Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-02-06
Hoarseness-A Sure Cure for g Loss Of
Voices


DR.. John W. Corson, of Orange, n.
j., communicates to the Medical Record
"a valuable paper on Borax and Nitrate
of Potass IN the Loss of Voice from
Colds in Public Speakers and Singers. 3"
DIR. Cofson says that some years ago,
while in charge of the class of 6 Diseases
of the throat and chest" In connection
with the New York Dispensary, at the
suggestion of a professional friend
engaged in teaching elocution, he was
led to test the efficacy of borax, or the
biborate of soda, in many cases of sud-
den hoarseness from cold, which he at
once found in mild attacks acted like
magic Ten minutes before any contin-
uous effort at speaking or singing, a
lump of borax the size of garden pea,
or about three or four grains, is to be
held in the mouth till it is slowly dissolv-
ed and partially swallowed distilling,
as it were, down the throat. For an
hour or so it frequently renders the voice
quite silvery and clear. For this pur-
pose it possessed three special advant-
ages. It is easily obtained, convenient
to carry in the vest pocket, and perfect
" harmless. Borax thus used, as one
may readily prove, stimulates the secre-
ton of saliva and makes the whole
mouth and throat "water" profusely.
DIR. Co1son is careful not to claim too
much for borax, and he remarks that
neither in chronic affections of the
throat, nor in acute inflammation nor in
" tonsillitis," once established, has he
found borax of any special efficacy as q
curative.
The use of the other remedy above
named, nitrate of potass, is thus in
PRODUCED
can early friend and patient of ours,
since deceased, New York dock-build-
er. much exposed to the weather, claim
ed to have a secret remedy for colds.
But he was too generous to bury any
thing useful At length he confessed
that it consisted in covering up warmly
in bed, drinking glass of water, and
sucking piece of the nitrate of potass,
or saltpetre, as he preferred to call it
the size of garden pea, or a little
larger, till it was slowly dissolved and
swallowed. We think we improve his
prescription by sweetening the water to
cover the mawkish taste of the saltpetre,
mixing them, and swallowing them both
together. We also increase the dose,
from gratifying personal experience, five
grains. As courtesy from our profess
sion to clergymen and singers, we may
suggest that they will find it very conve-
nient In travelling to carry few five-grain
powders of the nitrate of potass, pre-
pared by the druggist for ready use
Like the borax, it relieves the dryness
of the vocal cords. It is also easily OBJ
tanned in every household, and, taken in
the dose recommended, is quite harm
less. With the help of the extra cloth
ing and the glass of water it excites for
a whole night gentle perspiration, and
thus, if taken at the very commencement,
breaks up the cold. 1t accomplishes
this as do warm footballs, with hot
teas, or Turkish or Russian baths, if
used early, by opening those millions of
pores of the skin which Erasmus Wilson
counted through his microscope As the
aching, the WEAKNESS, and the headache
of severe cold tell us, the blood is
slightly poisoned by suppressed perspi-
ration. And the simple lesson of cure
is promptly to open these pores. We
may add that the efficacy of any of these
remedies is much increased by putting
on a warm shawl or great-coat and
throwing. the arms about, and walking
the floor rapidly, till the hands and feet
are in a perfect glow before retiring to
bed.