Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-02


about the joints in their passage through
the pipes, and then n plumbers bill is
in prospect. For the dshcloth there is
nothing better than two or three thick
nesses of cheesecloth or old muslin sewed
together, then quilted diagonally from
corner to corner. These are soft and
shed no "frazzles." Old heets are fine
for this purpose when properly quilted.
There should be a good supply of these,
and they should be rinsed and scalded
daily. 1t has been said that a dishcloth
left overnight unscalded Is able to COL
lect sufficient germs to kill an entire
family. This statement carries its own
moral.
THE DEADLY PTOMA1NE POISON.
1t Is at this season also that the deadly
ptomalne has frequently to be taken
into account. There Is hardly n paper
that does not contain one or more ac-
counts OF people made deadly i'll bv eat
Ing salad at reception, drinking lemon.
ade that has been left in some i,nproper
receptacle or eating canned goods i'm
properly preserved The names of such
victims are legion.
Ptomanes defined are poisonous prod
ucts formed in FISH, meat, milk and other
articles of food by process of decompo-
sition that leaves little visible trace of it's
action. Milk improperly cooler at the
dairy farm often comes to the consumer
in dangerous condition; but when sick
ness results 1t is usually too late to trace
1t to the original source and fix the re-
sponsibilty. Many cases of Ice cream
poisoning may be traced to this cause.
though sometimes it comes from the ac-
ton of the lemon with which it is ia
vored in the freezer can. Lemonade for
cold tea allowed to stand in tin or gran
lie or galvanized iron soon devotion n
deadly poison from the action of the
acid or tannin of the tea on the metal.
Mayonnaise should never be allowed tn
stand in a tin pail or basin. A recent
case Of wholesale poisoning at a lawn
fete showed enough poison at the bottom
OF the vessel In which the mayonnase
had been kept to kill forty persons.
Poisoning cases from timed goods are
frequent. If a can bulges It is proof
positive that decomposition has set in
In opening any can of meat, fruit, fish
or vegetables the contents should be at
once turned out into an earthen bowl or
crock, never left for even hall an hour
in the opened tin.
In case Of poisoning. empty the stom-
ach at once. using as an emetic mus
tard in lukewarm water a tablespoonful
OF mustard to n cup of water. salt and
water, same proportions. or cold water
al libitum. Tho mechanical resource
would be thrusting the cnper in the
throat or tickling it with feather. An
enema frequently acts quicker than an
emetic in emptying the stomach and
bowels. The next thing IS to gle anti
dotes. lime water scraped from the walls
If you can't get hold of any other form
quickly; magnesia, whiting. rice water,
wood ashes, all an effective. but get your
doctor on the spot as quickly as possible
and follow his directions. Remember
in all these instances. prevention is far
easier than cure
DCST'AN- DISEASE.
Now that the meat supply and canning
factories are being more closely looked
after by the authorities the housewife
should begin pronounced campaixn
against the exposure of fruits and vepe-
tables to the indescribabe filth and dust
of the streets. If your grocery man
or fruit vendor insists on exposing his
wares outside his store unprotected by
even piece of nettirr. boycott him.
Speaking to a reputa BIZ German grocer
the other day on this subject he said
well, You wouldn't be so particular
about little dust here. II you could see
the conditions at the general market in
the early morning. The Jew pushcart
men get there first and every lot of fruit
and vegetables are picked oyer and
handled by them to make sure they are
getting the best The floor OF the mar
kets are indescribahy filthy, and ex-
pectoration goes on everywhere" That
is an awful picture and It is time that
legislation and enforcement of sanitary
regulations be put in force there
Women, however, can make a little he
ginning nearer home, and insist on the
propef screening and protection of the
erocer's wares meanwhile agitating for
larger things. All fruit. and vegetables
that go through the market should he
throughly washed before using. Even
lemons and oranges should be relent
lessly scrubbed before cutting IN for
lemonade or utilizing the r!nd for flavor
ing
ANOTHER DANGER TO HEALTH.
Another menace to health is in bakers
confectioners' and delicatessen shons
where clerks make n practice of wettinp
paper and bags with saliva before wrap-
ping food products in them This is done
lunconsc!ously and from force of habit.
but It should be stopped by the Board of
| Health.
POT OF SWEET BASIL.
No Italian garden nor tenement window
garden Is complete without its pot of
sweet basil. Americans have been learn
Ing TO appreciate the flavor of a few
leaves of sweet basil in soup: but very
| few know what a delectable addition il
makes to macaron At an exceedingly
pretty dinner the other night, given by
one of New York's lemon kings" at his
summer home on the Sound there was
brought In with the dish OF macaropi TINT
| forms so prominent a part of most din
ners instead of soup, a dainty little cut
glass dish filled with crispy. green, fresh
picked leaves. looking much like mint
| This was passed to all. the Italians help
| ing themselves to several leaves, tearing
| in bits and scattering freely over their
plates of macaroni At fine Italian din
ners, the first course is sailed fish of
some sort as an appetizer. then the
great dish of macaroni, to which YOU are
helped so bountifuly that you think you
can never eat anything else; but YOU find