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

chicken pox
  Caused by the varicella-zoster virus; indicated by skin eruptions,
  slight fever, and malaise. Also called varicella.

chilblain
  Inflammation and itchy irritation of the hands, feet, or ears, caused by
  moist cold.

chloral hydrate
  Colorless crystalline compound, CCl3CH(OH)2, used as a sedative and
  hypnotic.

chlorosis
  Iron-deficiency anemia, primarily of young women, indicated by
  greenish-yellow skin color.

cholera infantum
  Acute non-contagious intestinal disturbance of infants formerly common
  in congested areas with high humidity and temperature.

cholera morbus
  Acute gastroenteritis occurring in summer and autumn exhibiting severe
  cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. No longer in scientific use.

chorea
  Nervous disorders marked by involuntary, jerky movements, especially of
  the arms, legs, and face.

Chrysarobin
  Bitter, yellow substance in Goa powder (from the wood of a Brazilian
  tree Vataireopsis araroba), and yielding chrysophanic acid; formerly
  called chrysphanic acid.

cinchona (Jesuit's bark, Peruvian bark)
  Trees and shrubs of the genus Cinchona, native chiefly to the Andes and
  cultivated for bark that yields the medicinal alkaloids quinine and
  quinidine, which are used to treat malaria. Dried bark of these plants.

Cinnamyl
  Hypothetical radical, (C6H5.C2H2)2C, of cinnamic compounds. Formerly,
  cinnamule.

clonic
  The nature of clonus—contraction and relaxation of muscle.

cocculus
  Poisonous bean-shaped berry of a woody vine (Anamirta cocculus) of the
  East Indies that yields picrotoxin.

cochineal
  Red dye made of the dried and pulverized bodies of female cochineal
  insects.

coddle
  Cook in water below the boiling point: coddle eggs. Treat indulgently;
  baby; pamper.

codling (codlin)
  Greenish elongated English apple used for cooking. Small unripe apple.

Cohosh (baneberry, herb Christopher)
  Plant of the genus Actaea having acrid poisonous berries; especially
  blue cohosh, black cohosh.

colchicum
  Various bulbous plants of the genus Colchicum, such as the autumn
  crocus. The dried ripe seeds or corms (short thick solid food-storing
  underground stem) of the autumn crocus which yield colchicine.

collodion
  Highly flammable, colorless or yellowish syrupy solution of pyroxylin,
  ether, and alcohol, used as an adhesive to close small wounds and hold
  surgical dressings, in topical medications, and for making photographic
  plates.

colocynth (bitter apple)
  Old World vine (Citrullus colocynthis) bearing yellowish, green-mottled
  fruits the size of small lemons. The pulp of the fruit is a strong
  laxative.

colombo (calumba)
  Root of an African plant (Jatrorrhiza palmata, family Menispermaceae)
  containing columbin; it is used as a tonic called calumba root or
  colombo root.

colostrum (foremilk)
  Thin yellowish fluid secreted by the mammary glands at birth, rich in
  antibodies and minerals. It precedes the production of true milk.

coltsfoot (galax)
  Eurasian herb (Tussilago farfara), naturalized in parts of North America
  with dandelion-like flower heads. Dried leaves or flower heads of this
  plant have been long used in herbal medicine to treat coughs.

consomme
  Clear soup or bouillion boiled down so as to be very rich.

contretemps
  Unforeseen disruption of the normal course of things; inopportune
  occurrence.

copaiba
  Transparent, often yellowish, viscous oleoresin from South American
  trees of the genus Copaifera in the pea family, used in varnishes and as
  a fixative in perfume.

copperas (ferrous sulfate)
  Greenish crystalline compound, FeSO4.7H2O, used as a pigment,
  fertilizer, and feed additive, in sewage and water treatment, and in the
  treatment of iron deficiency.

corrosive sublimate
  Mercuric chloride.

costal
  Relating to or near a rib.

costive
  Constipated

cranesbill (geranium, storksbill) Plants of the genus Geranium, with pink or purplish flowers. Various plants of the genus Pelargonium, native chiefly to southern Africa and widely cultivated for their rounded and showy clusters of red, pink, or white flowers.

cream of tartar
  Potassium bitartrate. White, acid, crystalline solid or powder,
  KHC4H4O6, used in baking powder, in the tinning of metals, and as a
  laxative.

Creasote (creosote)
  Colorless to yellowish oily liquid containing phenols and creosols,
  obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, especially from
  beech, and formerly used as an expectorant in treating chronic
  bronchitis. Also used as a wood preservative and disinfectant. May cause
  severe neurological disturbances if inhaled.

crepe de Chine
  Silk crepe used for dresses and blouses.

cretonne
  Heavy unglazed cotton, linen, or rayon fabric, colorfully printed and
  used for draperies and slipcovers.

croton oil
  Brownish-yellow, foul-smelling oil from the seeds of a tropical Asian
  shrub or small tree (Croton tiglium); formerly used as a drastic
  purgative and counterirritant. Its use was discontinued because of its
  toxicity.

croup
  Condition of the larynx, especially in infants and children, causing
  respiratory difficulty and a hoarse, brassy cough.

Culver's root
  Perennial herb (Veronicastrum virginicum) native to eastern North
  America; the root was formerly used as a cathartic and an emetic.

cupping
  Therapeutic procedure, no longer in use; an evacuated glass cup is
  applied to the skin to draw blood to the surface.

Cuprum
  Copper.

Curacao
  Flavored with sour orange peel. Popular island resort in the Netherlands
  Antilles.

cystitis
  Inflammation of the urinary bladder.

damask
  Rich patterned fabric of cotton, linen, silk, or wool. Fine, twilled
  table linen.

deadly night-shade (bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, climbing
nightshade, poisonous nightshade, woody nightshade, Solanum dulcamara)
  Perennial Eurasian herb with reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining
  black berries; extensively grown in United States; roots and leaves
  yield atropine (belladonna, Atropa belladonna).

decollete
  Cut low at the neckline. Wearing a garment that is low-cut or strapless.

demi-monde
  Class of women kept by wealthy lovers or protectors; prostitutes; group
  whose respectability is dubious or whose success is marginal.

demulcent
  Soothing, usually mucilaginous or oily substance, such as glycerin or
  lanolin, used to relieve pain of irritated mucous membranes.

diathesis
  Hereditary predisposition to disease, allergy, or other disorder.

digitalis
  Plant of the genus Digitalis, including foxgloves. Drug prepared from
  the seeds and dried leaves used as a cardiac stimulant.

dilatory
  Delay or postpone.

discomfit
  Make uneasy or perplexed; disconcert; embarrass; thwart the plans of;
  frustrate.

dry cupping
  See cupping.

dysmenorrhea
  Painful menstruation.

effusion
  Seeping of serous, purulent, or bloody fluid into a body cavity or
  tissue. The effused fluid.

eiderdown (eider down)
  Down of the eider duck, used to stuff quilts and pillows. Quilt stuffed
  with the down of the eider duck.

empyema
  Pus in a body cavity, especially the pleural cavity.

ennui
  Listlessness, dissatisfaction, lack of interest; boredom:

Epsom salts
  Hydrated magnesium sulfate, MgSO4.7H2O, used as a cathartic and to
  reduce inflammation.

ergot
  Fungus (Claviceps purpurea) infecting cereal plants; forms compact black
  masses of branching filaments that replace many of the grains of the
  host plant. Disease caused by such a fungus. The dried sclerotia of
  ergot obtained from rye is a source of several medicinal alkaloids and
  lysergic acid.

erigeron
  Genus of composite herbs having flower heads resembling asters. Formerly
  used as a diuretic and as a hemostatic in uterine hemorrhage

erysipelas
  Acute skin disease caused by hemolytic streptococcus; marked by
  localized inflammation and fever. Also called Saint Anthony's fire.

eschar
  Dry scab or slough formed on the skin caused by a burn or by the action
  of a corrosive or caustic substance.

eucaine
  A crystalline substance, C15H21NO2, used as a local anesthetic,
  substituting for cocaine, in veterinary medicine.

eucalyptol (cineole)
  Colorless oily liquid, C10H18O, from eucalyptus; used in
  pharmaceuticals, flavoring, and perfumery.

eucalyptus
  Trees of the genus Eucalyptus, native to Australia; they have aromatic
  leaves that yield an oil used medicinally.

farcy (see glanders)
  Chronic form of glanders that affects the skin and superficial lymph
  vessels.

febrile
  ferverish

felon
  Painful purulent infection at the end of a finger or toe in the area
  surrounding the nail. Also called whitlow.

ferrocyanate
  Salt of ferrocyanic acid; a ferrocyanide.

fistula
  An abnormal duct or passage resulting from injury, disease, or other
  disorder that connects an abscess, cavity, or hollow organ to the body
  surface or to another hollow organ.

flounce
  Strip of decorative, gathered or pleated material attached by one edge,
  as on a garment or curtain.

fondant
  Sweet creamy sugar paste used in candies and icings. Candy containing
  this paste.

fontanelles
  The soft membranous gaps between the incompletely formed cranial bones
  of a fetus or an infant. Also called soft spot.

formaldehyde
  Colorless gaseous compound, HCHO, used to manufacture resins,
  fertilizers, dyes, and embalming fluids and in aqueous solution as a
  preservative and disinfectant.

formalin
  Aqueous solution of formaldehyde that is 37 percent by weight.

fossa
  A small depression, as in a bone.

foulard
  Lightweight twill or plain-woven fabric of silk or silk and cotton,
  often having a small printed design. Necktie or scarf, made of this
  fabric.

Fowler's solution
  Solution of arsenite of potassium in water; named for Fowler, an English
  physician who brought it into use.

frock coat
  Man's dress coat or suit coat with knee-length skirts.

fuller's earth
  Highly adsorbent (attaches to other substances without any chemical
  action) clay-like substance consisting of hydrated aluminum silicates;
  used in talcum powders.

fly blister
  Blister caused by the vesicating (blistering) body fluid of certain
  beetles.

fusiform
  Tapered at each end; spindle-shaped.

galatea
  Durable, often striped cotton fabric used in making clothing.

galax (beetleweed, coltsfoot, wandflower) Stemless evergreen perennial plant (Galax urceolata) of the eastern US, with a rosette of glossy, heart-shaped leaves and small white flowers in spike-like clusters.

gallic acid
  Colorless crystalline compound, C7H6O5, derived from tannin used as a
  tanning agent, ink dye, in photography, and paper manufacturing.

gamboge
  Brownish or orange resin from trees of the genus Garcinia of
  south-central Asia and yielding a golden-yellow pigment.

gaucherie
  Awkward or tactless act, manner, or expression.

gelsemium
  Genus of climbing plants. The yellow (false) jasmine (Gelsemium
  sempervirens) is a native of the Southern United States; the root is
  used for malarial fevers.

gentian
  Plants of the genus Gentiana, having showy, variously colored flowers.
  The dried rhizome and roots of a yellow-flowered European gentian, G.
  lutea, used as a tonic.

germander
  Aromatic plants of the genus Teucrium, with purplish or reddish flowers.

gingham
  Yarn-dyed cotton fabric woven in stripes, checks, plaids, or solid
  colors.

glace
  Smooth, glazed or glossy surface, such as certain silks or leathers.
  Coated with a sugar glaze; candied.

glairy
  Slimy consistency, like egg white; cough producing glairy sputum.

glanders
  Contagious, usually fatal disease of horses, caused by the bacterium
  Pseudomonas mallei; causes swollen lymph nodes, nasal discharge, and
  ulcers of the respiratory tract and skin. Communicable to other mammals,
  including humans.

glaubers salts
  (Na2SO4.10H2O); colorless salt used as a cathartic.

gleet
  Inflammation of the urethra caused by chronic gonorrhea with a discharge
  of mucus and pus; the discharge that is characteristic of this
  inflammation.

Glonoin
  Dilute solution of nitroglycerin used as a neurotic.

glycerite
  Preparation made by mixing or dissolving a substance in glycerin.

glycyrrhiza
  Widely distributed perennial herbs of the family Leguminosae that
  include licorice. Dried root of a licorice of the genus Glycyrrhiza (G.
  glabra); used to mask unpleasant flavors in drugs or to give a pleasant
  taste to confections called licorice.

goiter (goitre)
  Enlargement of the thyroid gland; often results from insufficient intake
  of iodine.

golden seal
  See hydrastis.

groats
  Hulled, usually crushed grain, especially oats.

grosgrain
  Closely woven silk or rayon fabric with narrow horizontal ribs. Ribbon
  made of this fabric.

gruel
 Thin porridge (usually oatmeal or cornmeal). See page 574.

guaiacum (guaiac )
  Tree of the genus Guaiacum; a lignum vitae. Greenish-brown resin from
  this tree, used medicinally and in varnishes.

gustatory
  Concerning the sense of taste.

haematuria
  Blood in the urine.

hamamelis
  Genus of shrubs or small trees (family Hamamelidaceae), including the
  witch hazels. Dried leaves of a witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) of
  the eastern U.S. used formerly as a tonic and sedative.

hartshorn
  Antler of a hart, formerly used as a source of ammonia and in smelling
  salts. Ammonium carbonate.

hellebore
  Plants of the genus Helleborus, native to Eurasia, most of which are
  poisonous. Plants of the genus Veratrum, especially V. viride of North
  America, yielding a toxic alkaloid used medicinally.

henbane (black henbane, insane root)
  Poisonous Eurasian plant (Hyoscyamus niger) having an unpleasant odor,
  sticky leaves, and funnel-shaped greenish-yellow flowers. It is a source
  hyoscyamus, hyoscamine and scopolamine.

henna
  Tree or shrub (Lawsonia inermis) of the Middle East, having fragrant
  white or reddish flowers. Reddish-orange dyestuff prepared from the
  dried and ground leaves of this plant, used as a cosmetic dye and for
  coloring leather and fabrics. To dye (hair, for example) with henna.

Hepar
  Liver of sulphur; a substance of a liver-brown color, sometimes used in
  medicine. Fformed by fusing sulphur with carbonates of the alkalies
  (esp. potassium), and consists essentially of alkaline sulphides. Called
  also hepar sulphuris. A substance resembling hepar; in homeopathy,
  calcium sulphide, called also hepar sulphuris calcareum.

hepatica (liverleaf)
  Woodland plants of the genus Hepatica, especially H. americana of
  eastern North America, having three-lobed leaves and white or lavender
  flowers.

Herpes Zoster
  Varicella-zoster virus: A herpesvirus that causes chickenpox and
  shingles. Causes an acute viral infection—inflammation of the sensory
  ganglia of spinal or cranial nerves and the eruption of vesicles along
  the affected nerve path. It usually strikes only one side of the body
  and is often accompanied by severe neuralgia.

Honduras Bark
  Dried bark of a tropical American tree (Picramnia antidesma) formerly
  used in the treatment of syphilis and skin diseases.

Hunyadi (Hunyady )
  Hungarian noble family, partly of Romanian origin. The first recorded
  member of the family was Serbe, who settled in Hunyad county in
  Transylvania from Wallachia.

hydrastis
  Genus of herbs (family Ranunculaceae) with palmately lobed leaves and
  small greenish flowers and including the goldenseal (H. canadensis). The
  dried rhizome and roots of the goldenseal formerly