The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-06-01
HEALTH HINTS.



A knowledge of simple remedies for
common ailments, says a writer ! in the
Country Gentleman, is essential for
housewives who would drive pain from
their houses, prevent ruinous doctors
bills and, above all, keep the system
from frequent drugging. l give a few
remedies that may prove of use.
For acute pain in the stomach or
bowels, try strong saltpeter water.
Wiring a good-sized piece of flannel
from this solution, and apply hot to
the part affected, laying over it another
piece of flannel cover the patient well
in bed and lay a hot brick at the feet.
A tea made by sleeping twigs from
a peach tree is excellent for worms.
Butter and sugar, about three parts
of the latter thoroughly mixed with
one of the former, are excellent to
check a cough caused by a tickling in
the throat. If this does not avail melt
the mixture and add a little vinegar.
Many find relief by eating a little rock
salt, or, if this is impossible to obtain
table salt will answer the same pur-
pose, although the first is much the
better. One troubled with a hacking
cough should never be found without
Il bit of hoarhound candy or a few
kernels of rock salt in the pocket, with
which to check an attack while at
church or during calls.
Melt half an ounce of camphor gum,
half an ounce of glycerine, and one
pound of mutton tallow, and apply to
the hands every night. 1t will whiten
them nicely. For homemade camphor
ice, melt half a teacupful of mutton
tallow, put into it a piece of camphor
gum about the size of a hickory nut,
and add a teaspoonful of olive oil.
Pour into a mold to harden. Pulver-
lied borax is excellent to drop into the
water to whiten the skin. If your
hands are rough when you wash them,
dip your fingers in the borax and rub
your hands thoroughly together.
One of a set of small drawers in my
pantry is called the salve box. In one
end is a small compartment like the
till of an old-fashioned chest, and in
this are kept salves of various kinds.
In the drawer there is always to be
lOullu Ill dDulllullCC VI Olu OOlU COOOOll
and linen cloths, with a few strong
strips for bandages, a ball of soft
yarn (Which, being flexible, is much
better than Irvine for tying up in
famed fngers), fluffy bits of cotton
batting and pieces of old. kid gloves
for spreading salve upon. Something
very adhesive, like balsam fir salve, is
a necessity, as a very little here and
there along the bandage for a sore
finger will make a string unnecessary,
beside keeping the cloth in place much
better than if tied On.
A salve excellent for drawing and
suitable for use in ease of felOn or any
lesser sore of the kind is made in the
following manner: Take the yolk of
one egg and stir it into half a tea
spoonful of finely-powdered camphor
gum, one teaspoonful of fine salt and
one teaspoonful of spirits of turpen-
tine. This will make the mixture
thick and salvy, and easily spread on
old linen. If the case is very urgent
indeed twice the quantity of camphor
gum can be used, and in q few cases.
when the individual cannot bear the
touch of turpentine, only a few drops
need be added. This is to be laid over
the felon for an hour or two, or as long
as the patient can endure it, and then
replaced by a cooling poultice. If APP
piled in the first stages the sore will be
drawn rapidly to a head, and weeks
of pain avoided. If very painful put
a little laudanum on the poultice, and
if that does not relieve battle the hand
with chloroform.
After the felon has broken, or at any
stage when it is advisable to apply a
soft poultice, there can be nothing bet
ter than faxseed meal Pour boiling
water slowly over a tablespoonful of
the meal until a soft poultice is made
not soft enough to u ordry enough
to become easily hard. A little ex-
perience will enable one to get it just
right. In cases of pneumonia, phys
clans order this rather than pou'tices
of Indian meal, as it is not so heavy
for the patients chest, remains moist
longer, and is more easily prepared.
"Mush" poultices must be sewed in
side a fiat bag, or the meal will scatter
as soon as slightly dry; but this is so
adhesive that the cloth only needs to
be folded together with the edges
pressed down. 1t is necessary that
the meal (Which can be bought of any
druggist be kept in glass. tin or stone
ware, as the oil Zone of the essential
prcperties) must not be lost.