PERSONAL COMFORTS AND THINGS GOOD TO KNOW
GOOD COMPLEXION CREAMS
Plenty of buttermilk drank each day.
At least a tablespoonful of olive oil each day.
Tomatoes eaten daily.
Onions eaten three times a week.
Plenty of good drinking water.
Apples eaten daily.
CUTS, BURNS, ETC.
Put a few drops of carbolic acid in the water to wash cuts, burns and bruises.
Never close a cut with court plaster. When necessary to cover it to keep out dirt, or to prevent hitting it, fasten a soft piece of linen over it.
AN INSECT IN THE EAR
Hold a lighted lamp to the ear, and the insect will at once come toward it.
TO REMOVE A SUBSTANCE FROM THE EYE
To remove a foreign substance from the eye, slice a very thin piece from a raw potato, raise the lid and lay the potato on the eyeball. Leave for a little time, remove and the substance will be found adhering to the potato.
A moistened flax-seed may be used in the same manner as the potato piece.
TO PREVENT EYE-GLASSES STEAMING
Rub both sides of eye-glass lenses with soap or vaseline, wipe off with a soft cloth and polish with tissue paper or a silk handkerchief, and glasses will not steam in cold weather.
TO REMOVE A FISH BONE FROM THE THROAT
Swallow a raw oyster or a raw egg.
BLISTERED HEELS
If heels are blistered from slipping up and down in low shoes, paste four small half circles of velveteen smoothly to the side of the heel and the nap of the velveteen will prevent the foot slipping.
Another way to prevent blistered heels from low shoes rubbing them, is to stick a strip of adhesive tape around the back of the heel at the spot where the shoe rubs.
HOT CLOTHS
Hot cloths may be quickly prepared by heating them in a steamer, which is easier than wringing them out of hot water.
HOT WATER BAG
Instead of the rubber bag for hot water, a screw top coffee can is a good substitute, as it never leaks, and keeps hot all night. Cover it with a washable case of outing flannel.
Another good hot bag is one made of strong muslin with a washable cover. Heat clean sand in the oven and fill the bag.
A bag filled with hot salt is also good.
LOCKJAW PRECAUTION
When a rusty nail or any other metal causes a wound, bathe it, and hold it for half an hour or more over a burning woolen cloth. A piece of wool may be burned over a shovel of coals, or in any other way, just so the smoke pours on the wound.
TO MAKE A MUSTARD PLASTER
Mix the mustard, flour, and ginger with enough water to make a paste, and place between two pieces of soft muslin and apply. If it burns too much at first, lay on an extra piece of muslin and remove it later.
TO STOP A SIMPLE NOSE BLEED
Press with the fingers on the upper lip beneath the nostril.
TO EXTRACT A NEEDLE FROM THE FLESH
Apply a magnet immediately.
POISONS
In case of accidental swallowing of poison, mix three teaspoonfuls of mustard with a cupful of warm water and swallow as quickly as possible.
TO REMOVE A SPLINTER
Fill a wide-mouthed bottle nearly full of hot water, place the part containing the splinter over the mouth of the bottle and press tightly. The suction will draw the flesh down and the steam will remove the splinter.
LAVENDER SMELLING SALTS
Put the ammonia into a smelling bottle, mix the oils thoroughly and pour just enough into the bottle to cover the ammonia, keeping the remainder to replenish the smelling bottle.
TO RELIEVE THIRST WITHOUT WATER
Keep a dry pebble or button in the mouth.