The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-09-27
THE HOME DOCTOR.
POISON ANTIDoTE.

!
A poison of any description which
has been Intentionally or accidentally
swallowed may, it is said, be rendered
almost instantly harmless by simply
swallowing two gills of sweet oil. A
person with a very strong constitution
should take nearly twice the quantity.
This oil, it is alleged, will positively
neutralize every form of vegetable, ami
NAL, or mineral poison with which ply
sicians and chemists are acquainted.
REMEDY FOR CONSUMPTION.
The following remedy for consump-
ton seems rather like good stimulant
than anything else, but it is said to pro-
duce wonderful effects: One-half
pound finely-cut-up beefsteak (fresh) (;
one dram pulverized charcoal; four
ounces pulverized sugar; four ounces
rye whisky; one pint boiling water. Mix
all together, let it stand in a cool place
over night, and give from one to two
teaspoonfuls liquid and meat before each
meal.
BEWARE OF COLD.
A cold is often the precursor of seri-
Gus illness and death. Whatever weak
place we have, whatever constitutional
disease we are subject to, cold will sure
ly discover. We take cold because our
vitality is too low to ward off the effects
of the reduced temperature around us.
AS matter of the first i'm
portance, then, to resist cold and the
various arrangements of the system con-
sequent, it is necessary by proper nu-
triton to maintain our natural animal
heat; second, to retain this heat by a
sufficient quantity of clothing; third, to
regulate with care the temperature of the
air we breathe. Contrary to the opinion
current among lovers of cold weather, a
fire in a bedroom in the winter is cheap
er and better than doctors bill; for,
owing to our inactive condition during
sleep, the circulation of vitalizing blood
is both slow and imperfect, and hence
the danger of taking cold by breathing
cold air is greatly increased. Never
neglect cold; it is dangerous liberty
to take with the healthiest constitution.
TREATMENT OF sLEEPLEssNEss.
So many persons suffer nowadays
from sleeplessness that every contribu
ton to the literature of the subject is
of interest. DIR. Ainslie Hollis, in the
London Practitioner, maintains that,
although the quantity of blood in the
brain is diminished during sleep, this
diminution is not the sole cause of
slumber, for we may have the former
without the latter. One of the most
efficient means of inducing natural
sleep is the application of mustard plas-
tiers to the abdomen. Preyer, of Jena,
advocates the administration of freshly
made solution of lactate of soda, or of
some milk or whey, on the hypothesis
that sleep may be induced by the intro
duction of the fatigue products of the
body. Where the insomnia depends
upon brain exhaustion, DR.. Hollis
recommends the administration, just
before bedtime, of tumblerful of hot
claret and water, with sugar and nut
meg. The alkalies and alkaline earths
are useful when acid dyspepsia is
associated with the insomnia. Elec-
tricity has been used in the paresis of
the vaso-motor nerves due to an over
worked brain. In hot weather, sprink-
ling the floor of the sleeping apartment
with water lessons the irritant proper
ties of the air, adding much to the COM
fort of the sleepers; possibly the guam
tity of ozone is at the same time in
creased. When sleep is broken by
severe pain, opium or morphia is of
value, not only by relieving the pain,
but by its action in producing anemia
of the cerebral vessels. In the wake
fulness due to neuralgia, it is often
better to inject small dose of morphia
hypodermically near the branch of the
affected nerve than to administer it by
the mouth. 1t is doubtful whether the
bromides possess hypnotic properties,
although they undoubtedly act as soda
tives on the nervous system, and as such
may occasionally induce sleep.-Jour-
nal of Chemistry.