The Delta independent., 1909-09-10
Diseases and Remedies.

Eye Salve. A very good salve for
granulated eyelids is made as follows
Yellow oxide of mercury, one grain;
rose salve or unsalted butter, one-half
ounce. Apply to the eyelids night and
morning.
Insomnia. If a person cannot fall
asleep, try sponge bath made thus: /:
Into eight ounces of alcohol put two of
amonia and two of camphor. Shake
thoroughly, and when well mixed, add
four ounces of sea salt and enough hot
water to fill a quart bottle. To apply
it pour little of the liquid in a shallow
dish, and moisten the whole body lit
tie at time by dipping small sponge
in it. Rub on only very little, then
finish with vigorous rubbing with a
coarse crash towel.
Pellagra. This new disease promises
more surprises in the medical world
and more reasons for investigation than
anything that has broken loose in half
century. The asylums down east
have long been filled with patients suf-
fering from this disease and supposedly
insane. In some cases the disease has
been caused by cheap food. Pellagra
has probably existed in the United
States for many years, although the
fact has not been definitely established.
Our physicians as yet know little of it,
but they are finding it in plenty in
many of the states. 1t is supposed to
arise from eating mouldy corn, which
affects the brain.
Typhoid Fever. This disease is found
in nearly all parts of the country, but
is more prevalent in northern climes,
and tends to increase in the late sum-
mer months. 1t is claimed that many
cases are contracted during vacation
trips, through drinking water from
mountain streams and contaminated
wells and springs. Another origin is
from the milk in unsanitary dairies,
where the vessels have become infected
with the germ or the bacilli have passed
into the lacteal fluid from the water
consumed by the COW. But after all of
these possible sources of contamination
have been admitted, the common house
fly is probably the most prolific cause
of the spread of typhoid. This pestifer-
GUS insect delights in all kinds of refuse
matter, walks and wallows in it, and
then visits the homes and walks over
carrying the germs from cesspools and
cutters and other similar breeding
places of all kinds of disease.
Diabetes. The latest remedy for
this fatal disease is atropine, the active
principle of belladonna or deadly night
shade. 1t has never before been tried
in kidney troubles, although it was well
known that it was chiefly eliminated by
the kidneys, and therefore exerted a
pronounced effect upon those organs.
Experiments have been taken in all
classes of diabetic victims, from nine
to seventy years of age. The atropine
is administered in the form of the
methyl-bromide and the sulphate- afro
pine salts, in other words. The afro
pine shows two effects: 1t reduces the
amount of sugar excreted, and increas-
es the power of the patient to eat car
bohydrate foods. That is to say the
patient attains greater tolerance for
the forbidden fats and starches. The
sulphate acts the quicker but is muci,
more costly in price. In one case as
much as three grains daily was given
over short period with no other effect
than the characteristic dryness of the
Field and Farm.