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

and then healing applications. Carbolated oxide of zinc ointment is a good healing ointment.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. 1. Sores and Ulcers, the Potato Lotion for.—"Take the water you boil potatoes in and in one quart of it boil one ounce of foxglove leaves for ten minutes, then add one ounce tincture of myrrh to the lotion, bathe the affected parts with the lotion warm, then keep a cloth wet with it on the sore, if possible, until cured."

2. Sores and Ulcers, Chickweed Ointment for.—"Chop chickweed and boil in lard, strain and bottle for use." This makes a fine green cooling ointment, It is surprising to see the relief obtained by this simple ointment.

3. Old Sores and Wounds, Healing Ointment for.—

    "Honey 4 ounces
    Spirits of Turpentine 1/2 ounce
    Beeswax 4 ounces
    Oil of Wintergreen 1/2 ounce
    Tincture of Opium 1 ounce
    Fluid Extract Lobelia 1/4 ounce
    Lard 3/4 pound

Mix by the aid of gentle heat, stirring well at the same time. This is a very useful ointment for healing wounds and old sores."

4. Sores and Ulcers, Excellent Salve for.—"One tablespoon of melted mutton or even beef tallow while warm; add some spirits of turpentine and one teaspoonful of laudanum, stir well."

5. Ill-Conditioned Sores, an Old German Remedy for.—"Wash or syringe the sore with weak saleratus water, and while wet fill with common black pepper. Remarks:—This is a highly recommended German remedy, and has been tried by my mother with good, results."

6. Sores, Cuts, Antiseptic Wash for; Also Tooth Wash.—"Peroxide of hydrogen. Should always be kept in the house." If you are cut by anything that might cause infection or if scratched by a cat, in fact wherever there is chance for infection and blood poison, peroxide of hydrogen may be used by moistening well the wound with it as soon as you can. As a mouth wash put a little in a glass of water. Directions usually on the bottle.

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7. Indolent Ulcers and Boils, Chickweed and Wood Sage Poultice for.—"Equal parts of chickweed and wood sage pounded together make a good poultice for all kinds of indolent ulcers and boils."

8. Ulcers, Proud Flesh, Venereal Sores and all Fungus Swellings, Blood Root and Sweet Nitre for.—"Two ounces pulverized blood root; one pint of sweet nitre; macerate for ten days, shake once or twice a day."

9. Rosin 1 ounce
    Beeswax 1 ounce
    Mutton Tallow 4 ounces
    Verdigris 1 dram

Melt the rosin, tallow and wax together, then add the verdigris. Stir until cool and apply.

Add a few drops of carbolic acid to the above and you will have the carbolated salve which is quite expensive when bought prepared and under the manufacturer's label.

10. Sores and Chapped Hands, Sour Cream Salve for.—"Tie thick sour cream in a cloth and bury in the ground over night. In the morning it will be a nice salve. Excellent for chapped hands or anything that requires a soft salve."

11. Old Sores, A Four-Ingredient Remedy for.—"Soften one-half pound of vaselin, stir into it one-half ounce each of wormwood, spearmint and smartweed. This is good for old and new sores. My people near Woodstock, Canada, used this and found it very good."

12. Ulcers and Sores, Carrots will heal.—"Boil carrots until soft and mash them to a pulp, add lard or sweet oil sufficient to keep it from getting hard. Spread and apply; excellent for offensive sores. Onion poultice made the same way is good for slow boils and indolent sores." This makes a very soothing poultice and has great healing properties.

13. Ulcers and Sores, a Remedy that Cures.—"To one-fourth pound of tallow add one-fourth pound each of turpentine and bayberry and two ounces of olive oil. Good application for scrofulous sores and ulcers." This makes a good ointment, but should not be continued too long at a time as the turpentine might have a bad action on the kidneys.

14. Ulcers and Old Sores, Bread and Indian meal for.—"Take bread and milk or Indian meal, make to consistency of poultice with water, stir in one-half cup of pulverized charcoal. Good to clean ulcers and foul sores." The bread and Indian meal make a good poultice while the charcoal is purifying and a good antiseptic.

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PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Ulcers.—Keep them thoroughly cleaned. A mild, weak, hot solution of salt water is good in chronic, slow healing, indolent ulcers. Carbolated salve applied afterwards is healing. Sometimes a stimulating poultice is necessary, like salt pork followed by soothing salves. If an ulcer looks red and angry, it needs soothing. If there is any "proud flesh" powdered burnt alum applied directly upon it and left on for an hour or two is good. Then soothing salves.

Balsam of Peru is good for chronic ulcers. It stimulates them to a little activity.

A salve made by boiling the inner bark of the common elder, the strained juice mixed with cream or vaselin is a good healing application for ulcers.

Poultice an irritable, tender, painful ulcer with slippery elm bark.
Repeat when necessary.

Indolent Sluggish Ulcer.—This kind needs stimulating, salt solution, or salt pork applied.

Poultice made of sweet clover is well recommended for ulcers. As before stated, the active kind should have soothing treatment. The chronic indolent kind, should be stimulated occasionally and then soothing applications applied.

SHINGLES (Herpes Zoster). Definition.—This is an acute inflammatory disease of the skin, characterized by groups of vesicles upon the inflamed base, distributed along the course of one or more cutaneous (skin) nerves.

Symptoms.—The eruption is preceded by a great deal of neuralgic pain and is almost always one-sided. They first appear as red patches and upon these patches vesicles soon develop (skin elevations with liquid in them); these are separate, size of a pin-head to a coffee bean, swollen with a clear fluid, and clustered in groups of two to a dozen. They may dry up in this stage, or they may fill with pus or run together, forming larger patches; new crops may appear, while the others fade. The vesicles rarely rupture of themselves, but dry into brownish crusts, which drop off leaving a temporary colored skin. It follows the course of a nerve. The most common seat of this disease is over one or more intercostal (between the rib) nerves, extending from the backbone to the breastbone. It also occurs along the side of the face and temple.

Causes.—It is a self-limited disease, runs its course in a few weeks, of nervous origin and may be produced by exposure to weather changes, blows and certain poisons.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. Shingles, Herb Remedy for.—1. "Make a solution of yerba rheuma, one ounce to a pint of boiling water, and apply freely to the part several times a day." The yerba rheuma has an astringent action and contracts the tissues, relieving the inflammation of the skin. It also relieves the itching.

[SKIN DISEASES. 75]

2. Shingles, Mercury Ointment for.—"Apply night and morning an ointment from the oleate of mercury." This preparation will be found effective, but care should be taken not to use too much of it, as oleate of mercury is very powerful. It relieves the burning and itching.

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Shingles.—Protect the vesicles from rupture or irritation and relieve the pain. Paint the surface with a solution of gun cotton (collodion). Tonics to keep up the strength.

EXCESSIVE SWEATING. (Hyperidrosis).—This is a disorder of the sweat glands in which sweat is thrown out in excessive quantities.

Symptoms.—It may be great only in the armpit where it stains the clothing. When it comes on the hands and feet they may be wet, clammy and have an offensive odor. They may be soaked, inflamed and painful.

Causes.—The local forms may be due to a nervous condition; it is often the result of general debility.

Treatment.—General tonics are needed and those given under anemia, which see. Applications for the local treatment.—Solution of alum applied to the part will act as an astringent.

White oak bark tea is good as anything. It should not be used so strong as to stop sweating entirely. Then follow it with dusting powders of starch or boric acid, containing salicylic acid (two to five per cent). When it occurs upon the feet use the Diachylon ointment. It must be made up fresh in a drug store. This is applied on strips of lint or muslin after the parts have been thoroughly washed and dried; it should be renewed twice daily, the parts being dried with soft towels and then covered with dusting powder, followed by the ointment.

FRECKLES. (Lentigo).—Freckles are an excessive deposit of pigment in the skin.

Causes.—Exposure to the sun's rays aggravates this condition.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES for Freckles. 1. Freckles, Buttermilk for.—"Buttermilk on the face every night." This is a very simple remedy, and as buttermilk is very easily obtained, anyone troubled with freckles can try this remedy without very much expense. This simple remedy has been known to cure many cases.

2. Freckles, to Remove.—"Nitrate of potash applied to the face night and morning is very good, and the freckles will soon disappear."

3. Freckles, Alcohol and Lemon Juice for.—"Use alcohol and lemon juice freely at night." Lemon juice is very good for the skin if applied frequently.

[76 MOTHERS' REMEDIES.]

4. Freckles, Excellent Lotion for.—

    "Rose Water 4 ounces
    Alcohol 1/2 ounce
    Hydrochloric Acid 1/2 dram

Mix and apply with sponge or cloth three times daily.

5. Freckles, Borax Water for.—"Rain water eight ounces, borax one-half ounce. Mix and dissolve; wash parts twice daily."

6. Freckles, Canadian Remedy for.—"Glycerin, lemon juice, rosewater, equal parts. Apply at night with a soft cloth,"

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Freckles.—They are apt to return on exposure to the sun. The following ointment may be of service. Care should be taken not to blister:

    Ammoniated Mercury 1 dram
    Subnitrate of Bismuth 1 dram
    Glycerin Ointment 1 ounce

Mix and apply every other night.

PRICKLY HEAT RASH.—An acute inflammatory disease of the sweat glands; minute pimples and vesicles develop.

Symptoms.—It occurs upon the body and consists of many pinhead sized bright red pimples and vesicles which are very close together. It appears suddenly, and is usually accompanied by much sweating and subsides in a short time with slight scaling following. There is itching, tingling and burning usually present.

Cause.—Excessive heat in summer in children and weak people.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. 1. Prickly Heat, Soda Water for.—"Bathe with saleratus (baking soda) water, dry carefully and apply good talcum powder freely."

2. Prickly Heat, Relief from pain of.—

    "Borax Powder 6 drams
    Menthol 10 grains
    Rose Water 6 ounces

Bathe the parts and between applications dust on lycopodium powder."

The borax powder will be found good to cover the parts and muriate of morphia relieves the pain. The rose water is simply put in to dissolve the other ingredients.

3. Prickly Heat, a Hamilton, Ontario, Mother Found Burnt Cornstarch good for.—"Dust with browned cornstarch. This acts like talcum powder and is not so expensive."

[SKIN DISEASES. 77]

4. Rash, Soothing Ointment for. l.—"Make an ointment of one dram of boric acid powder to one ounce of vaseline. First wash the affected parts with a strong solution of saleratus, then apply the ointment and dust talcum powder over this." The washing with saleratus is very important as this is a good antiseptic and thoroughly cleanses the parts.

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Prickly Heat.—It disappears usually in a few days. Tonics for the weak, light clothing, a light nourishing diet and frequent cold bathing. Alcoholic drinks are prohibited. White oak bark tea as a wash for the sweating, followed by dusting powders of starch, oatmeal, and zinc oxide, etc.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. 1. Chafing, Fuller's Earth Eases.—"Wash parts well with boracic acid water, then dust with fuller's earth," The boracic water is cleansing and fuller's earth is very healing. This is a very simple but effective remedy.