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

rush
  Stiff marsh plants of the genus Juncus, having pliant hollow or pithy
  stems and small flowers with scale-like perianths (outer envelope of a
  flower,).

sago
  Powdery starch from the trunks of sago palms; used in Asia as a food
  thickener and textile stiffener.

sal-ammoniac
  ammonium chloride; white crystalline volatile salt NH4Cl, used in dry
  cells and as an expectorant called.

saleratus
  Sodium or potassium bicarbonate used as a leavening agent; baking soda.

salicylate
  Salt or ester of salicylic acid.

salicylic acid
  White crystalline acid, C6H4(OH)(COOH), used to make aspirin and to
  treat skin conditions such as eczema.

salol
  White crystalline powder, C13H10O3, derived from salicylic acid and used
  in plastics, suntan oils, analgesics and antipyretics. Was a trademark.

saltpetre (potassium nitrate, saltpeter, niter, nitre)
  (KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer, explosive and a diuretic.

salt rheum
  Popular name in the United States, for skin eruptions, such as eczema.
  Eczema; inflammatory skin disease, indicated by redness and itching,
  eruption of small vesicles, and discharge of a watery exudation, which
  often dries up, leaving the skin covered with crusts;—called also
  tetter, and milk crust.

sanguinaria
  Rhizome (horizontal, underground stem) and roots of the bloodroot
  (Sanguinaria canadensis) used formerly as an expectorant and emetic.

sedulous
  Persevering and constant in effort or application; assiduous.

senna
  Plants of the genus Cassia, having showy, nearly regular, usually yellow
  flowers. Dried leaves of Cassia angustifolia or C. acutifolia, used as a
  cathartic.

santonin
  Colorless crystalline compound, C15H18O3, wormwood, especially
  santonica; used to expel or destroy parasitic intestinal worms.

sarsaparilla
  Tropical American plants, genus Smilax, with fragrant roots used as a
  flavoring. Dried roots of any of these plants. Sweet soft drink flavored
  with these roots.

savin
  Evergreen Eurasian shrub (Juniperus sabina) with brownish-blue
  seed-bearing cones and young shoots that yield an oil formerly used
  medicinally.

scrofula (struma)
  A form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes, especially of the
  neck. Common in children. Spread by unpasteurized milk from infected
  cows.

scurf
  Scaly or shredded dry skin, such as dandruff.

scurvy
  Disease caused by deficiency of vitamin C (citrus fruit; oranges,
  limes,..); causes spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin, and
  extreme weakness.

Seidlitz
  A village in Bohemia (also Sedlitz). Seidlitz powders, effervescing
  salts, consisting of forty grains of sodium bicarbonate, two drachms of
  Rochell salt (tartrate of potassium and sodium) and thirty-five grains
  of tartaric acid. The powders are mixed in water, and drunk while
  effervescing, as a mild cathartic; the result resembles the natural
  water of Seidlitz. Also Rochelle powders.

senega
  Dried root of seneca snakeroot containing an irritating saponin and was
  formerly used as an expectorant

sesquioxide
  Oxide containing three atoms of oxygen with two atoms (or radicals) of
  some other substance; thus, alumina, Al2O3 is a sesquioxide.

shirr
  Cook (unshelled eggs) by baking until set.

sinapism.
  See mustard plaster.

sitz bath
  Bathtub shaped like a chair, used to bathe only the hips and buttocks.

slaked lime
  See lime

sling
  Drink consisting of brandy, whiskey, or gin, sweetened and usually
  lemon-flavored.

smallpox
  Contagious febrile (feverish) disease characterized by skin eruption
  with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation. It is caused by a poxvirus
  (genus Orthopoxvirus) that is believed to exist now only in lab
  cultures.

smilax (catbrier, greenbrier) Slender vine (Asparagus asparagoides) with glossy foliage, greenish flowers, heart-shaped leaves, and bluish to black berries; popular as a floral decoration.

Socotrine
  Pertaining to Socotra, an island in the Indian Ocean, on the east coast
  of Africa.

sordes
  Dark brown or blackish crust-like deposits on the lips, teeth, and gums
  of a person with dehydration resulting from a chronic debilitating
  disease.

spermaceti
  White, waxy substance from the head of the sperm whale used for making
  candles, ointments, and cosmetics.

spematorrhea (spermatorrhoea)
  Involuntary discharge of semen without orgasm

spigelia (pinkroot )
  Genus of American herbs (family Loganiaceae) related to the nux vomica
  and used as anthelmintics (expel or destroy parasitic intestinal worms).

sprue
  Chronic, chiefly tropical disease characterized by diarrhea, emaciation,
  and anemia, caused by defective absorption of nutrients from the
  intestinal tract.

squill (sea onion)
  Bulbous Eurasian and African plants of the genus Scilla, having narrow
  leaves and bell-shaped blue, white, or pink flowers. The dried inner
  scales of the bulbs used as rat poison and formerly as a cardiac
  stimulant, expectorant, and diuretic.

stephanotis
  Woody climbing plants of the genus Stephanotis, especially S. floribunda
  of Madagascar, cultivated for its showy fragrant white flowers.

staphisagria (stavesacre)
  Eurasian plant of the genus Delphinium (D. staphisagria). Ripe seeds of
  the stavesacre contain delphinine, are violently emetic and carthartic,
  and have been used to kill head lice called also staphisagria

steppage
  Peculiar gait seen in neuritis of the peroneal nerve and in tabes
  dorsalis; high stepping to allow the drooping foot and toes to clear the
  ground.

stertorous
  Harsh snoring or gasping sound.

stevia
  Plant of the genus Stevia or Piqueria, having white or purplish
  flowers.

stiletto
  Small dagger with a slender, tapering blade. Small, sharp-pointed
  instrument used for making eyelet holes in needlework.

stillingia
  Genus of widely distributed herbs and shrubs (family Euphorbiaceae). The
  dried root of a plant of the genus Stillingia (S. sylvatica) was
  formerly used as a diuretic, and laxative.

stomachic
  Relating to the stomach; gastric. Beneficial to digestion. An agent that
  strengthens the stomach.

strychnine
  Extremely poisonous white crystalline alkaloid, C21H22O2N2, derived from
  nux vomica and related plants, used to poison rodents and topically in
  medicine as a stimulant for the central nervous system.

stupe
  Hot, wet, medicated cloth used as a compress.

St. Vitus' Dance
  See chorea

stye (hordeolum)
  Inflamed swelling of a sebaceous gland at the margin of an eyelid.

suety
  Consisting of, or resembling, suet (hard fatty tissues around the
  kidneys of cattle and sheep, used in cooking and for making tallow.)

sugar of lead
  lead acetate, a poisonous white crystalline compound, Pb(C2H3O2)2.3H2O,
  used in hair dyes, waterproofing compounds, and varnishes.

sumbul
  Root of a plant of the genus Ferula (F. sumbul); formerly a tonic and
  antispasmodic.

Summer complaint (summer diarrhea)
  Diarrhea of children that in hot weather; often caused by ingestion of
  food contaminated by microorganisms.

Sulphonal Produced by combining mercaptan and acetone; employed as a hypnotic.

sulphuric ether
  Ethyl ether; formerly called Naphtha vitrioli (naphtha of vitriol).

sumac (sumach)
  Shrubs or small trees of the genus Rhus, having compound leaves,
  clusters of small greenish flowers, and usually red, hairy fruit. Some
  species, such as the poison ivy and poison oak, cause an acute itching
  rash on contact.

suppuration
  Formation or discharge of pus. Also called pyesis, pyopoiesis, pyosis.

suprarenal
  Located above the kidney; a suprarenal part, especially an adrenal
  gland.

sweet william
  Annual, biennial, or perennial herb (Dianthus barbatus), native to
  Eurasia, widely cultivated as an ornamental for its flat-topped dense
  clusters of varicolored flowers.

synechia
  Adhesions between the iris and the lens or cornea caused by trauma or
  eye surgery or as a complication of glaucoma or cataracts; may cause
  blindness

terebenthene
  Oil of turpentine.

terebinth
  Mediterranean tree (Pistacia terebinthus), a source of tanning material
  and turpentine.

tetter
  Skin diseases (eczema, psoriasis, herpes) that cause eruptions and
  itching.

thrall
  Slave or serf, who is held in bondage. One intellectually or morally
  enslaved.

thrush
  A contagious childhood disease caused by a fungus, Candida albicans.
  Causes small whitish eruptions on the mouth, throat, and tongue, and
  usually accompanied by fever, colic, and diarrhea.

thuja (arborvitae)
  A North American or east Asian evergreen tree or shrub of the genus
  Thuja, having flattened branchlets with opposite, scale-like leaves and
  small cones; used as ornamentals and timber. A similar plant of the
  genus Platycladus or Thujopsis.

thymol
  White, crystalline, aromatic compound, C10H14O, derived from thyme oil
  and other oils or made synthetically and used as an antiseptic, a
  fungicide, and a preservative.

tolu (balsam of tolu, tolu balsam) Aromatic yellowish brown balsam from the tolu balsam tree used in cough syrups.

tormentil (Potentilla erecta) Plant of northern Europe found in clearings and meadows. The root has been used to stop bleeding, for food in times of need and to dye leather red.

torpid
  Lacking the power of motion or feeling.

tragacanth
  Thorny shrubs of the genus Astragalus, especially A. gummifer, of the
  Middle East, yielding a gum used in pharmacy, adhesives, and textile
  printing.

trephine
  Surgical instrument with circular edges, used to cut out disks of bone
  from the skull.

trillium (birthroot, wake-robin) Plants of genus Trillium, of North America, the Himalaya Mountains, and eastern Asia, having a cluster of three leaves and a variously colored, three-petaled flower.

trional
  Contains three ethyls. Similar to sulphonal, used as a hypnotic.

turbinated
  Shaped like a top. A small curved bone in the lateral wall of the nasal
  passage.

tulle
  Fine, starched net of silk, rayon, or nylon, used for veils, tutus, or
  gowns.

turmeric (tumeric)
  East Indian perennial herb (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family
  (Zingiberaceae) used as a coloring agent, a condiment, or a stimulant.
  Yellow to reddish brown dyestuff obtained from turmeric.

typhus (prison fever, ship fever, typhus fever.) Infectious diseases caused by rickettsia bacteria, especially those transmitted by fleas, lice, or mites. Symptoms are severe headache, sustained high fever, depression, delirium, and the eruption of red rashes on the skin.

ulster
  Loose, long overcoat made of rugged fabric.

umbrage
  Offense; resentment. Affording shade. Vague or indistinct indication; a
  hint.

Uva Ursi
  Common bearberry; a procumbent (trailing along the ground but not
  rooting) evergreen shrub 10-30 cm high with red berries.

Valerianate (Valerianic)
  One of three metameric acids; the typical one (called also inactive
  valeric acid), C4H9CO2H, is from valerian root and other sources; it is
  a corrosive, oily liquid, with a strong acid taste, and the odor of old
  cheese.

valvular
  Resembling or functioning as a valve. Relating to a valve, especially of
  the heart.

varioloid
  Mild form of smallpox occurring in people previously vaccinated or who
  previously had the disease.

vegetable marrow
  Squash plants with elongated fruit and smooth dark green skin and
  whitish flesh.

veratrum
  Poisonous alkaloid from the root hellebore (Veratrum) and from sabadilla
  seeds. Used externally to treat neuralgia and rheumatism.

verdigris
  Blue or green powder, basic cupric acetate used as a paint pigment and
  fungicide. A green patina of copper sulfate or copper chloride on
  copper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater.

vermifuge
  Medicine that expels intestinal worms.

vervain (verbena)
  New World plants of the genus Verbena, especially those with showy
  spikes of variously colored flowers.

Vichy water
  Sparkling mineral water from springs at Vichy, France or water similar
  to it.

vis-a-vis
  One that is face to face with or opposite to another.

vitiate
  Reduce the value; impair the quality; corrupt morally; debase; make
  ineffective; invalidate.

voile
  Light, plain-weave, sheer fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool used
  for dresses and curtains.

wahoo
  Shrubby North American tree of the genus Euonymus (E. atropurpureus)
  having a root bark with cathartic properties.

Waldorf salad
  Diced raw apples, celery, and walnuts mixed with mayonnaise.

wen
  Harmless cyst, usually on the scalp or face, containing the fatty
  secretion of a sebaceous gland.

whortleberry
  Two deciduous shrubs, Vaccinium myrtillus, of Eurasia, or V. corymbosum,
  of eastern North America, having edible blackish berries.

wontedness
  Being accustomed.

yarrow
  Plants of the genus Achillea, especially A. millefolium, native to
  Eurasia. Also called achillea, milfoil.

yellow fever (yellow jack)
  Infectious tropical disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted by
  mosquitoes of the genera Aedes, especially A. aegypti, and Haemagogus;
  it causes high fever, jaundice, and gastrointestinal hemorrhaging.

yerba reuma
  A low California undershrub (Frankenia grandifolia).

Zingiber
  Tropical Asiatic and Polynesian perennial plants: ginger.

zwieback
  Sweetened bread baked as a loaf and then sliced and toasted.

The following table is copied from page 636.

20 grains equal 1 scruple 3 scruples " 1 dram 8 drams " 1 ounce 12 ounces " 1 pound

The pound is the same as the pound Troy. Medicines are bought and sold in quantities by Avoirdupois Weight.

1 grain equals 1 drop or 1 minim 60 grains or drops " 1 teaspoonful 1 teaspoonful " 1 fluid dram 8 drams (or 8 teaspoonfuls) make " 1 fluid ounce 2 tablespoonfuls make "