-day remedies for coughs and colds, such as quinine and listerine, croup kettle, atomizer and a compress and flannel bandages.

There should be prepared mustard plasters, rolls of court plaster, salves, liniments, lotions, laudanum, pills, porous plasters, castor oil, sulphur, salts, camphor, and in fact everything that is needed should be found here, and in this way many times the cost of the chest will be saved in doctors’ bills. Everything should be carefully labeled and so arranged that things can almost be found in the dark.

HOW TO KEEP THE BABY WELL

Many young mothers are anxious to learn all they can about the physiology and hygiene of babyhood. Hours of anxiety might be spared them if they could only profit by the experience of those who have raised large families.

Babies’ hands and feet frequently become cold in a room where older people are quite comfortable. This is sometimes caused by having the clothing too tight. Keep the temperature of the room as near seventy degrees as possible and have it well ventilated, but do not allow the little one to lie in a draught, or an attack of colic may be the result. Take him out in the fresh air frequently if the weather is good, but when the wind is blowing and the air is damp the best place for the baby is in the nursery. It is never safe to expose him to all kinds of weather in order to get him used to it, for it may cost his life.

Give the baby a bath every day in hot weather, never having the water cool enough to cause him to catch his breath, nor warm enough to make him cry. He will soon learn to enjoy it. “My baby will laugh and clap his hands every time he is put in the water,” says one happy mother, “and after a few minutes’ bath and a good rubbing he is ready for a long, refreshing sleep.”

If the baby’s head becomes covered with a yellow coating rub vaseline well into the scalp, and after it has remained four or five hours take a fine comb and carefully comb it all off; wash thoroughly with soft water and good toilet soap as often as may be necessary to keep the scalp white and healthy. The vaseline loosens the scurf and makes it easy to comb out.

Nothing is so important as the baby’s diet. Of course the mother’s milk is the food nature intended for him, but frequently the supply is not sufficient for his needs, and there are many cases where it is impossible for a mother to nurse her baby. Cow’s milk is sometimes used, but the result is seldom satisfactory. It sours so easily in warm weather and is then really poisonous to the little one. Then we can never be sure that the cow is healthy, and we seldom have any means of knowing what kind of food she eats, or if the water she drinks is pure. All these things seriously affect the child’s health. Various prepared foods are good, but what agrees with one baby may not agree with another, so the effects of the one chosen should be carefully watched. It should be freshly prepared for each meal; there will then be none of the bad effects that so often follow the use of stale food. Do not get into the habit of offering the baby the bottle every time he cries, regardless of the cause. He may be thirsty, and a few spoonfuls of cold water will quiet him.

Do not feed the baby with a spoon. It is not nature’s way, and the sucking motion of the lips and mouth is needed to mix the food with the fluids of the mouth and keep it from getting into the stomach too fast. Use a plain nursing-bottle with a rubber nipple, which should be taken off after each feeding so that both bottle and rubber may be washed thoroughly. Let them soak in hot water two or three times every day to destroy any germs that may be left in them. Under no circumstances ever use a bottle with a long tube of rubber. Absolute cleanliness in everything pertaining to his food is necessary to keep the baby healthy.

Do not put anything in his mouth that needs chewing, until he has his teeth. In fact until he is seven months old the prepared food will be all that is necessary for him. After that he will take a little oatmeal gruel that has been strained through a coarse wire sieve to remove the husks, or some of the excellent preparations of wheat now on the market. If he is constipated, the juice of stewed fruit is beneficial in small quantities.

RULES FOR ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES
Poisons and Their Treatment—Bites, Stings, Bruises, Splinters, Cuts,
Sprains and Burns—Lockjaw—Poison Ivy—How to Bring the Drowned to
Life—Suffocation—Fainting—Sunstroke—Freezing—The Eyes and How to Care
for Them—Earache and Toothache—Felons, Warts, Corns and Boils—Home
Remedies for Diphtheria—Treatment of Smallpox—Convenient
Disinfectants—Sick Room Suggestions—Fruit in Sickness—An Antidote for
Intemperance—Milk Strippings for Consumption—Stammering Cured at Home

Here are some short and simple rules for quick action in the event of accidents:

=For Dust in the Eyes=, avoid rubbing, and dash water into them. Remove cinders, etc., with the rounded end of a lead pencil or a small camel’s hair brush dipped in water.

=Remove Insects from the Ear= by tepid water; never put a hard instrument into the ear.

=If an Artery Is Cut= compress above the wound; if a vein is cut compress below.

=If Choked= get upon all fours and cough.

=For Light Burns= dip the part in cold water; if the skin is destroyed cover with varnish.

=Smother a Fire= with carpets, etc.; water will often spread burning oil and increase the danger.

=Before Passing through Smoke= take a full breath and then stoop low; but if carbonic acid gas is suspected then walk erect.

=Suck Poisoned Wounds= unless your mouth is sore. Enlarge the wound, or better, cut out the part without delay. Hold the wounded part as long as can be borne to a hot coal or end of a cigar.

POISONS AND THEIR TREATMENT

The treatment of poisons in general consists of the use of substances which, by combining chemically with an injurious dose, will neutralize, as acids with alkalies and vice versa; by solvents, which take up the poison, as olive oil with carbolic acid; and by emetics which produce vomiting and dislodge the poison. The stomach pump is also used, if available, to empty the stomach, and for some poisons electricity is used.

If the exact poison is unknown it is best to follow a general plan of treatment. We want an emetic, an antidote and a cathartic. For the first a draught of warm water and tickling the throat with a finger or a feather will generally succeed. For an antidote that will neutralize the great majority of poisons give a mixture of equal parts of calcined magnesia, pulverized charcoal and sesquioxide of iron, mixed thoroughly. Castor oil is the best cathartic for general use in poisoning.

Here are a few special instructions for the treatment of the more common cases of poisoning:

For carbolic acid give olive oil or castor oil or glycerine.

For ammonia give frequently a tablespoonful of vinegar or lemon juice, and follow this with a cathartic of castor oil.

For alcohol empty the stomach by emetics, warm salt water, repeated at short intervals, being the best. If the head is hot, dash cool water upon it. Keep up motion and rubbing and slapping to increase the circulation.

For arsenic, fly poison or paris green, take milk, gruel water with starch dissolved in it, oil and lime water. Be sure and empty the stomach by vomiting. It may require three or four repetitions of an emetic to dislodge the sticky paste from the walls of the stomach. Oil and barley gruel or mucilage water should be given to protect the stomach.

For chloroform and ether, artificial breathing must be stimulated. Lower the head of the patient and elevate the legs. Place ammonia at the nose to be inhaled, and slap the surface of the chest smartly with the fringe of a towel dipped in ice water.

For sulphate of copper or blue vitriol, give an emetic of warm water or mustard and warm water. Do not give vinegar or acids. After vomiting give milk or white of egg and oil.

For mercury poisoning by corrosive sublimate or calomel, give promptly the white of eggs mixed in water or milk. Empty the stomach by vomiting and then give quantities of egg and water or milk or even flour and water.

For opium, morphine, laudanum, paregoric or soothing syrup poisoning cleanse the stomach thoroughly by vomiting, and then give strong coffee. The patient must be kept in constant motion. At the same time he must be frequently aroused by smart blows with the palm of the hand, or switching, and whipping the body with a wet towel. When all else fails artificial respiration should be kept up for a long time.

For phosphorus, heads of matches, etc., use a mixture of hydrated magnesia and cold water in repeated draughts, and produce free vomiting. The emetic is mustard, flour and water. Do not use oil, as it tends to dissolve the phosphorus.

For strychnine, rat poison and the like give an emetic, and after this operates administer draughts of strong coffee. Control the convulsions by inhaling chloroform, a teaspoonful poured upon a napkin and placed near the nostrils. Between paroxysms give chloral dissolved in water. The patient should be allowed to go to sleep if so inclined and under any circumstances kept perfectly quiet, for any shock brings convulsions.

For venomous snake bites tie a bandage tightly above the point of the bite, leave the wound to bleed, and draw from it what poison may remain by sucking, unless you have a sore mouth. Cauterize the wound with caustics, a hot iron or a hot coal. Give alcoholic liquors and strong coffee freely. Dress the wound with equal parts of oil and ammonia.

For poisonous mushrooms give a brisk emetic, then epsom salts and then large and stimulating injections to move the bowels, followed by ether and alcoholic stimulants. The poison of mushrooms is very similar to that of venomous snake bites.

RATTLESNAKE BITES CURED BY SWEET OIL

Few people know that sweet oil, the common olive oil of commerce, the salad oil used on our tables, is a specific for rattlesnake bites. Use both internally and externally. Give the patient a teaspoonful of oil every hour while nausea lasts. Dip pieces of cotton two inches square in the oil and lay the saturated cloth over the wound. In twenty minutes or less bubbles and froth will begin to appear on the surface of the cloth. Remove the square, burn it, and replace it with a fresh square until all the swelling has subsided. Where rattlesnakes abound every household should keep a six or eight ounce vial of the best oil ready for emergencies. Avoid rancid or adulterated oil. No whiskey or other stimulant is needed, and in a majority of cases the patient is much better off without any other so-called relief than that afforded by the oil.

Relief is accelerated if some one with mouth and lips free from sores and cracks will suck the poison from the bite before applying the patches of oil-saturated cloth. A few drops of oil taken in the mouth before beginning will insure exemption from any disagreeable results.

RATTLESNAKE BITES—A FAVORITE REMEDY

A favorite remedy for a sufferer from rattlesnake bite, which proves very effective, is as follows: Iodide of potassium four grains, corrosive sublimate two grains, bromide five drachms. Ten drops of this compound taken in one or two tablespoonfuls of brandy or whisky make a dose, to be repeated at intervals if necessary.

POISON IVY, OAK AND SUMAC-REMEDIES

It is unfortunate that some of the most attractive plants that grow in woods, ivy, oak and sumac, for instance, are poisonous in their effects. They act differently, however, on different people, for some seem not to be susceptible under any circumstances, while others are poisoned by simple contact with clothing that has touched the noxious plant. The remedies likewise do not in every case affect people with the same degree of success.

Various remedies are used in case of poisoning from ivy. The affected parts may be bathed with water in which hemlock twigs or oak leaves have been steeped. Fresh lime water and wet salt are likewise recommended. Spirits of niter will help to heal the parts when bathed freely with it. Another suggestion is to bathe the poisoned part thoroughly with clear hot water, and when dry paint the place freely three or four times a day with a feather dipped in strong tincture of lobelia. A similar application of fluid extract of gelsemium sempervirens (yellow jessamine) is likewise very effective.

BEE AND WASP STINGS—HOW TO SOOTHE THEM

A beekeeper advises those who are around bees should have a small bottle of tincture of myrrh. As soon as one is stung apply a little of the tincture to the sting, when the pain and swelling cease. It will also serve well for bites of spiders and poisonous reptiles. If an onion be scraped and the juicy part applied to the sting of wasps or bees the pain will be relieved quickly. Ammonia applied to a bite from a poisonous snake, or any poisonous animal, or sting of an insect, will give immediate relief and will go far toward completely curing the injury. It is one of the most convenient caustics to apply to the bite of a mad dog.

BORAX FOR INSECT BITES

Dissolve one ounce of borax in one pint of water and anoint the bites of insects with the solution. This is good for the irritation of mosquito bites and even for prickly heat and like summer irritations. For the stings of bees or wasps the solution should be twice as strong.

=Another Simple Remedy.=—For bee or wasp stings bathe the part affected with a teaspoonful of salt and soda each in a little warm water. Apply the remedy at once after being stung. If this be used just after one is stung there will be no swelling. If one is off in the field and is stung take a common hog weed and rub the part vigorously therewith. It will stop the pain and prevent swelling.

HOW TO TREAT A SPRAIN

In treating a sprain wring a folded flannel out of boiling water by laying it in a thick towel and twisting the ends in opposite directions; shake it to cool it a little, lay it on the painful part and cover it with a piece of dry flannel. Change of fomentations until six have been applied, being careful not to have them so hot as to burn the skin. Bandage the part if possible, and in six or eight hours repeat the application. As soon as it can be borne, rub well with extract of witch hazel.

HOW TO TAKE SORENESS FROM A CUT MADE BY GLASS

If one should sustain a wound by stepping on a piece of glass, as children frequently do, soreness and much pain may be avoided by smoking the wound with slow-burning old yarn or woolen rags.

NAIL WOUNDS IN THE FOOT—HOW TO RELIEVE THE PAIN

To relieve from the suffering produced by running a nail in the foot of a horse or a man, take peach leaves, bruise them, apply to the wound, and confine with a bandage. They give relief almost immediately and help to heal the wound. Renew the application twice a day if necessary, but one application goes far to destroy the pain.

TURPENTINE FOR LOCKJAW

A simple remedy recommended for lockjaw is ordinary turpentine. Warm a small quantity of the liquid and pour it on the wound, no matter where the wound is, and relief will follow immediately. Nothing better can be applied to a severe cut or bruise than cold turpentine, which is very prompt in its action.

BRUISES, SPLINTERS, CUTS AND BURNS—SIMPLE REMEDIES

=The Best Treatment for a Bruise= is to apply soft cloths wet with hot water, and if the contusion is very painful a little laudanum may be added to the water.

=To Extract a Splinter= from a child’s hand, fill a wide-mouthed bottle half full of very hot water and place its mouth under the injured spot. If a little pressure is used the steam in a few moments will extract the splinter.

=Before Bandaging a Cut= wash it thoroughly with some antiseptic solution. When it is perfectly clean bring the edges together and hold in place with warm strips of adhesive plastering. Leave a place between them for the escape of blood, and apply a dressing of absorbent gauze. When the wound is entirely healed the plaster may be easily removed by moistening at first with alcohol.

=The Stinging Pain of a Superficial Burn= may be instantly allayed by painting with flexible collodion, white of egg, or mucilage. If the skin is broken apply a dressing of boracic acid ointment or vaseline.

BURNS AND THEIR TREATMENT

Common cooking soda, as found in every kitchen, is a convenient remedy for burns and scalds. Moisten the injured part and then sprinkle with dry soda so as to cover it entirely and loosely wrap it with a wet linen cloth.

Another convenient remedy for the same kind of injury, if you have a mucilage bottle at hand, is to brush or pour a coating of the mucilage over the entire injured part. The chief cause for pain from burns and scalds is their exposure to the air, and the mucilage coating will keep the air from coming in contact with the inflamed tissue.

The following is the recommendation of an eminent physician for treating burns from gunpowder:

“=In Burns from Gunpowder=, where the powder has been deeply imbedded in the skin, a large poultice made of common molasses and wheat flour, applied over the burnt surface, is the very best thing that can be used, as it seems to draw the powder to the surface, and keeps the parts so soft that the formation of scars does not occur. It should be removed twice a day, and the part washed with a shaving brush and warm water before applying the fresh poultice. The poultice should be made sufficiently soft to admit of its being readily spread on a piece of cotton. In cases in which the skin and muscles have been completely filled with the burnt powder we have seen the parts heal perfectly without leaving the slightest mark to indicate the position or nature of the injury.”

COLD WATER FOR ORDINARY RECENT BURNS

The best treatment for ordinary recent burns at first is cold water, which soothes and deadens the suffering. The burnt part should, therefore, be placed in cold water, or thin cloths dipped in the cool liquid should be applied and frequently renewed. In a short time, however, the cold water fails to relieve and then rags dipped in carron oil (a mixture of equal parts of linseed oil and lime water, well shaken before using) should be substituted for the water. When the treatment with carron oil begins, however, care should be taken to keep the rag moist with it until the burn heals. This is the main point in the treatment, so the authorities say. The cloth must not be removed or changed.

TO RELIEVE A SCALDED MOUTH

To relieve a scald on the interior of the mouth from taking hot liquids, gargle with a solution of borax, and then hold in the mouth a mucilage of slippery elm, swallowing it slowly if the throat also has been scalded. The slippery elm may be mixed with olive oil.

HOW TO BRING THE APPARENTLY DROWNED TO LIFE

The bringing to life of those who are apparently drowned is something that should be understood by every person, for such emergencies may rise at any time or place when no professional relief is at hand. There are astonishing instances of revival after a considerable time has passed, and it is worth while to persist in the effort most energetically and constantly for a long time before hope is given up. The following rules for saving the life of those who are apparently drowned are made up from various sources, official and otherwise, and may be accepted as thoroughly reliable.

Whatever method is adopted to produce artificial breathing, the patient should be stripped to the waist and the clothing should be loosened below the waist, so that there shall be no restraint on the movement of the chest and body. Lose no time in beginning. Remove the froth and mucus from the mouth and nostrils and the mud, too, if any has been drawn in. Hold the body for a few seconds with the head sloping downward, so that the water may run out of the lungs and windpipe.

The tip of the tongue must hue drawn forward and out of the mouth, as otherwise it will fall back into the throat and impede breathing. This is an important matter, for if it is not done successfully all that would otherwise be gained by artificial breathing may not be accomplished. If you are not alone the matter becomes simpler. Let a bystander grasp the tongue with a dry handkerchief to prevent it slipping from the fingers, or he may cover his fingers with sand for the same purpose. If you are alone with the patient draw the tongue well out and tie it against the lower teeth in this manner: Lay the center of a dry strip of cloth on the tongue, which is drawn out over the teeth, and cross it under the chin. Carry the ends around the neck and tie them at the sides of the neck, which will keep the tongue from slipping back. You are now ready to begin the actual restoration of life.

If the ground is sloping turn the patient upon the face, the head down hill; step astride the hips, your face toward the head, lock your fingers together under the abdomen, raise the body as high as you can without lifting the forehead from the ground, give the body a smart jerk to remove the accumulating mucus from the throat and water from the windpipe; hold the body suspended long enough to slowly count five; then repeat the jerks two or three times.

The patient being still upon the ground, face down, and maintaining all the while your position astride the body, grasp the points of the shoulders by the clothing, or, if the body be naked, thrust your fingers into the armpits, clasping your thumbs under the points of the shoulders, and raise the chest as high as you can without lifting the head quite off the ground and hold it long enough to slowly count three.

Replace the patient slowly upon the ground, with the forehead upon the bent arm, the neck straightened out, and the mouth and nose free. Place your elbows against your knees and your hands upon the sides of his chest over the lower ribs, and press downward and inward with increasing force long enough to slowly count two. Then suddenly let go, grasp the shoulders as before, and raise the chest; then press upon the ribs, etc. These alternate movements should be repeated ten to fifteen times a minute for an hour at least, unless breathing is restored sooner. Use the same regularity as in natural breathing.

After breathing has commenced and not before, unless there is a house very close, get the patient where covering may be obtained, to restore the animal heat. Wrap in warm blankets, apply bottles of hot water, hot bricks, etc., to aid in the restoration of heat. Warm the head nearly as fast as the body, lest convulsions come on. Rubbing the body with warm cloths or the hand and gently slapping the fleshy parts may assist to restore warmth and the breathing also.

When the patient can swallow give hot coffee, tea or milk. Give spirits sparingly, lest they produce depression. Place the patient in a warm bed, give him plenty of fresh air and keep him quiet.

Another method which is perhaps simpler than the first and equally effective is as follows:

The water and mucus are supposed to have been removed from the mouth, and the tongue secured by the means above described. The patient is to be placed on his back, with a roll made of a coat or a shawl under the shoulders. The nurse should kneel at the head and grasp the elbows of the patient and draw them upward until the hands are carried above the head and kept in this position until one, two, three can be slowly counted. This movement elevates the ribs, expands the chest and creates a vacuum in the lungs into which the air rushes, or, in other words, the movement produces inspiration. The elbows are then slowly carried downward, placed by the sides and pressed inward against the chest, thereby diminishing the size of the latter and producing expiration. These movements should be repeated about fifteen times during each minute for at least two hours, provided the signs of animation present themselves.

WHEN ONE FALLS INTO THE WATER

If a person who cannot swim falls into deep water, it is still possible in many instances for him to save his own life if he can keep his wits about him. Remember that one always rises to the surface at once after falling into deep water, and that the person must not raise his arms or hands above the water unless there is something to take hold of, for the weight thus raised will sink the head below the point of safety. Motions of the hands under water, however, will do no harm, for in quiet water, with the head thrown back a little, the face will float above the surface unless heavy boots and clothing drag the person down. The slow motion of the legs as if walking upstairs, keeping as nearly perpendicular as possible, will help to keep one afloat until aid comes.

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF SUFFOCATION

Suffocation from any cause may be treated in some details the same as apparent drowning.

For suffocation from hanging, remove all the clothing from the upper part of the body and proceed to restore breathing in the way directed under the subject of drowning. Of course if the neck is broken there is no hope in this.

For suffocation from gas and poisonous vapors, get the person into the open air, relieve the lungs of the gas and restore natural breathing in the same way as directed in case of drowning. Throw cold water upon the face and breast and hold strong vinegar to the nostrils of the patient. If oxygen can be obtained promptly, it should be forced into the lungs.

HOW TO REVIVE A FAINTING PERSON

In a case of fainting lay the patient on his back with his head slightly lower than his feet. Be sure that the room is fully ventilated with fresh air, and rub gently the palms of the hands, the wrists, the arms and the forehead. Sprinkle a little cold water upon the face and hold to the nose a napkin upon which spirits of camphor, ether, ammonia or vinegar has been sprinkled.

SUNSTROKE AND HOW TO TREAT IT

In case of sunstroke get the patient into the coolest place you can, loosen the clothes about his neck and waist, lay him down with his head a little raised, and cool him off as promptly as possible. Cloths wrung out in cold water, applied to the head, wrists and soles of the feet, are the simplest applications. In severe cases of extreme prostration from sunstroke, the patient should be immersed in cold water, and even in an ice pack to get prompt results. After a little recovery is visible careful nursing is the next important thing. Sunstroke is commonly a summer disease, but the same conditions may come from overwork in extremely hot rooms. It begins with pain in the head, or dizziness, quickly followed by a loss of consciousness and complete prostration. The head is often burning hot, the face dark and swollen, the breathing labored, and the extremities are cold. If the latter detail is observed, mustard or turpentine should be applied to the calves of the legs and the soles of the feet, after which the hands should be chafed with flannels or with the palms of the hands. In case of genuine sunstroke lose no time in calling the doctor.

FREEZING AND HOW TO TREAT A CASE

In cases of severe freezing, when a person is apparently frozen to death, great caution is needed. Keep the body in a cold place, handle it carefully, and rub it with cold water or snow for fifteen or twenty minutes. When the surface is red, wipe it perfectly dry and rub with bare warm hands. The person should be then wrapped in a blanket and breathing restored if possible as already directed. It may be necessary to continue the treatment energetically for several hours. A little lukewarm water, or wine, or ginger tea is recommended for the patient to swallow as soon as possible.

THE EYES AND HOW TO CARE FOR THEM

Here are some simple and sound rules for care of the eyes, as formulated by a recognized authority on the subject. Avoid reading and study by poor lights. Light should come from the side of the reader, and not from the back nor from the front. Do not read or study while suffering great bodily fatigue or during recovery from illness. Do not read while lying down. Do not use the eyes too long at a time for anything that requires close application, but give them occasional periods of rest. Reading and study should be done systematically. During study avoid the stooping position, or whatever tends to produce congestion of the blood in the head and face. Read with the book on a level with the eyes, or nearly so, instead of in your lap. Select well printed books. Correct imperfection in sight with proper glasses, not selected carelessly by yourself or bought from an irresponsible wandering peddler, but properly fitted by an educated optician. Avoid bad hygienic conditions and the use of alcohol and tobacco. Take sufficient exercise in the open air. Let physical culture keep pace with mental development, for imperfection in eyesight is most usually observed in those who are lacking in physical development.

STYES AND THEIR TREATMENT

A stye is a small boil which projects from the edge of the eyelid, and is sometimes much inflamed and very painful. A poultice of linseed meal or bread and milk will soothe it and soften it. When the stye forms a head showing matter, pierce it with a clean, sharp needle and then apply some mild, soothing ointment.

TO TAKE THE COLOR FROM A BLACK EYE

A black eye is usually caused by a blow and may be a very disfiguring object. If inflamed and painful wash the eye often with very warm water, in which is dissolved a little carbonate of soda. A repeated application of cloths wrung out of very hot water gives relief. A poultice of slippery elm bark mixed with milk and put on warm is also good. To remove the discoloration of the eye bind on a poultice made of the root of “Solomon’s seal.” It is often found sufficient to apply the scraped root at bedtime to the closed eye and the blackness will disappear by morning.

TO REMOVE BITS OF DIRT FROM THE EYE

To remove dirt or foreign particles from the eye take a hog’s bristle and double it so as to form a loop. Lift the eyelid and gently insert the loop under it. Now close the lid down upon the bristle, which may be withdrawn gently and the dirt should come with it.

=Another Process.=—Take hold of the upper eyelid with the forefinger and thumb of each hand, draw it gently forward and down over the lower lid, and hold it in this position for about a minute. When at the end of this time you allow the eyelid to resume its place, a flood of tears will wash out the foreign substance, which will be found near the lower eyelid.

If lime gets into the eyes, a few drops of vinegar and water will dissolve and remove it.

Olive oil will relieve the pain caused by any hot fluid that may reach the eye.

A particle of iron or steel may be extracted from the eye by holding near it a powerful magnet.

=When Something Gets into Your Eye.=—An easy method of removing bits of foreign bodies from the eye is to place a grain of flaxseed under the lower lid and close the lids. The seed becomes quickly surrounded by a thick adherent mucilage which entraps the foreign body and soon carries it out from the angle of the eye.

QUICK RELIEF FOR EARACHE

To relieve earache take a small piece of cotton batting, depress it in the center with the finger and fill up the cavity with ground black pepper. Gather it into a ball and tie it with thread. Dip the pepper ball into sweet oil and insert it in the ear, then putting cotton over the ear and using a bandage or cap to keep it in place. This application will give immediate relief and can do no injury.

=Another Remedy.=—Take a common tobacco pipe, put a wad of cotton into the bowl and drop a few drops of chloroform into it. Cover this with another wad of cotton, place the pipe stem to the suffering ear and blow into the bowl. The chloroform vapor will in many cases cause the pain to cease almost immediately.

INSECTS IN THE EAR—TO REMOVE

To destroy insects which fly or crawl into the ear, pour a spoonful of warm olive oil into the ear and keep it there for some hours by means of a wad of cotton batting and a bandage. Afterward it may be washed out with warm water and a small syringe.

TOOTHACHE—A QUICK RELIEF

One of the best mixtures to relieve acute pain and toothache is made as follows: Laudanum, one drachm; gum camphor, four drachms; oil of cloves, one-half drachm; oil of lavender, one drachm; alcohol, one ounce; sulphuric ether, six drachms, and chloroform, five drachms. Apply with lint, or for toothache rub on the gums and upon the face against the tooth.

DISAGREEABLE BREATH—HOW TO CURE

Of course if the trouble comes from the teeth by decay, it is a case for the dentist, and if because the teeth are not properly and frequently cleaned, the remedy is a toothbrush and a good tooth powder.

Bad breath, however, is frequently the result of low vitality or torpidity of the excretory organs, either the skin, bowels, kidneys, liver or lungs. Should one of these, the bowels, for instance, become affected, the others have more work to do. The lungs then have to throw off some of this waste matter, and the result is bad breath. If from one of these causes, or from the stomach, or from catarrh in the nose, a doctor should be called to treat the difficulty intelligently.

For temporary cleansing of the breath, however, the following recommendations are good. A teaspoonful of listerine to half a glass of water makes a wholesome and refreshing gargle and mouth wash. No harm is done if some of it be swallowed. A teaspoonful of powdered charcoal is a good dose to take. A teaspoonful of chlorine water in half a glass of water makes another good mouth wash.

Of course the teeth should be brushed twice a day at all times, and the listerine is the best of lotions for that use, particularly when used alternately with powdered chalk to whiten the teeth. Do not use a brush that is too stiff, and never brush so hard that you make the gums bleed.

TO STOP NOSEBLEED

A correspondent in the Scientific American declares that the best remedy for nosebleed is in the vigorous motion of the jaws, as if in the act of chewing. A child may be given a wad of paper or a piece of gum and instructed to chew steadily and hard. It is the motion of the jaws that stops the flow of blood.

HICCOUGHS—A SIMPLE CURE

A safe and convenient remedy for hiccoughs is to moisten a teaspoonful of granulated sugar with a few drops of vinegar. The dose is easy to take and the effect is almost immediate.

FELONS OR WHITLOWS AND THEIR TREATMENT

A felon, or whitlow, although not very large, may become not only very painful but dangerous if neglected. The milder ones may be treated with hot water, cloths and poultices, and if matter forms may be relieved by a lancet. There are others, however, which, if neglected, gradually affect the bone of the finger where they form, and these need the attention of a surgeon as soon as they begin to be very troublesome.

As soon as the finger begins to swell wrap the part affected with cloth soaked thoroughly with tincture of lobelia. This rarely fails to cure. Another simple remedy is to stir one-half teaspoonful of water into one ounce of Venice turpentine until the mixture appears like granulated honey. Coat the finger with it and bandage. The pain should vanish in a few hours. A poultice of linseed and slippery elm will help to draw the felon to a head, and when a small white spot in the center of the swelling indicates the formation of matter it should be carefully opened with the point of a large needle. A poultice of powdered hops will help to relieve the pain.

SIMPLE CURE FOR WARTS

Oil of cinnamon dropped on warts three or four times a day will cause their disappearance, however hard, large, or dense they may be. The application gives no pain and causes no suppuration.

CORNS AND CORN CURES

Corns are always the result of continued pressure, such as wearing shoes too small or not properly fitted to the foot. At first they are merely thickenings of the outer skin, but in time they come to be connected with the true skin beneath, and even with the muscles. There are almost as many corn cures advertised and recommended as there are corns, and sometimes they all fail, but here are a few of the most approved:

Soak the corn for half an hour in a solution of soda, and after paring it as closely as possible without pain apply a plaster of the following ingredients: Purified ammonia, two ounces; yellow wax, two ounces, and acetate of copper, six drachms. Melt the first two together and after removing them from the fire add the copper acetate just before they grow cold. Spread this ointment on a piece of soft leather or on linen and bind it in place. If this application is kept on the corn faithfully for two weeks there should be a certain cure.