Chapter 19

487.  Almond Confection

Remove the outer coat from an ounce of sweet almonds, and beat them well in a mortar with one drachm of powdered gum arabic, and half an ounce of white sugar.

Use

to make a demulcent mixture known as "almond emulsion."

488.  Alum Confection

Mix two scruples of powdered alum with four scruples of treacle.

Dose

, half a drachm.

Use

as astringent in sore throat, relaxed uvula, and ulcerations of mouth.

489.  Orange Confection

Take one ounce of the freshly rasped rind of orange, and mix it with three ounces of white sugar, and beat together till perfectly incorporated.

Dose

, from one drachm to one ounce.

Use

as a gentle stomachic and tonic, and as a vehicle for administering tonic powders.

490.  Black Pepper Confection

Take of black pepper and elecampane root, each one ounce; fennel seeds, three ounces; honey and sugar, of each two ounces. Rub the dry ingredient to a fine powder, and when the confection is wanted, add the honey, and mix well.

Dose

, from one to two drachms.

Use

in hæmorrhoids, or piles.

Better Pay the Cook than the Doctor.

491.  Cowhage

Mix in treacle as much of the fine hairs or spiculæ of cowhage as the treacle will take up.

Dose

, a teaspoonful every morning and evening.

Use

as an anthelmintic.

492.   Senna Confection. No. 1.

Take of senna, powdered, four ounces; figs, half a pound, viassia pulp, tamarind pulp, and the pulp of prunes, each four ounces; coriander seeds, powdered, two ounces; liquorice root, one ounce and a half; sugar, one pound and a quarter; water, one pint and a half. Rub the senna with the coriander, and separate, by sifting, five ounces of the mixture. Boil the water, with the figs and liquorice added, until it is reduced to one half; then press out and strain the liquor. Evaporate the strained liquor in a jar by boiling until twelve fluid ounces remain; then add the sugar, and make a syrup. Now mix the pulps with the syrup, add the sifted powder, and mix well.

Use

as a purgative.

493.  Senna Confection. No. 2.

A more simple confection, but equally efficacious, may be made in the following manner. Infuse an ounce of senna leaves in a pint of boiling water, pouring the water on the leaves in a covered mug or jug, or even an old earthenware teapot. Let the infusion stand till it is cold, then strain off the liquor, and place it in a saucepan or stewpan, adding to it one pound of prunes. Let the prunes stew gently by the side of the fire till the liquor is entirely absorbed.

Use

as a purgative or laxative, giving half a teaspoonful to little children and a teaspoonful to children over ten years of age.

494.  Castor Oil and Senna Confection

Take one drachm of powdered gum arabic, and two ounces of confection of senna, and mix, by gradually rubbing together in a mortar, with half an ounce of castor oil.

Dose

, from half an ounce to an ounce.

Use

as a purgative.

495.  Sulphur and Senna Confection

Take of sulphur and sulphate of potash, each half an ounce; confection of senna, two ounces; oil of aniseed, twenty minims; mix well.

Dose

, from one to two drachms.

Use

as a purgative.

496.  Cream of Tartar Confection

Take one ounce of cream of tartar, one drachm of jalap, and half a drachm of powdered ginger; mix into a thick paste with treacle.

Dose

, two drachms.

Use

as a purgative.

497.  Antispasmodic Electuary

Take six drachms of powdered valerian and orange leaves, mixed and made into an electuary, with a sufficient quantity of syrup of wormwood.

Dose

, from one to two drachms, to be taken two or three times a day.

498.  Decoctions

These should only be made as they are wanted; pipkins or tin saucepans should be used for the purpose; and no decoction should be boiled longer than ten minutes.

499.  Chimaphila

Take one ounce of pyrola (chimaphila, or winter-green), and boil it in a pint and a half of water until the water is reduced to one pint; then strain.

Dose

, from one to two ounces, four times a day.

Use

in dropsies, as a diuretic.

500.  Logwood

Boil one ounce and a half of bruised logwood in two pints of water until the water is reduced to one pint; then add one drachm of bruised cassia, and strain.

Dose

, from one to two ounces.

Use

as an astringent.

501.  Dandelion

Take two ounces of the freshly-sliced root, and boil in a quart of water until it comes to a pint.

Dose

, from two to four ounces, that is to say, from an eighth of a pint to a quarter of a pint.

Use

for sluggish state of the liver.

502.  Embrocations and Liniments

These remedies are used externally as local stimulants, to relieve deep seated inflammations when other means cannot he employed, as they are more easily applied locally.

503.  Anodyne and Discutient

Take two drachms of scraped white soap, half a drachm of extract of henbane, and dissolve them by a gentle heat in six ounces of olive oil.

Use

for glandular enlargements which are painful and stubborn, about half an ounce to be well rubbed into the part twice a day.

504.  Strong Ammoniated

Add one ounce of strong liquid ammonia to two ounces of olive oil, shake well together until properly mixed.

Use

as a stimulant in rheumatic pains, paralytic numbnesses, chronic glandular enlargements, lumbago, sciatica, &c.

Note

that this embrocation must be used with care, and only employed in very obstinate cases.

505.  Compound Ammoniated

Add six drachms of oil of turpentine to the strong ammoniated liniment above.

Use

for the diseases mentioned in the preceding paragraph and chronic affections of the knee and ankle joints.

506.  Lime and Oil

Take equal parts of common linseed oil and lime water and shake well.

Use

for burns, scalds, sun peelings, &c.

507.  Camphorated

Take half an ounce of camphor and dissolve it in two ounces of olive oil.

Use

as a stimulating and soothing application for stubborn breasts, glandular enlargements, dropsy of the belly, and rheumatic pains.

508.   Soap Liniment with Spanish Flies

Take three ounces and a half of soap liniment, and half an ounce of tincture of Spanish flies, mix and shake well.

Use

as stimulant to chronic bruises, sprains, rheumatic pains, and indolent swellings.

509.  Turpentine

Take two ounces and a half of resin cerate, and melt it by standing the vessel in hot water, then add one ounce and a half of oil of turpentine, and mix.

Use

as stimulant to ulcers, burns, scalds, &c.

510.  Enemas

These are a peculiar kind of medicines, administered by injecting them into the rectum or outlet of the body. The intention is either to empty the bowels, kill worms, protect the lining membrane of the intestines from injury, restrain copious discharges, allay spasms in the bowels, or to nourish the body. These clysters, or glysters, are administered by means of bladders and pipes, or a proper apparatus.

511.  Laxative

Take two ounces of Epsom salts, and dissolve in three quarters of a pint of gruel, or thin broth, with an ounce of olive oil.

512.  Nutritive

Take twelve ounces of strong beef tea, and thicken with hartshorn shavings or arrowroot.

513.  Turpentine

Take half an ounce of oil of turpentine, the yolk of one egg, and half a pint of gruel. Mix the turpentine and egg, and then add the gruel.

Use

as an anthelmintic.

514.  Common

Dissolve one ounce of salt in twelve ounces of gruel.

515.  Castor Oil

Mix two ounces of castor oil with one drachm of starch, then rub them together, and add fourteen ounces of thin gruel.

Use

as a purgative.

516.  Opium

Rub three grains of opium with two ounces of starch, then add two ounces of warm water.

Use

as an anodyne in colic, spasms, &c.

517.  Oil

Mix four ounces of olive oil with half an ounce of mucilage and half a pint of warm water.

Use

as a demulcent.

518.  Asafœtida

Mix one drachm of the tincture of asafœtida in a pint of barley water.

Use

as an anthelmintic, or in convulsions from teething.

519.  Gargles

These are remedies used to stimulate chronic sore throats, or a relaxed state of the swallow, or uvula.

520.  Acidulated

Mix one part of white vinegar with three parts of honey of roses, and twenty-four of barley water.

Use

in chronic inflammation of the throat, malignant sore throat, &c.

521.  Astringent

Take two drachms of roses and mix with eight ounces of boiling water, infuse for one hour, strain, and add one drachm of alum and one ounce of honey of roses.

Use

for severe sore throat, relaxed uvula, &c.

Violent Passions Lead to Great Depressions.

522.  For Salivation

Mix from one to four drachms of bruised gall-nuts with a pint of boiling water, and infuse for two hours, then strain and sweeten.

523.  Tonic and Stimulant

Mix six ounces of decoction of bark with two ounces of tincture of myrrh, and half a drachm of diluted sulphuric acid.

Use

in scorbutic affections.

524.  Alum

Dissolve one drachm of alum in fifteen ounces of water, then add half an ounce of treacle, and one drachm of diluted sulphuric acid.

Use

as an astringent.

525.  Myrrh

Add six drachms of tincture of myrrh to seven ounces of infusion of linseed, and then add one drachm of diluted sulphuric acid.

Use

as a detergent.

526.  For Slight Inflammation of the Throat

Add one drachm of sulphuric ether to half an ounce of syrup of marsh-mallows, and six ounces of barley water. This may be used frequently.

527.  Lotions

Lotions are usually applied to the parts required by means of a piece of linen rag or piline, wetted with them, or by wetting the bandage itself.

They are for

outward application only

.

528.  Emollient

Use decoction of marsh-mallow or linseed.

529.  Elder Flowers

Add two drachms and a half of elder flowers to one quart of boiling water, infuse for one hour, and strain.

Use

as a discutient.

530.  Sedative

Dissolve one drachm of extract of henbane in twenty-four drachms of water.

531.  Opium

Mix two drachms of bruised opium with half a pint of boiling water.

Use

, when cold, for painful ulcers, bruises, &c.

532.  Stimulant

Dissolve one drachm of caustic potash in one pint of water, and then gradually pour it upon twenty-four grains of camphor and one drachm of sugar, previously bruised together in a mortar.

Use

for fungoid and flabby ulcers.

533.  Ordinary

Mix one drachm of salt with eight ounces of water.

Use


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