The Portland daily press., 1894-04-02
THE HOME.



as protection for a wound. Except in
this indirect way it does not exert the
slightest curative power. Roughly speak
ing, there are three great divisions OF
flesh wounds. There are wounds which
present to the eye clean cut edge, as
though some sharp instrument or knife
had acted as the agent; these are called
incised wound s. Then there are lacera-
tions with which is associated more or
less bruising of the surrounding tissues;
these are confused wounds. And finally
there are punctured wounds, by which
are meant injuries made by penetrating
straight down inGo the tissues.
In the first class. of wounds the man
ner OF healing il apt to be by what is
called first dnIention;", that is. the two
cleamant edges, when closely approx
mate, adhere firmly to each without de-
lay. In the other kinds of wounds more
or less new tissue.is formed within their
boundaries, and the process of healing
is thus somewhat delayed.
On what kind of wounds, then, is it
permissible to use court plaster?
AS we shall hardly be inclined to use
it, if the lacerations are at all extensive,
we may limit our answer to such cases
as are met with in our daily work, al
though it is precisely these apparently
minor cases that will often be found to
give the most trouble afterWard, and
from which blood poisoning results SO
frequently.
There is then only one class of wounds
where we may avail ourselves of the
simple, but, if properly used. sutf1clently
effective treatment by the plaster, name
ly, incised wounds, in which the agent
inflicting the injury has left one clear.
sharp line to mark its path. In these
cases little straps of plaster which snail
draw the two edges firmly together will
be all that is required.
In all other cases, in which there. IS
the possibility of poison or Infection be-
ing present in the wound, or which are
characterized while healing by any in
crease whatever in tissue substance, the
employment of court plaster should be
strictly prohibited, for it will almost
invariably cause fostering and an IN
crease of the mischief.
h 1t may be confidently expected by the
user of all court plasters, whether meol
catedn or not, that if they are applied TO
a broken surface in which there is any
Inflammation, however slight, process
of decomposition and liberation Will
be set up which will disappear only with
the disappearance of the piaster l1seH.-
Youths Companion. @
Germieides.
A reliable disinfectant is all that is
needed for the prevention and control of
all germ diseases-including in the term
infectious and contagious diseases; it is
capable also of preventing and arresting
putrefact1on, and of destroying its
products.
Among these agents none is more
potent as an antiseptic and disfectant
(germicide) than heat, which has the
advantage among others that it isalways
and everywhere available. is power in
these respects is often exhibited IN the
work of the kitchen; for exapmIe, in
making raised bread the fermentation
of the sponge" can be stopped at will
by putting it into hot oven for the
reason that heat destroys the ferments
(micro-organisms) upon which it de-
ponds. Again,if fermentation is to go on
properly the dough must be set in
warm place, and kept warm. because
warmth is essential to the activity of
micro-organisms; if the temperature is
lower. the mass will fall" because cold
suspends their activity. A high degree
of heat, particularly of moist heat
steam or boiling water-has the same
effect upon other varieties of micro-or-
ganisms that it has upon yeast plants,
and exposure thereto for short time
half an hour-is fatal to them all. The
housewife avails herself of the germicid-
al property of heat also when she
"scaldsn food stuffs to prevent them
from spelling, for by this means the
bacteria present are destroyed. For the
same reason cooked food keeps better
than the raw material. Anything that
has been subjected TO the influence of
AGENTS ace by which it is rid of living
bacteria is said to have been sterilized,
and anything that has heen sterilized
will keep AS long as the bacteria, practi-
caily as long as the air, can be excluded
from it.
The reason then, why canned articles
are preserved is not that the air is ex-
nelIed from the jars in canning, but
that both the jars and their contents
are sterilized by the heat employed in
the operation. -Worthington's Magazine.
Threaded Needles.
A useful gift for traveller is made
from strip of ribbon three inches wide
and about twelve in length. Cut strip
of flannel nearly as long and wide and
a bit of canvas of the same size. Basic
the canvas and flannel to the ribbon and
then on the right side make a row of
feather stitches with silk stitching
through the canvas and flannel. Thread
ten needles of assorted sizes from boot
and darning needle to the fine cambria
needle using such thread, silk, ETC., as
might be needed for repairs on journey
Run the needles through the whole
length of the cashmere in long stitches.
Pull needle out and it is all threaded
and ready for use. Fold the case and pin
or tie narrow ribbon around it.-N. 3.
Farmer
Hints to Housekeepers.
Preventives for flies will never cease,
but a most simple one that is warranted
to be very effective, is the presence of
sweet clover in the room. This plant is
abhorrent to flies, but it is also very OBJ
iectionable to those VINO have hay fever.
To clean marble, take one ounce Of
notash. two ounces of whiting and a
square of yellow soap cut into small
pieces; boil all together in saucepan
until it begins to thicken; apply this
with a large brush to the marble. If the
,Ia,v dirty LEFT If rem IN all