First of all, let me say that after a reliable physician has been called in, his directions should be strictly followed, and his instructions should be the law in the sick-room. Have everything in readiness for his admission immediately after his arrival, as his time is valuable and it occasions him both annoyance and loss of time to be kept waiting outside of the sick-room, after reaching the house of the patient.

Pure air is of vital importance in the sick-room. Many persons exclude fresh air for fear of dampness, but even damp air is better than impure. Even in cold weather, there should be a free circulation of air. If there are no ventilators, let the air circulate from the tops of the windows, rather than admit it by opening the door, which is apt to produce a draft. Meantime keep up a good fire; if practicable, let it be a wood fire, but if this be not attainable, have an open grate, with a coal fire. The sight of a bright blaze is calculated to cheer the patient, while the sight of a dark, close stove is depressing. By no means allow a sick person to be in a room warmed by a flue or register.

The old idea of darkening the sick-room is exploded. It should be darkened only when the patient wishes to sleep. If the eyes are weak, admit the sunshine from a quarter where it will not fall upon them. The modern science of physics has come to recognize sunshine as one of the most powerful of remedial agencies, and cases are not rare in which invalids have been restored to health by using sun-baths, and otherwise freely enjoying the sunshine.

It is best to have no odors in the sick-room unless it be bay rum, German cologne, or something else especially fancied by the sick person. Where there is any unpleasant exhalation, it is far better to let it escape by properly ventilating the room, than to try to overcome it by the aid of perfumery. In fevers, where there are offensive exhalations from the body, sponging with tepid water will help to remove the odor, and will also prove soothing to the patient. In winter, expose but a small portion of the body at a time, in sponging. Then rub gently with the hand or a coarse towel, and there will be no danger of the patient's taking cold, even in winter.

Be careful to keep warm, soft flannels on the sick person in winter. In summer, do not keep a pile of bedclothes on the patient, even though chilly. It is better to keep up the circulation by other means, such as rubbing or stimulants. Scrupulous neatness should be observed about the bed-linen (as well as the other appointments of the sick-room). Never use bed-quilts or comforts; they are not only heavy, but retain the exhalations from the body. Use soft, fleecy blankets instead.

The nurse should watch her opportunity of having the bedclothes taken into the fresh air and shaken, and the bed made up, when the patient has been lifted up and set in an easy-chair near the fire. The arrangements about the bed should be quickly made, so that the patient may be able to lie down again as soon as fatigued. Let such sweeping and dusting as are necessary be also done with dispatch, using a dust-pan to receive the dust from the carpet. Avoid clouds of dust from the carpet, and of ashes from the fireplace.

The nurse has a very important part to play, as physicians say that nursing is of equal importance as medical attendance. The nurse should be careful not to wear a dress that rustles, nor shoes that creak, and if the patient has any fancy, or any aversion connected with colors, she should regard it in her dress. Indeed, the patient should be indulged in every fancy that is not hurtful.

The nurse should be prompt in every arrangement. Where blisters or poultices are to be used, she should not wait till the last moment to prepare them, but should do so before uncovering the patient to apply them, or even broaching the subject. If anything painful or distasteful has to be undergone by the patient, it should not be discussed beforehand with or before the patient; but when all is in readiness, with cheerful and soothing words, let it be done.

The patient should never be kept waiting for food, medicine, bath, or any other requisite. Every arrangement should be made beforehand to supply his or her needs in good time. Crushed ice and other needful things should be kept always at hand, so the patient may have them at any moment without delay. Especially on the approach of night, try to provide everything needed during the night, such as ice, mustard, hot water, kindling wood, a large piece of soapstone for the feet, as this is more cleanly and retains heat better than other things used for the purpose. Other things, such as the nature of the sickness may call for, should be thought of and provided before nightfall.

As the sick are very fastidious, all food for them must be prepared in the most delicate manner. Do not bring the same article of food several times consecutively, but vary it from time to time. Do not let a sick person have any article of food forbidden by a physician, as there are many reasons known to them only, why dishes fancied by the sick should be injurious.

Avoid whispering, as this excites nervousness and apprehension on the part of the sick. Do not ask in a mournful tone of voice how the patient is. Indeed, it is best to ask the sick as few questions as possible. It is far better to watch their symptoms for yourself than to question them. Examine for yourself if their feet are warm, and endeavor to discover their condition and their wants, as far as possible, without questions.

In a case of illness, many well-meaning persons crowd to see the patient; do not admit them into the sick-room, as it is both exciting and fatiguing to an ill person to see company, and, when in a critical condition, the balance might be disastrously turned by the injudicious admission of visitors. Both mind and body must be kept quiet to give the patient a chance for recovery. When well enough to listen to conversation, the patient should hear none but what is cheerful and entertaining, never any of an argumentative or otherwise unpleasant nature.

Do not allow the patient to read, as it is too great a tax on the sight and brain before convalescence. Suitable books, in large print, are a great resource to the patient when arrived at this stage, but should be read only in moderation.

Driving out is a delightful recreation for convalescents, and they should be indulged in it as soon as the physician pronounces it safe. In winter, they should be carried driving about noon, so as to enjoy the sunshine at its warmest. In summer, the cool of the morning or evening is the best time to drive them out; but if the latter time be chosen, be careful to return immediately after sundown. Make arrangements for the patient on returning to find the room thoroughly cleaned, aired, and adorned with fresh flowers (always so cheering in a sick-room), and let the bed be nicely made up and turned down. It is well to have some little refreshment awaiting after the drive—a little cream or milk toddy, a cup of tea or coffee, or, if the weather be hot, some cooling draught perhaps would be more acceptable. It is well to keep the convalescent cheered, by projecting each day some new and pleasant little plan for the morrow.

Arrowroot.

Break an egg. Separate the yolk and white. Whip each to a stiff froth. Add a tablespoonful of arrowroot and a little water to the yolk. Rub till smooth and free from lumps. Pour slowly into half a pint of boiling water, stirring all the time. Let it simmer till jelly-like. Sweeten to the taste and add a tablespoonful of French brandy. Stir in the frothed white and take hot in winter. In summer, set first on ice, then stir in the beaten white. Milk may be used instead of water.—Mrs.S.T.

Arrowroot.

Mix one tablespoonful arrowroot with enough cold water to make a paste, free from lumps. Pour this slowly into half a pint boiling milk and let it simmer till it becomes thick and jelly-like. Sweeten to the taste and add a little nutmeg or cinnamon.—Mrs.R.C.M.W.

Seamoss Farina.

One tablespoonful in one quart hot water makes jelly; one tablespoonful in one quart milk makes blanc-mange. Stir fifteen minutes, and, while simmering, flavor with vanilla or lemon. Suitable for sick persons.—M.L.G.

Racahaut.

One pound rice flour, one pound chocolate, grated fine, two tablespoonfuls arrowroot. From a half-pound to a pound of sugar. Mix well together and put in a close jar. To one quart milk, rub in four dessertspoonfuls of the above mixture. Give it a boil up and season with vanilla.—Mrs.J.H.T.

Cracked Wheat.

Soak the wheat in cold water all night. Pour off this water in the morning. Pour boiling water then over the wheat and boil it about half an hour, adding salt and butter. Eat with cream.—Mrs.A.M.

Breakfast for an Invalid.

Bread twelve hours old, an egg and black tea.—Mrs.A.

Food for a Sick Infant.

Gelatine two inches square, milk half a pint, water half a pint, cream one-half to one gill, arrowroot a teaspoonful. Sweeten to the taste.—Mrs.J.D.

Wine Whey.

Put half pint milk over the fire, and, as soon as it begins to boil, pour slowly into it a wine-glass of sherry wine, mixed with a teaspoonful white sugar. Grate into it a little nutmeg, and as soon as it comes to a boil again, take it off the fire. When cool, strain for use.—Mrs.R.C.M.W.

Milk Punch.

Pour two tablespoonfuls good brandy into six tablespoonfuls milk. Add two teaspoonfuls ground loaf sugar and a little grated nutmeg. An adult may take a tablespoonful of this every two or three hours, but children must take less.—Mrs.R.C.M.W.

Beef Essence.

Cut one pound beef in small bits, sprinkle with a very little salt, tie up in a close stone jar, and set in boiling water. Boil it hard an hour or more, then strain it. Chicken may be prepared the same way. Nice for the sick.—Mrs. Col.W.

Beef-Tea.

Take half a pound fresh beef for every pint of beef-tea required. Carefully remove all fat, sinew, veins, and bone from the beef. Cut it in pieces under an inch square and let it soak twelve hours in one-third of the water required to be made into tea. Then take it out and let it simmer three hours in the remaining two-thirds of the water, the quantity lost by evaporation being replaced from time to time. The boiling liquor is then to be poured on the cold liquor in which the meat was soaked. The solid meat is to be dried, pounded in a mortar, and minced so as to cut up all strings in it, and mixed with the liquid. When the beef-tea is made daily, it is convenient to use one day's boiled meat for the next day's tea, as thus it has time to dry and is more easily pounded. Avoid having it sticky and too much jellied, when cold.

Essence of Chicken.

In a case of extreme sickness, when it is important that what little nourishment the patient can take should be highly condensed, the following is an excellent mode for concentrating, in a small compass, all the nutritive properties of a chicken.

After picking the chicken, sprinkle a little salt over it and cut it in pieces, as if for frying. Put the pieces in a small glass jar (or wide-mouthed bottle), stop it tightly, and put it in a pot of cold water, gradually heating the latter till it boils. Let the jar of chicken remain in the water till the juices are well extracted, then pour them off for the patient.—Mrs.M.C.C.

Chicken Jelly.

Take a large chicken, cut the flesh from its bones, break the bones, soak an hour in weak salt and water to extract the blood. Put on in a stewpan with three pints of cold water. Simmer till reduced to less than half its original quantity. Sprinkle a little salt on it, and strain in a bowl. Keep on ice.—Mrs.S.T.

A Nourishing Way to Prepare Chicken, Squirrel, or Beef for the Sick.

Put in a clean, glazed jar or inner saucepan. Set this in another vessel of boiling water. Cover closely, and keep boiling for hours. Season the juice thus extracted with a little salt, stir in a teaspoonful of fresh milk, and give to the patient.—Mrs.T.

Panada.

Lay six nice crackers in a bowl. Sprinkle over them powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, adding a very small piece of fresh butter. Pour boiling water over the crackers, and let them remain near the fire half an hour. Then add a teaspoonful of good French brandy, or a tablespoonful of Madeira wine, and a little grated nutmeg.—Mrs.T.

Dry Toast.

Slice thin, some nice, white bread, perfectly sweet. Toast a light brown, and butter with fresh butter.—Mrs.S.T.

Scalded Toast.

Prepare and toast the bread as above directed. Then lay in a covered dish and pour boiling water over it. Turn to one side, and drain out the water. Then put fresh butter on each slice, with a small pinch of salt. Serve in a covered dish.—Mrs.S.T.

Milk Toast.

Slice the bread thin, toast a light brown, butter each side, and sprinkle with a little salt. Put in a covered dish, and pour over it boiling milk.—Mrs.S.T.

Carolina Small Hominy.

Wash and pick. Drain, and soak an hour in cold water. Drain again, and put in a saucepan, with one pint boiling water to one pint hominy. Boil till dry like rice. Eat with cream, butter and salt, or with sugar, butter and nutmeg.—Mrs.S.T.

Dishes Suitable for the Sick

May be found in various parts of this work, such as rice pudding, baked custard, and various preparations of tapioca, sago, and arrowroot. Grapes are valuable in fever, and also good for chronic sore-throat.—Mrs.S.T.

Thieves' Vinegar.

A handful of sage and the same of mint, tansy, rue, rosemary, lavender, and thyme; one ounce of camphor. Put in a gallon demijohn, and fill with good vinegar. Set in the sun two weeks with a piece of leather over the mouth, then stop tightly.—Mrs.D.R.

Aromatic Vinegar.

Acetic acid (concentrated), eight ounces; oil of lavender (Eng.), two drachms; oil of rosemary, one drachm; oil of cloves, one drachm; gum camphor, one ounce. Dissolve the camphor (bruised) in the acid, then add perfumes. After standing a few days, with occasional shaking, strain, and it is ready for use.—Dr.E.A.C.

Soda Mint.

Bicarb. soda (Eng.), one drachm; pure water, three ounces; spearmint water, four ounces; glycerine, one ounce; ar. spts. ammonia, thirty-two drops. Mix and filter. Dose, from twenty drops to a tablespoonful, according to age.—Dr.E.A.C.

Lime-Water.

This is easily prepared, and a bottle should always be kept ready for use. It is an antidote to many poisons and a valuable remedy in a sick-room. Put some pieces of unslacked lime in a bottle, fill up with cold water, keep it corked and in a cool, dark place. It does not matter about the quantity of lime, as the water will not dissolve more than a certain quantity. It is ready for use in a few minutes, and the clear lime-water can be poured off as needed. When all the water is used, fill up again, which may be done several times before it is necessary to use fresh lime.—Mrs.T.

Tarrant's Effervescent Seltzer Aperient.

Is an invaluable remedy for sick headache, nausea, constipation, and many of the attendant evils of dyspepsia. Directions accompany each bottle. Colic and other violent pains of the stomach are sometimes instantly relieved by adding to the dose of Seltzer Aperient a teaspoonful of Brown's Jamaica Ginger.

Brown's Jamaica Ginger.

Is not only an invaluable remedy, but a refreshing and delightful drink may be made from it in summer, when iced lemonade would be unsafe and iced juleps, etc., would be too heating for one suffering from over-fatigue. Fill a goblet with crushed ice, add two teaspoonfuls of powdered sugar and one of Jamaica ginger. Fill up with water, stir and drink.—Mrs.S.T.

Mustard.

It is not safe to pass a day without mustard in the house, so valuable are its medicinal properties. When a large plaster is wanted, put into a plate or bowl two tablespoonfuls ground mustard. Wet it with cold water and stir with a spoon or knife till a smooth paste. Lay on an inverted tea-board a piece of newspaper twice the size of the plaster wanted. On one-half spread evenly and thinly the mustard. Fold over the other half and fold over the edges as if to hem a piece of cloth, to prevent the mustard from getting on the skin or clothing. In winter, warm slightly before applying. Keep it on an adult fifteen minutes; on a child, half that time. In this way, painful blisters will always be avoided. If the pain is in the chest or stomach, place the same plaster on the back just opposite, and let it remain on twenty minutes the second time. Colman's mustard is considered the best by many persons.

Mustard Leaves or Plasters.

It is well in travelling to carry a package of these plasters, in case of sudden sickness. It is important also to keep them at home, as sometimes they are needed suddenly in the night, and even one moment gained is important in great emergencies. Those manufactured by Seabury & Johnson, N.Y., are considered excellent and superior to the foreign article.

Compound Syrup of Horehound and tar.

Is excellent for coughs, colds, bronchitis, and diseases of the chest. Manufactured by Faulkner & Craighill, Lynchburg, Va.

For Sore-Throat.

Carbolic acid crystals, pure, half a drachm; tincture kino, one drachm; chlorate potash, two drachms; simple syrup, half an ounce. Water sufficient to make an eight-ounce mixture. Gargle the throat every few hours.—Dr.T.L.W.

For Sore-Throat.

Rub the throat well with camphorated oil, and gargle frequently with a strong solution chlorate of potash.—Mrs.S.T.

For Sore-Throat.

Carbolic acid, fifteen grains; chlorate potash, thirty grains; rose-water, one and a half ounces; glycerine, one-half ounce. Use as a gargle, three or four times daily.—Mr.E.C.

A Cure for Epilepsy (one I have known to succeed in many cases).

Procure the fresh root of a white peony. Scrape and cut in pieces an inch square. Eat one three times a day, never taking any food after four P.M. Use a month, stop two weeks and begin again. The best way to keep the root is to string it on a cord. The red peony will do, if you cannot get the white.—Mrs.R.C.

Cure for Cramp.

Wet a cloth in spirits turpentine and lay it over the place where the pain is felt. If the pain moves, move the cloth. Take five drops spirits turpentine at a time on white sugar till relieved.—Mrs.R.

For Cramp-Colic, or Pain Resulting from Disordered Bowels.

One teaspoonful paregoric, one teaspoonful Jamaica ginger, one teaspoonful spirits camphor, one-half teaspoonful carbonate soda, two tablespoonfuls water, two tablespoonfuls whiskey. This is for one dose. If it does not relieve in an hour, repeat.—Dr.J.T.W.

For Chilblains.

Take common furniture glue from the pot, spread it on a linen rag or piece of brown paper, and apply hot to the chilblain, letting it remain till the glue wears off.

For Fresh Cuts.

Varnish them with common furniture varnish. This remedy has been known to prove very efficacious.—Mr.W.

The Ocean Salt.

Is now much used by those who cannot go to the seaside. Seventy-five cents for half a bushel. Dissolve a large handful in a pitcher of water. Use a sponge to rub the flesh.—Mrs.A.

Breast Salve.

Linseed oil (raw), four ounces; mutton tallow, four ounces; yellow wax, two ounces; Burgundy pitch, one ounce; Venice turpentine, one ounce; oil lavender, one-half ounce; rosin, one-half ounce.

Melt together and strain through flannel. Spread lightly on a soft linen rag, apply to the breast, and the relief is almost instantaneous.—Dr.E.A.C.

An Excellent Wash for Inflamed Eyes.

Sulph. zinc, two grains; wine of opium, ten drops; distilled water, one ounce. Mix. Drop two or three drops in the outer corner of the eye several times a day.—Dr.E.A.C.

Eye-Water for Weak Eyes.

One teaspoonful laudanum, two teaspoonfuls Madeira wine, twelve teaspoonfuls rose-water.—Mrs.E.I.

For Earache.

Equal parts of laudanum and tincture of arnica. Mix, saturate a piece of wool in the mixture, and insert in the ear.—Dr.E.A.C.

Toothache Drops. (Sure cure.)

Morphia, six grains; half on ounce each of tincture aconite root, chloroform, laudanum, creosote, oil cloves, cajuput. Add as much gum camphor as the chloroform will dissolve. Saturate with the above mixture a piece of wool and put it in the hollow tooth, being certain that the cavity is cleaned out.—Dr.E.A.C.

Preventive of Scarlet Fever.

Extract belladonna (pure), three grains; cinnamon-water, one drachm; distilled water, seven drachms. Mix, label poison, and give the child for a dose as many drops as the years of his age.—Dr.E.A.C.

For Preventing Scarlet Fever.

Extract belladonna, six grains; cinnamon-water, one drachm; white sugar, two drachms; alcohol, two drachms; pure water, thirteen drachms. Mix thoroughly and label belladonna, poison. Dose, one drop for each year of the child's age, repeated twice a day.—Dr.E.A.C.

To Relieve "Prickly Heat."

Sulphate of copper, grains ten; pure water, f. ounce i. Mix sol. Apply with camel-hair brush daily or oftener.—Dr.E.A.C.

For Snake Bites.

Apply ammonia or hartshorn immediately to the bite, and swallow ten drops, dissolved in a wine-glass of water. Said to be a certain remedy.—Mrs.T.

Remedy for Chicken Cholera.

Dip a small feather or brush into tincture of iodine, hold the chicken's mouth open, and mop the inside of the throat thoroughly with the iodine. This treatment has proved successful whenever tried.—Mrs.N.G.

Mashed Finger.

Bind up with old linen and keep constantly wet with cold water. If there is much pain, add laudanum or tincture of arnica. If discoloration and swelling remain, after the pain subsides, use stimulating liniment to encourage a flow of pure blood and the washing away of the injured blood.

Burns and Scalds.

If the burn or scald is serious, send immediately for a physician. In the meantime, cover with wet linen cloths, pouring on more water without removing them, till the pain is alleviated, when pure hog's lard may be applied, which is one of the best and most easily procured dressings. If the scald or burn is trifling, this is all that is needed. Lather of soap from the shaving-cup applied by the brush often produces relief. White of egg applied in the same way is a simple and useful dressing. Never tamper with a bad burn. This requires the skilful treatment of a physician. If the shock is great, and there is no reaction, administer frequently aromatic spirits of ammonia or a little brandy and water till the patient rallies.

Liniment for Recent Burns and Scalds.

Take equal parts of lime-water, linseed-oil, and laudanum. Mix and apply on a soft linen rag. Some add about one-quarter quantity commercial sol. carbolic acid.—Dr.E.A.C.

Compound Chalk Mixture for Infants and Young Children.

Prepared chalk, powdered white sugar, gum arabic, two drachms each. Tincture kino, paregoric, each six drachms. Lime-water, one ounce; peppermint water, sufficient for four ounces.

Mix thoroughly and shake well before administering. Dose, from half to a teaspoonful, according to age and urgency of the case.—Dr.E.A.C.

A Simple Remedy for Dysentery.

Black or green tea steeped in boiling water and sweetened with loaf sugar.—Mrs.R.C.M.W.

For Diarrhoea.

Take equal parts of laudanum, tincture capsicum, tincture camphor, and aromatic syrup rhubarb. Mix. Dose, from half to a teaspoonful, in water, when needed.—Dr.E.A.C.

Chill Pills.

Sulph. quinine, two drachms; arsenious acid, one grain; strychnia, one grain; Prussian blue, twenty grains; powdered capsicum, one drachm. Mix, and make sixty pills. Take one pill three times a day.—Dr.E.A.C.

Cure for Cold in the Head.

Muriate of morphia, two grains; powdered gum arabic, two drachms; sub. nit. bismuth, six drachms.

Mix and snuff frequently.—Dr.E.A.C.

Prompt Remedy for Cold in the Head.

Sulph. quinine, twenty-four grains; cayenne pepper, five grains. Make twelve pills, and take one every three hours.—Mr.E.C.

Cure for Dyspepsia.

Best Turkish rhubarb, one ounce; gentian root, bruised, one-half ounce; columbo, one-half ounce; orange peel, one-half ounce; fennel seed, one-half ounce; best French brandy, one quart. This will bear filling up several times.

For Whooping-Cough.

Drop a fresh, unbroken egg in lemon juice. When dissolved, sweeten and give a spoonful occasionally when the cough comes on.—Mrs.E.I.

An Excellent Remedy for Coughs.

Boil three fresh lemons till quite soft. Then slice them on a pound of brown sugar. Stew them together fifteen or twenty minutes, or till they form a rich syrup. When cool, add one tablespoonful oil of sweet almonds.

Take one spoonful or more when the cough is troublesome.—N.A.L.

Remedy for Coughs.

Boil one ounce licorice root in one-half pint of water, till it is reduced one-half. Then add one ounce gum arabic and one ounce loaf sugar. Take a teaspoonful every few hours.—N.A.L.

Remedy for Coughs.

Boil three lemons for fifteen minutes. Slice them thin while hot over one pound of loaf sugar. Put on the fire in a porcelain-lined saucepan and stew till the syrup is quite thick. After taking it from the fire, add one tablespoonful of oil of sweet almonds. Stir till thoroughly mixed and cool. If more than a small quantity is desired, double the above proportions.—Mrs.J.D.L.

Remedy for Asthma, Sore-Throat, or a Cough.

Cut up two or three bulbs of Indian turnip, put the pieces in a quart bottle, which fill up with good whiskey. Dose, a tablespoonful, three or four times a day. It is especially desirable to take it just after rising and just before going to bed. Wonderful cures of asthma have been effected by this remedy, and many persons living near the writer have tested its efficacy. The bottle will bear refilling with whiskey several times. Great care must be taken in procuring the genuine Indian turnip for this preparation, as there is a poisonous plant much resembling it.—Mrs.M.L.

Remedy for Poison Oak.

Make a strong decoction of the leaves or bark of the common willow. Bathe the parts affected frequently with this decoction, and it will be found a very efficacious remedy.—Gen.M.

Remedy for Poison Oak.

Forty grains caustic potash to five ounces of water. Apply to the eruption with a small mop, made by tying a soft linen rag to a stick. Often a speedy cure.—Mrs.S.T.

Cure for Jaundice.

Fill a quart bottle a third full of chipped inner cherry bark. Add a large teaspoonful soda, and fill the bottle with whiskey or brandy. Take as large a dose three times a day as the system will tolerate. If it affects the head unpleasantly, lessen the quantity of bark. It will be fit for use in a few hours.—Dr.B.

Cure for Bone Felon.

One ounce assafoetida in one pint vinegar, as hot as the hand can bear. Keep it hot by placing the vessel over the top of a teakettle. Use it frequently through the day, an hour at a time. A painful but effective remedy.—Mrs.J.D.P.

For Treating Corns.

Apply night and morning with a brush one or two drops of protoxide of iron for two weeks.—Mrs.W.

Cure for Corns Between the Toes.

Wet them several times a day with hartshorn, and in a short time they will disappear.—Mrs.W.B.

Carrot Salve for Blisters.

Scrape two carrots and stew in two tablespoonfuls hog's lard. Add two plantain leaves. When the carrots are well done, strain.—Mrs.E.I.

Liniment for Rheumatism.

Half an ounce gum camphor, half an ounce saltpetre, half an ounce spirits ammonia, half a pint alcohol. Old-fashioned liniment, good for man or beast.—Mrs.T.

A Good Liniment.

One egg beaten light, half a pint spirits turpentine, half a pint good apple vinegar. Shake well before using. Good for sprains, cuts, or bruises.—Mrs.H.

A Good Treatment for Croup.

When the child is taken with a hoarse, tight cough, give it immediately from ten drops to half a teaspoon of hive or croup syrup, or if you have not these, use ipecac syrup, though this is less rapid in its effects. Put a mustard plaster on the wind-pipe, and let it redden the skin, but not blister. Put the feet in mustard-water as hot as they can bear it. Then wipe them dry and keep them covered warm. A child from three to six years old will require from ten drops to half a teaspoon of the syrup every half-hour till relieved. From six to twelve, give from a half teaspoon to a full teaspoon, according to the age of the patient. Croup requires very prompt treatment. If home treatment does not relieve, send immediately for a physician.—Mrs.P.W.

To Take Quinine without Tasting it.

Put a little of the mucilage from slippery elm in a teaspoon. Drop the quinine on it, and put some mucilage on top. This will make the quinine slip down the throat without leaving any taste.—Mrs.J.A.S.

Dressing for Blisters.

The first dressing should be of collard leaves, prepared thus. With a sharp knife carefully pare smooth all the stalk and veining. Then scald and squeeze each one to a pleasant moisture, keeping them blood-warm until applied. Second dressing—pure lard or mutton suet spread evenly and thinly on a soft linen rag.—Mrs.S.T.

An Excellent and Simple Salve for Boils.

Melt together, in equal parts, the white rosin that exudes from the common pine tree and mutton suet. This makes a good plaster for the boil, both before and after it breaks.—Mrs.S.T.

For Boils.

Slippery elm flour wet with cold water, and put in a soft muslin bag, and applied to the boil till the inflammation subsides, is an admirable remedy. Then apply carbolic salve spread on a linen rag, which is a good dressing for the boil, both before and after it breaks.—Mrs.S.T.

To Extinguish the Flames when the Clothing has taken Fire.

First, throw the person on the ground to prevent the upward flames from being inhaled. Then quickly roll the person in a carpet hearth-rug or blanket; if neither is at hand, use any woollen garment, such as a coat, overcoat, or cloak. Keep the blaze as much as possible from the face, wrapping the woollen garment first around the neck and shoulders. Jumping into bed and covering up with the bedclothes is also a good plan.

For Weak Back.

Two tablespoonfuls finely powdered rosin, four tablespoonfuls white sugar, whites of two eggs, one quart best whiskey. Dose, a tablespoonful three times a day, either before or after meals. Excellent also for colds or weak lungs; will stop an irritating cough. Taken half a teaspoonful at a time.—Mrs.G.

Poisons and Antidotes.

Acids—Sulphuric, Nitric, Muriatic, Phosphoric, Oxalic, Citric, Tartaric, Acetic.—Give freely of magnesia or soap-water (half an ounce white soap to two quarts tepid water). Also very weak solutions of carbonate of soda or potassa may be used. Give demulcent drinks and milk-baths, cataplasms, antiphlogistics. Avoid lime-water.

Alkalies—Caustic, Potassa, Soda, Lime, Strontia, Baryta, and their Carbonates.—Give diluted vinegar in abundance, four ounces vinegar to one quart water. Citric or tartaric lemonade, whites of eggs with tepid water, milk, sweet-oil. Baths, lotions, fomentations.

Arsenic.—Prompt emetic. Give freely of hydrated peroxide of iron; dose, half an ounce, frequently repeated. If this is not at hand, give magnesia in large quantities of tepid water. Demulcent drinks, baths, and counter-irritants over the stomach to relieve spasms.

Carbolic Acid.—Saccharated lime in water; also demulcent drinks.

Chloral.—Keep the patient warm in bed, with hot blankets and hot water bottles, the bottles also to be applied over the heart. A warm bath may be of advantage. If respiration threatens to fail, maintain it artificially, and apply galvanic battery (induced current), one pole over pit of stomach and the other over lower cervical vertebrÆ.

Chloroform.—Draw out the tongue, if retracted. Give plenty of air. Raise the body and lower the head, till the body is almost inverted. Maintain artificial respiration. Use the galvanic battery as above directed.

Copper, Salts of.—Cause vomiting, and then give freely of whites of eggs and water, demulcent drinks, soothing clysters, lotions, fomentations. Avoid vinegar.

Corrosive Sublimate.—First, cause vomiting, then give whites of eggs in water, four whites to one quart water. Milk, demulcent drinks, and gargles.

Gases.—The antidote for chlorine is to inhale ammonia. Asphyxia by other gases, treated by cold applications to the head, plenty of air, artificial respiration.

Glass, in powder.—Farina or light food in abundance. Then an emetic, then milk and demulcent drinks.

Iodine.—Starch-water containing albumen in large quantities, or starch-water alone.

Lead, Salts of.—White of eggs, epsom salts, or sulphuric acid lemonade. (One drachm diluted acid to a quart sweetened water.)

Nitrate of Silver (lunar caustic).—Give salt water freely.

Opium and Salts of Morphine.—Cause free vomiting by sulphate of zinc, sulphate of copper, and tartar emetic, and use the stomach-pump. Then administer one-sixteenth grain atropine, hypodermically, and repeat with caution till the pupils dilate. Also give strong coffee or tea. Keep the patient awake. If depression and drowsiness are extreme, bleeding may do the patient good.

Phosphorus.—Emetic, then water with whites of eggs, magnesia in suspension, milk. Avoid oils.

Prussic Acid.—Affusions of water over the cervical vertebrÆ. Cause the gas from chlorine water to be inhaled. Give from twenty to forty drops of Labbaraque's solution largely diluted, also coffee.

Strychnine.—Cause vomiting. Give ether or chloroform by inhalation, and chloral internally. Insufflate the lungs.

Tartar Emetic.—If there is vomiting, favor it by giving whites of eggs with water in large quantities, then give infusion of gall or oak bark. If vomiting is not free, use the stomach-pump.

Venomous Bites, Serpents.—Apply a moderately tight ligature above the bite. Wash the wound freely with warm water to encourage bleeding, then cauterize thoroughly. Afterwards apply lint dipped in equal parts of olive-oil and spirits hartshorn. Internally give freely of alcoholic stimulants, with liquid ammonia, largely diluted.

Rabid Dogs.—Apply ligature as above described, wash the wound thoroughly with warm water, and cauterize immediately with nitric acid or lunar caustic, leaving no part of the wound untouched.