Chapter XII: Preface (12)

Cut a pound of mottled soap into thin slices; and put it into a
pan with a quarter of an ounce of pot-ash. Pour a pail of boiling
water on it, and let it stand till dissolved. Then pour hot and
cold water into a scouring tub, with a bowl of the solution. Put
in the counterpane, beat it well, turn it often, give it a second
liquor as before, and then rinse it in cold water. Then put three
tea-spoonsful of liquid blue into a thin liquor; stir it, and put in
the counterpane: beat it about five minutes, and dry it in the air.

TO SCOUR FLANNELS OR WOOLLENS.

Cut ½ a pound of the best yellow soap into thin slices, and pour
such a quantity of boiling river water on it as will dissolve the
soap, and make it of the consistence of oil. Cover the articles about
two inches with water, such as the hand can bear, and add a lump of
American pearl-ash, and about a third of the soap solution. Beat
them till no head or lather rises on the water; throw away the dirty
water, and proceed as before with hotter water without pearl-ash.

TO TAKE MILDEW OUT OF LINEN.

Rub it well with soap: then scrape some fine chalk, and rub that also
in the linen; lay it on the grass; as it dries, wet it a little, and
it will come out after twice doing.

TO TAKE OUT SPOTS OF INK.

As soon as the accident happens, wet the place with juice of sorrel
or lemon, or with vinegar, and the best hard white soap.

THE DAIRY MAID

Manages the dairy, milks the cows, makes the butter, cheese, wheys, syllabubs, &c. attends the poultry, picks and prepares them for trussing, makes bread and fresh butter for the parlour every morning, and bakes all the bread of the family.

The greatest possible attention must be paid to the Dairy. Cleanliness being the primary object, all the utensils, shelves, and the floor, should be kept perfectly neat, and cold water should be frequently thrown over it.—There should be shutters to the Dairy to keep out the sun and hot air.

The cows should be milked at a regular and early hour, and their udders should be _perfectly emptied_, else the quantity given will be diminished. When you go to the cow, take with you, _cold water_ and a sponge, and wash each cow’s udder; bathe it well with cold water, both in winter and summer, as that braces them and repels heat. But, if any cow has sore teats, let them be soaked in warm water twice a day, and either dressed with soft ointment, or bathed with spirits and water. In either case, the milk should be given to the pigs.

When the milk is brought into the Dairy, it should be strained and emptied into clean pans, immediately, in winter, but not till cool, in summer. Suffer no one to milk the cows but yourself, as much depends on their being _dripped quite clean_, particularly after a calf is taken away.

The quantity of milk given by cows, will be different according to their breed, health, pasturage, the length of time from calving, and other circumstances. Change of pasturage will tend to increase the quantity.

In good pastures, the average of each cow will be about three gallons a day from Lady-day to Michaelmas; and thence to Christmas, one gallon a day.

Cows will be profitable yielders of milk, to fourteen or fifteen years of age, if of a good breed. They should be fed well two or three weeks before calving, which will increase the quantity of milk. In gentlemen’s Dairies, more attention is paid to the beauty and size of cows, than to their produce.

It is absolutely necessary that the cows should be kept feeding whilst you are milking them.

It should be contrived that cows kept for a gentleman’s family, should calve at different seasons, and, particularly, that one or two should calve in August or September, to insure a supply of milk in winter.

When there is not a great demand for cream in the family, the Dairy-maid will take that opportunity to provide for the winter store. She should keep a regular weekly account of the quantity of milk given by each cow, and the quantity of butter she pots. The average of a good fair Dairy cow, during several months after calving, will be seven pounds of butter a week, and from three to five gallons of milk per day; afterwards, a weekly average of three or four pounds of butter, from barely half that quantity of milk. On an average, three gallons of good milk, will yield one pound of butter. The annual consumption of a good cow, turned to grass, is from an acre to an acre and a half in the summer, and from a ton to a ton and a half of hay, in the winter. Each cow should be allowed two pecks of carrots per day. The grass, if cut and carried to the cows green, will economize full one-third.

Alderney cows yield rich milk, upon less food, than larger cows, but are seldom large milkers, and are particularly scanty of produce in the winter.

Wages from 8l. to 12l. a year.—Perquisites, 1d. per pound for butter; 1½d. for each chicken, or fowl killed; 2d. each, for ducks, geese, and turkeys; and 3d. a score for eggs.

TO PRESERVE MILK.

Provide bottles which must be perfectly clean, sweet, and dry; draw
the milk from the cow into the bottles, and as they are filled,
immediately cork them well up, and fasten the corks with pack-thread
or wire. Then spread a little straw on the bottom of a boiler, on
which place the bottles with straw between them, until the boiler
contains a sufficient quantity. Fill it up with cold water; heat the
water, and as soon as it begins to boil, draw the fire, and let the
whole gradually cool. When quite cold take out the bottles, and pack
them with straw or saw-dust in hampers, and stow them in the coolest
part of the house. Milk preserved in this manner, although eighteen
months in the bottles, will be as sweet as when first milked from the
cow.

TO MANAGE YOUNG CHICKENS.

The chickens first hatched, are to be taken from the hen, lest she be
tempted to leave her task unfinished. They may be secured in a basket
of wool or soft hay, and kept in a moderate heat, if the weather be
cold, near the fire. They will require no food for 24 hours, should
it be necessary to keep them so long from the hen. The whole brood
being hatched, place the hen under a coop abroad, upon a dry spot,
and, if possible, not within reach of another hen, since the chickens
will mix, and the hens are apt to destroy those which do not belong
to them. Nor should they be placed near young fowls, which are likely
to crush them, being always eager for their small meat.

The first food should be split grits, afterwards tail wheat, all
watery food, soaked bread, or potatoes, being improper. Eggs boiled
hard, or curd chopped small, is very suitable as first food. Their
water should be pure and often renewed, and there are pans made in
such forms, that the chickens may drink without getting into the
water, which, by wetting their feet and feathers, numbs and injures
them; a bason in the middle of a pan of water, will answer the end;
the water running round it. There is no necessity for cooping the
brood beyond two or three days, but they may be confined as occasion
requires, or suffered to range, as they are much benefited by the
foraging of the hen. They should not be let out too early in the
morning, whilst the dew lies upon the ground, nor be suffered to
range over wet grass, which is a common and fatal cause of disease
in fowls. Another caution requisite is to guard them against
unfavourable changes of the weather, particularly if rainy. Nearly
all the diseases of fowls arise from cold moisture.

For the period of the chickens quitting the hen, there is no general
rule; when she begins to roost, if sufficiently forward, they will
follow her; if otherwise, they should be secured in a proper place,
till the time arrives when they are to associate with the other young
poultry, since the larger are sure to overrun and drive from their
food the younger broods.

TO FATTEN POULTRY.

An experiment has lately been tried of feeding geese with turnips,
cut in small pieces like dice, but less in size, and put into a
trough of water; with this food alone, the effect was, that six
geese, each when lean weighed only 9 lbs., actually gained 20 lbs.
each in about three weeks fattening.

Malt is excellent food for geese and turkeys; grains are preferred
for the sake of economy, unless for immediate and rapid fattening;
the grains should be boiled afresh.

Other cheap articles for fattening, are oatmeal and treacle;
barley-meal and milk; boiled oats, and ground malt.

Corn before being given to fowls should always be crushed and soaked
in water. The food will thus go further, and it will help digestion.
Hens fed thus have been known to lay during the whole of the winter
months.

TO DETERMINE THE ECONOMY OF A COW.

The ANNUAL PRODUCT of a good fair dairy cow, during several months
after calving, either in summer or winter, if duly fed and kept in
the latter season, will be an average of seven pounds of butter per
week, and from five to three gallons of milk per day. Afterwards, a
weekly average of three or four pounds of butter from barely half
the quantity of milk. It depends on the constitution of the cow, how
nearly she may be milked to the time of her calving, some giving good
milk until within a week or two of that period, others requiring to
be dried 8 or 9 weeks previously. I have heard (says Mr. Lawrence)
of 20 lbs. of butter, and even 22 lbs. made from the milk of one
long-horned cow in seven days; but I have never been fortunate enough
to obtain one that would produce more than 12 lbs. per week, although
I have had a Yorkshire cow which milked 7 gallons per day, yet never
made 5 lbs. of butter in one week. On the average 3 gallons of good
milk will make 1 lb. of butter.

TO MAKE SALT BUTTER FRESH.

To every pound of salt butter put a quart of new milk, and a little
arnotto. Churn it an hour, then take it out and treat it as fresh
butter, by washing it with water, and add the usual quantity of salt.
The butter gains about three ounces in the pound.

SUBSTITUTE FOR MILK AND CREAM.

Beat up the whole of a fresh egg, in a basin, then pour boiling tea
over it gradually, to prevent its curdling. It is difficult, from
the taste, to distinguish the composition from rich cream.

TO PRESERVE EGGS.

Apply with a brush a solution of gum-arabic to the shells, or immerse
the eggs therein; let them dry, and afterwards pack them in dry
charcoal dust. This prevents their being affected by any alterations
of temperature.

_Another Way._

Immerse them for a short time in strong lime-water, and they may be
kept two years, if required.

TO TEST THE PURITY OF FLOUR.

Grasp a handful briskly, and squeeze it half a minute: if genuine, it
will preserve the form of the cavity of the hand, even though rudely
placed on a table; if adulterated, it will almost immediately fall
down.

TO PRODUCE ONE-THIRD MORE BREAD FROM A GIVEN QUANTITY OF CORN.

Boil 5 lbs. of the coarsest bran in four gallons and half of water,
keep stirring it, that it may not stick to the bottom, till reduced
to four gallons, then pour it off into a trough, or tub full of
holes, over which lay a coarse cloth or sieve. On the top of the
whole put a wooden cover, with a weight sufficiently heavy to press
out the liquor from the bran, which will sink to the bottom of the
tub in a thick pulp. This liquor will contain the essential oil of
the corn, and when kneaded in with half a hundred weight of flour,
and the usual quantity of salt and yeast, it will yield one-third
more bread than the same quantity of flour would, made with water in
the usual way. Divide into middle sized loaves and bake two hours and
a half.

When ten days old put it into the oven for twenty minutes and it will
appear quite new.

TO MAKE FLOUR PASTE.

Paste is made principally of wheaten flour boiled in water till it be
of a glutinous or viscid consistence. It may be thus prepared simply
for common purposes; but when it is required for paper hangings to
rooms, it is usual to mix a fourth, fifth, or sixth of the weight
of the flour of powdered resin; and where it is wanted still more
tenacious, gum arabic, or any kind of size may be added.

THE CHAMBER NURSE.

Every experienced person, and every liberal physician and medical man, is sensible of the value of a careful, skilful, and kind-hearted nurse, and that the alleviation of sickness and the actual cure of diseases, depend as much on the anxious attention of the nurse, as on the efficacy of medicine itself. Good temper, patience, watchfulness, and sobriety, are the cardinal virtues of every good nurse, and when possessed by one who unites skill with those personal qualities, she is a treasure above all price.

Although the chamber nurse forms no part of the establishment of healthy families, yet as in every family she is a necessary auxiliary for longer or shorter periods, a brief notice of her qualifications and duties, will confer completeness on such a volume as the present.

The chamber or sick nurse should be qualified for her duty by some experience; and if her experience has been considerable, and she is a woman of good understanding, she will prove herself quite as important in the nursery of the sick, as medical practitioners, or all the drugs in an apothecary’s shop. She ought to be past the middle age, and if a married woman or widow, so much the better. She ought to be clean in her person, and neat in her dress, and free from habits of drinking or snuff-taking. She ought also to be a woman of cheerful and equable temper, and, above all things, free from superstition, or belief in charms, omens, signs, dreams, and other follies of gross ignorance.

The sick room should be clean, well aired, and free from noisome smells; and, on the contrary, the air should be purified by sprinkling vinegar or eau de cologne, and occasionally burning a little vinegar in a heated shovel.

Quietness, in every respect, is of the first consequence. Fire irons should be avoided: creaking doors and locks should be oiled; and list shoes constantly worn. Talking loud and whispering, so as to excite the suspicion of the patient, should be equally avoided; and a long feather should be pushed through the key-hole, as a signal on the outside, when the patient is asleep. The nurse should only sleep when the patient sleeps, as one means of preventing the patient being awoke by her frivolous activity.

In cases of contagion, whatever is sent out of the room, should be immersed in water, and the nurse should be careful not to receive the breath of the patient, nor to sit on the bed. She should also carry about her person a bag of camphor, and during such diseases, frequently fumigate the room with vinegar, and indulge occasionally in half a glass of brandy.

The sick chamber should be provided with a lamp and appurtenances, for heating whatever may be wanted; with a tea kettle, two or three saucepans, empty bottles for hot water, (to put to the feet,) some sal volatile and spirits, a bottle of salts, and of eau de cologne; some lambs-wool gloves to rub the patient, a bed-pan, a foot-bath, or a large tin bath; some lemonade, barley-water, and toast and water: oranges, lemons, and empty medicine bottles, which occasion smells that infect the air, should be kept in an adjoining room. There should also be a supply of flannel, old linen, and napkins, for every purpose. Different medicines should be carefully kept apart; lest pernicious ones be given, or proper ones, at improper times. A thermometer in the room is the only means of keeping an equal temperature, or increasing or diminishing it, as the medical attendants may direct.

The reports of the nurse to the physician, and the observations of the physician, should always be made in an adjoining room, and the mind of the patient not be distracted by details of symptoms, and of the nurse’s business. Changes which take place after the visit of the medical attendant, should be immediately reported, and in all that regards the administration of the medicines, and the general system of treatment, the nurse should scrupulously obey the instructions of the medical advisers, not only as the most likely means of promoting the speedy recovery of the patient, but to remove from herself all responsibility and blame. At the same time, she should not withhold her opinion, in regard to the effect of the medicines administered, and in her conferences with the medical advisers, should suggest whatever appears likely to be useful.

Nurses, according to the length of a disease, are paid by the day, week, or month; and as boarders in the family, they ought not to take advantage of the sympathy which induces the relatives of the sick to afford them every indulgence, so as to involve unnecessary or wanton expenses; but consider the interest of the family, whose affliction requires their attendance, as their own. The usual payment of a nurse in London, is from 10s. 6d. to 15s. per week, according to the circumstances of the parties, and of the case.

Nurses who have to compound and administer Family Medicines must be prepared with proper scales and weights; and with graduated glass measures, such as are used by Apothecaries; according to the following

TABLES OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

_Measure of Fluids._

1 gal. measure (cong.) contains 8 pints,
1 pint (O.) 16 ounces,
1 ounce (f. ℥.) 8 drams,
1 dram (f. ʒ.) 60 minims, (_m._)

_Weights of Dry Substances._

1 pound (lb.) contains 12 ounces,
1 ounce (℥.) 8 drams,
1 dram (ʒ.) 60 grains, (gr.)
1 scruple (℈.) 20 grains, or 1-3d of a dram.

It is customary to distinguish quantities of fluid from dry substances, by prefixing the letter f. (fluid) when an ounce or dram is mentioned in medical works, as may be seen in the first of these tables.

The following table of the gradations of doses of medicines for _different ages_, will in general be found pretty correct, and ought never to be deviated from, except by professional advice.

If at the age of _maturity_ the dose be _one dram_, the proportion will be at

From 14 to 21 years, 2 scruples,
7 14 half a dram,
4 7 1 scruple,
4 15 grains,
3 half a scruple,
2 8 grains,
1 5 grains,
6 months 3 grains,
3 2 grains,
1 1 grain.

TOAST AND WATER.

Cut a slice of fine and stale loaf bread, very thin, and let it be
carefully toasted on both sides, until browned all over, but not
blackened or burned. Put the toast into a deep stone or china jug,
and pour over it, from the tea-kettle, as much boiling water as
required to make into drink. Cover the jug with a saucer or plate,
and let the drink become quite cold; it will then be fit for use.
Toast and water is peculiarly grateful to the stomach, and excellent
for carrying off the effects of any excess in drinking. It is also a
most excellent drink at meals.

WATER-GRUEL.

Put a large spoonful of oatmeal into a pint of water, stir it well
together, and let it boil three or four times, stirring it often.
Then strain it through a sieve, put in some salt according to taste,
and if necessary add a piece of fresh butter. Stir with a spoon until
the butter is melted, when it will be fine and smooth.

BARLEY-WATER.

Take of pearl-barley, 2 oz.
water, 4 pints.
First wash off the mealy matter which adheres to the barley
with some cold water; then extract the colouring matter,
by boiling it a little with about half a pint of water.
Throw this decoction away; and put the barley thus purified
into four pints of boiling water; then boil down to one
half and strain the decoction.

COMPOUND BARLEY WATER.

Take of the decoction of barley, 2 pints,
raisins, stoned, 2 oz.
figs, sliced, 2 do.
liquorice-root, sliced and bruised, ½ oz.
distilled water, 1 pint.
During the boiling, add the raisins first, and then the figs,
and, lastly, the liquorice, a short time before it is finished,
when the strained decoction ought to measure two pints.

These liquors are to be used freely, as diluting drinks in
_fevers_ and other acute disorders.

PANADA.

Put a blade of mace, a large piece of the crumb of bread, and a quart
of water, in a clean saucepan. Let it boil two minutes, then take out
the bread, and bruise it very fine in a bason. Mix with it as much of
the warm water as it will require, pour away the rest and sweeten it
to the taste of the patient. If necessary, put in a piece of butter
the size of a walnut, but add no wine. Grate in a little nutmeg, if
requisite.

BEEF TEA.

Take off the fat and skin from a pound of lean beef, and cut it into
pieces. Then put it into a gallon of water, with the under crust of
a penny loaf, and a small portion of salt. Let the whole boil till
reduced to two quarts, and strain, when it will be fit for use.

MUTTON BROTH.

Take the fat off a pound of loin of mutton, and put the lean into a
quart of water. Skim it well as it boils, and put in a piece of the
upper crust of bread, with a large blade of mace. Having covered it
up close, let it boil closely for half an hour, and then pour the
broth clear off, without stirring. Season it with a little salt.
Turnips should not be boiled with the meat.

MEDICINAL TEA.

This country affords herbs much more wholesome than either tea or
coffee, and if they were all imported from a distant region, and sold
at a high price, they would, no doubt, be held in great estimation.
The following composition is very superior to tea or coffee, inasmuch
as the infusion is very agreeable, will strengthen the stomach, and
invigorate, instead of debilitate, the nervous system.

Take of rosemary leaves, dried, 2 oz.
sage do. do. 4 oz.
rose do. do. 4 oz.
peach do. do. 3 oz.
hyssop do. do. 4 oz.
balm do. do. 5 oz.
male speedwell, (veronica) 4 oz.

A wine-glassful of these mixed herbs is sufficient to make 3 pints
of infusion, which is made in the same manner as tea, sugar and milk
being added. In London, where herbs are sold at a dearer rate than in
the country, it may be obtained at the rate of 2s. per pound.—Either
of the above ingredients may be diminished or augmented at pleasure.
If too bitter, lessen the quantity of hyssop, and add dried mint
leaves.

ISINGLASS JELLY, &c.

Put an ounce of isinglass, and a few cloves, into a quart of water.
Boil it down to a pint, strain it upon a pound of loaf sugar, and
when cold, add a little wine, when it will be fit for use.—A very
nourishing beverage may be made by merely boiling the isinglass with
milk, and sweetening with lump sugar.

SALOP.

Put a dessert spoonful of the powder of salop, into a pint of boiling
water. Keep stirring it till it becomes of the consistence of jelly,
and then add white wine and sugar, according to taste.

SUBSTITUTE FOR ASSES MILK.

Put an ounce of hartshorn shavings into a quart of boiling
barley-water; boil down to a pint, add two ounces of candid eringo
root, and a pint of new milk; boil for a quarter of an hour, when
strain for use.

BROWN CAUDLE.

Boil four spoonsful of oatmeal, a blade or two of mace, and a piece
of lemon peel, in two quarts of water, for about a quarter of an
hour; taking care that it does not boil over. Then strain, and add a
quart of good ale that is not bitter. Sweeten it to the palate, and
add half a pint of white wine. When no white wine is used the caudle
should consist of one half of ale.

WHITE CAUDLE.

Make the gruel as above, and strain through a sieve, but put no ale
to it. When to be used, sweeten according to taste, grate in some
nutmeg, and add a little white wine. Juice of lemon is sometimes
added.

TRANSPARENT SOUP FOR CONVALESCENTS.

Cut the meat from a leg of veal into small pieces, and break the
bone into several bits. Put the meat into a very large jug, and the
bones at top, with a bunch of common sweet herbs, a quarter of an
ounce of mace, and half a pound of Jordan almonds, finely blanched
and beaten. Pour on it four quarts of boiling water, and let it stand
all night, covered close by the fire-side. The next day put it into
a well-tinned saucepan, and let it boil slowly, till it is reduced
to two quarts. Be careful, at the time it is boiling, to skim it,
and take off the fat as it rises. Strain into a punch-bowl, and when
settled for two hours, pour it into a clean saucepan, clear from the
sediment, if any.

EFFERVESCING DRAUGHT.

Pulverize 1 ounce of citric acid, and divide it into 24 parts; that
is, 24 scruples, which are to be put into separate small _blue_
papers. Pulverize, also, 1 ounce of the sub-carbonate of soda, and
divide it into 24 like packages, in _white_ paper. When the draught
is to be prepared, put the carbonate into a tumbler, half filled with
water: in another, dissolve the acid in an equal quantity; throw one
into the other, and drink it while effervescing.

A similar preparation may be made by using tartaric acid instead of
the citric.

TO PREVENT INFECTION.

Mix in a plate, a few ounces of pulverized black oxyde of manganese
and common salt, which being placed in the house supposed to be
infected, sprinkle oil of vitriol upon the mixture, and gas will
arise which will render the place perfectly salubrious. The oil of
vitriol should be carefully added by a few drops at a time, the face
being turned from the mixture.

SALINE DRAUGHT.

Dissolve 20 grains of carbonate of potass in a table-spoonful of
lemon juice, and three table-spoonsful of water, to which add a small
quantity of lump sugar. This draught is very serviceable in sore
throats, &c.

SEDLITZ POWDERS.

Take of Rochelle salt, 1 dram,
carbonate of soda, 25 grains,
tartaric acid, 20 do.
Dissolve the first two in a tumbler of water, then add the
latter, _and drink_ without loss of time.

TO DISTINGUISH GOOD RHUBARB FROM BAD.

The general characters of good rhubarb are, it having a whitish or
clear yellow colour, being dry, solid, and compact; moderately heavy,
and brittle; when recently broken appearing marked with yellow or
reddish veins, mixed with white; being easily pulverizable; forming
a powder of a fine bright yellow, having the peculiar, nauseous,
aromatic smell of rhubarb, and a sub-acrid, bitterish, somewhat
astringent taste, and when chewed feeling gritty under the teeth,
speedily colouring the saliva, and not appearing very mucilaginous.

TAMARIND WATER.

This fruit very much resembles the nature of prunes, but is more
acid, and enters as a useful ingredient into the lenitive electuary.
It is found of the highest use in a sore throat, as a powerful
cleanser; and, put into boiling water until moderately cold, is a
delightful drink to persons parched under the heat of fever, and in
the lowest state of putrid fever.

WATER-CRESSES.

Water-cresses act as a gentle stimulant and diuretic; for these
purposes the expressed juice, which contains the peculiar taste and
pungency of the herb, may be taken in doses of an ounce or two, and
continued for a considerable time. It should be at the same time
eaten at breakfast, also at dinner, and for supper, to experience
benefit from the virtues of this herb.

WHITE COUGH MIXTURE.

Mix 1 dram of powdered spermaceti with the yolks of 2 eggs; then add
1 dram of tincture of opium, and 5 oz., of water.

To be taken in the quantity of a wine-glassful when the cough is
troublesome.

FOR ALLAYING COUGH IN THE NIGHT, AND PROCURING REST.

Mix together a dessert spoonful of syrup of poppies, and 15 drops of
antimonial wine. To be taken at a draught, with or without a little
warm water, either at bed-time, or in the middle of the night. Half
this quantity may be given to a child under the same circumstances.

_Another._

Mix together in a wine-glass,
30 drops of laudanum,
4 tea-spoonsful of vinegar, and
6 tea-spoonsful of water, sweetened with a
little lump sugar.

ALMOND MILK.

Take of sweet almonds, blanched, 1½ oz.
double-refined sugar, ¾ oz.
distilled water, 2½ pints.
Beat the almonds with the sugar; then rubbing them
together, add by degrees the water, and strain the liquor.

Almost any quantity may be taken as a frequent drink to
soften coughs, and to assuage urinary disorders.

MUCILAGE OF GUM ARABIC.

Take of gum-arabic, in powder, 4 oz.
boiling water, 8 oz.
Triturate the gum with a small portion of the water until
it be dissolved.

It is necessary to pass the mucilage through linen, in
order to free it from pieces of wood and other impurities,
which always adhere to the gum: the linen may be placed in
a funnel.

Mucilage of gum-arabic is very useful in making up medicines, &c.
it also possesses the powers of a _mucilaginous demulcent_ in a
high degree; and is frequently given in _diarrhœa_, _dysentery_,
_chin-cough_, _hoarseness_, _strangury_, _&c._

GUM-ARABIC EMULSION.

Take of gum-arabic, in powder, 2 drams,
sweet almonds, blanched,
double refined sugar, each ½ dram,
decoction of barley, 1 pint.
Dissolve the gum in the warm decoction; and when it is
almost cold, pour it upon the almonds, previously well
beaten with the sugar, and at the same time triturate them
together, so as to form an emulsion, and then filter.

The almonds are blanched by infusing them in boiling water,
and peeling them. The success of the preparation depends
upon beating the almonds to a smooth pulp, and triturating
them with each portion of the watery fluid, so as to form
an uniform mixture before another portion be added.

DECOCTION OF MARSHMALLOWS

Take of marshmallow roots, bruised, 4 oz.
sun raisins, stoned, 2 oz.
water, 7 pints.
Boil down to five pints; strain the decoction, and after
the grounds have subsided, pour off the clear liquor.

Marshmallow roots contain nothing soluble in water except mucilage,
which is very abundant in them. This decoction is therefore to be
considered merely as an _emollient_, rendered more pleasant by the
acidulous sweetness of the raisins.

COMPOUND ALOETIC PILLS.

Take of hepatic aloes, 1 oz.
ginger powder, 1 dram,
soap, ½ oz.
essential oil of peppermint, ½ a dram.
Let the aloes and ginger be rubbed well together, then add
the soap and the oil so as to form a mass.

These pills may be advantageously used for obviating the _habitual
costiveness_ of sedentary persons. The dose is from 10 to 15 grains.

LADY WEBSTER’S ANTIBILIOUS PILLS.

Take of socotrine aloes, 6 drams,
gum mastic, 2 drams.
Reduce to powder separately; make into a mass with syrup of
wormwood, and divide into one hundred pills, of which take
one every night.

COMPOUND SOAP LINIMENT.

Take of camphor, 1 oz.
soap, 3 oz.
spirit of rosemary, 1 pint.
Digest the soap in the spirit of rosemary until it be
dissolved, and add to it the camphor.

STEER’S OPODELDOC.

Dissolve 2 lbs. of white soap, and 1 lb. of yellow ditto,
in 3 pints of water.
Now dissolve 4 oz. of camphor,
1 oz. of oil of rosemary, and
6 drams of oil of origanum, in
3 pints of spirit of wine.
Mix both solutions, and then add 3 oz. of water of ammonia.

This liniment is extensively used to allay the inflammation
of _bruises_, _sprains_, &c.

CAJEPUT OPODELDOC.

Take of almond soap, 2 ounces,
alcohol, 1 pint,
camphor, 1 ounce,
cajeput oil, 2 ounces.
First dissolve the soap and camphor in the alcohol, and
when the solution is about to congeal, or becomes nearly
cold, add the oil of cajeput: shake them well together, and
put it into bottles to congeal.

This composition is a great improvement on the opodeldocs in general
use, and in cases of _rheumatism, paralytic numbness, chilblains,
enlargement of joints, and indolent tumours_; where the object is to
rouse the action of absorbent vessels, and to stimulate the nerves,
it is a very valuable external remedy.

LINIMENT OF AMMONIA.

Take of water of ammonia, ½ an ounce,
olive oil, 1½ ounces.
Shake them together in a phial till they are mixed.

In the _inflammatory quinsey_, a piece of flannel, moistened
with this mixture, applied to the throat, and renewed every
four or five hours, is one of the most efficacious remedies.

LINIMENT OF LIME WATER.

Take of lime water, and olive oil, each three ounces.
Mix them by shaking in a phial.

This solution is thick, of a white colour, and devoid of
acrimony. It is very advantageously applied to burns and
scalds. The soapy matter separates from the water when it has
been made some time, and therefore it is always better to
prepare it only when it is wanted.

EAU-DE-LUCE.

Dissolve ten or twelve grains of white soap in four ounces of
rectified spirit of wine; after which, strain the solution. A dram of
rectified oil of amber is then added, and the whole filtered: with
this solution should be mixed such a proportion of the strongest
volatile spirit of ammonia, in a clear glass bottle, as will, when
sufficiently shaken, produce a beautiful milk-white liquor. If a kind
of cream should settle on the surface, it will be requisite to add a
small quantity of the spirituous solution of soap. Those who may wish
to have this liquor perfumed, may employ lavender or Hungary water,
instead of the spirit of wine.

It is employed for curing the _bites of adders_, _wasps_, _bees_,
_gnats_, _ants_, and other insects, and for _burns_.

RIGA BALSAM.

Mix together, 4 ounces of spirit of wine,
1 dram of Friar’s balsam,
2 do. of tincture of saffron.

This balsam is used for _sprains_ and _bruises_.

OF FOMENTATIONS.

Fomentations are applied externally, and as warm as the patient can
conveniently bear, in the following manner: Two flannel cloths are
dipped into the heated liquor, of one which is wrung as dry as the
necessary speed will admit then immediately applied to the part
affected. The flannel lies on, until the heat begins to go off, and
the other is in readiness to apply at the instant in which the first
is removed:—thus these flannels are alternately applied, so as to
keep the affected part constantly warm. This is continued fifteen or
twenty minutes, and repeated two or three times a day, or as often as
occasion may require. The degree of heat should never exceed that of
producing a pleasing sensation; great heat sometimes produces effects
very opposite to that intended by the use of the fomentation.

DECOCTION FOR FOMENTATIONS.

Take of the leaves of southernwood, dried,
tops of sea-wormwood, do.
camomile flowers, ditto, each 1 oz.
bay leaves, do. ½ oz.
distilled water, 6 pints.
Boil them a little, and strain.

In making these decoctions the aromatic substances should
not be added until the decoction is nearly completed, for
otherwise their flavour would be entirely dissipated.

ANODYNE FOMENTATION.

Take two poppy heads, boil them in a quart of milk, and use this as a
fomentation. It is excellent in _inflamed eyes_, also to relieve the
pain of inflammation from a blister or other cause.

MUSTARD CATAPLASM.

Take of mustard-seed, powdered, ½ lb.
crumb of bread, ½ do.
vinegar, as much as is sufficient.
Mix, and make a cataplasm.

Cataplasms of this kind are employed as _stimulants_: they
often inflame the part, and raise _blisters_, but not so
perfectly as cautharides. They are frequently applied to the
soles of the feet, in the low state of acute diseases, for
_raising the pulse_ and relieving the head.

SIMPLE OINTMENT.

Take of olive oil, 5 ounces,
white wax, 2 ounces.

This is an useful emollient ointment for _softening the skin_.

OINTMENT OF HOG’S LARD.

Take of prepared hog’s lard, 2 lbs.
rose water, 3 oz.
Beat the lard with the rose-water until they be mixed; then
melt the mixture with a slow fire, and set it apart that
the water may subside; after which, pour off the lard from
the water, constantly stirring until it be cold.

This ointment may be used for _softening the skin_, and _healing
chaps_.

WAX OINTMENT.

Take of white wax, 4 oz.
spermaceti, 3 oz.
olive oil, 1 pint.
Mix them together over a gentle fire, and then stir them
very briskly, without ceasing, till they are cold.

SPERMACETI OINTMENT.

Take of spermaceti, 6 drams,
white wax, 2 do.
olive oil, 3 oz.
Melt all together over a gentle fire, stirring briskly,
without intermission, till the ointment becomes cold.

These two ointments are supposed only to supple the parts,
and hinder the rag or lint from sticking to the granulating
flesh, and they also keep the air from wounds, which is known
to irritate them, from the oxygen in the atmosphere; but they
have, otherwise, no peculiar healing virtue.

LIP SALVE.

Melt together 2½ oz. of white wax,
3 oz. of spermaceti,
7 oz. of oil of almonds,
1 dram of balsam of Peru, and
1½ oz. of alkanet root, wrapped up in a linen bag.
Pour the salve into small gallipots or boxes, and cover
with bladder and white leather.

COURT PLASTER.

Bruise a sufficient quantity of isinglass, and let it soak for
twenty-four hours in a little warm water; expose it to heat over the
fire, to dissipate the greater part of the water, and supply its
place by colourless brandy, which will mix the gelatine of the glue.
Strain the whole through a piece of open linen: on cooling, it will
form a trembling jelly.

Now extend a piece of black silk on a wooden frame, and fix it in
that position by means of tacks, or pack-thread. Then, with a brush
made of badger’s hair, apply the glue, after it has been exposed
to a gentle heat, to render it liquid. When this stratum is dry,
which will soon be the case, apply a second, and then a third, if
necessary, to give the plaster a certain thickness; as soon as the
whole is dry, cover it with two or three strata of a strong tincture
of balsam of Tolu.

This is the real English court plaster: it is pliable, and never
breaks, characters which distinguish it from so many other
preparations sold under the same name.

_Application._

This plaster is generally used to cover slight abrasions and
excoriations of the skin. When used for small cuts, from sharp
instruments, bring the lips of the wound together, and lay over it
a piece of goldbeater’s skin; then fix this by means of a piece of
court plaster. The wound will generally heal without further trouble.

TINCTURE OF RHUBARB.

Take of rhubarb, sliced, 3 oz.
lesser cardamom seeds, bruised, ½ oz.
liquorice root, bruised, ½ oz.
saffron, 2 drams,
proof spirit of wine, 2 pints.
Digest for seven days, and strain. Dose, ½ an oz. as a _purge_,
or 2 dr. as a _stomachic_.

COMPOUND TINCTURE OF RHUBARB.

Take of rhubarb, sliced, 2 oz.
liquorice root, bruised, ½ oz.
ginger, powdered,
saffron, each 2 drams;
distilled water, 1 pint,
proof spirit of wine, 12 oz. by measure.
Digest for 14 days, and strain. Dose, ½ an oz. as an _aperient_,
or 1 oz. in violent diarrhœa.

AROMATIC TINCTURE, OR COMPOUND TINCTURE OF CINNAMON.

Take of cinnamon, bruised,
lesser cardamom seeds, each 1 oz.
long pepper, in powder, 2 drams,
diluted alcohol, 2½ lbs.
Digest for seven days, and filter through paper.

A tea-spoonful or two may be taken in wine, or any other
convenient vehicle, in _languors_, _weakness of the
stomach_, _flatulencies_, and other similar complaints; and
in these cases it is often employed with advantage.

COMPOUND TINCTURE OF SENNA.

Take of senna leaves, 2 oz.
jalap root, 1 oz.
coriander seeds, ½ oz.
proof spirit, 2½ pints.
Digest for seven days, and to the strained liquor add 4 oz.
of sugar-candy.

This tincture is an useful _carminative_ and _cathartic_,
especially to those who have accustomed themselves to the
use of spirituous liquors; it often relieves _flatulent
complaints_ and _colics_, where the common cordials have
little effect: the dose is from 1 to 2 ounces.

DAFFY’S ELIXIR.

Take of senna, 2 lbs.
rhubarb shavings, 2 lbs.
jalap root, 1 lb.
caraway seeds, 1 lb.
aniseeds, 2 lbs.
sugar, 4 lbs.
shavings of red sanders wood, ½ lb.
Digest these in 10 gallons of spirit of wine, for 14 days,
and strain for use. This elixir possesses almost the same
qualities as the _Compound Tincture of Senna_. The above
quantities may be reduced to as small a scale as may be
required.

GODFREY’S CORDIAL.

Dissolve ½ an oz. of opium,
1 dram of oil of sassafras, in
2 ounces of spirit of wine.
Now mix 4 lbs. of treacle, with
1 gallon of boiling water, and when cold, mix both
solutions.

This is generally used to soothe the _pains of children_, &c.

BALSAM OF HONEY.

Take of balsam of tolu, 2 oz.
gum storax, 2 drams,
opium, 2 do.
honey, 8 oz.
Dissolve these in a quart of spirit of wine.

This balsam is useful in allaying the irritation of _cough_.

Dose, 1 or 2 tea-spoonsful in a little tea, or warm water.

TINCTURE OF THE BALSAM OF TOLU.

Take of balsam of Tolu, 1 oz.
alcohol, 1 pint.
Digest until the balsam be dissolved, and then strain the
tincture through paper.

This solution of the balsam of Tolu possesses all the virtues
of the balsam itself. It may be taken internally, with the
several intentions for which that balsam is proper, to the
quantity of a tea-spoonful or two, in any convenient vehicle.

Mixed with simple syrup, it forms an agreeable balsamic syrup.

TINCTURE OF PERUVIAN BARK.

Take of Peruvian bark, 4 oz.
proof spirit, 2 pints.
Digest for 10 days, and strain.

It may be given from a tea-spoonful to ½ an ounce, or an
ounce, according to the different purposes it is intended to
answer.

HUXHAM’S TINCTURE OF BARK.

Take of Peruvian bark, powdered, 2 oz.
the peel of Seville oranges, dried, 1½ do.
Virginian snake root, bruised, 3 drams,
saffron, 1 do.
cochineal, powdered, 2 scruples,
proof spirit, 20 oz.
Digest for 14 days, and strain.

As a _corroborant_ and _stomachic_, it is given in doses
of two or three drams; but when employed for the cure of
_intermittent fevers_, it must be taken to a greater extent.

TINCTURE OF GUAIACUM.

Take of guaiacum, 4 oz.
rectified spirit of wine, 2 pints.
Digest for seven days, and filter.

This solution is a powerful stimulating sudorific, and may
be given in doses, of about ½ an ounce, in _rheumatic and
asthmatic cases_.

AMMONIATED TINCTURE OF GUAIACUM.

Take of resin of guaiacum, in powder, 4 oz.
ammoniated alcohol, in powder, 1½ lb.
Digest for seven days, and filter through paper.

In _rheumatic cases_, a tea, or even table-spoonful, taken
every morning and evening, in any convenient vehicle,
particularly in milk, has proved of singular service.

FRIAR’S BALSAM.

Take of benzoin, 3 oz.
purified storax, 2 oz.
balsam of Tolu, 1 oz.
socotrine aloes, ½ oz.
rectified spirit of wine, 2 pints.
Digest for seven days and filter.

The dose is a tea-spoonful in some warm water four times a
day, in _consumptions and spitting of blood_. It is useful,
also, when applied on lint, to _recent wounds_, and serves
the purposes of a scab, but must not be soon removed.

TINCTURE OF CATECHU.

Take extract of catechu, 3 oz.
cinnamon, bruised, 2 oz.
diluted alcohol, 2 pints.
Digest for seven days, and strain through paper.

The cinnamon is a very useful addition to the catechu, not
only as it warms the stomach, but likewise as it covers its
roughness and astringency.

This tincture is of service in all kinds of _defluxions_,
_catarrhs_, _looseness_, and other disorders where astringent
medicines are indicated. Two or three tea-spoonsful may be
taken occasionally.

IPECACUAN WINE.

Take of the root of ipecacuan, bruised, 2 oz.
Spanish white wine, 2 pints.
Digest for ten days and strain.

This wine is a very mild and safe _emetic_, and nearly
equally serviceable in _dysenteries_, with the ipecacuan in
substance; this root yielding nearly all its virtues to the
Spanish white wine. The common dose is an ounce, more or
less, according to the age and strength of the patient.

LAVENDER WATER.

The common mode of preparing this, is to put three drams of the
essential oil of lavender, and a dram of the essence of ambergris,
into 1 pint of spirit of wine.

SPIRIT OF ROSEMARY.

Take of the fresh tops of rosemary, 1½ lb.
proof spirit, 1 gallon.
Distil off in a water-bath, 5 pints.

COMPOUND SPIRIT OF ANISEED.

Take of aniseed,
angelica-seed, each bruised, ½ lb.
proof-spirit, 1 gallon,
water, sufficient to prevent a bad taste or flavour.
Draw off 1 gallon by distillation.

This compound is often employed with advantage, in cases of
_flatulent colic_.

BLACK PECTORAL LOZENGES.

Take of extract of liquorice,
gum arabic, each 4 oz.
white sugar, 8 oz.
Dissolve them in warm water, and strain; then evaporate
the mixture over a gentle fire, till it be of a proper
consistence for being formed into lozenges, which are to be
cut out of any shape.

WHITE PECTORAL LOZENGES.

Take of fine sugar, 1 lb.
gum arabic, 4 oz.
starch, 1 oz.
flowers of benzoin, ¾ dram.
Having beat them all in a powder, make them into a proper
mass with rose-water, so as to form lozenges.

These compositions are calculated for softening _acrimonious
humours_, and allaying the _tickling in the throat_ which
provokes coughing.

NITRE LOZENGES.

Take of nitre, purified, 3 oz.
double-refined sugar, 9 oz.
Make them into lozenges with mucilage of gum tragacanth.

This is a very agreeable form for the exhibition of nitre,
as a _diuretic or febrifuge_, though, when the salt is thus
taken, without any liquid (if the quantity be considerable),
it is apt to occasion uneasiness about the stomach, which can
only be prevented by a large dilution with aqueous liquors.

HONEY OF ROSES.

Take of dried red rose-buds, 4 oz.
boiling distilled water, 3 pints,
clarified honey, 5 lbs.
Macerate the rose-leaves in the water for six hours; then
mix the honey with the strained liquor, and boil the
mixture to the thickness of a syrup.

This preparation is not unfrequently used as a mild, cooling
detergent, particularly in gargles for _ulcerations and
inflammation of the mouth and tonsils_.

SYRUP OF POPPIES.

Take of the heads of white poppies, dried, 3½ lbs.
double-refined sugar, 6 lbs.
distilled water, 8 gallons.
Slice and bruise the heads, then boil them in the water to
three gallons, and press out the decoction. Reduce this, by
boiling, to about 4 pints, and strain it while hot through
a sieve, then through a thin woollen cloth, and set it
aside for twelve hours, that the grounds may subside. Boil
the liquor poured off from the grounds to three pints, and
dissolve the sugar in it, that it may be made a syrup.

This syrup, impregnated with the narcotic matter of the
poppy-head, is given to _children_ in doses of two or three
drams, and to adults of from half an ounce to one ounce and
upwards, for _easing pain_, _procuring rest_, and answering
the other intentions of _mild operations_.

SYRUP OF VIOLETS.

Take of fresh flowers of the violet, 1 lb.
boiling distilled water, 3 pints.
Macerate for 25 hours, and strain the liquor through a cloth,
without pressing, and add double-refined sugar, to make the
syrup.

This is an agreeable _laxative medicine_ for young children.

OXYMEL OF SQUILLS.

Take of clarified honey, 3 lbs.
vinegar of squills, 2 pints.
Boil them in a glass vessel, with a slow fire, to the
thickness of a syrup.

Oxymel of squills is an useful _aperient, detergent, and
expectorant_, and of great service in _humoral asthmas_,
_coughs_, and other disorders where _thick phlegm_ abounds.
It is given in doses of two or three drachms, along with some
aromatic water, as that of cinnamon, to prevent the great
nausea which it would otherwise be apt to excite. In large
doses it proves _emetic_.

VINEGAR OF SQUILLS.

Take of squills, recently dried, 1 pound,
vinegar, 6 pints,
proof spirit, ½ pint.
Macerate the squills with the vinegar, in a glass vessel,
with a gentle heat, for 24 hours; then express the liquor,
and set it aside until the fæces subside. To the decanted
liquor add the spirit.

Vinegar of squills is a very powerful stimulant; and hence
it is frequently used with great success as a _diuretic and
expectorant_. The dose of this medicine is from a dram to
half an ounce.

TAR-WATER.

Take of tar, 2 pints;
water, 1 gallon.
Mix, by stirring them with a wooden rod for a quarter of an
hour, and, after the tar has subsided, strain the liquor, and
keep it in well corked phials.

Tar-water should have the colour of white wine, and an empyreumatic
taste. It is, in fact, a solution of empyreumatic oil, effected by
means of acetous acid. It acts as a _stimulant raising the pulse_,
and increasing the discharge by the skin and kidneys. It may be drank
to the extent of a pint or two in the course of a day.

DECOCTION OF SARSAPARILLA.

Take of sarsaparilla root, cut, 6 oz.
distilled water, 8 pints.
After macerating for two hours, with a heat about 195
degrees, then take out the root, and bruise it; add it
again to the liquor, and macerate it for two hours longer;
then boil down the liquor to 4 pints, and strain it. The
dose is from 4 oz. to half a pint, or more, daily.

COMPOUND DECOCTION OF SARSAPARILLA.

Take of sarsaparilla root, cut and bruised, 6 oz.
the bark of sassafras root,
the shavings of guaiacum wood,
liquorice root, each 1 oz.
the bark of mezereon root, 3 drams,
distilled water, 10 pints.
Digest with a gentle heat for six hours, then boil down
the liquor to one half (or 5 pints) adding the bark of the
mezereon root towards the end of boiling. Strain off the
liquor. The dose is the same as the last, and for the same
purposes.

DECOCTION OF THE WOODS.

Take of guaiacum raspings, 3 oz.
raisins, stoned, 2 oz.
sassafras root, sliced,
liquorice root, bruised, each 1 oz.
water, 10 lbs.
Boil the guaiacum and raisins with the water, over a gentle
fire, to the consumption of one half, adding, towards the
end, the sassafras and liquorice, and strain the decoction
without expression.

INFUSION OF ROSES.

Take of dried red roses, ½ oz.
diluted vitriolic acid, 3 drams,
boiling distilled water, 2½ pints,
double refined sugar, 1½ oz.
First pour the water on the petals, in a close vessel, then
add the diluted vitriolic acid, and macerate for half an
hour. Strain the liquor when cold, and add the sugar.

EMETIC DRAUGHT.

Take of ipecacuan wine, 7 drams,
antimonial wine, 1 do.
syrup of violets, 1 do.
rose-water, 3 do.
Make into a draught to be taken at eight in the evening;
or, for an infant, give a tea-spoonful every five minutes
until it operates, and half of it for a child of ten or
twelve years. It has no taste.

MILD APERIENT DRAUGHT.

Take senna leaves, an ounce and a half,
ginger, sliced, 1 dram,
boiling water, 1 pint.
Macerate for an hour, and strain the liquor.

Two or three tea-spoonsful of Epsom salts dissolved in a
wine-glassful of warm water, with 3 table-spoonsful of the
above infusion of senna, and a tea-spoonful of tincture of
senna, or cardamoms, will act as a mild aperient. It should
be taken early in the morning, and a plentiful supply of tea,
afterwards, at breakfast.

MILD PURGATIVE FOR INFANTS.

Take of manna, 1 oz.
mucilage of gum arabic,
oil of almonds,
syrup of lemons, each 2 drams.

Of this mixture give a tea-spoonful to a child at bed-time.

CAMPHOR MIXTURE.