308 TRUTH IS A ROCK LARGE ENOUGH FOR ALL TO STAND UPON. wax is all melted, and the ingredients put on, at some distance from each simmer. It is fit for use as soon as cold, other. but the longer it is kept the better it will be. It must be spread very thin on soft rag, or (for chaps or cracks) rubbed on the hands when you go to bed. A visitor to a large poor district has never known this to fail. 2167. Camphor Balls to prevent Chaps.-Melt three drachms of spermaceti, four drachms of white wax, with one ounce of almond oil, and stir in three drachms of camphor (previously powdered by moistening it with a little spirits of wine); pour small quantities into small gallipots, so as to turn out in the form of cakes. Spermaceti, 2s. per pound; white wax, 2s. 2d. per pound; almond oil, 1s. 6d. per pound; camphor, 2s. 8d. per pound. 2168. Cramp in Bathing. For the cure of the cramp when swimming, Dr. Franklin recommends a vigorous and violent shock of the part affected, by suddenly and forcibly stretching out the leg, which should be darted out of the water into the air if possible. 2169. Cramp in the Legs. — Stretch out the heel of the leg as far as possible, at the same time drawing up the toes as far as possible. This will often stop a fit of the cramp after it has commenced. 2170. Hiccough, or Hiccup.This is a spasm of the diaphragm, caused by flatulency, indigestion, or acidity. It may be relieved by the sudden application of cold, also by two or three mouthfuls of cold water, by eating a small piece of ice, taking a pinch of snuff, or anything that excites counter action. 2172. Ringworm.-The head is to be washed twice a day with soft soap and warm soft water; when dried, the places to be rubbed with a piece of linen rag dipped in ammonia from gas tar; the patient should take a little sulphur and treacle, or some other gentle aperient, every morning; brushes and combs should be washed every day, and the ammonia kept tightly corked. 2173. Ointment for Scurf in the Heads of Infants.-Lard, two ounces; sulphuric acid, diluted, two drachms; rub them together, and anoint the head once a day. 2174. Scurf in the Head.-A simple and effectual remedy. Into a pint of water drop a lump of fresh quicklime, the size of a walnut; let it stand all night, then pour the water off clear from sediment or deposit, add a quarter of a pint of the best vinegar, and wash the head with the mixture. Perfectly harmless; only wet the roots of the hair. 2175. To Restore Hair when removed by Ill-health or Age. -Onions rubbed frequently on the part requiring it. The stimulating powers of this vegetable are of service in restoring the tone of the skin, and assisting the capillary vessels in sending forth new hair; but it is not infallible. Should it succeed, however, the growth of these new hairs may be assisted by the oil of myrtle-berries, the repute which, perhaps, is greater than its real efficacy. These applications are cheap and harmless, even where they do no good; qualities which cannot be attributed to the numerous quack remedies that meet the eye in every direction. of 2176. Baldness.-The decoction of boxwood, successful in cases of baldness, is thus made:-Take of the common box, which grows in garden borders, stems and leaves four large handfuls; boil in three pints of water, in a closely covered vessel, for a quarter of an hour, and let it stand in a covered earthenware jar for ten hours or more: strain, and add an ounce and a half of eau-de KNOWLEDGE IS THE WING WHEREBY WE FLY TO HEAVEN. 309 Cologne, or lavender water, to make it treatment:-Peruvian bark, and port keep. The head should be well washed wine, and sea bathing are desirable. with this solution every morning. Purgatives, diuretics, &c. 2177. Liquid for the Cure and Prevention of Baldness.-Eau-deCologne, two ounces; tincture of cantharides, two drachms; oil of rosemary, oil of nutmeg, and oil of lavender, each ten drops. To be rubbed on the bald part of the head every night. 2178. Remedy for Rheumatism, Lumbago, Sprains, Bruises, Chilblains (before they are broken), and Bites of Insects. -One raw egg well beaten, half a pint of vinegar, one ounce of spirits of turpentine, a quarter of an ounce of spirits of wine, a quarter of an ounce of camphor. These ingredients to be beaten well together, then put in a bottle and shaken for ten minutes, after which, to be corked down tightly to exclude the air. In half an hour it is fit for use. Directions. To be well rubbed in, two, three, or four times a day. For rheumatism in the head, to be rubbed at the back of the neck and behind the 2182. Bunions may be checked in their early development by binding the joint with adhesive plaster, and keeping it on as long as any uneasiness is felt. The bandaging should be perfect, and it might be well to extend it round the foot. An inflamed bunion should be poulticed, and larger shoes be worn. Iodine, twelve grains; lard or spermaceti ointment, half an ounce, makes a capital ointment for bunions. It should be rubbed on gently twice or thrice a day. 2183. Cure of Warts.-One of the surgeons of St. Bartholomew's Hospital says, "the easiest way to get rid of warts is to pare off the thickened skin which covers the prominent wart; cut it off by successive layers; shave it till you come to the surface of the skin, and till you draw blood in two or three places. When you have thus denuded the surface of the skin, rub the part thoroughly over with lunar caustic, and one effective operation of this kind will 2179. Excellent Remedy for generally destroy the wart; if not, you Sprains.-Put the white of an egg cut off the black spot which has been into a saucer; keep stirring it with a occasioned by the caustic, and apply it piece of alum about the size of a wal-again, or you may apply acetic acid, and nut, until it becomes a thick jelly; thus you will get rid of it." apply a portion of it on a piece of lint or tow large enough to cover the sprain, changing it for a fresh one as often as it feels warm or dry: the limb is to be kept in a horizontal position by placing it on a chair. ears. 2180. Remedy for Blistered Feet.-Rub the feet, on going to bed, with spirits mixed with tallow, dropped from a lighted candle into the palm of the hand. 2181. Biles or Boils.-These should be brought to a head by warm poultices of camomile flowers, or boiled white lily root, or onion root; by fermentation with hot water, or by stimulating plasters. When ripe, they should be discharged by a needle, or the lancet. But this should not be attempted until they are fully proved. Constitutional 2184. Corns.-Boil a potato in its skin, and after it is boiled take the skin and put the inside of it to the corn, and leave it on for about twelve hours; at the end of that period the corn will be much better. The above useful and simple receipt has been tried and found to effect a remedy. 2185. A Positive Cure for Corns.-The strongest acetic acid, applied night and morning with a camel-hair brush. In one week the corn, whether soft or hard, will disappear. 2186. Method of curing the Stings of Bees and Wasps.The sting of a bee is generally more virulent than that of a wasp, and with some people attended with very violent effects. The sting of a bee is barbed at the end, and consequently, always left 810 A BLIND MAN SHOULD NOT JUDGE OF COLOURS. in the wound; that of a wasp is pointed only, so that they can sting more than once, which a bee cannot do. When any person is stung by a bee, let the sting, in the first place, be instantly pulled out; for the longer it remains in the wound, the deeper it will pierce, owing to its peculiar form, and emit more of the poison. The sting is hollow, and the poison flows through it, which is the sole cause of the pain and inflammation. The pulling out of the sting should be done carefully, and with a steady hand; for if any part of it breaks in, all remedies then, in a great measure, will be ineffectual. When the sting is extracted, suck the wounded part, if possible, and very little inflammation, if any, will ensue. If hartshorn drops are immediately afterwards rubbed on the part, the cure will be more complete. All notions of the efficacy of sweet oil, bruised parsley, burnet, tobacco, &c., appear, on various trials, to be totally groundless. On some people, the sting of bees and wasps has no effect; it is therefore of little consequence what remedy they apply to the wound. However, the effect of stings greatly depends on the habit of body a person is of; at one time a sting may take little or no effect, though no remedy is used, which at another time will be very virulent on the same person. We have had occasion to test this remedy several times, and can safely avouch its efficacy. The exposure to which persons are subjected during the hot summer months will, no doubt, render this advice useful, its very simplicity making it more acceptable. 2187. The Sting of a Nettle may be cured by rubbing the part with rosemary, mint, or sage leaves. 2188. Arnica for Bites. A correspondent of the Times says:"Noticing in your paper an account of the death of a man from the bite of a cat, I beg to trouble you with the following which occurred to myself about three weeks ago :-I took a strange dog home, which produced consternation among the cats. One of them I took case, up, to effect a reconciliation between her and the dog. In her terror, she bit me so severely on the first finger of the left hand, as not only to cause four of the teeth of her lower jaw to enter the flesh, but so agonizing was her bite that the pressure of her palate caused the finger to swell at the joint on the opposite side to where the lower teeth entered the finger. In a minute or two the pain was about as excruciating as anything I ever felt-certainly greater than I have suffered from a wound. I got some tincture of arnica, diluted with about twelve times the quantity of water, and proceeded to bathe the finger well with it. In about half a minute the blood began to flow freely, the pain ceased, and the swelling abated, and up to this moment I have had no further inconvenience or pain, not even soreness.' 2189. Cure for Burns.—Of all applications for a burn, we believe that there are none equal to a simple covering of common wheat flour. This is always at hand; and while it requires no skill in using, it produces most astonishing effects. The moisture produced upon the surface of a slight or deep burn is at once absorbed by the flour, and forms a paste which shuts out the air. As long as the fluid matters continue flowing, they are absorbed, and prevented from producing irritation, as they would do if kept from passing off by oily or resinous applications, while the greater the amount of those absorbed by the flour, the thicker the protective covering. Another advantage of the flour covering is, that next to the surface it is kept moist and flexible. It can also be readily washed off, without further irritation in removing. It may occasionally be washed off very carefully, when it has become matted and dry, and a new covering be sprinkled on. 2190. Remedy for Burns and Scalds.-Take chalk and linseed, or common olive oil, and mix them in such proportions as will produce a compound as thick as thin honey; then add vinegar so as to reduce it to the thickness of LITTLE BOATS MUST KEEP NEAR THE SHORE. treacle; apply with a soft brush or feather, and renew the application from time to time. Each renewal brings fresh relief, and a most grateful coolness. If the injury is severe, especially if it involve the chest, give ten drops of laudanum to an adult, and repeat it in an hour, and again a third time. To a child of ten years give, in like manner, only three drops; and beware of giving any to an infant. This plan, with an internal stimulant, according to age, as brandy or sal volatile, or both, should be at once adopted, until the arrival of the medical attendant. 2191. Lime Water beaten up with sweet oil is an excellent application for burns. 2192. Pitting in Small Pox.The usual mode consists in painting the pustules and skin with a solution of India-rubber in chloroform. An"M.D.," writing on this subject, says, "I cannot help thinking that this proceeding, if carried to any considerable extent, would prove highly injurious, if not actually dangerous, by suppressing the natural exudation from the skin. A much simpler process has been for many years in use in America and Germany, in the latter of which countries it was first introduced by a Dr. Schonlein, of Hanover. I have myself adopted it most successfully, not only in the few cases of small pox that have come under my observation, but in all eruptive (exanthematous) diseases generally, such as measles, scarlatina, nettle-rash, chicken pox, &c., and have invariably found that it not only relieved the itching, tingling, and irritation of those complaints, thereby affording great relief, especially in the case of children, but that it completely prevented the pitting of small pox. It consists in smearing the whole surface of the body, after the eruption is fairly out, with bacon fat; and the simplest way of employing it is to boil thoroughly a small piece of bacon with the skin on, and when cold to cut off the skin with the fat adhering to it, which is to be scored crosswise with a knife, and then gently rubbed over the 311 surface once, twice, or thrice a day, according to the extent of the eruption and the recurrence of itching and irritation." A correspondent mentions another plan, practised by Dr. Allshorn, of Edinburgh. He says:-"I had a severe attack of small pox three months ago, and was so thickly covered with the eruption as to be almost confluent. Dr. Allshorn's plan is to mix three parts of oil with one of white wax, by heat, and while warm and fluid to paint over the face and neck with a camel-hair brush. As this cools and hardens it forms a mask, which effectually excludes the air, and prevents pitting. This plan saved me from all pitting, besides giving me great comfort while under its 2193. Cutaneous Eruptions. The following mixture is very useful in all cutaneous eruptions :-Ipecacuanha wine, four drachms; flowers of sulphur, two drachms; tincture of cardamums, one ounce. Mix: one teaspoonful to be taken three times a day, in a wineglassful of water. 2194. Wash for a Blotehed Face. Rose water, three ounces; sulphate of zinc, one drachm. Mix: wet the face with it, gently dry it, and then touch it over with cold cream, which also dry gently off. 2195. Freckles. To disperse them, take one ounce of lemon juice, a quarter of a drachm of powdered borax, and half a drachm of sugar; mix, and let them stand a few days in a glass bottle till the liquor is fit for use; then rub it on the hands and face occasionally. 2196. To remove Freckles.Dissolve, in half an ounce of lemon juice, one ounce of Venice soap, and add a quarter of an ounce each of oil of bitter almonds, and deliquated oil of tartar. Place this mixture in the sun till it acquires the consistency of ointment. When in this state add three drops of the oil of rhodium, and keep it for use. Apply it to the face and hands in the manner following:-Wash the parts at night with elder-flower water, 312 PEN AND INK ARE THE BEST WITNESSES. then anoint with the ointment. In the morning cleanse the skin from its oily adhesion by washing it copiously in rose water. 2197. Wash for Sunburn.Take two drachms of borax, one drachm of Roman alum, one drachm of camphor, half an ounce of sugar-candy, and a pound of ox-gall. Mix and stir well for ten minutes or so, and repeat this stirring three or four times a day for a fortnight, till it appears clear and transparent. Strain through blottingpaper, and bottle up for use. or three days, the lancing may be repeated; and this is more especially needed if the child be very fractious, and seems in much pain. Lancing the gums is further advantageous, because it empties the inflamed part of its blood, and so relieves the pain and inflammation. The relief children experience in the course of two or three hours from the operation is often very remarkable, as they almost immediately become lively and cheerful. 2200. Gutta Percha ToothStopping.-Since the introduction of gutta percha, the use of metallic succedaneum for filling decayed teeth has been superseded, especially in cases where the cavities are large. The gutta percha is inodorous, cheap, and can be renewed as often as required. It is only necessary to soften it by warmth, either by holding it before a fire, or immersing it in boiling water. Succedaneum is best when the decayed spots are very small. 2199. Cure for Toothache.— Two or three drops of essential oil of 2198. Teething. Young child- cloves put upon a small piece of lint ren, whilst cutting their first set of or cotton wool, and placed in the hollow teeth, often suffer severe constitutional of the tooth, will be found to have the disturbance. At first there is restless-active power of curing the toothache ness and peevishness, with slight fever, without destroying the tooth or injuring but not unfrequently these are followed the gums. by convulsive fits, as they are commonly called, which depend on the brain becoming irritated; and sometimes under this condition the child is either cut off suddenly, or the foundation of serious mischief to the brain is laid. The remedy, or rather the safeguard against these frightful consequences, is trifling, safe, and almost certain, and consists merely in lancing the gum covering the tooth which is making its way through. When teething is about it may be known by the spittle constantly drivelling from the mouth and wetting the frock. The child has its fingers often in its mouth, and bites hard any substance it can get hold of. If the gums be carefully looked at, the part where the tooth is pressing up is swollen and redder than usual; and if the finger be pressed on it the child shrinks and cries, showing that the gum is tender. When these symptoms occur, the gum should be lanced, and sometimes the tooth comes through the next day, if near the surface; but if not so far advanced the cut heals and a scar forms, which is thought by some objectionable, as rendering the passage of the tooth more difficult. This, however, is untrue, for the scar will give way much more easily than the uncut gum. If the tooth do not come through after two 2201. Succedaneum.-Take an old silver thimble, an old silver coin, or other silver article, and with a very fine file convert it into filings. Sift through gauze, to separate the coarse from the fine particles. Take the finer portion, and mix with sufficient quicksilver to form a stiff amalgam, and while in this state, fill the cavities of decayed teeth. This is precisely the same as the metallic amalgam used by all dentists. The filings of a sixpence would produce as much as is contained in two 2s. 6d. packets sold by the advertising makers of succedaneums. Quicksilver may be bought, at a trifle per half ounce or ounce, at the chemist's. We have not the slightest hesitation in pronouncing this to be the best thing of the kind. Caution: as it turns black under the action of the acids of the |