Mother's Remedies Part 6

There is little or no danger in these attacks if proper care is taken. The attack generally lasts two to four days.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. Hoa.r.s.eness, Borax for.--"For hoa.r.s.eness dissolve a piece of borax the size of a pea in the mouth and don't talk. It will work like a charm." The borax does away with the inflammation of the inflamed parts and gives relief very quickly.

[RESPIRATORY DISEASES 25]

2. Hoa.r.s.eness, Egg and Lemon for.--"Beaten white of one egg, juice of one lemon, with sugar enough to thicken, then add one teaspoonful olive oil."

Take one teaspoonful every hour until relieved.

3. Hoa.r.s.eness, Horseradish for.--"Horseradish root; eat plenty of it. This has been tried and proved successful."

4. Hoa.r.s.eness, Successful Remedy for Adults.--"Take two ounces of fresh sc.r.a.ped horseradish root, infuse in a close vessel in one-half pint of cold water for two or three hours; then add four ounces of acid tincture of lobelia and one-half pound of honey. Boil altogether for one-half hour, strain and take a teaspoonful four times a day. This is a very good remedy, especially for adults."

5. Hoa.r.s.eness, Lemon and Sugar for Children.--"Take the juice of one lemon and saturate with sugar, take a teaspoonful several times a day. It is sure to give relief. This is very pleasant to give to children, as they most all like it."

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Hoa.r.s.eness.--1. Rest of the voice and if the case is severe keep in bed in a room with an even temperature and the air saturated with moisture from a steaming teakettle, etc.

2. An ice bag on the throat or cold water cloths to the front of the throat often give relief.

3. Tincture of Aconite.--This is given in the beginning when there is fever. The dose depends upon the age, and the amount of fever. You can give it to a child by putting one drop of aconite in twelve teaspoonfuls of water and then give one teaspoonful every one to three hours according to the case. For an adult you can put ten drops of aconite in ten teaspoonfuls of water and give one teaspoonful every hour or two.

4. Citrate of Potash is given every four to five hours in adults.

5. Full dose of five grains of Dover's powders at night for the irritating cough.

6. For a cough, for a child one year old you can give one-half teaspoonful, every two hours, of the following:--

Syrup of Dover's powder 1 fluid dram Tincture of Aconite 10 drops Simple syrup Enough to make two ounces

Shake before using.

TICKLING IN THROAT. Mothers' Remedies. Mullein Leaf Smoke Beneficial for.--"Smoke dried mullein leaves, just a few puffs are needed, and should be drawn into the throat. Myron H. Grinnel of Albion, Mich., says his grandmother always gathers mullein leaves for this purpose and finds them an excellent remedy. Too much would cause dizziness." Mullein leaves are good for inflamed membranes like the ear and throat. If a person does not wish to gather the leaves themselves they may buy them at a drug store.

2. Tickling in Throat, Good Northern Canada Remedy for.--"Chew some of the bark of slippery elm and gargle the throat with saliva. This stops tickling in a few minutes."

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3. Tickling in Throat, Tested Gargle for.--"Gargle from four to six times daily with following:--

Strong Sage Tea 1 pint Salt 2 tablespoonfuls Cayenne Pepper 2 tablespoonfuls Vinegar 2 tablespoonfuls Honey 2 tablespoonfuls

Mix thoroughly and bottle for use."

The above ingredients are all excellent for sore throat and it is an old tried remedy and can easily be obtained. If it is too strong dilute with warm water to the desired strength.

SWELLING OF THE GLOTTIS. (Oedematous Laryngitis. Oedma of the Glottis).--Swelling or oedma of the glottis or more correctly of the structure which forms the glottis, is a very serious affection. It may follow acute laryngitis or may be met with in chronic diseases of the larynx and from other diseases. It is dangerous.

Symptoms.--Difficulty of breathing which increases in intensity so that the condition becomes very serious in a short time. There is whistling breathing, the voice is husky and disappears.

Acute Laryngitis.--Inhalations and sprays.

Menthol 10 grains Oil of pine 1 dram Tincture of benzion 1 dram Liquid alboline 2 ounces

Make a solution. Use one teaspoonful in a pint of boiling water; inhale with a cone placed over the dish or put a shawl over the head and dish and inhale the steam. Or this one to inhale same way:

Tincture of benzoin 1 dram Oil of tar 1 drain Liquid alboline 2 ounces

Make a solution and use one teaspoonful to a pint of boiling water as above.

It may be necessary in order to save life, to have a physician make an opening by incision into the windpipe for the admission of air into the lungs. This process is called Tracheotomy.

Diet in Laryngitis.--Hard and dry toasts should be avoided, for they give pain on being swallowed, same reason applies to highly seasoned foods.

Milk, custards, eggs, sc.r.a.ped beef may be taken. Difficulty in swallowing may be overcome by allowing the patient to lie flat on the bed, etc., with his face over the edge. Food can be sucked through the tube from a vessel placed below; or the patient can lean forward while eating.

"CHILD CROWING" (Spasm of the Glottis.)--This is usually peculiar to children.

[RESPIRATORY DISEASES 27]

Cause.--It is purely a nervous affection and it occurs between six months and three years, and is most commonly seen in children with rickets.

Symptoms.--It may come in the night or day; or when the child awakes. The breathing is arrested, the child struggles for breath, the face is flushed, and then with a sudden relaxation of the spasm, the air is drawn into the lungs with a high pitched crowing sound. Convulsions may occur.

Death rarely occurs. There may be many attacks during the day.

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT of Child Crowing. Preventive.--The gums should be carefully examined and if they are swollen and hot they should be lanced.

The bowels should be carefully regulated, and as these children are usually of a delicate nature and afflicted with rickets, nouris.h.i.+ng food and the treatment in diet and medicine should be given for rickets. Cod liver oil is a good general remedy. (See rickets).

Cold Sponging.--In severe cases, the child should be placed in a warm bath tub and the back and chest thoroughly sponged for a minute or two with cold water. This plan may be used even when a child is in a paroxysm, though the attack is severe and the child looks blue, it is much better than to dash cold water in the face. Sometimes the attack can be stopped by introducing the finger far back into the throat.

CROUP, Spasmodic.--This disease gives the parents a terrible shock if they have never seen any attacks of the kind. The symptoms which attend the attack are out of all proportion to the real danger. It is generally the result of exposure to cold or to the cold wind. Irritating, undigested food, often causes it.

Symptoms.--Usually the child goes to bed perfectly well, or has a slight cold and wakes up an hour or two later, coughing and gasping for breath, due to a spasm in the wind pipe. The cough is shrill, more like a bark; the cough is repeated at intervals and soon the patient breathes quickly and laboriously. It must sit up for it can breathe easier sitting. The voice is oftentimes nearly or quite lost, or at least only a hoa.r.s.e whisper; the face is bluish or perspiring. The spasm lasts for a variable period, but rarely exceeds one-half hour, sometimes only a few minutes.

The croupy cough and oppressed breathing may last longer than this, but these too subside after a time, after which the child drops to sleep and usually rests quietly for the rest of the night. There is a tendency to recurrence on succeeding night unless obviated by treatment.

Treatment. Preventive.--Guard against such children's exposure to cold winds and dampness, dress them warmly. The living and sleeping rooms should not be too warm. Do not give them food hard to digest at any time, especially before bedtime. Foods hard to digest frequently cause the attack.

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MOTHERS' REMEDIES. Croup, Cold Application for.--"Apply to throat a flannel wrung out of cold water, lay a dry cloth over it." This is an excellent remedy for a mother to try in case of an emergency when no other medicine can be obtained. This very often will relieve a child until other remedies can be secured and has been known to save many children's lives: The cold water helps to draw the blood away from the larynx and air pa.s.sages and also dilates the tubes and gives relief. Take great care not to wet the child, as this will cause it to take more cold and may prove fatal.

2. Croup, Sure Cure for.--"Give child anything that will make it vomit, soak feet in hot water, apply onion drafts to bottom of feet, roast onions and put on the chest, keep warm. My mother has cured me at least one hundred times with the above remedy. She generally gave me pig's foot oil, or oil from the feet of a chicken, sometimes melted lard. Croup has to be attended to at once or it is fatal with the child." This is a very good remedy.

3. Croup, Immediate Relief from Steaming.--"Put a small shawl over the child's head to retain steam, then put a small chunk of unslaked lime in a bowl of water under shawl. The steam affords immediate relief, usually, if child inhales it." This is very good; shawl should cover the child's head and bowl in which lime is dissolved.

4. Croup, for Baby or Older Child.--"Take a teaspoonful alum, pulverize it and sprinkle it on the whites of two fresh eggs in a cup or gla.s.s, let it stand for a few minutes, until the combination has turned to water, or water is produced; then give one-half teaspoonful to a child six months old or less and increase the dose to one teaspoonful for older children, and repeat the dose in fifteen or thirty minutes as the case may require.

Remarks: From personal experience in my own and neighbors' families, I have never known a case where it did not bring relief and cure. The dose must produce vomiting."

5. Croup, Remedy that Never Fails.--"Two tablespoonfuls of liquor or brandy and one-quarter teaspoonful of glycerin, one teaspoonful of sugar, one tablespoonful of water; stir up well and give one teaspoonful every hour or oftener if necessary. Then at same time take a flannel and soak well in cold water, wring it gently and put around neck with a heavy, dry flannel over the damp one. If damp flannel becomes hot take it off, dampen it in more cold water and apply again, and so on until relieved. Do not allow the patient to get chilled. Better results are obtained if patient will go to bed. Remarks: I have used this in my family, and have always found it to be the best croup cure I have ever seen, and it will be found to give immediate relief. The external application is extremely good."