The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-08-15
miscellaneous.
Practical Hints for Summer.

Mosquitoes can be driven away from rooms
by the smoke of insect powder burnt on a
hot shovel. When it is not easy to get fire,
put n bit of gum camphor in shovel, light,
and the gum will catch as quickly as alcohol ;
then sprinklca tablespoonful of insect powder
(pyrcthrum) on the flame let il take fire, and
blow out the blaze, close the windows and
let the smoke rise for five minutes 1t will
not injure walls or furniture, and does not
harm human beings, though obnoxious to in
sccts. Hanging n cloth on which II teaspoon
full of carbolic acid is poured, at the head of
the bed, will keep mosquitoes away, and the
writer has repeatedly gained good nights
| sleep by this means when others failed Take
care to place the cloth Or sponge so that there
is no danger of touching it with face or hands
in the night, rs the acid burns like caustic
1t is not generally known, as it ought to be,
| that the remedy for burns by carbolic acid is
| Canada fir balsam, spread on the part attack
ed.
A wash of Is or 90 drops of common car
bolic acid in half pint of water will imme-
diately relieve the smart of mosquito bites,
hives, prickly heat, and all irritations of the
| skin common i'll summer. AS the strength of
| carbolic acid commonly sold varies, the diu-
ton should be tested before using by wettng
| small spot of skin. If it causes any burning
| in moment or SO, it is too strong, and more
water should be added. The lotion was re-
commended by city physician as in use at
| Bellevue Hospital, and years of experience
proved its benefit. Many restless nights and
much suffering of children might be avoided
| by this simple cure, which has been safely
used on very young infants.
The tortures which babies have to undergo
are so many and so pitiful, and visited impair
in11 1la1N,
SO many ailing, miserable little creatures arc
to be seen on the cars and ferryboats, taken
out by their distracted mothers for change of
air. that feel it will be giving general relief
to tell the advice of u hospital physician,
which proved an entire success in my own
family. The pain of teething may be almost
done away with, and the health of the child
| benefited, by giving it fine splinters of ice
| picked off with pin to melt in its MOUTH
| The fragment is so small that it is but drop
of warm water before it can be swallowed
and the child has all the GOODNESS for its fever.
ed gums, without the slightest injury. The
| avidity with which the little things taste the
cooling morsel, the instant quiet which sue.
cceds hours of trctfulness, and the sleep which
follows the relief are the best witness to this
magic remedy. Ice may be fed to a three
months child this way, each splinter being nc
/
minutes, the result being that it has swallow.
ed in that time II teaspoonful of warm water
which so far from being HARM is good fol
it, and the process may be repeated hourly
or as often as the fretting fits from teething
begin
| 1t il now the season when boys and girls in
the country give their mothers sad nights by
coming home in the miserics of poisoning by
ivy. The irritation by this poison is acute
as have reason TO know, but the speedy cure
for il is u wash of oxalic acid, teaspoonfu
of the salt to pint of water, with which the
poisoned spots are bathed as often as they
grow troublesome. The lotion smarts severe
ly for few minutes, but is followed by cessa
ton of the poison pain, which itches as if one
could tear the part to pieces. The above may
need reducing for young children. Make il
weak at first, and add grains of the salt till il
is strong enough TO give relief A dessert
spoonful of sweet oil taken daily is said tC
drive the poison out of the blood, but three
severe cases were cured without it, to my
knowledge, by the acid alone. 1t should moi
be put in tin, or anything metallic, as il cor
rodes, and may form poisonous compounds.
1t will be useful for poor people, and those
in the country, away from drug stores ant
doctors, to know, on the authority of DR.
Beach, the noted botanic doctor, that strong
infusion of yarrow white tansy) and boneset
is good substitute for quinine in fever and
ague, or other malarious complaints Tho
plants should be gathered when in flower
and double handful of each stepped in one
quart of boiling water and drank freely three
or four times d day. The prescription was
given by Domino VanSaxon, q well-knOwr
missionary to China for thirty years, who