Take of the dried leaves of sage half an ounce, boiling water one quart; infuse for half an hour and then strain. Sugar and lemon juice may be added in the proportion required by the patient. In the same manner balm and other teas may be made.
Boil one ounce and a half of tamarinds, three ounces of cranberries, and two ounces of stoned raisins, in three pints of water till the water is reduced to two pints; strain and add a bit of lemon peel, which should be removed in an hour as it gives a bitter taste if left long.
Take slices of toast nicely browned, enough hot water to cover them, cover closely and let them stand until cold; strain the water, sweeten to taste, and put a piece of ice in each glassful. If the physician thinks it safe add a little lemon juice. Good for nausea and vomiting.
Take three juicy pippins or other fine flavored apples, one quart cold water; pare and quarter the apples, but do not core them; stew the apples to pieces in a tin or porcelain sauce-pan, closely covered; strain the liquor at once, closely pressing the apples in the cloth; sweeten and ice for drinking. Slightly laxative.
Break the bark into bits, pour boiling water over it, cover and let it infuse till it is cold.
Take one large teaspoonful currant or other kind of jelly, one goblet ice water; beat up well. A good drink in fever, and if of wild cherry or blackberry jelly it is very good for those suffering from diarrhœa.
Take a cupful of dry corn, parch it brown, grind it, or pound it in a mortar; pour over it two cups of boiling water, and steep for a few minutes. This is nutritious.
Take of milk one quart, cream of tartar half an ounce; boil until the curd separates. This is somewhat laxative.
Take of the dried or green leaves about one ounce, boiling water one pint, and let them stand until cold. Catnip tea is good for colds and coughs in infants; spearmint and peppermint tea is good for disordered stomach and bowels; pennyroyal for a cold if recently taken; chamomile tea is a good tonic, blackberry root tea is good for summer complaint, raspberry leaves (green) for dysentery, sweet apple tree bark tea for a child’s cankered sore mouth, pumpkin seed and parsley tea for suppression of urine; mullien leaf tea is good in kidney complaints; mullien leaves infused in milk makes a medicinal drink in a case of phthisis.
Dissolve a little gelatin in water and mix with half a pint of milk. Boil and sweeten to taste.
Take the juice of a large lemon, two or three teaspoonfuls of sugar, half a pint of spring water; add half a small teaspoonful of carbonate of soda. Stir and drink while effervescing.
Take of Indian meal one small teacupful, wheat flour one table spoonful, boiling water two quarts; wet the meal and flour to a smooth paste, and stir into the water while it is boiling. Boil slowly for thirty or forty minutes, frequently stirring from the bottom; salt to taste; add sugar and nutmeg if you like; if too thick reduce with boiling water to the desired consistency; if a laxative effect is desired omit the flour. Raisins may be boiled with the gruel, and cream may be added if desired.
is made in the same way as the above. Gruel drank warm at bed time is a soothing remedy for a bad cold.
Take boiling milk one quart, ground rice two table spoonfuls wet with cold milk, salt one salt spoonful; stir in the rice paste and boil ten minutes, stirring constantly. Season with sugar and nutmeg, and eat warm with cream.
Take of tapioca two spoonfuls, water one pint; boil gently for an hour, or until it assumes a jelly-like appearance. Add sugar and nutmeg with lemon juice to suit the taste of the patient.
Take of ground rice one ounce, cinnamon one drachm, water one quart; boil for thirty minutes, adding the cinnamon near the conclusion. Strain and sweeten it.
Take of wheat bread one ounce, cinnamon one drachm (or if preferred a little mace), water one pint; boil without stirring until they mix and turn smooth. Then add a grate of nutmeg, a small piece of butter, and sugar according to taste. Some add a table spoonful of wine.
Steep stale bread in boiling water, and pass through a fine sieve while still hot. This is a light, nourishing diet for a weak stomach, which may be taken alone, or after being boiled with milk.
Steep a quarter of a pound of whole rice in milk, and put in a sieve to drain and cool; mix the rice with a gill of cream whisked to a froth, and a little powdered sugar, and a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Some add wine but it is not necessary.
The diet to be prescribed when the aim is to produce increased weight should include such articles as fat meats, butter, cream, milk, cocoa, chocolate, bread, potatoes, peas, parsnips, beets, farinaceous and flour puddings, pastry, almond puddings, and biscuit, custards, oatmeal porridge, sugar and sweets, porter, &c.
Take wheat flour two table spoonfuls, milk one pint, water one pint; mix the flour with cold water to form a thin paste; put the milk and water over the fire, and when they come to a boiling point add the paste, carefully stirring.
Stir some oatmeal and water together, let the mixture stand to clear, and pour off the water; then put more water to the meal, stir it well and let it stand till the next day; strain through a fine sieve and boil the water, adding milk while so doing. Let the proportion of milk exceed one-half. With toast this is good diet for the sick.
Take of lime water one to two ounces, milk four ounces. This will sometimes be retained on the stomach when other food is rejected. The addition of fifteen grains of bicarbonate of soda has a similar effect if added to a quart of fresh milk, and prevents milk from turning sour for several hours.
Take of Indian meal one coffee cupful, water two quarts, salt to taste; when the water is boiling, stir the meal into it, adding meal gradually till it thickens so that it is difficult to stir. It should be permitted to remain where it will cook slowly for twenty or thirty minutes, stirred often with a pudding stick. Eat with milk.
Soak half a box of gelatin in a cup of cold water; steep the grated or pared rind of two lemons in a pint of boiling water for ten minutes, add the gelatin, one cup of sugar, and four table spoonfuls of lemon juice. When all is dissolved, strain and place in a vessel to cool.
Take alum one teaspoonful, milk one pint; boil together and strain to separate the curd.
Allow a small teaspoonful of tea to each half pint of water. After rinsing the teapot with boiling water put in the tea, and let it stand a few minutes in the steaming pot; add the water freshly boiling, and let it stand where it will keep hot three or four minutes.
Take one pint of nearly boiling milk, and add half an ounce of freshly ground coffee, and boil together for three minutes. Clear it by pouring into a cup and dashing back. Add a little isinglass dissolved in water and leave to settle. If preferred, beat up an egg with sugar and pour the coffee upon it.
Take one table spoonful of lump magnesia, pulverized, one teaspoonful of saleratus or soda, sugar and salt as desired, and stir them in a quart of hot milk porridge made in the usual way. This will operate as an antacid and as physic if taken during the day; at the same time it is nourishing.
Take half an ounce of cream tartar, the juice of one lemon, and two table spoonfuls of sugar; pour on them a quart of boiling water, and let it stand on ice till cold. If this is drank it will increase the action of the kidneys.
Take one potato, one turnip, one onion; let them be sliced and boiled in one quart of water for an hour. Add as much salt and pepper as is agreeable, and pour the whole upon dry toast. Add butter if desired.
Take of sheep’s suet two ounces, milk one pint, starch half an ounce, water one pint; boil slowly for fifteen minutes.
Take of starch one ounce, powdered cinnamon one drachm, gum Arabic one ounce, boiling water three pints; boil until reduced to two-thirds and strain. This is a useful drink in dysentery.
Take of fine wheat flour a pound, tie it up in a linen cloth, boil until it becomes a hard dry mass. A table spoonful of this may be grated off and used to make milk porridge.
The bread must be cut thin, the crust trimmed off, and then the slice held in a toaster over a bed of coals, and turned from side to side till all the moisture is removed, then allowed to become a golden brown. Serve it on a hot plate as soon as it is done.
Take three Boston crackers, split them and arrange them in a bowl in layers, sugar and salt scattered among them; cover with boiling water, and set in a warm place with a close cover over the bowl, to remain one hour. A little nutmeg should be added, and it should be eaten from the bowl.
Put two teaspoonfuls of the powder into a basin, mix them smooth with a few teaspoonfuls of cold water, and let another person pour boiling water over the mixture while you continue to stir it until it forms a starchy looking substance. It may be used in the same manner as gruel, a little milk and salt being added to it.
Take two teaspoonfuls arrow root, wet them up with a little cold milk; stir for three minutes in a cup of boiling milk, take from the fire and stir in an egg, already well beaten; boil two minutes longer, flavor with vanilla or rose water, and pour into moulds.
Take one teacupful of rice, one heaping teaspoonful of cocoa-nut, and the milk from the centre of the nut; one quart of water, one pint of milk, and salt to taste; boil three or four hours in a double boiler. If it boils away too much add more water. Serve with canned strawberries for sauce.
Take a quantity of the soft part of a loaf, break it up, cover it with boiling water and allow it to soak for several hours; the water is then to be poured off completely, and fresh water added; place the mixture on the fire and allow it to boil until it becomes smooth. The water is then to be pressed out, and the bread on cooling will form a thick jelly. Mix a portion of this with sugared milk and water as it is wanted.
In preparing it only just enough cold water should be poured on to prevent from burning at the bottom of the pot, which should have a close fitting cover, and with a moderate fire the rice is steamed rather than boiled until it is nearly done; then the cover is taken off, the surplus steam and moisture allowed to escape, and the rice turns out a mass of snow white kernels.
Take half a pint of oysters, cut into small pieces, put them into a gill of water and let them simmer for eight or ten minutes. Skim and strain, then add a little new milk, salt, and pepper.
A fresh egg broken into boiling water and cooked till the white is congealed, then laid on a piece of newly toasted bread dipped in hot milk and buttered, is an appetizing dish for convalescents.
To relieve the nausea and vomiting of cholera morbus: Kill a chicken, and strip off the feathers as soon as possible after it is killed; boil the wings and legs in a little water. This, if simply seasoned with a little salt, will be acceptable to the stomach.
Take one pound of newly killed beef or fowl, chop it fine; add one-half pint of pure water, and perhaps four or five drops of pure muriatic acid, one-half teaspoonful of common salt, and stir well together. After three hours the whole may be thrown in a sieve, and the fluid allowed to pass through on slight pressure; on the flesh residue in the sieve pour slowly one-half teacupful of water, and let it run slowly through the sieve while squeezing the meat. There will thus be obtained about ten ounces of cold juice (extract of meat), having a pleasant taste of soup, of which a wineglassful may be taken at pleasure. If preferred one part of meat may be taken with two parts of white sugar, one teaspoonful every three hours. The two may be pounded in a mortar.
Take one pound of beef minced very fine, and put it in a common earthenware pot with a pint and a half of cold water; stand the pot on the stove, so that it may simmer for at least three hours.
When it is desired that chicken broth should be very nutritious, take an old fowl; cut up and break the bones with a mallet; cover with three or four pints of cold water, and add some rice or tapioca; salt to taste and boil for two hours.
Take of either mutton, beef, or veal one pound and a half, cold water two quarts, rice two ounces; simmer for four hours, boil for a few minutes, strain and serve.
Wash two ounces of the best pearl sago until the water poured from it is clear, then stir the sago in half a pint of water until it is tender and very thick; mix with it half a pint of good boiling cream, and the yolks of four fresh eggs, and mingle the whole carefully with one quart of good beef tea, which should be boiling; serve. Good in cases of lingering convalescence after acute diseases.
To a pint of beef tea add bread crumbs, and boil for five minutes; or mix a table spoonful of cooked oatmeal or rice with two of boiling water, add a cupful of strong beef tea and boil a few moments. Serve with toast.
To a pound of meat cut in small pieces put a quart of cold water, boil slowly three or four hours in a closely covered kettle till the meat falls to pieces; strain, remove all fat, and put in two table spoonfuls of rice that has been soaked half an hour; simmer until the rice is well cooked, season with salt, and serve with toasted cracker.
Take lean beef, cut into shreds one pound, cold water one quart; boil for thirty minutes, taking off the scum as it rises; when it grows cold, strain.
Take of lean beef sliced, one pound; put into a bottle or fruit jar, cork it loosely and place it in a pot of cold water (attaching the neck by means of a string to the handle of the vessel.) Boil for two hours and then decant the liquor and skim it.
Take a nice juicy steak, remove all the fat, broil it over a bright coal fire long enough to heat it through; then with a meat or lemon squeezer press out the juice into a cup; set in hot water. Remove any fat that may be in it; shake the salt box slightly over it and serve.
I shall not refer to the different alimentary preparations now thrown in the market, which come with printed directions on the packages, farther than to say that I have a favorable opinion of Carnrick’s Soluble food for infants. I have tested it well.
The nurse will not often prescribe medicine, but it may be of use to know how to read the prescriptions of others, and to know a few of the general rules or principles upon which physicians act in trying to produce the greatest curative effect with least possible inconvenience.
Generally in the following prescriptions the ordinary dose for an adult is stated. The young require a smaller dose than older persons, or those at maturity; and the very aged cannot bear as large doses as the middle aged. The following is designed to exhibit the dose proportioned to the age; the dose for a person of middle age being one drachm:
| That for a person from | 14 | to 21 | will be | 2 | scruples. |
| That for a person from | 7 | to 14 | will be | ½ | a drachm. |
| That for a person from | 4 | to 7 | will be | 1 | scruple. |
| That for a person of | 4 | years | will be | 15 | grains. |
| That for a person of | 3 | years | will be | 10 | grains. |
| That for a person of | 2 | years | will be | 8 | grains. |
| That for a person of | 1 | years | will be | 5 | grains. |
There are some medicines however which require to be given to children in much larger proportioned doses than those stated above. For example, a child of three years might require half as much castor oil for a dose as an adult. Females usually require smaller doses than males, and those of sanguine temperament than the lymphatic and phlegmatic. Idiosyncracies sometimes exist in individuals rendering them peculiarly susceptible to the action of certain remedies, or causing a medicine to act on an individual in a manner wholly different from the ordinary mode.
In general the susceptibility to the action of a medicine is diminished by its frequent use; some medicines are of variable strength, and all these considerations should lead to great care in prescribing; some medicines require more care than others, however, and such formula will be selected for insertion here as may be pretty generally used with safety. I believe they do not require more effort to adapt them to particular cases than ordinary patent medicines.
Medicines given together should be combined with a definite purpose in regard to each article in the formula. Remedies of the same general character may be given together in order to increase their efficacy. In F. 74 there are several aromatics because a small amount of each when combined, will be more certain in their action than a large amount of one kind, and at the same time they will be less irritating.
The effects of one medicine are in many cases increased by the influence of another in augmenting the natural susceptibility of the system to its action.
One medicine is given with another to counteract the more disagreeable effects of the more active one.
One medicine is sometimes given as a vehicle for another; perhaps to cover the disagreeable taste or odor and to render the medicine acceptable to the stomach. For example, the aromatics and ammonia in F. 74 are much more agreeable to the stomach than either of them would be separately.
In the mixing of medicines care should be taken that they are neither chemically nor physiologically incompatible. When the action of an acid is desired, an alkali should not be given at the same time, as they unite to form a compound different from either. A soluble salt should not be given with another, or with an acid that would decompose it, and produce an inert compound. If medicines are given that have an apparent physiological incompatibility, it should be with a full understanding of their effects, and with reference to them. The FORM in which medicine is given must vary according to the nature of the medicine, the taste of the patient, or the condition of his stomach, as it is always desirable to have it so that it can be swallowed without difficulty.
The physician should always write his prescription with neatness, order and precision, but it will be found an advantage to the nurse to have a ready comprehension of the symbols and abbreviations used in writing prescriptions. Hence I have appended a table designed to explain the signs and abbreviations habitually used. Ordinarily the Roman numerals are employed, and follow always the symbols to which they relate. A glossary which will include some latin terms will hereafter be added.
| Sign or Abbreviation. | LATIN WORD. | ENGLISH WORD. |
|---|---|---|
| ℔ | Libra or libræ. | A pound or pounds. |
| ℥ | Uncia or unciæ. | An ounce or ounces. |
| ʒ | Drachma or drachmæ. | A drachm or drachms |
| ℈ | Scrupulus or scrupuli. | A scruple or scruples |
| aa. | Ana. | Of each. |
| Add. | Adda. | Add to it. |
| Ad. saturand | Ad saturandum. | Until saturated. |
| Ad. lib. | Ad libitum. | At pleasure. |
| Alt. hor. | Alternis horis. | Alternate hours. |
| Ante Cib. | Ante cibum. | Before food. |
| Aq. ferv. | Aqua fervens. | Hot water. |
| Aq. pluv. | Aqua pluvialis. | Rain water. |
| Aq. pur. | Aqu pura. | Pure water. |
| Aq. tepida. | Aqua tepida. | Tepid water. |
| Bis die. | Bis die. | Twice a day. |
| Bull. | Bulliat. | Let it boil. |
| Cap. | Copiat. | Let him take. |
| Coch. mag. | Cochlear magraum. | A large spoonful. |
| Coch. parv. | Cochlear parvum. | A tea spoonful. |
| Colent. | Colentur. | Let them be strained |
| Collyr. | Collyrium. | An eye water. |
| Comp. or Co. | Compositus. | Compound. |
| Contus. | Contusus. | Bruised or crushed. |
| Cong. | Congius or Congii. | A gallon or gallons. |
| Decoct. | Decoctum. | A decoction. |
| Det. | Detur. | Let it be given |
| Dil. | Dilutus. | Dilute. |
| Div. in p. æq. | Divitur in partes æqualis. | Divide in equal parts |
| Duo. | Duo. | Two. |
| Ft. | Fiat. | Let them be made. |
| Garg. | Gargarisma. | A gargle |
| Gr. | Granum or granæ. | A grain or grains. |
| Gtt. or gut. | Gutta or guttæ. | A drop or drops. |
| Haust. | Haustus. | A draught. |
| Ind. | Indico. | Daily. |
| Infus. | Infusum. | An infusion. |
| Inject. | Injectio. | An injection. |
| Min. or M. | Minim. | 1–60 of a fluid drachm |
| M. | Misce. | Mix |
| Mass. | Massa. | A mass |
| Mist. | Mistura. | A mixture. |
| Pil. | Pilula or pilulæ | A pill or pills. |
| ppt. | Preparata. | Prepared. |
| Pulv. | Pulvis. | A powder. |
| P.R.N. | Pro re nata. | As occasion requires. |
| q. s. | Quantum sufficit. | A sufficient quantity. |
| ℞ | Recipe. | Take. |
| Rad. | Radix. | A root. |
| S. or Sig. | Signatur. | Write. |
| ss. | Semisis. | A half. |
| Tinct. | Tinctura. | A tincture. |
| 2 dis. | Duo dis. | Every two hours. |
| f. ℥ or fl. | Fluid uncia or unciæ. | Fluid oz. or ounces. |
The succeeding chapter is composed of formulæ giving numerous examples of the different forms in which prescriptions are written. Good taste requires that all directions should be in the English language, and that hieroglyphics and absurd abbreviations should be discarded as much as possible. Very many physicians write the directions in latin, and the druggist is expected to write the same in English and attach a label thus written to the bottle containing the medicine. I have given some examples of the old-form prescriptions written entirely in latin, and also some where the new notation (figures, &c.) is used. Whoever reads them over will learn how to read prescriptions; but I have given none but such as I value highly, and I have used almost every one in my practice, and tested its excellence. I advise people to obtain these rather than those patent medicines whose composition is secret. The person who desires one of these prescribed medicines can obtain it by copying the formula accurately and taking it to a druggist. I adopt the usual
Antacids neutralize acids existing in the alimentary canal, or circulating with the blood; ANTISEPTICS counteract putrefaction; ANTISPASMODICS relax spasm and calm nervous irritation; ASTRINGENTS cause vital contraction of the organic textures; ANTHELMINTICS destroy worms, or expel them from the bowels; CATHARTICS act on the bowels, producing a purgative effect; CAUSTICS destroy the life of the part upon which they act; DIAPHORETICS increase the cutaneous discharge; DIURETICS produce an increased flow of urine; EMETICS produce vomiting; EXPECTORANTS augment the secretion from the pulmonary mucous membrane; ENEMATA cause evacuations from the rectum, &c.; EMMENAGOGUES excite the menstrual secretion; NARCOTICS affect the cerebral functions; TONICS exalt the energies of the whole system. I shall give examples of remedies which are designed to produce these several effects, besides some belonging to other classes.
Where the word teaspoon is used it signifies one holding about 55 drops of water = ʒ j. (one drachm); 1 table spoon about half an ounce, and this is written ℥ ss; one wineglass equals two ounces, written ℥ ij; one teacup equals four ounces, written ℥ jv.; one coffee cup equals eight ounces, and is written ℥ viij.
The gramme of the French metric system equals about 15 grains, and this is the unit of weights. The system is of the decimal character and the latin prefixes deci, centi, milli, &c., are used to indicate its subdivisions, and the Greek deca, hecto, kilo, myria, &c., are its multiples, always on the scale of ten.
| .001 | gramme | = 1 milligramme. | |
| .01 | gramme | = 1 centigramme. | |
| .1 | gramme | = 1 decigramme. | |
| 1 | gramme | ||
| 10 | gramme | = 1 decagramme. | |
| 100 | gramme | = 1 hectogramme. | |
| 1000 | gramme | = 1 kilogramme. |
Physicians, many of them, prefer to employ latin names to designate the ingredients of their prescriptions, and to write the directions to the druggist in latin. I will first give a few latin prescriptions with the translation.
(Let a draught be made.)
| ℞ | Magnesiæ sulphatis | drachmas duas. |
| Infusi sennæ | fluidunciam. | |
| Syrupi rhei | fluidrachmam. |
Misce et fiat haustus, in jusculo calido, partítis vicibus sumendus.
The above prescription translated into English would read:
| Take of | sulphate of magnesia | two drachms. |
| Infusion of senna | one fluid ounce. | |
| Syrup of rhubarb | one fluid drachm. |
Mix and let a draught be made to be taken in divided doses in warm broth.
The following is a convenient form and one not liable to mistakes:
| ℞ | Magnesiæ sulph. | ʒ ij. |
| Syr. rhei | f ʒ j. | |
| Infus. sennæ. | f ℥ j. M., et fiat haustus. |
S. To be taken in divided doses in warm broth.
| ℞ | Magnes. alb. ust | ℈ j. |
| Tinct. fœtid | gtt. lx. | |
| Tinct. theb | gtt. xx. | |
| Aq. font | ℥ j. |
| Take | Calcined magnesia | 20 grains. |
| Tincture of assafœtida | 60 drops. | |
| Laudanum | 20 drops. | |
| Water | 1 ounce. Mix. |
S. Dose. 20 drops for a child, in sweetened water.
| ℞ | Sal tart. vel carb. sod | gr. xxx. |
| Gum Arabic. | ||
| Sacch. Alb | aa. ʒ j. | |
| Tinct. theb | gtt x. | |
| Aq. Font | ℥ iij. |
| Take | salt of tartar or soda | 20 grains. |
| Gum Arabic and loaf sugar | each 1 drachm. | |
| Tincture of opium (laudanum) | 10 drops. | |
| Water | 3 ounces. |
To the above a drop of oil of cinnamon may be added and it may be given in doses of one teaspoonful in lime water and milk, when cholera morbus is followed by diarrhœa and dysentery.
| ℞ | Tr. phytolac dec | gtt. vj. |
| Tr. aconit | gtt. iij. | |
| Aqua. | ℥ iv. M. |
| Take | Tinct. of poke root | 6 drops. |
| Tinct. of aconite | 3 drops. | |
| Water | 4 ounces. Mix. |
Dose a teaspoonful every five or thirty minutes, as is necessary.
For a case of mammary abscess it may be given internally, and also rubbed upon the breast in the forming stage.
| ℞ | Tinct. cinch. comp. | ℥ viij. |
| Aq. menth. pip. | ℥ xij. | |
| Ammon. murias | ℥ j. M. |
| Take of | Compound tincture of Peruvian bark | 8 ounces. |
| Peppermint water | 12 ounces. | |
| Muriate of ammonia | 1 ounce. Mix |
S. Dose one teaspoonful three times a day, one hour before meals.
| ℞ | Pulveris guaiaci resinæ, | |
| Potassæ nicratas | aa. ʒ j. | |
| Pulveris ipecacuanhæ | gr. iij. | |
| Opii | gr. ij. |
Fiat pulvis in charletas sex dividendus.