American citizen., 1878-08-10
CARE OF THE HEALTH.

A REMEDY FOR WEAK EYES.-A SIM |
pie remedy for weak or sore eyes is rec
commended, as follows: Get fve-cent
cake of elder-Hc-srs at the druggists,
an3 steep in one gill of soft water; it
must be stepped in bright tin or earth
enware; strain nicely, and then add
three drops of laudanum; bottle it
tight, and keep in a cool place; then
use 1t as wash, letting some of it get
in the eyes. Follow this and relief is
certain. If the eyes are painful or much
sore, make small soft compresses, wet
in the mixture, and bind over the eyes
at night. l can warrant the above rs
harmless and sure, having tried it in
number OF cases where other skill and
remedies had utterly failed. If the eyes
are badly innamed, use it very freely;
and tea made of elder-fowers, and
drunk, will help cleanse the blood. Pure
rock-salt and water will strengthen your
weak eyes if you bathe them daily in it.
l would earnestly advise you to avoid
mixtures or washes containing mineral
or other poisons.-Doctor.
The new antiseptic method of surgery,
which has but recently been introduced
into this country, has been twice sue
cessfully tried at the Alexian Brothers
Hospital during the past two weeks. In
each case a leg was amputated, and the
patient rapidly recovered, experiencing
no pain whatever from the use of the sur
gical instruments. The method of op-
Grafton is as follows: The surface of the
limb to be amputated is first sponged
with solution of one part of carbolic
acid to twenty parts of water. The in
struments are placed in one part of car
bolic acid to forty of water. While the
operation is going on, spray atomizer
throws a stream of a solution of carbol-
ic acid, one part to forty of water, into
the wound. This makes the operation
perfectly painless, and does away with
the necessity for using chloroform or
ether. The wound is then dressed with
oiled silk saturated with sulphate of
lead, which indicates the presence of
sulphate of hydrogen by turning black,
| and shows whether the wound is suppu-
rating. Six layers of medicated gauze
are then placed over the wound, and the
whole is covered with Macintosh cloth.
Chicago Tribune.
WATER AND DRINKING.-No water
that has stood in open vessels during
the night should be used for drinking or
cooking. By exposure to the air it has
lost its " aeration,'' and has absorbed
many of the dust-germs floating in the
apartment. If convenience requires
water to be kept in vessels for several
hours before use, it should be covered,
unless the vessels are tight. Wherever
practical, all distributing reservoirs
should Recovered. Filtering always adds
to the purity of water. Drinkingwater
should not be taken from lakes or riv-
ers on low level. Surface water, or
water in lakes, pools, or rivers which
receive the surface wash, should be
avoided as much as possible. Do not
drink much water at q time. More than
two tumblers full should not be taken at
a meal Do not drink between meals
unless to quench thirst, as excess of
water weakens the gastric juice and
overworks the kidneys. Excessive po-
tations, whether of water or other fluids,
relax the stomach, impair its secretions,
and paralyze its movements. By drink
ing a little at q time the injury is
avoided.
AsTHMA.-Dr. j. B. Berkhart, Lon
don physician, has written book on
:. Asthma, Its Pathology and Treat
ment, :" which the Pail Mall Gazette re-
views at some length. His conclusion
is, that what is called asthma is a mere
symptom; that, with a few exceptions,
all those subject to it have, previous to
the appearance of the typical paroxysm,
suffered from acute or chronic inflam-
nation of the respiratory organs; that
this accident had arrived in the first
decade of life, and was generally COM
plication of whooping- cough or measles.
Here, then, according to DIR. Berkhart,
is the foundation of the disease. Subse-
quept structural changes take place
from variety of causes and circum-
stances, such as we have inevitably to
encounter in passing through life, and
have more or less influence in develop
ing the attack. This being the case, the
practical inferences are that by in
creased care and attention to the conse-
quences of diseases early in life the pre-
disposition to seizure may be averted or
greatly diminished; and that, as even
when the predisposition exists the par
oxysms are, in the vast majority of in
stances, aveidable accidents, the point
of most Importance is to prevent their
occurrence by arresting the progress of
existing morbid conditions, and main
tanning the healthy portions of the
lungs in a state of the greatest efficien-
cy. Comprised in this general scheme
of treatment are climatic accommoda-
tions, exercise, gymnastics, baths, diet,
and the modification of constitutional
tendency. On all these matters the au-
thor gives good advice; but we are
afraid when it comes to relieving the
paroxysms he is not much in advance
of his theoretical and empirical breth-
rem.
| An Indiana Duel.