Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-06-18
For the Standard.

Editor. of the Standard :-ss
DEAR Sir AS many Of our soldiers are suffer-
ing greatly in camp, with disease, you will please
permit me through the medium of your excellent
paper, to make known some remedies that believe
will be excellent both for the cure and prevention
of many of the camp diseases. It is. this; For
coughs or violent colds, take a small quantity of
spirits of turpentine, and put in small coffee-pot
or something of the kind and place it over fire Of
Goals and let it remain until steam begins to rise
FROM 1t; then place the spout in yorS mouth, and
draw your breath in a few times. Do this until it
makes your head feel light when it should be left
of. have tried this several times myself, and as
l thought with marked benefit too. have several
times advised others to try it, for hoarseness, sore
throat, and particularly for sore breast, when the
disease seems like settling on the lungs, and every
time believe it was attended with marked benefit,
soon removing the soreness, &c, 0xcept upon one
occasion, which was in a state Of confirmed con-
sumption believe though it would be Of benefit,
even in that disease, if applied in time. 1t has no
bad effect, and two three applications will gen
orally effect cure. | believe that its use taken
inwardly would be great preventive of camp dis
eases-and, if sprinkled over the floors of tents,
think it would in that way be an excellent preven-
tative OF disease. l have gained this knowledge by
some experiments of my own and the way came
to find it out, was this -
l was in Norfolk in the summer of 1855, during
tar in the streets, in order to prevent the disease
from spreading | took notion that by burning
the tar, the spirit which was the life thereof was
consumed, and therefore concluded that better
plan than burning tar would be to take some in
wardy. l accordingly procured vial of spirits of
turpentine, and took ten drops three times day.
MY faith in this remedy was such that | visited the
sick, and went without fear whithersover nv bust
ness called. never had better health than during
my sojourn among the yellow fever When it
became necessary for me to leave the city, wrote
down and stuck upon post in the city, directing
them to use spirits of turpentine as a preventive,
but whether or not it was ever DONE cannot tell
The way came to try it by inhalation, was this
had violent cold which terminated in sore breast,
and was fearful that it would terminate in con-
sumption. ! concluded to try spirits tnrpentne by
Notwithstanding that it was good Tor sore ex-
ternally, thought it would likewise be good for
one internally. | accordingly tried it, The first
application found helped, and two OF three effect
ed cure. The philosophy of it seems to be this
The spirits turpentine raised in steam and taken in
to the lungs, becomes there condensed and turns to
spirits again. 1t cabin this way he applied about
as we'll to a sore internally as to one externally
The sprinklng OF spirits of turpenne in tents, &c,
is merely suggestion of nv own. think though
that it would be guod from the fact that about tur
pentlne dstlllerfeS, where good deal Of spirits is
let OF into the air, that they very rarely affected
by any epidemic diseases | will remark here that
in case one does not have coffee pot, that COM
mon frying pan will answer the same purposes for
inhalation. As there can be no harm in the above
remedies, but probably some good | think they
arc at least worthy trial.
All newspapers in the State, or out of it, that
think the above worthy will please give it an in
TYSON