Mother's Remedies - Thomas Jefferson Ritter (guided reading books .txt) 📗

infrequently inflict permanent mischief. Also children afflicted with adenoids are less able to cope with diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, whooping-cough, etc.

Deafness, mouth-breathing habit, and imperfect resonance of the voice, as well as the characteristic expression of the face, will often remain as permanent effects of the impairment of function due to these growths in childhood, even though they have more or less completely disappeared. The collapsed state of the wings of the nose, and wasted condition of their muscles, resulting from long disease, often contributes to the perpetuation of the mouth-breathing habit. On the other hand the rapid improvement, after a timely removal of the growths, is usually very striking.

Treatment.—The only thing to do is to remove them soon, no matter how young the patient may be. An anaesthetic is usually given to children. The operation does not take long and the patient soon recovers from its effects. The result of an operation, especially in young children, is usually very satisfactory. Breathing through the nose is re-established, the face expression is changed for the better. The symptoms as before described disappear to a great extent.

COLDS. (Coryza. Acute Nasal Catarrh. Acute Rhinitis).—This is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the nose.

Causes.—Exposure to cold or wet when the body is overheated; sudden or extreme changes in the atmosphere; inhaling irritating fumes or dust.

Symptoms.—A chilly feeling, limbs ache, tendency to sneeze, severe headache above the nose, eyes are dry, stopped-up feeling in the nostrils. Then there is a thin watery discharge, usually of an irritating character, very thin at first, but it soon becomes thicker; sometimes the ears ring (tinnitus). The nose and lining is red and swollen.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.—1. Colds. Borax for Cold Settled in Throat. "For a cold in the throat, dissolve a piece of borax, the size of a pea, in the mouth and don't talk. It will work like a charm." This is an old and well tried remedy and is very good for colds or sore throat. It acts by contracting the tissues and in that way there is less congestion in the parts.

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2. Colds, Valuable Caution and Treatment for.—Mrs. Maxwell, of Cleveland, writes in the Cleveland Press as follows: "If you intend to treat the cold yourself, take it up at the outset. Don't wait for it to develop. To break it up, nothing is better than the full hot bath at bed time, or the foot bath with mustard, followed by a hot drink. It is old-fashioned, but scientific, for nine colds out of ten are due to clogged pores. Benjamin Franklin said a hundred years ago that all colds come from impure air, lack of exercise, and over-eating, and nobody has ever bettered his conclusion. Even contagious colds will not be taken if the bodily resistance is kept at par. More fresh air, less grip. Avoid people who have colds, and keep out of badly ventilated rooms. Stuffy street cars are responsible for half the hard colds, not because people get chilled, but because the air is foul. And when you have a cold keep away from the baby. If the baby takes a cold, let it have medical attention at once. Don't experiment upon it with remedies intended for grown-ups."

3. Colds, Molasses-Vinegar Syrup for.—"One-half cup of molasses, butter the size of a hickory nut, one tablespoon vinegar, boil together. Dose: One teaspoonful or less as the case requires. Take often until relieved." This is an old remedy and a good one.

4. Colds, Quinine and Ginger for.—"Give plenty of quinine and drink hot water with ginger in it." Quinine, as we all know, is an old remedy for colds and therefore we all know how it acts. The ginger warms up the system and produces sweating. Care should be taken when using this remedy not to take cold, as the pores are all opened by the quinine.

5. Colds, Boneset for.—"Boneset tea steeped and drank cold cures a cold." Boneset simply acts by causing a better circulation in the system and in that way sweating is produced and we all know that a good sweat will usually cure a cold if taken in time.

6. Severe Cold or Threatened Consumption.—"One pint of molasses; one pint of vinegar; three tablespoonfuls of white pine tar; let this boil not quite half down; remove from the stove and let stand until next day; then take and skim tar off from the top, throwing tar away. Jar up and take as often as necessary. Spoonful every half to two hours."

7. Colds, Rock Candy Syrup for.—"Ten cents worth of rock candy; one pint of whisky; one pint of water; fifteen cents worth of glycerine; mix all together; this will syrup itself." Take one teaspoonful as often as necessary. This is excellent.

8. Colds, Skunk's Oil for.—"Skunk's oil has cured colds quickly by rubbing on chest and throat." The oil penetrates quickly and relieves the congestion. This remedy can always be relied upon.

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9. Colds, Lemons and Mustard for.—"A hot lemonade taken on going to bed and put the feet in a hot mustard bath; taken in time will break up a cold." The idea of the foot bath is to equalize the circulation, as so many of our colds begin in the head and by drawing the blood from the head the congested parts of the head are relieved.

10. Colds and Cough, Hops or Catnip Poultice for.—"Hops or catnip put in little bags and steamed until hot, then placed on lungs and throat." This is a very good remedy, as the hot bags act as a poultice and draw the congestion from the diseased parts. It produces not only local, but general perspiration.

11. Colds, Honey for.—"Eat honey. I have tried this many times and it is very good." The honey is very soothing, but if a little hoarhound or lemon is added it would make it much more effective. This is a good remedy for children, as they most all like honey.

12. Colds, to Break Up at the Outset.—"To break up a cold soak the feet in hot water and drink all the cold water you can." This has been known to cure many severe colds if taken at the beginning.

13. Cold in the Chest, Mutton Tallow and Red Pepper for.—"If cold is in the chest, render enough mutton tallow for one cupful and add one teaspoonful of red pepper and rub on chest and apply a flannel to keep out the cold. This is an old-time remedy and a good one."

14. Colds, Lard and Turpentine for.—"Melt a half cupful of lard and add one and one-half teaspoonfuls of turpentine, rub on chest and apply flannel cloth."

15. Cold, Milk and Cayenne as a Preventive.—"Drink a glass of milk with a pinch of cayenne in it. This will warm the stomach and prevent headache."

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Colds.—Preventive. Avoid the known causes of the trouble. A daily cold bath, if well borne, is held to be an effectual prevention against taking cold. Have the adenoids removed if your physician so recommends it. If seen early it can frequently be aborted. Bathe the feet in hot mustard water, a small handful of mustard to a pail half full of hot water. At the same time, drink hot teas, like hoarhound, ginger, lemonade, etc. Then put the patient to bed and place hot water fruit jars around him. This treatment will produce a good sweat. After the sweating has continued for some time and the patient feels uncomfortable because of the sweat, bathe him with a towel dipped in warm water, and dry the parts as you go along. Of course, all of this is done under cover. After you have bathed and dried the patient, put on a clean and well-aired night shirt and clean sheets, also well aired. This simple treatment will abort most colds. The patient should keep in bed for at least twelve hours after such a sweating. Plenty of cold water and lemonade can be given, especially after the patient has become cooler. Plenty of water is good for any cold; hot outside and cool for the inside. The bowels should be opened with salts. A Dover's powder (ten grains) will produce sweating, but why use it when sweating can be produced by the means first mentioned.

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1. Camphor and Vaseline Mixed, or Camphor and Cream, rubbed in the nose is good to stop the cold and soreness.

2. A few drops (two or three) of camphor taken internally every three hours will abort some colds, especially if the nose is all the time pouring out drops of water.

3. Aconite in small doses, one-tenth of a drop, every two hours is a splendid remedy at the beginning. My experience has shown me that aconite does better work in these small doses. Put one drop in ten teaspoonfuls of water and give one teaspoonful at a dose.

4. The following is good for a thick discharge: in oil spray.

Menthol 6 grains
Chloroform 5 drops
Camphor 5 grains
Liquid Alboline 2 ounces

Mix and make into a solution. Use in an atomizer, every two hours.

To cleanse the nostrils wash out each nostril gently with a solution made of one teaspoonful of listerine, or glyco-thymoline, or borolyptol, or one-quarter teaspoonful of common salt in a half glass of warm water. You can use a vaporizer and this solution:

Menthol 5 grains
Camphor 5 grains
Compound tincture benzoin 1 dram
Liquid Alboline 1 ounce

Mix and make solution and use frequently in a nebulizer.

Never snuff a solution into the nose, and do not blow the nose hard after using. Some of the solution or nasal discharge may be forced into the eustachian tube.

5. Lard or camphorated oil rubbed on the nose and throat twice a day is good.

6. To Restore the Loss of the Voice.—

Oil of wintergreen 2 drams
Lanolin or vaseline 1 ounce

Mix and rub on the throat at night and put on flannel until morning. This will relieve the loss of voice very promptly.

7. Put a quart of boiling water in a pitcher; add from two to four drams of the compound tincture of benzoin and inhale the hot vapor. Wrap both head and pitcher in a towel. This is very good for sore throat also.

8. Herb Teas for.—Ginger tea, catnip, hoarhound, pennyroyal, etc.; hot, are all good to produce sweating and thus relieve cold.

9. From Dr. Ball, a London, England, Specialist.—

Menthol 30 grains
Eucalyptol 30 drops
Carbolic acid 2 drams
Rectified spirits of wine 1 dram

Mix thoroughly; a teaspoonful to be put into a pint (or less) of hot water and the steam to be inhaled through the nose for four or five minutes. This is useful in acute colds, especially in the later stages, and in chronic catarrh, etc.

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10. When the stage is rather marked or prolonged spray or syringe out the nose with tepid solution once or twice a day using the following:

Bicarbonate of soda 3 to 5 grains
Borax 3 to 5 grains
Tepid water 1 ounce

Use a spray, douche, or gargle in chronic catarrh and chronic pharyngitis. When you wish to use a large quantity, mix an equal quantity each of soda and borax and put a couple teaspoonfuls to each pint of warm water and use.

CATARRH. (Chronic Inflammation of the Nose, Chronic Rhinitis). Causes.— Frequent attacks of colds, irritating gases and dust, adenoids, enlarged tonsils, spurs on the septum (partition bone) or