L^iS&w't^-t' tJiVtit't'tK"' "■'■ '"- ■'■->' d-fcvK^ ' * • i ■'•, .-J- yyr.yjKt rg3Ji'. p- J"- ffr-' t^ THE FAMILY AND SHIP US MEDICINE CHEST COMPANION: BEING A COMPENDIUM OF DOMESTIC MEDICINE, SURGERY, AND MATERIA MEDICA; WITH DIRECTIONS FOR THE DIET AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SICK-ROOM; PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR HEADS OF FAMILIES, CAPTAINS OF SHIPS, TRAVELLERS, AND OVERSEERS OF PLANTATIONS ', COMPRISING PLAIN RULES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES, WITH THEIR PROPERTIES AND DOSES. ALSO GENERAL RULES ON BATHING, A PLAIN DESCRIPTION OF THE TREATMENT OF FRACTURES AND DISLOCATIONS, ETC., ETC., AND A CONCISE ACCOUNT OF THE ASIATIC AND SPASMODIC CHOLERA, WITH THE REMEDIES TO BE USED IN THE ABSENCE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE. TO WHICH IS ADDED RECEIPTS OF GENERAL UTILITY FOR FAMILY PURPOSES, SELECTED FROM STANDARD WORKS BY A PRACTISING PHYSICIAN. PHILADELPHIA: LINDSAY AND BLAKISTON. 1851. FI96 IB5"I Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, BY LINDSAY AND BLAKISTON, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. PHILADELPHIA: C. SHERMAN, PRINTER. PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. The original design of the Publishers was to offer to the Public a reprint of Savory's Compendium of Domestic Medicine. Upon examination, however, it was found to contain much that was deemed unimportant, while it was deficient in other matters which would render it useful to sea captains and owners of plantations. It was determined, therefore, to cull from it and several other works of a like character and equal reputation, such material as would make a reliable companion to the family and sea medicine chest. With this object they have selected the matter from the following sources, viz.: Savory's Compendium of Do- mestic Medicine; Dinneford and Earland's Medicine Di- rectory; Coxe's Companion to the Sea Medicine Chest; Household Surgery, or Hints on Emergencies, by J. F. South; The Management of the Sick-room, by A. T. Thomson, M.D.; The Maternal Management of Children, viii publishers' preface. by Thomas Bull, M.D., and The Pocket Formulary, by Henry Beasely. In many places the source of the in- debtedness has been acknowledged in the body of the work; in others it was impossible to do so; the Publishers there- fore make their acknowledgment in this place. The object of the work, thus compiled, is to afford as- sistance to those who are removed from Medical or Surgical aid, but in no way to delegate the treatment and care of the sick to the inexperienced, when other assistance can be obtained; let not its object, therefore, be misunderstood. The descriptions of diseases and medicines are made as plain and intelligible as possible, but to aid those who are ignorant of medical terms, a short glossary of the most common, is appended to the work. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Domestic Pharmacopceia, ----- 13 Table of Doses, Weights, and Measures, - - - 13 Medical Terms, ------ 18 Administration of Medicines, - - - - -24 Drugs, Chemicals, etc., ----- 26 CHAPTER II. Domestic Medicine, . - - - 114 CHAPTER III. Infantile Diseases, ------ 167 CHAPTER IV. Management of Children in Health, - - - - 187 Maternal Nursing, ------ 187 X CONTENTS. The Duty and Advantages of the Mother Nursino her Infant, 187 Of Mothers who ought not to Suckle, - *"y Rules foe Nursing the Infant, - - - ~ ^"^ Rules for the Health of the Nursing Mother, - - 198 Injurious Effect upon the Mother and Infant of Undue and Pro- tracted Suckling, ------ 203 Weaning, ------- 205 Of Wet-Nurses, ------- 207 Artificial Feeding, ------ 213 Diet of Childhood, ------ 222 CHAPTER V. General Management of Infants up to the Second Year, and of Children up to the Eighth, ----- 231 CHAPTER VI. Domestic Surgery, ------ 256 Burns and Scalds, ------ 259 Corns and Bunions, ---... £61 Dislocations, ------- 262 Fractures (Simple), ------ 267 Fractures, (Compound), - 277 Sprains, -------- 281 Wounds, -----__ 282 Ruptures, - - - - - . . _ £85 Piles, ------.. 288 Protruding Bowel, - • . _ . _ 090 Whitlow, ------- 001 Ingrowing Nail, ---.._ 2qo Inflammation of the Eye, - 2q„ Pustules on the Eye, - „q. Milk Abscess, - - Sore Nipples, ---.__ Irritable Breast, - 295 - 296 " 297 Management of Hemorrhages, - - „„„ ' - - 297 CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER VII. Venereal Disease, ------ 301 CHAPTER VIII. Medical Resources, or what to do in Cases of Emergency, 312 Poisoning, -------- 315 Hydrophobia, - - - - - - - 319 Venomous Serpents, ..._-- 321 Recovery from Noxious Vapours, ... - 323 CHAPTER IX. Means of Fumigating Infected Apartments, and Preventing the Progress of Contagious Diseases, ... - 324 CHAPTER X. Inquiries Concerning the Sick-room, - 327 Qualifications of a Sick-nurse, ----- 337 Prognostics, ------ °"*° Directions Respecting the Management of Convalescence, and of Diet in Disease and Convalescence, - 351 General Diseases, - CHAPTER XI. 001 Cookery for the Sick-room, - QOi Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. Bathing, -------- 394 General Observations on, ----- 394 Different Kinds of Bath, ----- 395 CHAPTER XIII. Glossary of Medical Terms, ----- 406 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPEIA. It is not at all wise or desirable to take the professional treat- ment of disease from the skill of the medical practitioner, but, as much mischief results from giving, through want of knowledge, injudicious doses of medicine, it is evident that a Domestic Pharmacopoeia, containing plain and accurate directions for pre- paring, compounding, and administering the most generally useful remedies, is likely to assist the wishes of the physician, and pro- mote the welfare of the sick. The doses mentioned are intended for adults. The propor- tionate doses for children may be estimated from the table of doses. TABLE OF DOSES, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES. As many persons may be unacquainted with the characters marked on the weights aud graduated measures, the following explanation may be useful:— *3i one ounce. 3ss half a drachm. 3ss half an ounce. 9i one scruple. gi one drachm. 9ss half a scruple or ten grains. The grain weights are stamped with punch marks indicative of the number of grains each is equivalent to; and the following is their order according to the table of Apothecaries' weight:— * When the letter/is prefixed to the sign, it means a fluid ounce by measure. 2 14 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 20 grains make 1 scruple. 3 scruples " 1 drachm. 8 drachms " 1 ounce. 60 drops make 1 fluid-drachm. 8 drachms " 1 fluid-ounce. 16 ounces " 1 pint. Apothecaries' weights, by which all medicinal preparations ought to be weighed, are divided into pounds, ounces, drachms, scruples, and grains. ft The pound ~) * ( twelve ounces. 3 ounce l "3 J eight drachms. 3 drachm ( a ) three scruples. 9 scruple J » ( twenty grains. Apothecaries' measure, by which all medicines are compounded, consists of pints, ounces, drachms, and minims. 0 The pint ) .9 ( sixteen ounces. 3 ounce >- J < eight drachms. 3 drachm J g ( sixty drops, or minims.* Drop............gtt Minim............rrf Grain............gr J Scruple...........t}ss Scruple...........9j £ Drachm...........3ss Drachm...........3j J Ounce...........3ss Ounce...........3j aa, or ana, of each. Coch. (cochleare), a spoonful. Coch. magn., a table-spoonful. Coch. parv., a tea-spoonful. N.B. A modern table-spoon contains about five drachms; a tea-spoon, one drachm; a dessert-spoon, three drachms; and a wine-glass, two ounces. In consequence of spoons varying so much in size, they ought not to be used as measures'for the exhibition of potent medicines. * When the London College of Physicians directed the dropping of fluids from bottles to be discontinued, on account of the uncertainty of the dose prescribed (much depending on the size of the bottle, and the quality and quantity of the fluid contained in it), and the minim to be substituted for the drop, they ought to have cautioned the dispensers of medicines against considering these terms synonymous, for there is a considerable difference between them, the former exceeding the latter by at least one half: thus, for instance, ten minims by measure, of laudanum will amount to fifteen drops, whereas ten drops will be equal only to seven minims and a half. This, of course, would be of the greatest con- sequence in all active medicines; such, for instance, as laudanum solu- tions of morphia, prussic acid, &c. DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 15 The following articles are necessary to the proper dispensing of medicines requiring accurate preparation, measuring, weighing, administering, &c. A spatula, for spreading salves, making pills, &c. A small glass slab. A glass funnel. A pestle and mortar. A set of scales and weights. An enema apparatus. A two-ounce graduated measure. Minim measure. A graduated wine-glass for measuring tea and table-spoon- fuls of liquids. minim measure. TWO-OITNCE MEASURE. f 3 drachm. ~\ '_____z I _ i _l—---- 60 50 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 THE APPROXIMATE VALUE OF FRENCH DECIMAL WEIGHTS. One centigramme is equal to ... \ grain. Two centigrammes......2 grain. One demi-decigramme.....1 grain. One decigramme.......2 grains. One gramme........18 grains. One gramme and three decigrammes 1 scruple. Two grammes........2 drachm. Four grammes.......1 drachm. One decagramme.......2 drachms and 36 grams. Three decagrammes and two grammes 1 ounce. Demi-kilogramme.......1 pound. Kilogramme........2 pounds. N. B. At Paris, the scruple is equal to 24 grains, the drachm to 72 grains. Everywhere else the scruple is equal to 20 grains, and the drachm to 60 grains. 16 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. THE DOSES OF MEDICINE ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT AGES. For an adult, suppose the dose to be Under 1 year will require only 2 " 3 " " " " 4 << << a a f a a it it 14 it it it it 20 " " " " Above 21 " " " a 65 " " ' one, or 1 drachm. 1-12th or 5 grains. l-8th or 8 grains. l-6th or 10 grains. l-4th or 15 grains. l-3d or 1 scruple. 1-half or i drachm. 2-3ds or 2 scruples. one or 1 drachm. the inverse gradation of the above. In the same manner for fluids, divide the quantity suited for an adult by the above fractional parts. If for a child under one year, the dose will be one-twelfth ; under two years, one-eighth ; under three years one- sixth, and so on. The method of apportionment of Dr. Young is as follows: "For children under twelve years of age, the doses of medicine must be diminished in the proportion of the age to the age increased by twelve; thus, at two years, to •:—viz.: -=- 2- —1. Some exceptions are offered ,7 2-M27 * to this rule in the case of certain medicines. Such are castor oil and calomel, a certain quantity of which will in general not produce a greater effect in a child two or three years of age than double the quantity in an adult. There are certain general circumstances influencing the opera- tion of medicines, which require to be attended to in apportioning the dose. The most important of these are Sex, Temperament, Idiosyncrasy, Habit, and Disease. Sex.—Women in general require rather smaller doses of any active medicine than men; a difference which is probably owing to their greater sensibility, and to their habits of life. Temperament.—-By temperament is understood a predisposi- tion, derived from original conformation, to be affected in a peculiar manner by external causes acting on the system. With regard to the influence of different temperaments in the operation of medi- cines, those of the sanguine are supposed to be more easily affected, and, therefore, to require smaller doses than those of the phleg- matic or melancholic. There is, however, on this subject so much uncertainty and hypothesis, that little reliance can be placed on it. Habit.—This has an important influence on the operation of medicines. In general, habit diminishes the effect resulting from the action of external powers on the system; hence medicines domestic pharmacopoeia. 17 lose power by being continued. This is particularly the case with stimulants and narcotics, and the doses of them, therefore, require to be increased when their use is protracted. Disease.—The influence of disease on the operation of medi- cines admits of no general observations. The directions of the medical attendant will, of course, here be followed. Climate.—The influence of climate, in modifying the action of medicines, operates in two ways: first, by the changes which climate causes in the animal frame; secondly, by the changes which it occasions in medicinal agents of a vegetable origin. Idiosyncrasy.—Denotes that disposition in individuals, un- connected with general temperament, to be affected by certain causes, in a manner different from the generality of mankind. Where such peculiarities exist with regard to medicines, they require attention. State of the Stomach and Idiosyncrasy.—Constitutional peculiarities, or idiosyncrasies, will sometimes render the operation of the mildest medicine poisonous. Idiosyncrasy cannot, like temperament, be recognised by exterior signs, but can be known to the physician only by an intimate acquaintance with the consti- tution of those in whom it occurs. It ought to be discovered by the physician; otherwise the most important and even dangerous results may follow the use of medicines which, although in general they operate in a manner well known, yet, in peculiar idiosyn- crasies, produce effects the most opposite to those which might be anticipated. "In prescribing," (says Dr. A. T. Thomson,) "the practitioner should always so regulate the intervals between the doses, that the next dose may be taken before the effect produced by the first is altogether effaced; for, by not attending to this circumstance, the cure is always commencing, but never proceeding. It should, however, also be kept in mind that medicines such as the mer- curial salts, arsenic, digitalis, &c, are apt to accumulate in the system, and danger may hence arise if the doses too rapidly succeed each other. The action, also, of some remedies, elaterium and iodine, for example, continues long after the remedy is left off; and, therefore, much caution is requisite in avoiding too powerful an effect, by a repetition of them even in diminished doses." 2* MEDICAL TERMS. ABSORBENTS. A term applied to medicines which are themselves inert, or nearly so, but which absorb or combine with acid matter in the stomach or bowels. Chalk or magnesia, for instance, are ab- sorbents. ACIDS. This term is applied to substances which have a sour taste, and redden vegetable blue colours. In medicine the acids are an im- portant class of remedies: some of them, when duly diluted, are powerful tonics, astringents, and refrigerants, others laxative. ALKALIES. This term comprehends under it substances of a peculiar acrid taste, soluble in water, capable of neutralizing the acids, and of converting many vegetable blue colours to green, yellows to brown, and certain reds to blue. This term is usually limited to potassa, or the vegetable alkali; soda, or the mineral alkali; and ammonia, or the volatile alkali. ANODYNES. (See Narcotics.) domestic pharmacopoeia. 19 ANTACIDS. Antacids are medicines which correct acidity of the stomach and digestive organs, by combining chemically with the free acid exist- ing there, and neutralizing it. Their action is manifestly only temporary and palliative, as they do not correct that peculiar state of the digestive organs which favours the formation of acid; and their continued use produces a precisely similar disease of the alimentary canal. Antacids should be administered early in the morning, and sometimes before a meal during the day. (See Soda, Potash, and Magnesia, for the best forms of taking Antacids.) ANTHELMINTICS. Remedies against worms. (See Pink Root, Scammony.) ANTILITHICS. Remedies against stone. ANTISEPTICS. Remedies against putrefaction. (See Kreosote, Vinegar.) ANTISPASMODICS. (See iEther, Camphor, Spirit of Lavender.) CARMINATIVES. Medicines which stimulate the muscular coat of the stomach and bowels, and expel flatulency, are called Carminatives. The following is a good carminative mixture in flatulency: take of— Oil of Aniseed . . . . ,.....15 drops. Purified Sugar..........J drachm. Triturate these well together, and then add— 20 domestic pharmacopoeia. 1 ounce. Spirit of Carraway.........i i T Compound Spirit of Lavender.....1 "racnm. Water .............4 ounceS- Mix. A tablespoonful to be taken three times a day. CATHARTICS OR APERIENTS. Under this head are comprehended those medicines which sti- mulate the intestines, and produce increased alvine evacuations. G-reat caution is necessary against the too frequent use of purga- tives. Independently of the irritation which they keep up in the intestinal canal, they tend to impair digestion, by causing the secretion of imperfect bile. If purgatives be prescribed in disease, caution is requisite to avoid exposing the invalid to the influence of cold air. When the Saline Cathartics and castor oil are prescribed, their action is greatly quickened by diluting freely with warm demulcent fluids. When the Cathartic is given in the form of pill, the operation is always long commencing, in which case diluents are not required until after the first evacuation. (See Calomel.) CATHARTIC DRAUGHT. Infusion of Senna.........1 ounce. Tincture of Senna.........1 drachm. Tincture of Jalap.........1 drachm. Tartrate of Potash.........1 drachm. Syrup of Senna..........1 drachm. Mix. To be taken early in the morning, for dyspeptic costive- ness. LAXATIVE A X D STOMACHIC PILLS. (Sir H. Halfourd.) ?,hub*rb............15 grains. f/rrh.............15 trains. Aloes........... g ° . Extract of Camomile...... . i ,L„!af' Oil of Cloves.........: 1 drops Mix, and divide into twenty pills. Take two before dinner occasionally. ' domestic pharmacopoeia. 21 DEMULCENTS. Medicines which are used to obviate and prevent the action of acid and stimulating matters. As they are usually of no great power, they may be taken in as great quantities as the stomach will bear. When cough is present they should be taken after coughing, for, as that spasmodic effort throws off the secre- tion formed on the inflamed mucous surface, the condition of the membrane is then much more likely to be benefited by their influence than at any other time. The following is a useful and not unpleasant Demulcent, and may be taken ad libitum. Take of— Marshmallow Root.........4 ounces. Stoned Raisins..........2 ounces. Water.............5 pints. Boil to three pints, and strain. (See also Gum, Linseed.) DIAPHORETICS Are medicines which, being taken internally, increase the dis- charge by the skin. Between Diaphoretics and Sudorifics there is little distinction, the operation in both cases being the same, and differing only in degree. A Sudorific is merely an augmentation of the dose, and produces sweating. The effect of Diaphoretics should be kept up by the free administration of tepid fluids or diluents. During their action confinement to bed is essential, but the bed coverings should be light blankets, as these are the best non-conductors of heat, and heavy coverings tend to check perspi- ration. (See Dover's Powders, James's Powders, Miudererus Spirit.) DIURETICS. Medicines which augment the secretion of urine. Their success is, however, too precarious for them to be employed by an unpro- fessional person. When these are prescribed, the surface of the body of the invalid should be kept cool, otherwise they are apt to operate as diaphoretics. On this account the patient is generally kept out of bed, and the medicine administered only during the daytime. (See Buchu, Sweet Spirit of Nitre.) 22 DOMESTIC pharmacopoeia. EMETICS. (See Ipecacuanha.) EMMENAGOGUES. Remedies which induce the catamenial discharge. The follow- ing is an effective Emmenagogue. Take of— Tincture of Aloes.........\ ounce. Tincture of Muriate of Iron......\ ounce. Tincture of Valerian........1 ounce. Mix, and take a teaspoonful, in camomile tea, two or three times a day. EXPECTORANTS, OR PECTORALS, ^ Are those medicines which are employed in various pulmonary disorders to promote the expulsion of mucus from the air-tubes in diseased conditions of the lungs. It is too common to prescribe this class of medicines without consulting the physician. Many expectorants are stimulants, and much mischief may result from their indiscriminate use. The following cough linctus is often useful:— Syr. Squills...........i ounce< Syr. Ipecac...........jounce. sulphate of Morphia...... 1 grain Carbonate of l'otassa.....'.'.'. 1 drachm. Syrup of Tolu..........5 ounces. Mix. A tablespoonful to be taken three or four times a day. NARCOTICS _ Are medicines which diminish sensibility, abate pain, and induce stupor or sleep. Opium is the chief medicine of this class W hen opium is prescribed, the exact dose ordered should be riven' otherwise instead of causing sleep, if the dose be diminished, a stimulant effect only will be obtained; or, if it be increased a poisonous action may ensue. No medicines are so much modified in their action by custom as Narcotics; thus, when they have DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 23 been long and frequently taken, they lose their influence in disease ; and if this effect be not mentioned to the prescriber, it is not likely that the Narcotic will be productive of benefit. The inefficiency of one Narcotic, arising from custom, does not extend to another. Any singular influence of a Narcotic upon the system of the invalid should be mentioned to the medical attendant. (See Laudanum and Opium.) Many mental impressions are nar- cotic ; Sound is one peculiarly so—the repetition of the same sound. When sound is varied, the attention is arrested, and the opposite result occurs. It is the monotony of the sound therefore —such as the ripple of small waterfalls, the voice of a dull reader, the moaning of the breeze—that is followed by soporific effects. The stillness of evening is highly favourable to the employment of music as a Narcotic agent:— " Let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night, Become the touches of sweet harmony." And when sleep is thus induced there is much less likelihood of its being disturbed. Patting an infant on the back, whilst at the same time the nurse hums a monotonous tune, is almost sure to induce sleep. Many such instances of the beneficial effects of mental Narcotics might be adduced, but enough has 'been said to show the importance of not disregarding them. STIMULANTS Are usually prescribed in low conditions of the system * when a sudden and powerful impression is required to be made upon the brain and nervous system. They are, however, too apt to be resorted to on every occasion of flatulence or pain in the bowels; and they are also not unfrequently employed where strength is re- quired to be given, but where excitement would prove injurious. But it should be understood that action is not strength. There is, indeed, no class of medicines which requires more decidedly the authority of the physician for their administration than Sti- mulants. TONICS. Medicines which restore or strengthen the impaired powers of the muscular fibre, giving what is called tone or strength to the 24 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. system, are called Tonics. Quinine, Calumba, Chirayita, Gentian, bitter and astringent vegetable substances, Tincture of Iron, and a few of the acids, come under the denomination of Tonic remedies. The following pills may be taken twice a day for weakness of the stomach, general debility, and all complaints requiring Tonics. Take of— Sulphate of Quinine........1 scruple. Extract of Camomile........1 drachm. Make twenty pills. When their use is long persisted in, an aperient pill should be combined with them. ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES. Fluid Medicines are generally ordered in drops, or in teaspoon- fuls, or in tablespoonfuls; but as these are all indefinite quantities —the magnitude of the drop depending on the nature of the lip of the phial from which it falls, and the capacity of the spoons varying according to their form—glass measures should be em- ployed, especially when the medicine is of an active kind. A large drop is equivalent to a minim; a teaspoonful to a fluid drachm, or sixty minims; and a tablespoonful to four drachms, or half an ounce. When medicines are volatile, they ought to be swallowed the instant they are poured into the glass, and the bottle should be immediately corked. When they are to be given in a state of effervescence, the dose of the medicine should be poured upon that of the lemon juice, previously put into a tumbler; by this means the union between the acid and alkali is more im- mediate, and the briskness, depending on the state of the carbonic acid gas which is extricated, proceeds without losing a portion of the dose, which is apt to take place when a wineglass is employed. It frequently happens that children cannot be persuaded to take medicines; and instances have occurred in which the little invalids have fallen victims to the disease, from a reluctance on the part of the nurse to employ force in administering the medicine; in such cases, the medical spoon answers extremely well. When medicines are presented in the solid form, many persons have much difficulty in swallowing pills, and the smaller the pills the greater is their difficulty. This arises from the nature of the first acts of deglutition, which depend partly on the will and partly on the action of several involuntary muscles. In the first part of the process the morsel requires to be pressed between the tongue and the palate, in order to be carried backwards beyond DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 25 what is termed the anterior palatine arch. This is purely an act of volition; but, if the morsel to be swallowed is small, when it is raised to the palate the sensation produced by a large morsel is not experienced, consequently, the voluntary act is imperfect, and the mind being impressed with the difficulty of performing it, the morsel is retained in the mouth, instead of being carried back and dropped into the gullet, as it should be by the second part of the process. In the usual mode of swallowing a pill, by laying it upon the tongue and taking a mouthful of water, the act of deglu- tition is excited by the water, which passes down merely as a solid body, and carries the pill with it; but, when the mouth is not closed, so as to form the water as it were into a mass, the fluid passes and leaves the pill behind it. To remedy this defect in deglutition, the pill should be either put into a morsel of soft bread, or into a mass of any conserve, in which, becoming a por- tion of the mass which envelopes it, the difficulty of deglutition ceases. ef(l DRUGS, CHEMICALS, ETC. ACID, ACETIC, CONCENTRATED. This acid, applied by means of blotting-paper, or fine cambric, speedily produces vesication, and is sometimes used as a substitute for a blister in cases of sudden inflammation, such as croup, &c, which do not admit of delay. It is also applied with a camel's- hair pencil to destroy warts and corns, and in the cure of ring- worm ; but great care should be taken in its application, that it does not extend beyond the part affected. It is likewise, from its pungent odour, a useful stimulant held to the nostrils in faintness, and it has been supposed to have some influence in preventing infection. A piece of blotting-paper or cambric, moistened with acetic acid and applied to the skin, soon excites heat and redness; and if suffered to remain, the cuticle peels off. This forms a good substitute for a blister in inflammatory sore throat, where external irritation, rapidly excited, is often very effectual. ACID, CITRIC. (Crystallised Lemon Juice.) The solution of this acid in water, in the proportion of nine drachms and a half of the crystals, one or two drops of oil of lemon, and one pint of water, will answer nearly all the purposes of recent lemon juice, and is even preferable for forming the common effervescing draught with carbonate of potassa. One scruple of this acid triturated with a little sugar and a few drops of the essence of lemon, and dissolved in a pint of water forms a DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 27 grateful refrigerant beverage, resembling lemonade, and is useful in febrile and inflammatory complaints, allaying heat and irrita- tion, and reducing the pulse. The drink known under the name of " King's Cup," is also a good diluent, and often used at the table and in the sick room. It is made by pouring a quart of cold spring water upon the rind of one or two lemons, peeled very thin, and leaving it to infuse for six or eight hours. It is then strained, and should be bright and pale yellow. Fifteen grains of the lemon acid in solution will saturate one scruple of carbonate of potash, and form an excellent substitute for soda water. SALINE MIXTURE. Take of R Citric acid Acidi citrici, Bi-Carbonate of Potash, Potassse bicarbon. aa 3j. Of each one drachm. Lemon syrup, two ounces. Syr. limonis, fgij. Distilled water, twelve ounces. Aq. destillat. 3xij. Mix. Two table-spoonfuls of this mixture may be taken every four hours in fevers and inflammatory sore throats. ACID, MURIATIC. This acid has been given as a refrigerant and antiseptic in scarlatina and fevers of the typhoid type, in doses of ten or fifteen minims in a sufficient quantity of barley-water or gruel every three or four hours. It is also used, largely diluted, as a gargle for ulcerated throats in scarlet fever, in the following forms:— MURIATIC ACID GARGLE. Take of R Infusion of roses, four ounces. Infus. rosar, 3iv. Muriatic acid, from twenty to forty Acidi hydrochlorici, nent.—'nie dyspeptic symptoms before enumerated being indicative of a debilitated state of the stomach induced by intem- perance, the means most likely to relieve, and finally to remove DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 143 them, will be the avoidance of all stimulants (that may act directly or indirectly on the stomach), and the use of appropriate medicine. The remote cause of dyspepsia is intemperance; it matters not whether it be intemperate exercise of the mind or body, indul- gence in late hours, exposure to the impure air of heated and crowded apartments, or excess in what we eat or drink. Either of these excitements, if long continued, will weaken the digestive organs, and induce dyspepsia; therefore they must be strictly avoided before the patient can hope for the relief or the cure of his ailments. Temperance in all things must be rigidly enforced, particularly in the exercise of the body or mind, and in the quantity and quality of the aliment. Whenever it is practicable, all former habits, especially those of an injurious tendency, should be abandoned. This being observed, the following brief outline of a dietetic plan may serve as a guide :— For breakfast—tea, coffee, or cocoa, with a large proportion of milk (together not exceeding two-thirds of a pint), with toasted or stale bread, and cold beef or mutton, in small quantity. New bread and hot rolls should be prohibited. For dinner, the quantity of animal food ought to be moderate, but should greatly exceed the vegetable, being more easily digested, affording a much greater proportion of nutriment, and not being so liable to run into those acetous fermentations, which occasion flatulence and pain in the stomach and bowels. The quality and quantity of animal food must, in some measure, depend on the habits, occupations, and palate of the patient. Salted meats should be used sparingly ; beef and mutton, game and poultry (roasted or boiled), are articles that will agree with the majority of dyspeptic stomachs better than veal, lamb, or any other animal diet in the extensive catalogue of the larder. Meat rather under-done, with the gravy in it, is not only more nutritious, and more easily digested, but a smaller quantity will be sufficient to allay the cravings of hunger: the stomach will not suffer from being overloaded, and the unpleasant feelings conse- quent on a full meal will be avoided. Rich-made dishes and sauces are injurious. To white fish there can be no objection; but salmon, and other rich and oily fish, should be rejected. Due attention being paid to the quantity and quality of the food, four or five hours should pass between each meal, that the process of digestion may not be disturbed. Thus, breakfast may be taken at eight or nine o'clock; luncheon at one; and dinner at 144 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. five or six. The luncheon should consist of one plain biscuit and a small glass of toast-water. As a beverage, one tablespoonful of brandy, in half a pint of cold water, may be taken with the dinner, unless the patient should complain of acidity or heartburn; in that case, as soda water would be a corrective, it should be preferred, with or with- out the same quantity of brandy. If dinner be at six, supper is unnecessary, especially if tea be taken. However, the lighter the supper, the more pleasant will be the repose of the succeeding night. Regular exercise in the open air must not be omitted. The patient will require at least seven or eight hours rest in bed; nothing contributes to renovate the mind or body after fatigue more than repose; sleep, if not natural, should be induced by some gentle opiate. It has been observed, that a total abandonment of former habits would be necessary : to this general rule there may be some exceptions. One individual abstaining from wine finds his spirits exhilarated, and perceives a daily improvement in his health; another becomes depressed and desponding, with loss of appetite, &c. In this case, the quantity of wine should be gradually dimi- nished : but, at an advanced period of life, it would be imprudent to withdraw the stimulus, which long-continued habits have, in some degree, rendered necessary, without substituting brandy and water. Agreeably to the plan laid down, each meal may be regulated; nevertheless, it is not presumed that this brief outline will suit every stomach; the human constitution is too variable to admit the indulgence of such a presumption. Above all general rules, the patient's own experience will be, in point of regimen, his best physician; a careful attention to his feelings, after the use of different aliments, will teach him which to select, or to avoid. When the bowels are brought into regular and daily action, the patient may return to the very moderate use of generous wine, and no longer confine himself to the strict regimen herein prescribed. This outline is submitted not only to those who are suffering from dyspepsia, but likewise to those who, from present indul- gence, may suffer hereafter. The latter have only to adopt a moderate regimen, and keep the bowels in regular action, to avoid all dyspeptic ills; the former, who are suffering from dyspepsia, require not only a temperate and strict regimen, but likewise the aid of such remedies as are known to strengthen the stomach and bowels. DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 145 Costiveness, the constant concomitant of dyspepsia, must be obviated; hence every medicine prescribed to renovate the ener- gies of the stomach should, at the same time, act as a gentle ape- rient ; for, although much must depend on attention to regimen, yet without the assistance of medicine the recovery would be pro- tracted and doubtful. For the purpose of regulating the bowels, the anti-dyspeptic pill may be taken as the most effective in gradually restoring the energies of the stomach, and exciting a regular peristaltic motion of the bowels. If the stomach has suffered from continued indigestion or over- stimulation, the following draught should be taken two or three times a day: Take of Compound infusion of gentian, ten drachms, Subcarbonate of soda, eight grains, Spirit of pimento, one drachm, Tincture of calumbo, one drachm. Sponging the body with the nitro-muriatic acid lotion has been found to be of great use in the general debility of dyspeptics. ITCH. This disease is characterized by an eruption of pustules, or of small vesicles, which are subsequently intermixed with, or termi- nate in pustules : it is accompanied by constant itching, but not with fever, and is contagious. It usually appears about the wrist, fingers, arms, and thighs, but seldom on the head. Treatment.—There are few complaints that have been treated with so many remedies, and none with so many pretended specifics, as the itch. The simplest and most certain cure is to be obtained from the use of the sulphur ointment/which should be well rubbed on the part affected every night till the eruption entirely disap- pears. The offensive smell of the sulphur ointment may be much diminished by adding a few drops of the essence of bergamot or lavender. The internal use of sulphur will, in all cases, assist the effects of its external application. Fumigation has also been much employed on the Continent for the cure of the itch. This is produced by throwing half an ounce of sulphur, mixed with two drachms of nitre, into a warming-pan of hot coals, which is to be used after the manner of warming a bed. The patient is then to strip, and get under the clothes, which are to be closely tucked round his neck and shoulders, to prevent as much as possible the gas from escaping. This process should be repeated for about 146 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. seven nights; and Dr. Gale states, that even the worst cases may be cured in this way. These are the safest and most effectual applications, and should be employed whenever practicable. JAUNDICE. This disease comes on usually with languor, inactivity, loathing of food, disturbed sleep at night, acidities of the stomach and bowels, and a frequent sense of nausea. As it advances in its progress, the skin and eyes become of a deep yellow, there is a bitter taste in the mouth, the urine is very high-coloured, the stools are of a gray or clayey appearance, and a dull obtuse pain is felt in the right side, which is much increased by pressure. Treatment.—An emetic at the commencement is often bene- ficial. Mercury in small doses, with the saline aperients, should be afterwards administered; such as a five-grain blue pill, and a brisk purgative, in the morning. Plummer's pills should be occa- sionally given, with a course of mild bitters; such as .taraxacum, colomba, gentian, &c, with saline aperients. If there is much pain, accompanied with fever, saline draughts and opiates should be prescribed. A generous diet (if the constitution will admit), cheerful company, and moderate exercise, especially riding on horseback, go very far towards effecting a cure of this disease. MENSTRUATION. Menstruation is a natural secretion, of a red colour, from the womb of every healthy woman who is not pregnant, or who does not give_ suck, bearing the name of menses, menstruation, &c, because it returns pretty regularly every month. Some women, however, have their courses every fifteen days; others every two months, others at indeterminate times ; and lastly, a very few never have experienced this indisposition. Certain particular signs indicate the approach of the menses, such as a feeling of heaviness in the loins, lassitude in the limbs, prickling, and pain in the breasts, &c. Women are often subject to great irritability while menstruation continues; the least noise alarms them; they are affected by the smallest contradiction, and are very irascible The interruption of the menstrual discharge may be considered of two kmds; the one where the menses do not begin to flow at the period of life at which they generally appear, which is called DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. 147 retention, and is frequently associated with chlorosis, or green- sickness; the other, where, after having made their appearance, they cease to return at their usual periods, from other causes than conception and the advanced change of life : this is called sup- pression. Retention of the Menses, and Chlorosis—Green-Sickness.—The cause of this disease seems to be a debility or laxity of the consti- tution in general, and of the uterine system in particular. The general symptoms attending retention of the menses and chlorosis are pallid countenance, heaviness, pains in the back, loins, and hips, flatulency, depraved appetite, acidity in the stomach and bowels, with dyspepsia, costiveness, &c. Treatment.—The cure of this disorder is to invigorate the sys- tem in general, and to excite the action of the uterine vessels. The first of these is to be effected by a generous nutritive diet, and a moderate use of wine; by regular exercise on horseback, cheerful society, and by a regular recourse to tonic medicines, as bark, myrrh, iron, &c, with the daily use of some chalybeate water. The second indication is best answered by walking, jump- ing, dancing, the warm-bath, heat applied by steam, or otherwise, to the region of the uterus, and by purging with aloes, scammony, &c. Suppression of the Menses.—Any interruption occurring after the menstrual flux has once been established in its regular course, except when occasioned by conception, and the change of life, is always to be considered as a case of suppression. When this suppression has occurred suddenly, and has been occasioned by exposure to cold, or some depressing mental emo- tion, a fit of anger, or any other similar cause, dry friction over the thighs, hot fomentations over the lower part of the belly, a warm bath, or hip-bath, and some aromatic warm drink, will gene- rally prove of service. For suppression of the menses, depending on excessive irrita- bility, in a thin, nervous female, the most efficacious remedies are, cold bathing, or cold effusions, if the state of the constitution will admit of them, and corporeal exercises, such as gardening and walking, and aperients conjoined with antispasmodic drugs. About the period for the appearance of the menstrual discharge, it should be encouraged by the warm resinous purgatives, by the prepara- tions of ammonia and guaiacum, or by fumigations of assafoetida, directed towards the uterus, by means of an inverted funnel. Attention must be paid to secure regularity in the alvine evacua- 148 DOMESTIC PHARMACOPOEIA. tion, and the infusion of gentian and senna, combined with myrrh, is the best purgative in the treatment of this disease. Dysmenorrhcea, or Painful Menstruation, is a very common and distressing state, in which medical assistance is frequently solicited. The pain in the loins and abdomen is often in the highest degree acute, lasting two, or even perhaps three days. These painful symptoms admit of some relief from a small blood- letting, or cupping, the hip-bath, sitting over the steam of hot water, with other relaxing measures ; and from the internal use of camphor, or of the preparations of ether, or of ammonia, with hen- bane, opium, &c. PILES. This disease consists in small tumours situated sometimes exter- nally, sometimes internally, and sometimes on the verge of the anus. They are generally separate, round, and prominent; and sometimes the tumour consists only of one tumid or varicose rin