Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 183

2404. Roche's Embrocation for Whooping Cough.

Olive oil, two ounces; oil of amber, one ounce; oil of cloves, one drachm. Mix: to be rubbed on the chest at bedtime.

2405. Offensive Breath.

For this purpose, almost the only substance that should be admitted at the toilette is the concentrated solution of chloride of soda, from six to ten drops of it in a winegla.s.sful of pure spring water, taken immediately after the operations of the morning are completed. In some cases, the odour arising from carious teeth is combined with that of the stomach. If the mouth be well rinsed with a teaspoonful of the solution of the chloride in a tumbler of water, the bad odour of the teeth will be removed.

2406. Breath tainted by Onions.

Leaves of parsley, eaten with vinegar, will prevent the disagreeable consequences of eating onions.

2407. Mixture for Indigestion.

Infusion of calumba, six ounces; carbonate of pota.s.s, one drachm.

Compound tincture of gentian, three drachms. _Dose,_ two or three tablespoonfuls daily at noon.

2408. Ointment for Sore Nipples.

Take of tincture of tolu, two drachms; spermaceti ointment, half an ounce; powdered gum, two drachms. Mix these materials well together to make an ointment. The white of an egg mixed with brandy is the best application for sore nipples; the person should at the same time use a nipple shield.

2409. Ointment for the Piles, or Haemorrhoids.

Take of good lard, four ounces; camphor, two drachms; powdered galls, one ounce; laudanum, half an ounce. Apply the ointment made with these ingredients every night at bed-time.

2410. Ointment for Broken Chilblains or Chapped Hands, &c.

Sweet oil, one pint; Venice turpentine, three ounces; hog's-lard, half a pound; bees'-wax, three ounces. Put all into a pipkin over a slow fire, and stir it with a wooden spoon till the bee's wax is all melted, and the ingredients simmer. It is fit for use as soon as cold, 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.

[AN ACT IS BETTER THAN A WORD.]

2411. Camphor b.a.l.l.s 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 quant.i.ties into small gallipots, so as to turn out in the form of cakes.

2412. 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.

2413. 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.

2414. 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 counteraction.

2415. Scratches.

Trifling as scratches often seem, they ought never to be neglected, but should be covered and protected, and kept clean and dry, until they have completely healed. If there is the least appearance of inflammation, no time should be lost in applying a large bread-and-water or linseed-meal poultice, or hot flannels may be repeatedly applied. Leeches should be applied only when ordered by a medical man, as in some cases erysipelas may be the consequence.

2416. Ring-worm.

The head should be washed twice a day with soft soap and warm soft water, and when dry the places should 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.

2417. 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.

2418. Scurf in the Head.

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, which is perfectly harmless, and forms a simple and effectual remedy.

2419. To Restore Hair when removed by Ill-health or Age.

Rub onions frequently on the part requiring it. The stimulating powers of this vegetable are of service in restoring the tone of the skin, and a.s.sisting 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 a.s.sisted by the oil of myrtle-berries, the repute of which, perhaps, is greater than its real efficacy. Even if they do no good, these applications are harmless.

2420. Baldness.

The decoction of boxwood, which has been found successful in some 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-Cologne or lavender-water, to make it keep. The head should be well washed with this solution every morning.

[NEVER QUIT CERTAINTY FOR HOPE.]

2421. Lotion for the Cure and Prevention of Baldness.

Eau-de-Cologne, 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.

2422. Remedy for Rheumatism, Lumbago, Sprains, Bruises, Chilblains, and Bites of Insects.