The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-06-06
CARE OF THE SICK.


IIldI IL - very lIupOIIduU 70 huOW now
to make and apply them properly.
They are intended to convey warmth
and moisture to the parts affected, and
so must not be made too dry, nor al
lowed to grow cold before being put on.
A wet, sloppy poultice is almost as OBJ
jectionabe rs dry, hard one, and a
little care will enable one to attain the
happy medium. Flaxseed meal is the
best material for a pOultice; it is not
always at hand in a country house, and
then a substitute must be found for it.
If many poultices are likely to be re-
Quired, as in perltonitis, or intlamma-
ton of the bowels, it is well to buy a
few pounds, for nothing can satisfac-
torily replace it, If it has not been APP
piled to an open surface where there
is discharge of matter, the faHseed
can be scraped from the cotton and
heated again, adding a little water if
too stiff, or more meal if there is not
enough. To make it, have ready suf-
ficient quantity Of boiling water in a
saucepan (two teacupfuls will
make good-sized poultice), and
into this stir enough of the
mealto make a soft, thick paste. BY
stirring in one direction, and putting
in the meal gradually, there will be no
Jumps. 1t need not boil after the flax
seed is in. Have ready piece of old
cotton, about two inches larger each
way than the poultice is te be when APP
piled, and q small piece of thin muslin.
Dip a spoon in boiling water, and spread
the tlaxseed evenly on the cotton, leav-
ing at least two inches of margin on all
sides; lay the muslin on top of the
poultice, and fold the margin neatly over
it. This prevents the possibility of the
tlaXseed oozing out. NOpoultice or plaS-
ter should ever be directly applied to the
skin; there should always be layer of
muslin, old linen, fine cambria, or
some thin fabric, between, to prevent
the skin from being sOiled, and to make
it more easy to remove the application.
Carrots, boiled soft and smoothly
mashed, make good poultice, and
turnips prepared in the same way are
sometimes used. These must be spread
quickly, or they will cool too rapidly.
Onions boiled in water to which little
vinegar has been added, make an excel
lent p6ultice; they should be crushed
with spoon when spreading them on
the cotton. Indian meal makes q toll
cradle substitute for haxseed, and is i'm
proved by the addition OF a third part
of slippery elm. Bread is a good ma
terial for small poultice; it should be
stale and only the crumbs used. Crum-
BILE it between the fingers, and
poar over it enough boiling milk
or water to moisten it thoroughly.
When a poultice is intended to relieve
pain, a small quantity of laudanum is
sprinkled on the surface. If it is APP
piled when there is an offensive dis
charge, powered charcoal is used in the
same way, or a tablespoonful of carbolic
acid solution is put into the water with
which it is made. A poultice ought to
be removed every two hours at least,
and covered with a piece of oiled silk,
India rubber cloth, or several thick
nesses of flannel, to retain the heat.
Before applying it, test it with the
finger; if it feels uncomfortable warm,
it is certainly too hot to lay on sick
person. When gentle stimulant is re-
quired, a mustard plaster is generally
used. Equal parts of mustard and
wheat flour is a good proportion. They
should be mixed to a smooth paste with
warm water-boiling water destroys the
essential oil of the mustard and renders
it less etlicaciouS and then spread as
thinly as possible on piece of stout cot
ton, covered with muslin and applied
In ten minutes corner should be
raised, the state of the skin in
spected and, if very red, the plaster
removed. 1t is not desirable to raise
a blister, as one made by mustard is
more painful than any other. 1t is SAID
that when mixed with the white of an
egg, it will not blister. Flannel dipped
in vinegar and thickly sprinkled with
red pepper, makes a stimulating appli-
cation, that is also free from this obiec-
ton. An admirable plaster for a swelled
breast is made by melting together a
piece of resin the size of an egg and a
lump of mutton tallow as large as a
nutmeg; let them remain on the stove
for an hour, and when taken from the
fire, stir in the yelk of an egg. Have
ready piece of cotton the proper size,
cut round and with hole in the middle,
spread the mixture on it, cover with
part of an old handkerchief, shaped like
the cotton, and apply warm to the
breast. 1t usually gives great relief,
and may be left on three or four days
When a doctor orders a blister he
generally sends one ready prepared
from an apothecary's shop, or a bottle
of blistering fluid, which only requires
to be painted on the spot where the
blister is to be raised 1t must not be
applied where the skin is broken; the
surface should be washed, and, if not
too tender, rubbed with rough towel.
The time required for it to rise varies in
different persons; it is usually from six
to twelve hours. If it is very slow, it can
be fastened by putting on warm
poultice; the vesicles will then be
larger, and less painful. When the
blister is raised, if it is intended to let
it heal, the skin must not be removed,
but shipped carefully in one place with
pair Of sharp scissors, and the fluid
that has accumulated allowed to escape,
then dressed with piece of soft linen
spread with lard or vaseline. If it is to
be kept open, the skin must be careful
ly cut around the edge and taken off,
the surface being dressed with any
stimulating ointment the physician
orders n either nasa thn ,,1ocn ,,,u,t