Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 64

Mix twenty-four grains of calomel, thirty-six grains of sesquicarbonate of soda, and one drachm of compound chalk powder, together. Divide into twelve powders. One of the powders to be given for a dose when required. Use as a mild purgative for children during teething.

570. Tonic.

Mix one drachm of powdered rhubarb with the same quant.i.ty of dried carbonate of soda, then add two drachms of powdered calumba root.

_Dose_, from ten to twenty grains as a tonic after fevers, in all cases of debility, and dyspepsia attended with acidity.

571. Rhubarb and Magnesia.

Mix one drachm of powdered rhubarb with two drachms of carbonate of magnesia, and half a drachm of ginger.

_Dose_, from fifteen grains to one drachm. Use as a purgative for children.

572. Sulphur and Potash.

Mix one drachm of sulphur with four scruples of bicarbonate of potash, and two scruples of nitre.

_Dose_, from half a drachm to one drachm. Use as a purgative, diuretic, and refrigerant.

573. Anti-Diarrhoeal.

Mix one grain of powdered ipecacuanha, and one grain of powdered opium, with the same quant.i.ty of camphor.

_Dose_, one of these powders to be given in jam, treacle, &c., once or twice a day; but to adults only.

574. Antispasmodic.

Mix four grains of subnitrate of bis.m.u.th, forty-eight grains of carbonate of magnesia, and the same quant.i.ty of white sugar, and then divide in four equal parts.

_Dose_, one-fourth part. Use in obstinate pain in the stomach with cramps, unattended by inflammation.

575. Antipertussal, or against Whooping-Cough.

Mix one drachm of powdered belladonna root, and two ounces of white sugar, together.

_Dose_, six grains morning and evening for children under one year; nine grains for those under two and three years of age; fifteen grains for those between five and ten; and thirty grains for adults.

_Caution_, this should be prepared by a chemist, as the belladonna is a poison, and occasional doses of castor oil should be given while it is being taken.

576. Purgative (Common).

Mix ten grains of calomel, with one drachm of powdered jalap, and twenty grains of sugar.

_Dose_, one-half of the whole for adults.

577. Sudorific.

Mix six grains of compound antimonial powder, two grains of ipecacuanha, and two grains of sugar together.

_Dose_, as mixed, to be taken at bed-time. Use in catarrh and fever.

578. Miscellaneous.

579. Anthelmintic, or Vermifuge.

For ridding the bowels of tape-worms, an excellent medicine exists in the male fern--_Aspidium felix mas_. A decoction may be made of the fresh roots, or the root may be dried and powdered.

_Dose_, of the powdered root, from ten to thirty grains; of the decoction, from a tablespoonful to a winegla.s.sful, according to age. Use to kill tape-worm.

580. Another Anthelmintic.

For thread-worms, which infest the r.e.c.t.u.m and especially the lower portion, near the orifice of the body, an injection of salt and water, in the proportion of one ounce and a half of salt to a pint, or twenty ounces of water, or of qua.s.sia chips, will generally prove effectual, and obviate the necessity of administering medicine.

581. Emulsion, Laxative.

Rub down an ounce of castor oil in two drachms of mucilage of gum arabic, add three ounces of dill water, and a drachm of tincture of jalap, gradually.

_Dose_, as prepared, the whole to be taken while fasting in the morning.

582. Emulsion, Purgative.

Rub down six grains of scammony with six drachms of white sugar in a mortar, and gradually add four ounces of almond emulsion, and two drops of oil of cloves.

_Dose_, as prepared, early in the morning.

583. To Prevent Pitting after Small Pox.

Spread a sheet of thin leather with the ointment of ammoniac.u.m with mercury, and cut out a place for the mouth, eyes, and nostrils. This forms what is called a mask, and, after anointing the eyelids with a little blue ointment, it should be applied to the face, and allowed to remain for three days for the distinct kind, and four days for the running variety. _Apply before_ the spots fill with matter, although it will answer sometimes even after they have become pustulous. It may be applied to any part in the same way.

584. Another Method,

and one more reliable, is that of touching every pustule, or poc, on the face or bosom with a camel-hair pencil dipped in a weak solution of lunar caustic (_nitrate of silver_), made in the proportion of two grains of nitrate of silver to one ounce of distilled water. The time for application is about the seventh day, while each pustule is filled with a limpid fluid, or before suppuration takes place, the lotion arresting that action, and by preventing the formation of matter, saving the skin from being pitted; a result that follows from the conversion of the adipose tissue into pus.