FoodNetArchive

The household (of the Detroit free press)

1886

Page 222 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
There is nothing better for a cut than powdered rosin. Get a few cents worth of rosin, pound it until it is fine, and put it in an empty, clean pepper or spice box with perforated top ; then you can easily sift it out on the cut, put a soft cloth around the injured member and wet it with cold water once in a while. It will prevent inflammation and soreness. SIMPLE REMEDIES IN SICKNESS. 251 In doing" up a burn the main point is to keep the air from it. If sweet oil and cotton are not at hand, take a cloth and spread dry flour over it, and wrap the burned part in it. It is always well to have some simple remedies in the house where you can get them without a moment's loss of time ; a little bottle of peppermint, in case of colic, chlorate of potash for sore throat, pepsin for indigestion, and a bottle of brandy. Very few persons are aware what a valuable auxiliary turpentine is in many diseases. It is a sovereign remedy for croup. Saturate a ^piece of flannel in it, and place the flannel on the throat and chest and occa- sionally two or three drops on a lump of sugar may be taken inwardly. Nothing better than turpentine can be applied to a severe cut or bruise, and it will give certain relief almost instantly. Let any one who has an attack of lockjaw take a small quantity of turpentine, warm it and pour on the wound, no matter where it is, and relief will follow in less than a minute. Flannel cloth wrung out of turpentine into hot water, as hot as the patient can bear, is one of the best of remedies for inflammation. Hops, also, have many uses. A handful of them steeped in a quart bowl (always steep in earthen) of water until the strength is extracted, strained and sweetened with loaf sugar, and bottled for use, is as good or better than any hop bitters ever purchased. Dose, one wineglassful taken three times a day is a good anti-bilious alterative and tonic for ordinary family purposes. For outward application, make some small bags of cotton six inches square and fill with hops. When the face aches, or the head is in pain, or the throat and chest are sore, heat one or more of these bags very hot, up to scorching the cloth even, and apply to the suffering part. It is a great improvement on wet cloths, or wet applications of any kind. Keep rolls of old pieces of cotton, woolen and linen for use in the sickroom. In times of health always be prepared and preparing for sickness and accident with all things needful. SIMPLE REMEDIES IN SICKNESS. One of the most common applications is that of a poultice. Most people think that they know how to make and apply them, but there are very few who are adepts at it. They are used to arrest inflamma- tions and allay the attendant pain, also, in cases of wounds, abscesses, boils, etc., to facilitate the passage of matter to the surface and its expulsion. The object of a poultice is to supply heat and moisture, therefore, they should be applied as hot as can be borne, and should be frequently changed ; the old poultice not being removed until the new one is ready to replace it. When the application is to be made to a boil, it is better to cover the boil with a piece of opium plaster with a circular hole cut in it, and apply the poultice over the plaster, or smear 252 MEDICAL. Mustard Poultice