American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-05-31
CARE OF THE HEALTH.

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CARE OF THE HEALTH.
A CONVENIENT PLAsTER.-Take one
ounce of white rosin, one ounce of NUT
ton tallow and one ounce of granulated
sugar; simmer well together. Have
ready half yard of fine bleaehed cot
ton, aid with d case knife sptasd tn.
salve, while hot, over the surface of the
cloth; spread it on evenly and quite
thin. When cold, lay thickness OF
tissue paper lightly over the surface
| This will prove q Constant comfort in
little wounds, such as scratches, Cuts OF
burns A bit cut off and stuck over the
place, is quick cure, as it excludes the
air and is not bulky or in the way, as
finger rags always are.
THE USE or SoDA.-There has been
much said by good common sense peo-
pie, as we'll as by PHYSICIANS, against
the use Of much soda or saleratus in
cooking. There is no doubt that it is
of great injury to health when used as
constantly as it is by many cooks.
Physicians very generally agree that its
frequent use debilitates and relaxes mus
cular strength, and is peculiarly in
furious to the digestion, and greatly
weakens the tune of the bowels, often
ending in acute Inflammation. DR.. AL
Colt has no hesitation in expressing his
belief that the .habitual use of soda is
one great cause of the great mortality,
particularly among the young, from
bowel complaints. The coats of the
stomach and bowels are SO weakened
by the use of this alkali that they have
no power to resist the facilitating effects
of the intense hot weather.. -,
S oMErHING ABOUT PoIsoNs.-" Poi
SON: A. substance which, when taken
into the stomach, mixed with the blood
or applied to the skin or flesh, proves
fatal or deleterious; any thing infectious
or malignant" Our scissors make the
first clip out of Webster for a definition
Of thegreatest evil as well asthe great
est good known in the medical world.
For after the fashion of the old saying,
st takes thief to catch a thief "-in
public systems, so in the individual sys-
tenn, If one poison has stolen away into
the network of veins, by fair means or
foul, there is small hope of recovering
oneas own, save another poison be sent
aftef it. All medicines seem to be more
or less poisonous. But owing to the
large doses those elassed IS less - re-
qdire to produce death or even delete
rious effects, they are to the mass of
people regarded as harmless, for ar
senic, strychnine, opium, chloroform,
mercury and perhaps a few other prom
inent remedies cover all, to them, dan
gerous poisons.. Yet we read in daily
paper of child suddenly attacked by
severe vomiting, which the usual RENE
dies, failing to check, ends in exhaustion
and death !; and the cause is laid any
where but at the confectionery counter
where the boy bought his candies and
cakes favored with bitter almond. "The
bitter almond is powerful poison"
A single drop of the essential
oil OH cats tongue made a dead
pussy of living one in
just five minutes. by experiment. Some
delicate organizations. especially among
children, can bear but little of this es-
sence, the smallest quantity producing
an eruption like nettle rash, if nothing
worse, and yet macareons are eaten and
given to children to eat with impunity,
while confectioners are often nowadays
using, not the bitter almonds, bit the
oil, for their fiavoring. There
is a "family connection" between the
bitter and sweet almond, how close is
not easily defined, but sufficient to show
that on some persons the sweet nut on
our tables, if eaten. produces an effect
similar to that caused by the bitter
Fish poison is one of the
most singular in all the range of toxicol-
ogy." Certain kinds of fish in hot
countries are looked upon as always
poisonous. Other kinds are only pois-
onous to peculiar constitutions, at GER
tain times, and perhaps depending
somewhat on the climate. The richer
sort of vertebrate fish, though actually
eaten with perfect safety by mankind in
general, are nevertheless poisonous,
either at all times or only occasionally, |
to peculiar individuals. This fact is self
evident to many of US who have expert
enced nausea after eating whitefsh,
salmon, lobster, etc., at one time or an
other, and instinct is wise when it needs
The hint and declines the poison in the
future. Lead poisoning we are more
FAMILIAR with, as some members of our
households. are more susceptible than
others to. the injurious effect of water
-un through lead pipes. But the
poison in this case, acting slowly and
'ubHy is usually classed under the broad,
rood. naturedly embracing term. "ma-
aria" Those who work in lead mines
u in any way with lead and absorb its
inc dust into their systems, except by
he greatest care, sooner or later have
THAT in general phraseology is called
,rinters' or painters palsy. The habit
# children to bite and wet their lead
,encils is often followed by serious re-
ults, which are more likely to be traced
o close school-room and hard study
han to the lead-pencils, slate-pencils
nd chalk they have munched on at
hort intervals five days out of every
even. Another of the every day pois-
ms Is found in the strip which is lead