The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-12
Medical NuQuextions.

Precautions against Thirst IA Marching In :
toin on Yourself, and others, to drink we'll be-
fore starting in the morning; to keep the
mouth shut TO chew bit OF sassafras or
slippery elm bark, "A leaf, a straw, &C, Arab
like TO keep the mouth covered with \ cloth.
Tying a handkerchief wetted with salt water
around the neck allays thirst for n consider
able time. Men may live long without drink
ing, il they have the means of keeping their
skin wet with water, otherwise undrin kable.
To Parity Water that is Muddy, Patrid, Sab.
With muddy water the remedy Is to filter,
and to alum il you have il. With putrid,
10 boil, TO mix with charcoal, or TO expose to
the sun and air; or, what is best, TO use all
three methods at the same time. With salt
water, nothing ayaiis but Installation.
To Fiher Muddy " ater.--Wh"n at the waters
ing place there is nothing but wet sand take
a good handful of grass and tie II roughly
together, in the form of a cone, six or eight
inches long; then, dipping the broad nd into
the puddle and turning it up, streamlet OF
partly filtered water Will trickle down
through the small end. Otherwise, strain
through your cap or handkerchief. For q
copious supply the most perfect plan, ii you
have means, is to bore q flask full of auger
holes, and put another small one that has
had the bottom knocked out inside of it, then
fill up the space between the two with grass,
moss, &C.; now sinking the whole in the
midst of the pond, the water will filter through
the auger holes and moss, and rise up clear
of al least weeds and sand, in the inner cask,
whence it can be ladied. With a single cask,
the lower parts of the sides may be bored,
and alternate layers of sand and grass thrown
in till they reach far above the holes
Through these layers the water Will strain.
Or any coarse bag that is kept open with
hoops made on the spot, may be moored in
the muddy pool by having heavy stone put
inside OF it, and viii act on the same princi-
pie but less efficiently, rs the casks. Sand,
charcoal, sponge, and wool, are the sub
stances most commonly used in filters Peat
charcoal is excellent, SO is magnetic iron ore
Turbid water is also, in some way as yet in
sufficiently explained made clear by putting
a piece of alum into it; ii appears 10 unite
with the mud, and TO form n clayey deposit;
and, independently of this, to have effect upon
organic matters. No taste of alum remains
in the water, unless it has been used in great
excess. Three thimblefuls of alum will clarity
II bucketful of turbid water. Ii is generally
used in India.
Putrid water should always be boiled wi tn
charcoal or charred sticks before drinking il,
as low feNers and dysenteries too often are
the consequences OF its being used indis-
creetiy, but the charcoal entirely disinfects
it; bitter herbs-rue, hoarhound, boneset-if
Eteeped in IL, or even rubbed we'll about the
cup, are said to render ii less unwholesome.
The Indians plunge hot iron into putrid and
muddy water.
Disabling Ten gallons of pure water
be distilled in twenty four hours by the aid
OF gun-b barrel and an iron pot. The crew
OF the Leyant packet, wrecked near the Cos
1noledo islands, thus supplied thems soves
They fitted wooden lid TO their pot, leaving
of the gun barrel, which WAS 10 act as q
steam pipe; the barrel was run through the
stump Of a tree followed out III the middle
and kept full o: water for the purpose of con-
densation, and the water SO distilled escaped
at the nipple of the gun barrel, and was
Quoted into bottle placed TO receive 1t. There
is nothing in the arrangement that will hurt
the most highly-fnished gun barrel. The
condensing trough may be made of canvass,
or even dispensed with altogether In default
of other tubes, II reed or one of the long bones
either of an animal or of a wauing bird Will
he found better than nothing. To construct
good furnace for the boiler, build a stone
parallelogram, open at the end from which
the wind blows, and with The stones Of the
opposite end higher than the sides by the
height OF the pot with its I'D on. The pot
will be supported by the stones on each side,
and the eondensing trough between the
higher stone at the end of the fre-plice, and
another stone or bank of the same height at
the cool end of the tube, below which is
placed the receiving vessel