Measles. — First and foremost, do not invite it, in case it is preva- lent, by catching cold, lying on damp grass, by any exposure to wet, cold, or damp, or by disordering your stomach by sweets, pastry, and 90 forth. If measles is prevalent, such a course of conduct would be especially foolish. Symptoms. — Eyes running, hoarseness, violent sneezing; on the third or fourth day a rash comes out, much as if the patient had speckled his face with raspberry jam. Treatment. — Put the patient to bed, and keep him warm; allow no cold draught in his room, but do not let it get close. Wash the THE PHYSICIAN IN THE HOME. I87 hands and face with hot water; keep the eyes clear, and manage somehow to keep down the cough, by a bran poultice if necessary, till the doctor comes. Poison, — Send at once for a doctor, and lose no time. Meanwhile administer doses of warm water with plenty of mustard in it, or else ipecacuanha wine, and irritate the throat by the feather end of a quill. Should the case be past the power of sickness and relief by vomiting and there be no stomach-pump, then perhaps your best chance is to administer a strong dose of castor oil, or some even potent purgative. Of course if you know any special antidote fbr the special poison that has been taken, use it. Sting of Wasp, Bee, or Hornet. — Take care and extract with your fingers or a small pair of tweezers any bit of the sting that is left in the wound. The place may be then gcntl}' squeezed to extract the venom, or even sucked with impunity, if there be no scratch, crack, or abrasion, on the lips. Then wash with warm water and rub some sweet oil into the place, which will generally abate the pain. A small poultice may be put on at night, if the pain be not all gone, or the place be still swollen. Ijoecacuanha powder poultices arc useful. Toothache, How to Treat. — To alleviate the wretched pain — for nothing probably short of "cold steel," that is, extraction, can work a perfect cure — take at once a tolerabl}^ strong dose of opening medicine; as soon as this operates, in all probability the pain will be gone for a week or two. Meanwhile, apply a small mustard poul- tice outside, just over the place where the pain is most violent, and rub the gum and the tooth with chloroform and laudanum mixed. If the tooth be a hollow one and very painful, then put in the cavity a little cotton-wool dipped in chloroform and laudanum. It will ease the dreadful pain. A little bit of cotton dipped in a solution of shellac, or of gum mastic and spirits of wine, makes a good tempo- rary stopping for very bad teeth. Avoid the ordinary vaunted " nostrums," that is, the quack medicines said instantly to remove toothache. Creosote is the safest domestic remedy to employ, if the 1 88 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. pain be very bad ; only get a friend to employ it, by putting a little bit of cotton-wool dipped in it into the hollow of the tooth for you, and do not try to put it in yourself, or you will scarify your tongue and gums. Ammonia is also a good remedy for toothache. Apply a small bit of cotton saturated in a strong solution of ammonia to the de- fective tooth, and after a momentary nervous pain, the aching will have ceased.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Measles. — First and foremost, do not invite it, in case it is prevalent, by catching cold, lying on damp grass, by any exposure to wet, cold, or damp, or by disordering your stomach by sweets, pastry, and 90 forth. If measles is prevalent, such a course of conduct would be especially foolish. Symptoms. — Eyes running, hoarseness, violent sneezing; on the third or fourth day a rash comes out, much as if the patient had speckled his face with raspberry jam. Treatment. — Put the patient to bed, and keep him warm; allow no cold draught in his room, but do not let it get close. Wash the hands and face with hot water; keep the eyes clear, and manage somehow to keep down the cough, by a bran poultice if necessary, till the doctor comes. Poison, — Send at once for a doctor, and lose no time. Meanwhile administer doses of warm water with plenty of mustard in it, or else ipecacuanha wine, and irritate the throat by the feather end of a quill. Should the case be past the power of sickness and relief by vomiting and there be no stomach-pump, then perhaps your best chance is to administer a strong dose of castor oil, or some even potent purgative. Of course if you know any special antidote fbr the special poison that has been taken, use it. Sting of Wasp, Bee, or Hornet. — Take care and extract with your fingers or a small pair of tweezers any bit of the sting that is left in the wound. The place may be then gently squeezed to extract the venom, or even sucked with impunity, if there be no scratch, crack, or abrasion, on the lips. Then wash with warm water and rub some sweet oil into the place, which will generally abate the pain. A small poultice may be put on at night, if the pain be not all gone, or the place be still swollen. Ipecacuanha powder poultices arc useful. Toothache, How to Treat. — To alleviate the wretched pain — for nothing probably short of "cold steel," that is, extraction, can work a perfect cure — take at once a tolerably strong dose of opening medicine; as soon as this operates, in all probability the pain will be gone for a week or two. Meanwhile, apply a small mustard poultice outside, just over the place where the pain is most violent, and rub the gum and the tooth with chloroform and laudanum mixed. If the tooth be a hollow one and very painful, then put in the cavity a little cotton-wool dipped in chloroform and laudanum. It will ease the dreadful pain. A little bit of cotton dipped in a solution of shellac, or of gum mastic and spirits of wine, makes a good temporary stopping for very bad teeth. Avoid the ordinary vaunted " nostrums," that is, the quack medicines said instantly to remove toothache. Creosote is the safest domestic remedy to employ, if the 1 88 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. pain be very bad ; only get a friend to employ it, by putting a little bit of cotton-wool dipped in it into the hollow of the tooth for you, and do not try to put it in yourself, or you will scarify your tongue and gums. Ammonia is also a good remedy for toothache. Apply a small bit of cotton saturated in a strong solution of ammonia to the defective tooth, and after a momentary nervous pain, the aching will have ceased.

The hearthstone; or, Life at home