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Apothecaries' Measure: Vomiting

Nausea and Vomiting.-First cleanse the stomach by giving large draughts of warm water, and then give small pieces of ice, a tablespoonful of lime water, or a half teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia, or a small quantity of magnesia or baking soda, and, if necessary, place a mustard plaster over the pit of the stomach. Nervous Attacks, or Shivering Fits, are treated by hot drinks, heat to the surface of the body, mustard or turpentine over the stomach, and a dose of Hoffman's anodyne or tincture of valerian, if at hand.

Nose. Children are apt to shove up their noses small bodies of different sorts, which may cause serious trouble unless soon removed. There removal may often be effected by vigorously blowing the nose, or by repeated sneezing, produced by snuff, or by tickling the nose with a feather. If these fail, a hairpin or button-hook, may be carefully tried.

Poisons and their Antidotes. - When poisonous substances have been taken into the stomach, the first move is to cause their ejection by vomiting or neutralization, by proper antidotes. Our first step, however, should always be to get rid of as much of the poison as possible by vomiting-riddance is always preferable to neutralization-but that which remains must be rendered inert by proper antidotes. Vomiting should be produced by the simplest means when they are sufficient, such as tickling the throat with the finger or with a feather, or by drinking luke warm water, salt and water, or mustard and water, but when these means are insufficient we should at once resort to one of fhose emetics which is most powerful and speedy in its opera- . tions, as tartar emetic, sulphate of copper, or sulphate of zinc. When vomiting has been excited, it should be continued by copious draughts of warm water, or by tickling the throat with the finger or a feather, until the poisonous substances are rejected. In cases when vomiting cannot be produced, the stomach pump must be used by skilled hands, especially in arsenical or narcotic poisons. When as much of the poison as possible has been gotten rid of by vomiting, the following antidotes will be found the most simple and reliable: acids are neutralized by alkalies, such as very thick soap suds of soap and milk, chalk, soda, lime water, magnesia, or saleratus. In cases of poisioning from sulphuric acid, do not use soap suds or lime water; for nitric or oxalic acid use magnesia and lime; and for prussic acid use dilute ammonia and electricity. Alkalies are neutralized by acids, the vegetable acids, vinegar, or oils in large quantities. Opium and other narcotics are neutralized by strong coffee and frequent doses of aqua ammonia, following and during frequent powerful emetics, and for the spasms of strychnia, use chloroform, or ether and electricity. Motion and heat must be maintained in poisonings of this character. Arsenic is probably the most difficult poison to antidote successfully of any we have to contend with; hydrated peroxid of iron, in tablespoonful doses every ten minutes until relief is obtained, is relied upon by the profession oftener than any other treatment. 'I his preparation, as well as any others named under poisons, can be procured at any druggist's. When poisoned by bismuth, copper, and their compounds, mercury, tin, zinc and their salts, and creosote, use albumen in some form, as the white of eggs, sweet milk, strong coffee, and mucilaginous drinks. For lead and its salts, use epsom salts, glauber salts, dilute sulphuric acid, or even lemonade, in mild cases. For Iodine, use starch, wheat flour, or arrowroot beaten up in warm water. For gases, use dilute ammonia, electricity, and friction. In poisoning from animals, but little or no benefit is derived from vomiting, but we should at once resort to antidotes, and often to the actual cautery. For the bite of a mad dog, the actual cautery should instantly be applied to the wound, and large doses of zinc, or muriate of iron, given for several days. For serpents' stings apply the actual cautery immediately, and give sufficient whisky or brandy to produce intoxication. For insect poison apply iodine, or hartshorn and oil to the part, and give stimulants for a day or two.

Sore Throat.-Gargle with alum water or alum in sage tea, and drink often and freely of flaxseed tea. Flaxseed tea should be made by pouring a pint of boiling water on one or two tablespoonfuls of whole flaxseed and stirring it up for a few minutes. The flaxseed should not be boiled, as that would bring out the oil, which is too heavy for the stomach. It is only the mucilage from the outside of the seeds that is useful. Chlorate of potash, an ounce, in a pint of hot water, makes a very good gargle for a simple or ulcerated sore throat. It is nearly tasteless, and being not at all offensive to take, is well adapted for children. A stronger gargle is: take of very strong sage tea, half a pint: strained honey, common salt, and strong vinegar, of each two tablespoonfuls; one teaspoonful of pulverized cayenne pepper; steeping the cayenne with the sage, strain, mix, and bottle for use, gargling from four to a dozen times daily, according to the severity of the case. To smoke dried mullein leaves in an ordinary but new clay pipe has been found very beneficial where there is a tickling in the throat, or hacking cough, or other irritation.