Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-10-17
HOME DOCTOR.
BURNS AND soALDs.

BURNS AND soALDs.
These injuries are not essentially diff
ferent in their nature, the difference
being simply that one is caused by moist
heat, and the other by dry. They are
often so slight as to be of little moment,
but occasionally they are so severe as to
require the most prompt and energetic
treatment.
When burn does not break the skin,
it is of little consequence, and should
be treated like any ordinary infam-
nation. Keeping cold water upon the
part until the smarting ceases, and then
the application of glycerine, or, if this
is not tolerated, common lard rubbed
upon the buLped surface, is all the treat
ment necessary. If blisters are formed,
they should be pricked to let out the
water, and then a poultice of slippery
elm bark and water, or mixture of
beeswax and lard melted together and
spread upon a cloth, may be applied
with great comfort to the patient.
But if the injury is more extensive,
covering over large surface, and es
pecially if the tissues of the skin are
destroyed, the difficulty is necessarily
distressing and often dangerous. In
such cases the nervous system may be-
come affected, 50 that the patient will
have severe chills, the pulse may be
small, frequent and feeble, the breath
ing becomes oppressed, there is ten
dency to delirium, and death may occur
as a result of the shock to the nervous
| Suofay,o Tn r,oYaroI Ona EpoIN .a on
tirely involved, or a greater part of the
trunk, the prospect OF recovery is small.
The treatment in the severest cases
should be both constitutional and local
The shock to the nervous system is best
relieved by prolonged hot full bath.
The patient should be immersed in
water at 100 degrees, save the injured
part, and the temperature of the water
should be increased until it cannot be
tolerated any hotter. The bath should
be continued until the nervous prostra-
ton is relieved, or from thirty to forty
minutes.
If the burns are deep, good applica-
ton is thick solution of gum arabic,
which may be prepared in few min
utes by dissolving the gum in hot water.
After it is applied, it may be busted
over with powder, and so the tissues
underneath will be completely protect
ed. Another good remedy is collodion
and sweet oil, in the proportion of one
part of the oil to two parts of collodion.
This may be kept in an air-tight bottle
for any length of time, and may be ap-
piled by came's-hair brush. It imme-
diately forms o firm covering to the ex-
posed surfaces, and so takes the place
of the destroyed cuticle. If these SUBJ
stances are not at hand, common dry
-four may be busted upon the injured
part to the depth of half an inch or so.
All iniments to "draw out the fire" are
worse than useless, for there is no fire
there to draw out. 1t should be borne
in mind that these, as well as all other
injuries, are healed by the action of the
vital forces alone, and all that cali be
done from without is to protect the ex-
posed surface from the irritating inhu-
ence of the atmosphere, and to balance
the general circulation, should it be-
come disturbed. People in general
trust too much to external agencies, aid
too little to the only true source of heat
ing, the vitality within.
CUTS AND SORES.
!. Accidental cuts from knives, cut
ting tools, scythes, ETC., are more likely
to occur on the face and limbs than on
the body. ALI that is requisite in gen.
eral is to bring the parts together as ac-
curately as possible, and to bind them
up; this is usually done by adhesive
plaster, when the cut ceases to bleed
Nothing is so good for this purpose as
paper previously washed over on one
side with thick gum water and then
dried; when used, it is only to be wet
ted with the tongue. When the cut
bleeds but little it is well to, soak the
part in warm water for few minutes,
or keep wet cloth on it. This re-
moves inflammation and pain, and also
tendency to fainting which cut gives
some persons. If the bleeding be too
copious, dab the part with rag wetted
with creosote. 2. A good salve for
sores is unsalted butter and grated car
rots simmered well and strained clear.
3. To stop bleeding from wounds, an
equal quantity of salt and -four, put on
cloth and applied to q wound, will
stop bleeding. 1t may be left on for
days or weeks. 4. The best application
for any and all flesh cuts and raw sores
is gas-coal tar, which may be had at any
gas works where gas is made from coal.
A barrel of it, costing 50, has been in
use at the Kirby homestead for ten
years and is not half gone yet. Coal
tar, when applied to a fesh-cut, shuts
out the air and thus stops the smart
ing; it will also keep off the flies. 1t
is very healing, and it is antiseptic-
that is, cleansing-and will prevent the
growth of proud flesh.