Cases of Suspended Animation—Apparent Death from Drowning.

The body must be immediately carried, with the head slightly raised, to the nearest house, stripped and dried, and the mouth and nostrils cleared from any obstruction; then placed in the sun or near a fire on a bed or blanket, and gently rubbed with warm flannels. Bottles of hot water or hot sand should be applied to different parts, especially the feet and stomach, and, if possible, the body should be placed in a very warm bath. Strong smellingsalts should be applied to the nostrils; and if recovery be happily effected, brandy and water, or some stimulant, given. No one should be deterred from using these means while hope remains, for recovery has been effected after animation has been suspended for hours.

When insensibility has arisen from any noxious vapour, removal to the pure air, the application of cold water, and, if any one is at hand who can safely undertake to operate, bleeding from the veins are the only means that can be used.

Burns and Scalds.

If a lady's dress catch fire when she is alone, she should first ring the bell; then boldly throw herself on the floor and roll round on the carpet, enveloping herself in any rug or loose woollen cloth she can seize.

If any one be near when such an accident occurs, a blanket snatched from a bed, a cover from the table, a shawl, or any large cloth should be wound round the flames as quickly as possible. Above all, no window or door should be opened to admit the air.

The great danger arising from burns or scalds is that, in consequence of the sympathy between the skin and the internal organs, fatal inflammation of the bowels may

carry the patient off when the outward injury seems progressing favourably.

If the burn be not very severe, the very best application till a surgeon arrives is a sheet of cotton-wadding wound round the part, the patient being kept perfectly quiet.

If more severe, and if cotton cannot be readily procured, flour must be plentifully dredged over the part to exclude the air. Beyond these simple applications we would not advise any of the usual remedies-cold water, turpentine, &c.-to be used without medical advice. There is generally great shock to the nervous system in cases of this kind, and a little hot brandy and water may be given at first, and the mind kept as tranquil as possible.

Cuts or Wounds.

The first thing to be ascertained in a wound is whether it be merely simple, or if an artery be severed; if the blood be of a bright red colour, and instead of flowing, springs as it were by jets from the wound, it may be concluded that an artery is wounded, and the most prompt aid is necessary; a silk handkerchief twisted tightly between the wound and the body must, if possible, be applied; a stick may be twisted in, to allow it to be screwed tight, and the thumb be pressed continually on the wound to prevent the loss of blood, till a very small pad of lint be made and pressed into the wound upon the point from which the blood issues; a second and third pad, each larger than the last, must be pressed upon the first, and the whole bound up very firmly. This is all that can be done till the arrival of a surgeon to tie the artery. It is very necessary that all the bandages should be tight and the pressure be over the injured artery.

In a simple cut, the blood should be allowed to flow a short time that it may not collect in the wound. Then

the edges of the cut should be brought together and tied up in linen or strapped across with narrow pieces of diachylon plaster.

Bruises or Blows.

The best application immediately after a blow is brandy; if the bruise is very painful, lint dipped in cold water may be used for some hours, after which a poultice is useful.

Fish-bone in the Throat.

A fish-bone will occasionally fix in the throat, causing much pain and inconvenience, though not absolutely the symptoms of choking. To chew a piece of bread roughly and swallow it, taking a drink of water afterwards, will commonly remove the obstruction.

CHAPTER X.

Remedies for various disorders-Hiccough-Chilblains-Chapped hands-Corns-Coughs-Sore throats, &c.-Old age-Diet for the sick-Gruel-Caudle-Whey-Chicken-Beef tea-Gregory's powder-Fruit-Care of the eyes-Tooth-ache.

Hiccough.

THIS disagreeable spasmodic affection, when not of a serious character, may generally be checked by inhaling strong smelling-salts, or taking a tea-spoonful of brandy or vinegar into the mouth, and allowing it to trickle slowly down the throat.

Chilblains.

These painful and irritating affections of the toes and fingers are easier to prevent than to cure. Healthy exercise, the hands and feet kept dry and warm, and the bowels open, with generous diet, are the best preventives against chilblains, which usually affect those of languid circulation the most, and are difficult to prescribe for, as the remedy in one constitution is inefficacious in another.

The fashionable remedy of the day is iodine applied over the unbroken swelling once a day with a camel-hair brush; but without medical advice it is somewhat unsafe to meddle with this preparation. Among the simple remedies, we would name a decoction of camomile flowers; or common prepared mustard diluted with water till it is about the consistence of cream, spread over the swelling and allowed to dry on it; this should be repeated every night.

If chilblains ulcerate, medical aid should be immediately sought, for they are usually very difficult to heal.

COMMON REMEDIES.

137

Chapped Hands.

This roughness of the skin, common in frosty and cold dry weather, may be avoided by drying the hands perfectly after washing, and mixing a little oatmeal in the water, to prevent the soda of the soap affecting them. If the hands are actually chapped, half an ounce of glycerine to eight ounces of water will form a lotion which may be advantageously used twice a day.

Corns.

The corn should be washed in vinegar every night, and in the morning steeped in sweet oil. But the asbestos pad, with a hole cut to admit the corn, is the most certain mode of curing it, except that of eradication by a chiropodist.

The nail of the great toe will sometimes grow inward at the corner, producing great pain and irritation, and however it may be raised and cut out, will always grow the same way again. The best way to cure and prevent a continuance of this inconvenience is daily to scrape the highest or middle part of the nail to reduce the thickness. The nail then contracts and rises from the flesh. It should also be kept pared down in crescent form, lowest in the middle.

Coughs or Colds.

When cold shivering, inflammation of the nostrils, and pains in the limbs, announce the approach of a feverish cold, it is always advisable to have the feet placed in hot water, sitting at the same time near a fire, and having a blanket thrown round you to avoid the chance of a chill. Then get into a warm bed, and drink freely of warm tea