The Author of “The Reason Why Series” has made very wide researches, in order to
bring within the pages of this Volume, in the most simple but expressive language,
all those illustrations of scientific principles which bear upon the Housewife’s duties; so
that she may not only know that she should do a thing, but WHY she should do it;
and knowing WHY, perform it all the more willingly.
EXAMPLE.
Why is the mixture of alum with bread injurious?
Why are baked apples useful to dyspeptic persons?
Why should bedsteads not be placed against walls?
Why do chimneys smoke?
Why does salt improve digestion?
Why does biliousness frequently attack people at forty years of age?
Why are complexions influenced by the colours of dress?
Why should not infants be placed on their backs in their cradles or beds?
Why is roasted meat more digestible than boiled?
This Volume answers 1500 similar Questions.
“To understand the Economy of Household Affairs is not only
essential to a woman’s proper and pleasant performance of the
duties of a Wife and a Mother, but is indispensable to the comfort,
respectability, and welfare of all Families, whatever be their
circumstances.”—Dr. Kitchiner.
THE PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE
A COMPLETE
ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY AND FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE
BY
THE ORIGINAL EDITOR OF THE “FAMILY FRIEND,”
THE “HOUSEWIFE’S REASON WHY,” ETC.
NEW EDITION, REVISED AND GREATLY ENLARGED.
LONDON: HOULSTON & WRIGHT.
PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. Author’s Edition.
THE REASON WHY SERIES COMPRISES THE FOLLOWING WORKS, EACH COMPLETE IN ITSELF,
AND SOLD SEPARATELY.
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THIS BOOK,
THE RESULT OF HUNDREDS OF VALUED CONTRIBUTIONS,
ACCUMULATED AND APPROVED DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS, IS DEDICATED TO EVERY HOUSEWIFE, BY THE
ORIGINAL EDITOR OF THE “FAMILY FRIEND,” IN THE BELIEF THAT IT WILL
LESSEN THE CARES OF DOMESTIC MANAGEMENT,
AID THE PRACTICE OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY, AND
PROVE A HELP IN MANY EMERGENCIES,
WHICH MAY AFFECT THE COMFORT OF HOME.
London, October, 1860.
PREFACE.
Every Englishman’s house is his Castle; the Husband has
to do battle with the struggles and competition of life; to provide
for the wants of his little fortress; and to keep those
formidable enemies Debt, Discontent, and Poverty, from the
door. And many and arduous are the battles which he has
to brave; frequently testing to their utmost the powers of
heart and mind.
At the right hand of the Master of the citadel stands the
Housewife, his help-meet, companion, and comforter. Upon her
devolves the duty of keeping away the more subtile enemies
that attack the dwellers of the citadel within: Disease, Uncleanliness,
and Waste, are among the silent but stubborn foes which,
unless they are fairly resisted at their first approach, destroy
the foundation, shatter the walls, and reduce to ruin, both in
a moral and a material sense, the Domestic stronghold which it
is Man’s mission to erect and defend, and Woman’s mission to
preserve in all its happiness and integrity.
The “Practical Housewife,” which we now present to
the public in a greatly enlarged and much improved form, is
a Hand-book to guide the Wife in the discharge of those duties
upon which the well-being of Home depends; and without the
proper fulfilment of which the most earnest efforts of the best
Husband will ever fail to secure their reward. In proof that
we do not over-estimate the importance of Woman’s influence in
the household, remember the words of Solomon: “Every wise
woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down
with her hands.”
In the following pages will be found some excellent Thoughts
and Maxims upon Housekeeping; Advice upon the Domestic
Treatment of the Sick; the Management of Children, &c.;
a series of very instructive papers upon Domestic Manipulation,
together with Directions for Cookery and the Choice of Food,
in accordance with the Seasons of the Year; also ample Directions
upon Carving, and the Arrangement of Tables, &c., with
a large number of tried and approved Receipts in almost every
description of Domestic Preparation.
The married lady who carefully studies these pages, cannot
fail to become a “Practical Housewife,” one of those wise
women who “buildeth her house,” increaseth happiness in all
around her, and is followed, when she is called heavenward, by
the throbbing heart-love of all who felt her blessed influence.
It is obvious that the subject of Needlework, intricate as
are its operations, and voluminous as its written descriptions
must be, could not be included in the present volume. The
subject has been elaborately treated and profusely illustrated
in the “Treasures in Needlework,” containing several
hundreds of designs by Mrs. Warren, Mrs. Pullan, and other
eminent artists.
Commending our Volume to the Housewives of Great Britain,
in the fullest confidence that every page will bear the closest
examination, and be found unusually instructive, we pray for
the increase of those Domestic Virtues which are the proud
characteristic of the British Nation.
THE PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE. — THOUGHTS AND MAXIMS ON HOUSEKEEPING. — Chapter I.
Importance of the Subject—Deficiencies in Practical Training—The
Happiness of Home mainly depends upon the Housewife.
The superintendence of a house, and the management, forethought,
economy, and good sterling sense requisite properly to achieve this,
demand as much study and perseverance as the acquisition of music,
painting, or any other accomplishment. The latter are taught most
sedulously; young girls are educated to delight our eyes and ears, and
to shine in society: would it not be well if they were also educated to
sustain a woman’s home, and often homely, duties?
In no country is domestic comfort so prized as in England. It is in
our happy land that the word Home is best felt and enjoyed; from the
wealthy merchant to the peasant, home is the centre around which all
else revolves; yet, strange to say, in all ranks there are thousands of
girls brought up utterly in ignorance of home duties. They are taught
a trade, or are educated for governesses, until that branch of female
employment is so crowded with competitors, that upper servants obtain
a better salary and are treated with more respect; or they are crammed
with brilliant accomplishments and skilled in ornamental work, but of
domestic duties they know little or nothing. Why is this? Surely
elegance and utility are not incompatible.
It is not alone the wife or mother who should be skilled in household
knowledge. Every girl who has emerged from childhood, and who is
approaching towards womanhood, is liable to be called upon to assume
the reins of domestic government; the mother may be ill, bed-ridden,
or die: why should the father, who has perhaps one or two daughters
of sixteen years old or thereabouts, be obliged to seek elsewhere for
a housekeeper?
We trust that our readers will not for a moment imagine that we
have any objection to accomplishments, that we would have a woman
be merely an upper servant in the house it is her province to guide,
that we consider the kitchen her only sphere, or that we undervalue
intellectual acquirements, and elegant occupations. Far from it; but
we would have our model housewife familiar with all the routine of
domestic duties, well acquainted with the minutiæ of household
economy, and perfectly competent to direct, or if need be, teach her
servants—ay, even in cases of necessity, to do things herself.
Every now and then we hear of a great stir being made about the
“rights of women,” and claims made for their having an equal amount
of power, and an equally active part in the business of life with men.
It is by no means our intention to enter into the merits or demerits
of that subject, but what we have to say is this, that if women were,
from the highest to the lowest, more systematically educated to wield
properly the great amount of power they do possess, and if they were
habituated actively and energetically to enter into that portion of the
business of life which is their own peculiar sphere, this world would
be a much happier and better one.
There is a medium, however, in all things. A woman who worries
all within her reach by her ultra-housewifery, who damps one down
with soap and water, poisons one with furniture polish, takes away
one’s appetite by the trouble there is about cooking the simplest thing,
and fidgets one by over-done preciseness and cleanliness, is almost as
much to be avoided as a downright sluggard, or the veriest simpleton.
Neither would we have domestic economy and home duties vaunted,
or made the constant theme of conversation; they are the private
employments of woman; she must study other things in order to
entertain her relatives and friends. Those who talk most of their
duties are generally those who perform them most imperfectly. When
a man returns to his home, or enters his sitting-room, fatigued and
perhaps disappointed by the business of the day, he does not want
to be annoyed by the details of domestic accidents, the misdemeanours
of servants, and the cheating of tradespeople. He has had his worries
during the day, too, and with that pride, or reserve, or want of confidence
which is peculiar to most men, he keeps them to himself.
Many a girl can make good pastry, or dress up jellies, and such
like, for an evening party, and being much complimented for her
labours by those who relish the produce, forthwith fancies herself a
capital housewife, while in all probability, she scarcely knows how
vegetables are cooked, is profoundly ignorant of the prices of the
commonest articles of daily consumption, and could not tell of what
material a house-cloth should be made.
And how few there are who could, in case of need, make a cup of
good gruel, or a glass of white-wine whey, or even a little broth or
barley water. We do not say that they could not manage to produce
something resembling these things, but the capricious appetite of
the invalid rejects the tasteless messes.
Some persons affirm that they have no capacity for this matter,
no taste for that. To such we would reply, If the things alluded to
are necessary parts of duty, cultivate a taste, persevere in endeavouring
to improve a capacity for them. This world is a beautiful one, in
spite of what grumblers say, and thousands would find it a much
happier one if they studied their duties more, and sought their pleasure
or indulged their fancies less. To all of us it is intended to be a place
of trial and probation, and every human being in it exercises a greater
or less influence upon the character, the happiness, and the destinies
of many others, and is accountable for opportunities wasted, and blessings
neglected or transformed; and women especially so.
From the peeress to the peasant, a highly principled, sensible woman,
is, or may be, a blessing to numbers; and not so much by great
deeds or extraordinary exertions, but simply by a quiet, straightforward
performance of those duties which God has given her to do.
Thus far we have gone with our exordium; but in subsequent papers
we shall proceed seriatim through the various duties and business
appertaining to a house, endeavouring to map out a clear chart of
what these are, to point to the sudden rocks, and show as simply
and tersely as possible how these may be avoided, and the vessel
floated always in tolerably peaceful waters.
As it is the province of man to promote the necessaries and comforts
of home, so it is the province of woman wisely to dispense them;
and upon the due performance of her onerous duties rests the social
joy and peace of the home, while nothing but muddle, misery, and
ruin can follow neglect of them. For her guidance we have at
much labour brought before her information upon subjects that fall
within the true scope of housekeeping, and multifarious as those
subjects are, it is our belief that in consulting the Index she will find
a reference to most of those subjects upon which she may require
information.
Chapter II.
The Beginning of House keeping—Importance of a proper Appreciation of
Economy at the Commencement—Taking a House—Choice of Locality—Agreement
with the Landlord—Relative Advantages and Disadvantages of Furnished
Lodgings—Economy and Taste in the Selection of Furniture—Importance
of a proper Selection of Kitchen Utensils.
That sensible and oft-quoted old lady, Mrs. Glasse, in one of her
recipes begins thus:—“First catch your hare.” Acting upon so good
an example, we will first take a house and furnish it, previously to
laying down axioms for its management.
Before any steps are taken, the income or pecuniary means of the
parties about to commence housekeeping, should be well considered.
We know that by young “brides elect,” and rash youths bent on
matrimony, such £ s. d. matters will be deemed dreadfully sublunary;
they have a notion that if once they are married, all will be sure to
go right. A young clerk, rejoicing in an income of £80 or £100 per
annum, more or less, every penny of which he has been in the habit
of seeing annually swallowed up by his own expenses, falls in love
with the daughter of a well-to-do tradesman, a surgeon, or a lawyer
in tolerable practice. The young lady can sing and play, speak French,
Italian, and German a little, produce marvels in the way of crochet
and ornamental work, loves poetry and romance, and can trim herself
a smart bonnet, which, however, often costs more than if she had
purchased one ready made. But she has been at boarding-school,
and knows little or nothing of life as it is; her wants have been
provided for, there have been servants to wait upon, and parents to
love and cherish her; and now, to crown all, she has a lover to adore
her, to write “sonnets to her eyebrow,” sing a second to her duets,
and flatter her caprices and pretty whims.
If the father is a shrewd, worldly man, he soon nips this promising
bit of flirtation in the bud; but if he is an easy-going sort of person,
or one with a family of daughters who will, he knows, at his death,
be but poorly provided for, he lets matters take their course. The
young man proposes, feeling certain in his own mind that a wife will
be an actual saving to him—single men are so imposed upon! The
heads of the families meet in grave consultation on the subject of
“ways and means,” and not seeing their way clearly, separate without
coming to any resolution. The young people are importunate; they
urge all sorts of hopeful, inexperienced arguments, and become eloquent
under the enthusiasm of love. He wilfully ignores the fact that he
has been accustomed to spend half his income on clothes and amusements,
and that a merely nominal sum had been paid to his parents
for board and lodging, and all the comforts of a good home, and the
rest frittered away he scarcely knows how. She forgets how much
she spends on gloves, ribbons, perfumes, and other finery, not to mention
actual necessaries, and persists in seeing an el dorado in the income
of her lover.
They overcome all obstacles and are married, and with éclat, or it
would not be comme il faut. As much is spent on the bridal dress and
the hired coaches, and the breakfast, as would keep the newly-married
pair comfortably for a month; then off they go into the country to spend
in travelling, hotel-bills, &c., some £20 or £30, and fulfil all the requirements
of the etiquette of this enlightened age, which often imperiously
demands reckless expenditure when common sense would advise more
than usual economy.
However, we do not consider it our mission to enter on Quixotic
quarrels with the ways of the world. It is, as our young people soon
find—
“A very good world to live in,
To lend, to spend, or to give in;
But to beg, or borrow, or get one’s own,
’Tis the very worst world that ever was known.”
In taking a house, the first matters to be considered are, the rent we
can afford to give, and whether we are bound to any particular locality.
Having settled this, we may begin our search accordingly. Where
locality is not specified, always choose one as open and airy as may be,
and where the soil, or at any rate the subsoil, is not clay, where the
drainage is good, and there is an ample supply of water, and no
neighbouring factories giving out noxious gases and poisonous smoke
and vapour. Too close a vicinity to a churchyard is likewise to be
avoided. Of course, the house must be capable of accommodating the
family who are to occupy it, and there should always be a spare room
or two which can be used for bed-rooms, or other purposes in case of
emergency. There should be closets, cellars, &c., and good ventilation
front and back. A fee to a well-qualified surveyor is often well
bestowed, for he may detect serious faults in a house, which, to an
ordinary observer, seems well-built and comfortable.
The agreement with the landlord should be clearly understood, and
all liabilities as to parochial and other taxes, local rates, house repairs,
with charges for fixtures, &c., inquired into, and definitely arranged,
before the agreement is signed.
It sometimes happens that the chief rooms are not papered and
painted until the house is let. In such case the in-coming tenant
generally has the power of choosing the papers, or panellings, and
paint. He will, of course, select such as will best harmonize with the
colour which the furniture and hangings should have.
Having taken our house, it generally wants a thorough cleaning and
airing. The former may sometimes be got out of the landlord; the
latter must always be done by the tenant; and in spring, autumn, and
winter, fires should be kept for three or four days, according to the time
the house has been empty, and to the repairs it has undergone during
that interval; for, of course, nobody takes a house in the state of dirt
and dis-repair in which it is usually left by an out-going tenant, or if
they do so under the notion that the landlord will set it all to rights
after they are in, they will find out their mistake, and repent their
confidence.
We will now suppose the house taken, cleaned thoroughly, and well
aired, and will proceed to furnish it. But first we must pause to observe
that young people will do well carefully to consider matters before they
take upon themselves the troubles and responsibilities of housekeepers.
Where their joint savings, or some sum especially bestowed for the
purpose by friends or parents, enable them to make the necessary outlay
for furniture, linen, &c., and yet have something left to put by for “a wet
day,” and the rent and taxes can be afforded by the income of the husband,
it is all well and good. But if money must be borrowed, or debts incurred,
or the income mortgaged,—begin life in the quietest way rather than
with this responsibility, or with these incumbrances. Take furnished
apartments for awhile, until you see your way. Thirty pounds a year
will pay for two rooms on the ground-floor, and fifty for two on the
drawing-room floor, in a respectable locality, and this covers rent, wear
and tear of furniture, and attendance.
We know that it is customary to say that people are victimized,
cheated, ill-used and abused in furnished lodgings; poisoned with dirt,
and devoured by vermin. It may be so in some places, but all we have
to say is, that the first four years of our married life were passed in
them, and now every autumn, for a month or six weeks, we dwell in
furnished lodgings at some watering-place, and that we have found the
trials of housekeeping pretty much the same; whether in lodgings or
in a house, with one’s own servants; the expenses in the former were
fewer, so were the comforts, and the waste and cheating are about the
same in both cases, when strict surveillance is not exercised.
Of course, if people will permit themselves to be cheated, and do not
know how much or how little of each article of food or grocery ought
to be consumed per day or per week, or what its cost is, they will be
cheated by lodging-house keepers, and also their own servants.
Neither is it wise to go into an actual lodging-house, where the
proprietors avowedly live by, or, in other words, on their lodgers.
There are always respectable families to be found who only let one set
of apartments, and with whom it is very possible to get along
comfortably. As to the much-decried attendance in lodgings, we found
generally, that by keeping our boxes and drawers locked, and throwing
as little temptation in the servants’ way as possible, we were seldom
robbed; and that, by consideration for and patience with the household
drudge, aided by the occasional spur of some little gift or gratuity, we
got a fair share of her services.
But to our furnishing business. Here, again, those unsentimental
letters £ s. d. present themselves, and say, “Thus far shalt thou go,
and no farther,”—and that limit is dependent upon the funds in hand, and
which may, without incurring debts or emptying the purse, be expended.
For bed-room furniture, mahogany, maple-wood, and oak are the best
and prettiest; there are also very serviceable, well-polished, stained
wood imitations of all these three; and there are, too, very common
and trumpery imitations, which turn shabby in a few months, and are
generally badly put together, and do no service; two good chairs are
worth a dozen of such rubbish as these latter.
As a general rule, we should advise avoidance of all cheap, showy,
furnishing establishments; likewise, unless you are wealthy, of all
fashionable upholsterers.
Patronize good, old-established houses of business, and do not, to
spare trouble, enter a large emporium, which too often, like Jack-of-all-trades,
does everything, but nothing well; seek for separate articles
at the establishments of various respectable tradespeople.
Never buy second-hand bedsteads, bedding, or hangings, unless you
are well convinced that no more than you bargain for is included in
the purchase.
Iron and brass bedsteads, which can now be had of every size, form,
and price, are far preferable, both as regards health, cleanliness, and
lightness, to any others.
Chintz or dimity are better for bed-furniture than damask, moreen, or
any fabric containing wool; they harbour less dust, and are less liable
to hide vermin.
Kidderminster carpets are best adapted for bed-rooms. Never place
carpet under a bed, or you provide a resting-place for all the dust and
flock which daily falls from the mattresses, and establish a nice hot-bed
for fleas. Let the carpet be composed of about three pieces, in order
that it may be frequently taken up and beaten or shaken, and the
floor scrubbed clean.
Those who value health will not have a feather-bed in their house.
Good mattresses of wool, and wool and horsehair, iron bedsteads, and
as little bed-furniture, curtains, &c., as may be, with a light quilt, are
the best preventives against rising languid, inert, and unfit in the
morning for the duties of the day.
Never crowd a bed-room with furniture; have that which is really
useful and requisite, and no more; and in fitting it up, always
remember that illness often comes when we least expect it, and take
care that your room shall possess such articles as will then be needful
for comfort and ease.
A dining-room requires little furniture; but that little should be
good and handsome, and of mahogany.
About furnishing drawing-rooms, we can give no directions, so much
depends upon taste. We would only reiterate our warning to beware
of showy, veneered, vamped-up furniture; or, when the room has had
a fire in it some dozen times, you will be startled occasionally by
reports, as if small cannon were discharged, and on rising to investigate
such alarming noises, you will find, perhaps, a crack across one door of
the beautiful rosewood cheffonier, or a gaping chasm in that lovely
loo-table, or a piece of carved work flown off the card-table, showing
only deal beneath!
Here, again, a little furniture tastefully arranged, is far better than a
crowd of articles; besides, in one’s course through life, furniture
accumulates gradually, and if it is necessary to sell one thing in order
to make way for another, that is a very unprofitable business.
We now come to the kitchens, where the wants are multifarious, for
here must be accumulated means of feeding, and cleaning, and keeping
in order the whole house. Of course we can give no detailed account
of what will be required, as all depends upon the extent and style of the
household; all we can do, therefore, is to make one or two general
remarks on the durability of different wares.
As few copper cooking utensils as possible should be had, and those
few should be most thoroughly tinned in the inside, and always carefully
cleaned and dried before being put away. For ourselves, we prefer
block tin to anything else for saucepans, pots, and kettles generally.
Iron does not so quickly or plainly tell any tale of dirt or neglect;
cast-iron is very brittle, and cannot be repaired when broken; and
copper is so likely to harbour verdigris. A good double block tin
saucepan should always have the cover, the handle, and the back,
kept bright as silver, and the top, spout, front, and handle of the
kettle, should also be kept bright; for, besides that a polished surface
maintains heat better than an uneven, blackened one, it looks wonderfully
better; and if the smoke is never allowed to gather on these
parts, it is easy to keep the utensils as bright as they were at first.
For stewpans, iron tinned on the inside is most useful.
Candlesticks for common house or kitchen use should be of tin or
brass, and large enough to prevent grease spots. There is no wear
in japan.
Wooden bowls for washing glass and china, and block tin or zinc
hand-bowls, will be found most serviceable.
All utensils for the conveyance of water about a house should be of
metal, as water-cans of different sizes, hot water jugs with covers,
shaving-mugs, &c., since thereby much breakage will be saved; and
these, if bought good at first, will, with ordinary care, last a very
long time. The same remark applies to foot-baths. Very pretty
toilet sets for the wash-stand are now also made in zinc, and
beautifully painted or japanned.
Sarcophagus, and other extraordinarily shaped coalscuttles, are to be
avoided as most troublesome and awkward affairs, out of which it is
next to impossible to extract coals conveniently.
In the “Housewife’s Reason Why,”[1] the advice which is here
given arbitrarily, is supported by the explanation of principles, or
reasons, with which every Housewife should be acquainted, and a
knowledge of which will impart a quickening interest to every duty
she is called upon to perform.
Care of Plate—Choice of Cutlery—Crockery, China, Glass, Ornaments—Linen,
Bedding—Uses for Old Linen—Brushes—Miscellanies—Income and
Expenditure—Mistresses and Servants—Hiring Servants—Management
of Servants—Watchfulness a Leading Principle in Economy.
With regard to all those articles which fall under the general
denomination of “plate,” we should advise that all imitations be
avoided; let those who cannot afford silver or plated goods be content
to use simple metal, which does not pretend to be more than it really
is. All the imitations of silver will, even with the utmost care, betray
themselves in a very short time, and have a would-be-genteel-if-I-could
sort of air, which is far less respectable than the plainest of all
materials; besides, the money they cost would purchase a few real
articles, which are always worth their weight in silver, whereas the
imitations have only a nominal value, and lose even that as they
become discoloured and dull.
Metal tea and coffee pots may be had very good, and in very handsome
patterns, and they are far more durable than china, drawing
better, and retaining heat longer.
Cheap cutlery is mistaken economy. Good knives and forks will,
with ordinary care, last for years; common ones have no wear in
them, and never can be made to cut well.
Crockery, china, and glass, we need say little about, for they may be
had at all prices and of all qualities. The moulded or cast glass looks
as well as cut-glass, if not placed in contrast with it, and wears as long,
and costs considerably less. For dishes, jugs, butter-coolers, &c., we
should always use it; decanters, wine-glasses, and tumblers, do not
look so well in it.
As regards ornamental china, or glass, or what not, little can be
said, these things are so much matters of taste; but better have but
one, and let that one be really handsome and good, than have a crowd
of cheap, showy trifles; besides, these, again, are things which gradually
accumulate, and therefore it is always better to devote the money in
hand to necessary articles, and leave the more ornamental ones for
after consideration. A good clock for the kitchen, and a handsome
one for the drawing-room, are useful and necessary things, especially
the former.
In household linen, again, it is false economy to buy common or
cheap materials. For sheets, linen, union, calico, and Swiss twilled
calico are used; these substances are now woven wide enough to
render a seam unnecessary, and all we have to do is to measure the
width of the beds and allow an extra half yard; the ordinary length
of a sheet is three yards and a half. The pillow-cases must be of
the same material as the sheets. Marseilles quilts are too heavy to
be beneficial to health; any industrious housewife may knit very
serviceable and pretty counterpanes in squares or shell-shaped pieces,
during those periods when she is chatting, or between the lights, or
at hours when she would otherwise most probably be doing nothing.
It is for such useful purposes as these we value knitting, crochet, &c.,
for they can be made the means of economy and usefulness, instead
of being, as they too often are, employed on useless expensive trifles.
Table-cloths, tray-cloths, and dinner napkins will of course come
under the category of “linen,” and can be obtained at very reasonable
prices compared with what they were twenty years since. Towels,
too, are included in this list. In the case of chamber towels, again,
comes diversity of opinion, some preferring a soft, some a hard, some
a rough, and some a smooth towel; damask and diaper are not soft
enough for some delicate skins. For our own part we like towels
which administer a certain amount of friction to the skin, and all
medical men agree that this is requisite to health. For the kitchen,
round towels, tea-cloths, and glass-cloths, will be required, as well
as dusters, pudding-cloths, knife-cloths, house-cloths, and flannels for
cleaning. These, although they do not come precisely under the
head of “linen,” will have, by young housekeepers newly furnishing,
to be purchased at the same time, and therefore may as well be
mentioned here. Old sheets make good glass-cloths; old table-cloths
make nice soft towels; all dresses of cotton, or old dress-linings, will
serve for dusters, and old blankets for house-flannels.
Besides these, there are needed toilet-covers for chamber tables,
chests of drawers, &c., carpet covers, muslin for chamber window-curtains,
muslin for drapery for the toilet-table, coarse sheeting for
dusting-sheets to cover the beds or drawing-room furniture when
sweeping and cleaning; a yet coarser sheet to lay down in front of
the stoves when they are being cleaned, chamois leathers for cleaning
the plate, brass, steel, and windows; and bags for the best brooms.
Then we come to brushes, and their name is legion. Oh, this
furnishing a house is a serious affair! a carpet-broom, a short handled
one for the stair carpets, a hair-broom for the bed-rooms, and another
for the passages and kitchens; feather brushes, dusting-brushes, stove-brushes,
hearth-brushes, shoe-brushes, plate-brushes, paste-brushes,
clothes-brushes, a hat-brush, and a table-brush to remove the crumbs
from the table-cloth, are all needed; and these should be bought at
a good warehouse, and of good quality, if we would have them do us
service, and not fall to pieces, or lose their hair, as soon as they are
fairly brought into use.
There are many items yet unmentioned, but it will not be requisite
for us to waste our time, or that of our readers, by enumerating them
all seriatim; we will therefore proceed to other matters.
Supposing now that we have our house, and it is furnished, the
next thing to determine is how many servants can be afforded. Must
we be content with one, a “general servant;” or can we afford a cook
and housemaid, or even aspire to the gentility of a man-servant or
a page? Beware of this latter individual, young housekeepers, if you
value your comfort; for if you chance to get a quick, clever lad, he
will have more tricks than a monkey; and as for the stupid variety
of the “genus page,” it is a torment indeed.
The expenses must be determined by the sum which can, without
incurring debts, or living too closely up to one’s income, be devoted
to “housekeeping,” under which head we include rent, taxes, wages,
and every outlay appertaining to the house. Now, in reckoning the
expense of a servant, the question of wages is not the only one to be
considered; there is the board and washing; and £30, exclusive of
wages, is the lowest at which the keep of each servant can be
estimated.
We know it is the fashion to speak of servants as “necessary evils,”
and to decry them as “a bad set.” Surely, if there is any truth in
old proverbs, there must be faults in the mistresses as well as the
domestics, for we have heard that “good mistresses make good servants:”
how comes it, then, that there are so many bad ones? Firstly,
from the defective education of that class whence female servants are
generally taken. Born in those miserable localities where poverty is
compelled to dwell; reared among scenes of vice, often in the midst
dirt, misery, and temptation; taught to read at some Sunday-school,
the moral lessons of which were but a feather in the balance against
the worldly lessons of the other six days; fed afterwards on that
pernicious cheap literature which puts all sorts of idle and vain follies,
desires, and passions, into the head, the girl is at fourteen hired for
some trifling sum to nurse a baby, and idles about the streets with
others of her own age, gossiping; or is errand girl to a dressmaker,
and thus pursues her studies of human life; or is engaged to help
the mistress of some small lodging-house, and generally works hard,
and fares hard too, and gets plenty of hard words. None of these
people in general regard her as a fellow-creature having, like their
own children, need of teaching, of guidance, of patience, and kindness;
if she does pretty well, why, it is her duty! if she does badly, she is
discharged! Many a girl would have become a valuable servant, a
respectable and reasonable individual, if in her first service she had
found a mistress who knew what the duties of a Christian woman at
the head of a house were. Of course, there are characters which no
treatment, however judicious, can permanently benefit; but still we
ought to try what we can do ere we despair; and the influence of a
steady pursuance of duty is always, more or less, felt by all within
its power.
In hiring servants be particular in inquiring as to their characters,
and, if possible, learn something of the people with whom they have
lived; let all stipulations as to wages, extras, holidays, and such
matters, be clearly specified and rightly understood.
As a country cannot be governed without laws, neither can a household,
and the mistress should be as absolute in her own house as a
sovereign in her dominions. Order and regularity are the key-stones
to comfort, and our housewife must carefully arrange and digest her
scheme of government in the first place, and be always alive to any
modifications which emergencies, or prudence, or circumstances, may
call for. And she must understand what she is about, or her scheme
will be worthless; she must be able to teach, nay, to demonstrate upon
occasions; she must be regular in her own habits if she would have
those about her regular, neat in all that concerns herself, attentive to
the details of housekeeping, economical, just, active, and considerate.
She must neither hold the reins of government loosely and negligently,
nor too sternly, but must quietly exercise a general and regular surveillance
over every part of her house and household; and this can be
done without tyranny, without vexatious interference, or ebullitions of
temper. Let the servants once feel that this is her habit, and they
will act accordingly; and if the place is good, conduct themselves so
as to endeavour to please and keep it. And it is the interest, as well
as duty, of every mistress, to make her servants comfortable, to see
that they have a sufficiency of good food, that they are well lodged,
that they have time to mend and wash their own clothes, nay, that
they know how to do so, and do it.
A mistress need never forget herself, or weaken her authority, or
show any false indulgence; but in numberless ways she will have
the opportunity of endeavouring to guide, to advise, and to benefit
those dependent upon her; but she must be patient, if she would
really do good. She must remember what may have been the
early education, the trials and temptations, the experiences of those
girls, and must not expect too much from them. As we have
before said, she must hold the reins of government with a firm hand;
she must not overlook neglect of duties, irregularities of conduct,
want of order or cleanliness, or inattention to her commands; but
she can notice these things quietly, without loss of temper, and
when alone with the offender; she can also notice and praise
neatness, attention, obedience, and such like, and not accept the
good as mere matters of course, and only mark the evil. She
should likewise endeavour to induce her servants, by example and
precept, to be regular in attendance on religious worship, and make
Sunday to them in some degree a day of rest instead of one of extra
cooking and work, and have a supply of those excellent little works
to lend them, which are published by the religious societies. While
she inculcates economy in things relating to herself, she should try
to induce them to save, to put by regularly a certain portion of
their wages, and not be extravagant in clothes, but make and mend
their things properly.
There is little saved by giving paltry wages; a useful servant will
not accept them, and those who do, cannot clothe themselves respectably
on six or seven pounds a year, and will too often eke out their means
by peculation. It is well to begin with moderate wages, as nine
or ten pounds, and promise an annual increase, which promise both
induces a wish to please, and takes away one great excuse for leaving,
viz., a desire of “bettering herself.”
The amount of the income will determine what sum can be allowed
per annum for housekeeping, for besides, there will be clothing expenses
to be provided for, sundries of various kinds, expenses of
illness, on which we must all reckon, and there ought to be a reserve
fund regularly laid by to provide for any unforeseen emergency, or
form the “nest egg” of a provision for a rising family. Well, suppose
the sum determined! the next question is, how to apportion it so
as to combine economy with comfort, and secure a regular and uniform
style of living, not luxuries to-day and parsimony to-morrow. Now,
how can our young housekeeper do this if she knows little or nothing
of the prices of provisions; if she scarcely remembers when things
are in season and may be purchased at a reasonable rate, and when
they are actual extravagances; if she has no idea what quantity of
this or that ought to be consumed, by a family of a certain size,
per week or per month; and, above all, if she has little aptitude
for domestic management, and considerable contempt for all such
vulgar details? Few who have read that truthful sketch of Dickens’s,
the “child-wife,” will forget the pretty helplessness of Dora; but,
although this reads well in a novel, very few such girls, and there
are many of them, will meet with husbands as indulgent; for men
do like to see their home well ordered, and to feel the comforts
of good management.
Every housekeeper should keep a strict account of all her expenditure;
should see that each bill be receipted when paid; and file
all receipts, and keep them for a year at least—we should rather
say two or three. All housekeeping bills should be paid every week,
for it is easier to pay small sums than large ones; and besides,
then the correctness of the bills can be ascertained. The mistress
should look each one over herself, as thus she will detect, and can
check, any inaccuracy on the part of the tradesmen, or extravagance
on the part of her servants. Should she be her own housekeeper,
she should deal regularly with respectable tradesmen, for they will
rarely risk losing a good customer by selling bad articles. Bargain
hunting is always perilous, even to good judges; “cheap and nasty” is
perhaps a vulgar proverb, but it is a true one. Cheap tea, coffee,
sugar, &c., are all adulterated; cheap vegetables and fruit are
generally stale; cheap meat is that which has been sent ready killed
to the market, and, therefore, is by no means as fresh as might be
wished; and cheap poultry and fish are to be regarded with very
great suspicion; all, therefore, injure the health.
Those who have store-closets, will find their advantage in purchasing
some things wholesale. Candles should be bought in the latter part of
summer, when they are usually cheaper, and a store laid in, for they improve
by keeping. So does soap. Coals, too, should be ordered in July
or August, and if there is cellarage, a stock for the winter laid in. Many
articles of grocery may often be purchased in quantities at considerable
saving. The same remark applies to bacon, butter, and cheese;
but, unless there are good dry store-rooms, these latter cannot be
kept. It is useless to make pickles or preserves unless the house is
dry—in damp localities these things mildew and spoil; nor are we
sure that in small families it is economical to buy them at all, they
can be bought so reasonably now. All stores should be kept by
the mistress, and given out as required.
All good housekeepers will provide themselves with weights and
scales, and thus be prepared to check the quantities of goods sent
them by their tradespeople, who are as liable to make errors
in weighing as in casting their bills. We cannot too particularly
impress this upon the attention of our readers, as an essential means
to protect themselves against errors in weight, whether arising from
accident or design. Many heads of families are exceedingly particular
about the price of their purchases, who are utterly regardless whether
or not they have the weight they paid for. Tradesmen are aware of
this trust imposed in them, and too often take advantage of it.
Chapter IV.
Order, Cleanliness, Punctuality—Early Rising—Temperance in Meats
and Drinks—Ventilation—Bed-rooms—Nurseries—Light—Influence
of Good Management upon Domestic Love and Happiness—The Dinner
Question—Going to Market—Dinner Parties—Evening Parties.
In the realm which our housewife is to govern, order, cleanliness,
punctuality and economy must be the fundamental principles which,
by precept and practice, she endeavours to enforce. It matters little
whether her subjects are limited to a single maid-of-all-work, or
general servant, as it is now the fashion to call this class of domestic,
or whether she reigns over two, three, or more “helps,” the principle
must still be the same; a certain routine of daily and weekly duties
must be laid down, and it lies with the mistress to see that not only
these are performed properly, but that all incidental matters are
likewise attended to. However wealthy a family may be, they are
not willing that their houses and furniture should be injured by neglect
or mismanagement, therefore must care be taken. Money can enable
a man to hire more domestics, but it cannot secure that these persons
shall be cleanly, diligent, trustworthy, and painstaking; it cannot
secure him from the consequences of their ignorance, their carelessness,
their extravagance. Nothing but the supervision of the mistress,
or a good housekeeper, can do this. If, then, a rich man, who can
pay the best wages, and hire the most experienced servants, finds
still that he lacks something, how much more so will one of moderate
income or of limited means suffer, should he not find in his wife a
practical housewife?
What I am now about to say, some of my readers may perhaps
think out of place; nevertheless I shall say it. A woman cannot
really do her duty as a wife, mother, or mistress of a family, unless
she is fully sensible of the importance of health, and gives to all
sanitary measures their due attention. With loss of health come
diminished powers of usefulness. Languor and delicacy in a wife
may call forth the sympathies, but do not increase the comforts or
happiness of a professional or business man; neither do they render
a woman more inclined for, or equal to, the performance of her part
in domestic life. And too many of our young girls render themselves
languid, feeble, and delicate, by inattention to the commonest requisites
of human nature. The crying evil of towns is usually the want of
baths attached to houses, and the small size of bed-rooms; now these
are in general accepted as things which must be endured, and little
or no attempt is made to palliate them. All medical men, however,
agree that plentiful ablutions of the body with cold or tepid water, and
a good supply of fresh air in every sleeping and living room, do more
to preserve health than all the drugs in the pharmacopœia. And
next to these come early rising, avoidance of late hours and crowded
assemblies, regular exercise in the open air, and attention to diet.
By this latter we do not mean actual eating, but abstinence from pernicious
viands, as pastry, sweetmeats, rich gravies, unripe fruit, &c.
Pork, veal, and various kinds of vegetables can only be eaten sparingly
and occasionally by some persons. Spirits should only be used medicinally,
that is to say, at times when common sense tells us they might
be of benefit. To take them habitually is equivalent to slow poison.
Besides the benefit a woman derives in her health and person from
attention to all matters relative to personal care, she will gain another
in the effect of her example upon her dependants; for we are all, to
a certain extent, creatures of imitation, and prone to follow example,
be it good or bad. Servants who see before them one who consistently
practises the virtues of economy, regularity, personal cleanliness, and
general neatness, will never run diametrically counter to all this,
but will in some degree shape their conduct accordingly; while all
the precepts in the world, without practice, will but go in at one ear
and out at the other.
Where only one or two servants are kept, the mistress will do
well not to leave her chamber before she has opened her windows and
laid the bed-clothes back over two chairs, so as to ensure the sheets
and blankets, heated by the contact with the body all night, being
well aired and cooled. No bed should be made, or night-dress folded
up, until it has been aired, and suffered thoroughly to cool for at
least two hours. Nurseries should be aired while the children are
at breakfast, and while they are taking their morning walk. Dining
and drawing-rooms require a current of fresh air passed through them
at least once every day, to dislodge all the vitiated air tainted
by the smell of food, flowers, &c., and by having been inhaled by
those using the rooms. Many of our readers have doubtless been
struck, on entering some houses, by the close, faint, unwholesome
smell they, coming from the fresh air, at once perceive. Those who
dwell in it habitually are not conscious of it. They dread the chill
of fresh air, or the dust or smuts it will bring with it into their rooms;
and therefore shut it carefully out, and cherish in its stead a species of
slow poison—a heavy atmosphere loaded with all sorts of pernicious gases.
Light, too, is another forbidden luxury in some houses. Heavy
Venetian blinds jealously protect the delicate hues of the curtains
and carpets from its influence, and the inmates consequently fade,
instead of the upholstery; for a human being can no more do without
light than can a flower, and we only need place this latter in a cellar
for a few days, and we shall see how it will look. It must not, however,
be supposed that we would recklessly suffer the noonday sun to
shine on our damask curtains or tapestry carpets, or that we should
open our windows when rain, hail, or snow beat full upon them; all
we wish to do is to advise such a use of God’s choicest gifts as health
requires, and common sense dictates.
Nor is it only with a view to exercising a salutary influence upon
her domestics, and strengthening herself, that we would counsel our
housewife to pay strict attention to all matters of sanitary importance.
A female writer of some celebrity has said—“If before marriage a
woman has been deluded into the notion that a multiplicity of small
ailments invested her character with an interesting kind of delicacy,
the sooner she becomes well after marriage the better for herself and
all around her.”
Now we do not intend to assert that there are not many men who
are unwearied in their tenderness in time of illness; but this we must
say, that there are thousands more who “vote sickness a bore,” who
have little sympathy with, little tolerance for it; who married to have
a cheerful companion, not a drooping, languid invalid to come home
to; and who soon begin to seek elsewhere that companionship and
that cheerfulness they have failed to find at home. And alas! when
a man’s love has once been dimmed, or alienated from his wife, it
never wholly recovers its lost lustre, but remains a mere mechanical
matter of duty or honour, and too often not even that. Matrimony
may bind a man to his wife legally, but herself only can retain her
empire over his heart; and to do this, she will need even more than
her former charms, and attractions, and fascination, besides a vast
variety of other attributes which her new position will require of her.
Our great poet, Shakspere, says—
“Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee
And for thy maintenance—commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
While thou ly’st warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedience.”
Women little dream what they peril when, after marriage, they
neglect the accomplishments, the tasteful dress and adornments,
the charming coquetterie of manner which enthralled the lover.
They not only risk their happiness, for it depends on him, but they
neglect what ought to be their highest ambition—that of proving
how much dearer is the wife than the mistress, and of rendering
home a refuge from cares, a scene of tranquil happiness, social
enjoyment, and real comfort.
There are few things more perplexing at first to young housewives
than the momentous question of dinner. Now, a good cookery book,
a short walk round the region where the marketing is done, and a
knowledge of family likes and dislikes, will generally enable even
a novice to arrange this important matter, at least so far as the
ordering goes, the cooking being another consideration. A glance
at those pages in which we give a list of the things in season for
each month, will assist the housewife in her selection for the table,
and enable her to cater for variety, whilst a visit to the market will
enable her to expend her money economically. Things must not
only be “in season,” but “in reason,” to make a moderate income
productive of the greatest degree of comfort.
Joints should always, when weather permits, be purchased fresh,
and then hung as long as is deemed requisite to fit them for eating.
A knowledge of the sauces and condiments appropriate to every dish,
is a subject well worth attention.
Fish should be chosen by touch and look. If it feels flabby and
looks pale about the gills, and dull about the eyes, it is to be avoided;
firmness of body, brightness and fulness of eyes, and ruddiness of
the gills, are signs of freshness.
Crabs and lobsters must be selected by weight, not size; and the
olfactory organs must be employed to test their sweetness.
The cooking of vegetables is an important point, and one in which
we may derive much useful instruction from our continental neighbours.
Vegetables cannot be too fresh; in large towns we can form no idea
of the real flavour and delicacy of green vegetables, accustomed as we
are to have them at least a day after they are cut.
We have already spoken of the desirableness of dealing regularly
with respectable tradesmen, but no rule is without its exception;
and those who are pretty good judges of articles of provision, may
often obtain some variety by looking about for them.
Servants should always be accustomed to lay the cloth and serve
dinner as neatly when the family is alone as when company is expected;
they should likewise be taught to bring up and place on the table
or sideboard everything likely to be required during the meal, and
not have to leave the room repeatedly on trifling errands. The
mistress should glance around to see that all is there; and if she
perceives omissions, mention them before dinner commences. Servants
should also be taught to wait at table without bustle or noise; to
remove plates, &c., without rattling them; to open and close the doors
gently; to lift covers from dishes so as not to let the drops of condensed
steam fall on the table or those seated at it. If these things
are ordinarily insisted upon, the mistress of the house will not, when
she gives a dinner party, sit on thorns, trembling lest some gaucherie
be committed.
Those who would give dinner parties must generally speaking, if
their ménage is small, hire a cook. A small, well-cooked, well-chosen
dinner, is far preferable to a table crowded with dishes. Symmetrical
arrangement of the dinner-table, too, is a powerful adjunct. The
silver should be bright, the glass sparkling, the table-linen pure and
snowy, the room well lighted, of comfortable temperature, and well
ventilated. The pleasure of eating a good dinner is greatly enhanced
when comfort is studied, and taste gratified.
The wines should be good; it is better to give only one or two
kinds, and let those be choice, even though they be only old-fashioned
port and sherry, than to aim at greater things, and set before the
guest those “cheap and nasty” productions of other vintages.
The reduction of duty upon French wines has rendered available
for the English table many choice and light wines hitherto prohibited.
English taste, however, has not yet been cultivated in this direction
to such an extent as to render these liqueurs universally palatable.
They should be made subsidiary to the more established wines, and
should be introduced principally in warm weather.
Choose the company carefully. Ill-assorted guests are difficult
to please, while persons who assimilate find additional zest in their
social enjoyment.
The dessert should be well selected and more choice than plentiful.
By choice, do not let us be understood to mean extravagant, consisting
of fruits not yet in season or having their proper flavour, or of preserved
fruits or fancy confectionery. All these are prejudicial to
health, and we cannot understand why people who dine out should
be tempted to eat indigestible things, or those which will disagree
with them; why what ought to be a means of social enjoyment,
should be made a matter of form, ostentation, and discomfort. Let
the dessert consist of fine specimens of the fruits in season, backed
in winter by a few dried fruits and biscuits.
There are so many varieties of evening parties that no directions
can be given respecting them. As a general rule, we should advise
that they should be as simple, unostentatious, and social, as possible.
It is the extravagance which has been introduced into these matters,
the insane desire of outvying each other felt by individuals, that
is the bar to real social enjoyment, and prevents us from being
as lively a people as our continental neighbours. Why cannot we
meet to converse, have music, dance, or amuse ourselves in any
rational way, and be content with light, simple refreshments, and a
sincere welcome? Surely such réunions are more enjoyable than
crowds, grand suppers, superb toilettes which are scarcely seen in
the crush, and suffocating heat or currents of cold air. Such assemblies
upset the house of the party-giver for a week at least, weary and
worry her, and are criticised most severely by all her “dear friends”
who did not enjoy themselves, or receive the attention they expected.
In them all is most certainly “vanity and vexation of spirit;” there
is no pleasant converse, no comfort, no intellectual enjoyment;
weariness, lassitude, headache, and expense, are the concomitants
of such parties. May our “practical housewife” have courage to
reject them altogether.
Chapter V.
Routine of a Servant’s Duties—Importance of the Mistress’s Example.
Early rising is indispensable, if a servant would do her duty; it is
not possible that the rooms can be dusted, the fires lit, the breakfast
got ready, and all the little incidental trifles done, unless a servant is
down stairs at least two hours before breakfast-time. We should fix
six o’clock as the proper hour at which work should begin all the year
round; for in winter even more has to be done than in summer, and few
things are more unpleasant than to have servants muddling about their
work all day, instead of getting through the chief and dirtiest part of
it in the morning hours. If we make a call, which gives us the most
favourable impression of the family,—to see a tidy-looking, clean
servant, answer the door; or to have it opened by one who looks as if
she had deemed it necessary when blacking the stoves to black her own
person also?
A servant should be trained to rise about half-past five, throw open
her bed, and her window, too, when the weather permits; unclose the
shutters of the staircase and dining-room, open the windows of this
latter to air it; pass into the kitchen, and open the shutters and
windows there; light the kitchen fire; well rinse the kettle, and fill it
with fresh water; see that the boiler is well supplied with water, and
then proceed to prepare the room required for breakfast.
The rug must be folded up and removed, and the proper cloth laid
down in front of the fire-place before the grate is touched (we are
supposing that it is winter); the box containing the black-lead and
brushes for a black stove, or the emery paste, and leather, brushes,
cloth, &c., for a polished stove, and the scuttle containing coals, wood,
&c., must be brought up. Once a week, at least, the soot should be
gently swept down from the chimney into a shovel, as it otherwise
gathers all round the lower ledges, and is very apt to take fire; the
stove must be polished with a brush or a cloth, according to its nature,
every morning, and thoroughly cleaned at least once a week. The fire
may then be laid and lighted, and in doing this there is some art.
Where one girl will light and re-light the same fire three or four times
over, consuming in each attempt a quantity of wood and paper, another
will, with a quarter of a bundle of common wood, or one wheel of the
patent wood, kindle a brisk fire at once. Success lies in obtaining
a perfect draught of air through the pile of materials, and placing those
in juxta-position which are most combustible in nature. Where this is
properly done there will be little smoke, and great saving of fuel; but
fire-lighting requires the use of one’s senses and some skill, common-place
a matter as we may think it.
This much having been done, the sweeping comes next. Now, it will
not be requisite thoroughly to sweep the carpet all over above once
a week; on the other six days, only those parts of the room chiefly
used, will require sweeping, and this may be done with a dust-pan and
a soft hand-brush. Then comes the dusting, and in doing this a
feather brush should be used for the frames and chair-covers, and
a duster for the furniture. On the cleaning day the carpet must be
well swept with a carpet-broom and tea-leaves, the furniture well
cleaned and rubbed, the mantel-piece and ledges washed, the inside of
the windows cleaned, and every ornament well dusted.
The street-door steps should be cleaned, the mats shaken, the passage
swept, and the brasses polished before the family come down.
The breakfast is then to be prepared; the cloth laid, the breakfast
service properly arranged, the ham or eggs, or whatever it may be,
cooked, the toast made, the butter set in clear, fresh water, the coffee
prepared, and the milk boiled.
The servant next proceeds to the bed-rooms, opens the windows, lays
the bed-clothes back to air, and turns up the mattresses or feather-beds
in each room, then empties the slops, cleanses and rinses all basins, jugs,
bottles, &c., wipes up all slops, and brings fresh water to supply the
wants in each room. The beds are then to be made, and the rooms
dusted. On cleaning day, which should come for each room once a week,
the chamber utensils must be well washed in warm water, the carpets
taken up and shaken, the floor scrubbed, the curtains shaken, and the
furniture cleaned. During the summer the floor under the bed should be
washed over three times a week at least, to remove all dust and flue.
Before all this can be finished, the breakfast will have had to be
removed, and this should be methodically done; the china being
gathered on to a tray without either fuss or rattle, the crumbs brushed
from the cloth, and this latter doubled up in its original folds, and any
crumbs which may have fallen on the floor swept up into a dust-pan.
The servant will now get her own breakfast, and then wash up and
put away the breakfast-things, having first set aside the eatables, giving
the scraps to the cat, and taking care that nothing is wasted.
The upstairs-work having been done, the candlesticks and lamps
should be cleaned and trimmed; and then the knives cleaned. Where
only one servant is kept, she will ere this have had to think about
dinner, and manage so as to make the earlier preparations for that
important matter between whiles. A mistress should always early
inform her domestic what she intends having for dinner, otherwise
the servant cannot possibly arrange her daily duties in a proper
manner, so as to attend to the cooking; and the mistress should, as
far as possible, endeavour to arrange her dinner so as to suit the
household duties of the particular day for which she is catering.
For each day should have its special duties; as, Monday the wash for
towels, dusters, servants’ clothes, &c., and looking up the clothes for
the laundress; Tuesday, cleaning the attics; Wednesday, the best
bed-rooms; Thursday, the drawing-rooms; Friday, the dining-rooms
and plate; and Saturday, the hall, staircase, and kitchens, and
covers, &c. Such regulations once laid down, the servant will know
what each day requires of her; and the mistress, being aware what
has to be done, will be able to give her orders accordingly,—for
nothing can be done without good management in a small household.
Both mistress and servant must exercise forethought, or the whole day
will be one scene of hurry and discomfort.
The next thing, then, is dinner, and this meal having been served
and removed, the servant must, if the family are in the habit of retiring
to the drawing-room, run up and see that all is right there; the fires
burning and curtains let down, if in winter, or any little customary
summer arrangements made. Then comes washing up the dinner-things,
and preparing for tea, and serving that at the proper hour.
While the tea is in the sitting-room is the best time for the servant
to go up to the bed-rooms, turn down the beds, close windows, light
fires, or perform any other customary or necessary duty.
The tray has to be removed, and cups used at that meal washed up
and put away. The tea-leaves should be squeezed tolerably dry, and
put away in an old dish or basin, for sweeping. All window-shutters
should be closed and doors bolted at dusk, both in winter and summer.
If supper is taken, it is usually carried up on a tray covered with a
cloth; after that comes the putting out of all fires and lamps, the
fastening the hall-door, and then to rest.
Any one who takes the trouble to reflect upon the multifarious occupations
of a female domestic, in a family where but one is kept, cannot but
perceive the absolute necessity of a regular plan of proceedings, and
also of the need there is for consideration, and patience, and kindness.
With all the activity and good-will in the world, it is physically
impossible that a girl can be in two places at once; and yet she may be
just performing some nice operation in cookery, while a visitor may be
knocking at the door, and her mistress ringing impatiently to have
something done towards tidying herself or the apartment. How is
this to be managed? It can only be settled quietly by the mistress
bestirring herself, and aiding in smoothing the difficulty. Where two
or more servants are kept, one should always be tidy and ready to
answer the door, and the lady of the house and her apartments should
always be mis à quatre épingles, or, in other words, in such order that a
visit from royalty itself would scarcely create any bustle. Indeed, the
test of a well-arranged establishment is the absence of all fuss. The
advent of relatives from the country, bent on finding a home and a bed
there, the arrival of unexpected guests to dinner, or any such like
unexpected events, will, of course, slightly derange the economy of a
household, especially if it be a small one; but our housewife will not
allow this to be visible. Quietly and without fuss she will take
opportunities of giving the necessary orders; and if her servants are
regularly trained, they will comprehend and second her at once. In
every house spare sheets, blankets, and bed-clothes should always be
kept aired, in case of their being required on any sudden emergency,
and this can be done by laying them between the palliasse and mattress
of any bed in regular use. We have before spoken of the advantage
of always having the store-closet well supplied. It is a great mistake
to fancy that anything is saved by purchasing articles that will keep in
small quantities, and certainly the loss of time incurred by having
constantly to send out for trifles, is both a great waste and a great
inconvenience. No servant can get through her work properly if she
has repeatedly to run out on errands, or if she is called off frequently
on some frivolous pretext. A mistress is quite right in exacting from
her servants a regular and proper fulfilment of all their duties; but on
her part she must give them time and opportunity to do this. If she
sees they want method, she must try to teach them; and, through all
this, must remember how defective their early education has too often
been, how little preparation they have received for the path of life they
have to follow, and be patient with them.
Chapter VI.
Management of Children—Air, Warmth, Ablution, Clothing, Postures,
Feeding, Food—Teething—Teaching to Walk—Early Education—Purity
of Language in the Presence of Children—Unity of Parental Influence.
Among the many duties a woman is called upon to fulfil, surely
none can be deemed of such paramount importance as those she owes
to her children. Now it is by no means our intention to write a
chapter of “advice to mothers,” nor enter upon the subject of the
education and general management of little people; all we have to do
with the matter here is to notice it as forming a branch of our subject;
for the nursery is an important part of a house, and upon its good
management much of the comfort, as well as the health and well-being,
of every member of the family will depend.
If ever a woman has need of thought, care, and patience, it is when
she becomes a mother. Who can look upon that most helpless of all
created beings—a new-born infant—and not feel pity for it, interest
in it; and surely no mother can bestow her first kiss on the little
unconscious innocent without feeling some sense of the responsibilities
which now rest on her—for it is not only a human being, but an
immortal soul which is committed to her charge?
Wherever such an arrangement can be made, a good-sized airy
room should be set apart for the nursery, and always kept scrupulously
clean, well ventilated, and of an even, wholesome temperature. Warmth
is highly necessary to the health of infants and young children—but
not the warmth of a close, over-heated room, for that oppresses their
lungs, and makes them delicate and very susceptible of cold. Let the
child be comfortably clad, and a natural temperature of body thus
maintained. The health of very many infants is impaired by the
foolish custom of exposing their little chests and arms by finely worked
low bodies and very short sleeves, tied up so as effectually to render
them useless in the way of covering. Very young children have so little
natural heat, that they absolutely require that the temperature of their
bodies should be kept up, by means of clothing, to a proper standard.
Next to warmth, in the category of matters indispensable to health
is cleanliness. Morning and night, an infant or a child under three
years of age, should be bathed in tepid water in winter, and cold water
in summer. This operation should be performed both thoroughly and
quickly, and then the whole body wiped quite dry with a soft towel,
and the limbs and back gently rubbed with the hand. The skin of
an infant is so delicate that a little dirt, a slight accumulation of powder,
any dampness, any rough handling or friction with any coarse cloth,
will break or crack it, and often produce a humour which is not easily
got rid of. The clothes of an infant, and especially those in immediate
contact with its body, should be soft and clean. Its bed-clothes must
likewise be kept well aired, and free from damp and unpleasant smells.
Very young children should be kept, as much as possible, in a
recumbent posture; the less a child is allowed to sit upright for the
first six months, the stronger will be its back afterwards. Too strong
a light is prejudicial to young children; neither in-doors nor out
should their eyes be exposed to anything like glare; they ought likewise
to be shielded from high winds. Sleep is a great strengthener
of children, when it is natural, and care should be taken that they lie
comfortably as regards position; be warm, and sheltered from all
draughts, and from light, though allowed sufficient air. In all things
endeavour to establish regular habits from the very first; regular
hours for feeding, sleeping, dressing, and undressing, should be
observed. Few people can form an idea how much their own comfort
and the child’s well-being will be advantaged by this. Of course, every
now and then illness, or some unforeseen event, will interfere with this
system, but it must be resumed again as soon as possible. We are
aware that many people will deem this regularity unnecessary, but
from the cradle to the grave we are all more or less the creatures of
habit; and from the time a child first begins to take notice, its habits
may be said to commence.
When a child is fed, it should be from a proper bottle, and with
light thin food, not given too hot, or in large quantities. Farinaceous
substances of various kinds are best adapted for children of tender
age. For the first twelvemonth these may be given in a fluid
and semi-fluid state, and afterwards in the shape of puddings either
baked or boiled. Many children will not take meat, and they do
not appear to thrive less than others; nature, at this early age is
generally the best pilot, and we shall seldom greatly err if we follow
her lead.
The period of teething is always one of anxiety, and requires additional
care and watchfulness; but plenty of fresh air, good and sufficient,
but not over-feeding, and an occasional warm bath or gentle aperient
when there appears to be a tendency to fever, will in most cases ward
off serious evils. The less physic a child takes the better, in a general
way—not that we would advise mothers ever to slight any actual
premonitory symptoms of illness, infantine diseases being frequently
very rapid in their course.
There is no occasion to teach children to walk; when they are
strong enough, they will invariably find out the proper use of their
feet; let them lie on the floor, and then sit, and then crawl, and
by-and-bye they will stand up, and then walk along, holding by something;
and then, when they appear capable of doing yet more, encourage
them to venture alone, but watch carefully that they do not fall, or they
may be frightened, and thrown back for some weeks.
After a child is a year old, it must cease to be regarded as an
irrational being by those about it; a quick, lively baby is always
taking notice; its intelligence is becoming daily and hourly developed;—in
a word, the first rudiments of education are entering its little
mind. This may sound extravagant and fanciful, but what says proverbial
philosophy? “With his mother’s milk the child drinketh
education;” and let any one take three children of from a year-and-a-half
to two years old, one of the three shall have been brought up by a
quiet or ignorant nurse, one by an affectionate and sensible mother,
and the other among a family of children; the first, unless it be a
prodigy, will be far behind the second in quickness, and the third will
be as much before the second.
We would censure any one who mispronounced words before babies,
or taught them to call things or animals by ridiculous names; and we
would doubly censure any one who instilled fear into the hearts of young
children by threats of “bogies,” “black men,” and such like nursery
monsters. Many a grown man and woman has found it difficult to
overcome the dislike to darkness implanted in them, when quite
children, by some nursery bug-bears. Teach a child rather to believe
that angels watch over it, induce it to be good from a fear of grieving
its parents, but never destroy or sully that sweet confidence which is
the most blessed part of childhood. Never tell a child a falsehood
either; if you promise a thing, do it; if you say a thing, act up to
it. Empty threats and vain promises made to quiet a child, teach it
afterwards, in its turn, to disregard truth, and make it distrust those
whom, next to God, it should love and honour; whereas “example
is a constant monitor.”
We are not advocates for “cramming” children too early with crude
dry learning; but much may be taught without effort. “Line upon
line” may be instilled by such simple stories, such pleasant gossip as
children love to listen to, such bright pictures as they delight to look
upon and have explained to them. There is in the present age a royal
road to all the fundamental instruction needed by children for the first
eight or ten years of their lives; the dull, uninteresting paths we had
to tread are now decked with so many flowers that they have become
attractive and pleasant. Even the very toys and games are made the
means of improvement; and history, arithmetic, and geography may
now be learned as actual amusements.
The physical wants of growing children are a sufficiency of good
plain food at regular hours, exercise in the open air, well-ventilated
rooms, clothing warm enough to promote health, and sufficiently easy
in fit not to impede growth or a free use of the limbs; strong shoes
or boots to protect the feet from damp, and a proper allowance of sleep
taken at regular hours,—no child under six years of age being suffered
to sit up after eight o’clock, and all under twelve being safely in bed
by nine.
Late hours, hot crowded places, as theatres, &c., and children’s
parties, are all very destructive of health; irregularities of all kinds
are to be avoided,—as, too long walks, any great excitement, or over-fatigue;
for growing children require all their strength and energies
for natural purposes, and, being more excitable than grown persons,
exhaust themselves the sooner.
Those who live much among children should carefully purify their
every thought, word, and action,—for the ductile and impressionable
nature of a child, chameleon-like, takes its hue from that of the
characters which surround it. “The seeds of first instructions are
dropped into the deepest furrows;” therefore we cannot omit this
chapter of our “Thoughts and Maxims.”
If we would cultivate a flower with success, we plant it in a fitting soil,
we water it at proper times, we give to it its due proportion of air and
sun; shall we not equally study the constitution and physical requirements
of a child, in order to bestow upon it the requisite nurture? for
children, like flowers, require care—all are not equally hardy, equally
vigorous, equally beautiful. Some resemble hot-house plants, and are
frail and delicate; others, like the evergreen, can bear and brave
hardship and change of temperature. The system which would be
suitable for one of these natures would be injurious to the other—hence,
judgment is needful.
A child who fears God and honours his parents, is armed for the
world’s warfare with a breast-plate, which, if not invulnerable, at
least will turn aside many an arrow. Our favourite Tupper quaintly
but truly says:—“When his reason yieldeth fruit, make thy child
thy friend, for a filial friend is double gain, a diamond set in gold.
As an infant thy mandate was enough; as he grows in years, let
him hear thy reasons.” Believe me, we wantonly trifle not only
with our own happiness, but with that of those little ones committed
to our charge, when we neglect to watch over the treasures we
ought so dearly to prize, when we trifle with the hearts, minds,
and souls of our children, ignoring their value, our responsibility,
and the awful reckoning which will be required of us. We are
all too apt to treat children as dolls, to dress and caress them one
hour, and send them out of our way the next, not deeming that
beneath the seeming thoughtless gaiety of those little ones there lurks
a world of feeling and sensibility. Kindness is as necessary to them
as daily food. We do not mean false indulgence, but considerate
kindness. An unjust, a cold or harsh word or action, especially if
undeserved, penetrates the heart of a child with as keen a sting as it
does ours; and who shall say how many have grown up callous and
reckless from having their first affections blunted, their feelings and
wishes disregarded? Consistent practice is worth a whole world of
precept, and example will influence while words or coercion are
fruitless.
Once more, then, we would beg “our housewife” to study what are
her duties towards children. We would entreat mothers so to train
their daughters that they may never have cause to blush and tremble
for their grandchildren. It is no figure of speech to say that “the
child is father of the man;” study diligently, therefore, how best
“—to render the tender thought,
To teach the young idea how to shoot;
To pour fresh instruction o’er the mind,
To breathe the enlivening spirit, and to fix
The generous purpose in the glowing breast.”
Nor let children, who should be our blessings, become our torments:
“While young our folly, and when old our fear.”
Lastly, but not least in importance in the good training of children,
it should be rigidly observed by parents never to show any difference of
opinion in their treatment before them. Nothing can be more pernicious
to their moral culture, engendering in them habits of disobedience, for
they cannot obey one parent without disobeying the other. We
earnestly recommend attention to this observance, for, besides the evil
of disobedience that is almost sure to follow a difference in opinion
from those in authority over the child, the latter is sometimes prone to
disregard the instructions and admonitions of both, and set up
principles of his own more in accordance with his inclinations,
however erroneous they may be.
Chapter VII.
Care of the Sick—Management of the Sick-Room—Food of
Invalids—Adaptation of Management to Particular Cases—Nurses,
and Things essential to Nursing—Importance of Calmness and Patience.
Another duty of great importance devolves on woman, namely, the
care of the sick. From the highest to the lowest none are, properly
speaking, exempt from this charge. It is true that those who are rich
can hire experienced nurses; but still the responsibility, the anxiety,
rests with the mistress, for she cannot hire affection, thoughtful care,
and all those little attentions which make the sole comfort of an invalid;
she can merely secure a species of human machine which mechanically
performs its duties, and between whiles eats, drinks, sleeps, and
comforts itself. There are many excellent and kind-hearted professional
nurses; but there are also more who become, as it were, petrified by
the habitual contemplation of suffering, and who merely regard the
patient with a business-like eye.
In a sick-room, the kindness and attention of the nurse often work
far greater marvels than the skill of the doctor, for she is there every
hour, she sees every change, and can minister to so many little wants;
those trifles which make up the events of an invalid, those minor details
so unimportant to a person in health, those whims and desires, and
nervous susceptibilities which appear almost childish to lookers-on, will
be studied by a good, conscientious nurse, and overlooked or disregarded
by one who either does not feel interested in the patient, or has not
sufficient sympathy to induce her to study these matters. In the
former case, the invalid will be soothed and cheered; in the latter,
irritated and depressed. Surely, it is not difficult to conceive which
influence must act most beneficially upon the system.
Gentleness, watchfulness, firmness, judgment, some delicacy of
feeling and savoir faire, and a truly Christian spirit, are the distinguishing
characteristics which will best adapt a woman for fulfilling
this phase of her duties. There are many who, from intense solicitude
and sense of duty, will give way to those impulses of feeling which
lead them to devote themselves so entirely to the nursing of some
beloved relative, that all other duties, and even self, are wholly forgotten.
What is the consequence of this error of judgment? Their own health
succumbs, and they become not only useless, but render themselves
sources of trouble and anxiety. How much better to have husbanded
their strength, so as to be able to remain useful! That despised
article, common sense, would teach us all so much if we would but stop
to listen, if we would not mount, each one, our own peculiar hobby, and
gallop off at a tremendous rate, heedless of all sign-posts, and often
regardless of even hedges and ditches. Affection! feeling! sentiment!
nerves! how much has been done and left undone in these names,
especially as regards the subject we are now treating of, while poor
dear common sense has been decried as a most unfeeling person, and
rudely ejected when she strove to make herself heard!
Yet in few places is common sense a more valuable assistant than in
the sick-room; aided by self-command and good feeling, she will
transform the most uninitiated person into an excellent and efficient
nurse. Let us hear a few of her fundamental principles.
Speak in a low but perfectly distinct voice, both to the invalid and to
any one who enters the room, in order that, although no unnecessary
sound may be heard, the patient’s ear may not be fatigued by striving
to catch the words, or excited by mutterings or whispers addressed to
some one else.
Let your countenance be calm and cheerful, your manner soothing
and hopeful, and your words such as may cheer or comfort the mind.
Avoid all fuss, all hasty movements, all noises that may startle or
disturb; let even your dress and shoes be chosen with reference
to quiet.
Keep everything in its place, so that in an instant you can put your
hand on it when required; have hot water, clean cups, spoons, and
glasses, and well-aired body and bed linen always handy; let the air of
the room be changed frequently; avoid all bad smells, or remove them
as soon as possible; pay strict attention to the temperature of the
chamber, and keep it as even as may be; and regulate the light with
equal care.
All food offered to invalids should be daintily prepared, and
presented in the most careful manner. How often, when we have been
longing for food, have we turned from it with disgust, because we had
seen the nurse cool it with her breath, or taste it, and then drop the
spoon back into it, and present it to us! Nor is it well to inquire of
invalids what shall be got for them. If they express a wish for some
particular thing, well and good, let it be got for them, if reasonable;
but a trifling delicacy unexpectedly brought, will often tempt the
appetite; besides, a sick person, or even a convalescent, is often
too languid to be at the trouble of thinking about eating, and would
sooner go without; or, if he or she chooses something, it may be the
very thing which would be improper or prejudicial, and then comes
disappointment, and a species of disgust of all else, for in illness the
appetite is ever capricious.
Nowhere is cleanliness of such paramount importance as in the
sick-room. Do not let us be misunderstood here. We do not mean
that an immensity of sweeping, scouring, and dusting is to be done, but
simply that the chamber must be kept clean and ventilated, that the
bed and body linen must be changed often enough to refresh without
fatiguing the patient, and that the air must be purified by means of
vinegar, or other disinfectants.
As there are so many kinds of illness, no general rules can be laid
down, and our friend, common sense, must be allowed to be the special
adviser. In one case body and mind may be paralysed by weakness
or languor; in another the body may be agonised, and yet the mind
clear and active; while in a third the body may be sane, the mind
insane. Hence no one who is a mere machine, guided by certain
rules, can be a good and efficient nurse; no one who does not study
how to minister to the mind as well as the body, who will not endeavour,
to a certain extent, to identify herself with the tastes, feelings, and
even prejudices of the patient, can be really useful.
What we have hitherto said applies chiefly to adult patients; to
nurse a sick child may seem a far easier task, but is not so. What
gentleness, firmness, playfulness, and, above all, what patience is needed
in the sick chamber of a child!—for in time of illness, a child is doubly
a child, almost a baby again.
The nurse should be constantly watchful over the little sufferer,
and mark attentively those positions, and the particular treatment,
which most effectually alleviate its sufferings, so that the latter may
be repeated under a recurrence of similar circumstances. One great
principle in child-nursing is to avoid over-feeding and over-dosing.
Every housekeeper should have a store of old linen, cambric, and
calico rags, and old pieces of flannel; these are easily obtained by
saving worn-out linen, flannel, and other garments, or at least the
useful portions of them, and treasuring old silk and cambric handkerchiefs.
Such things are invaluable in time of sickness for poultices,
fomentations, leeches, &c. Those who have them not will do well
to visit a pawnshop, or the emporium of a purchaser of wardrobes;
and having there found one or two articles of no value but to be
torn up, to buy these, bring them home, have them thoroughly washed,
and then put them away for use.
It is good for us at times to be serious, to turn from the contemplation
of life’s pleasures and enjoyments, and look upon its darker
pages; for it has been beautifully said by an eminent writer, that
“Suffering is not a slender dark thread, winding every now and then
through a warp of dazzling brightness, but it is interwoven with the
whole texture. It is not incidental, but designed for us; it enters
into God’s purposes; it has a great work to do, and we know nothing
of life until we comprehend its purposes.” Again: “Suffering nourishes
the tenderest sympathies of our nature; it rouses us to energy and a
consciousness of our own powers, and at the same time infuses the
meekest dependence on God; it stimulates us to cherish and to prize
the blessings of this world, and at the same time weans us from and
lifts us above mere earthly things.”
There is no home into which sickness may not come at any hour;
and as it is to woman that the office of nurse is invariably delegated,
surely every woman ought to learn betimes all that will best qualify
her to become the ministering angel, whose presence shall bless the
long hours of pain and confinement. False delicacy, foolish weakness,
and all that can detract from usefulness, should be early overcome.
We have seen a daughter scream, and weep, and wring her hands, while
her mother lay fainting before her; we have seen a mother shriek
and fall on her knees and utter words of agony, when some accident
happened to her child. But what did all this unavailing grief benefit
the sufferers? How much better she who, controlling her feelings,
thinks calmly how she can administer relief, and performs her duties
in an intelligent and patient manner.
THE FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE. — HOOPING-COUGH. — TEETHING. — SCARLET FEVER, OR SCARLATINA. — THRUSH, OR APHTHÆ. — ITCH. — ERYSIPELAS. — SMALL-POX. — MEASLES. — CHICKEN-POX. — CROUP. — NETTLE RASH. — CONSUMPTION. — SCROFULA. — COUGH. — ASTHMA. — BRONCHITIS. — INFLUENZA. — BILIOUS COMPLAINTS. — JAUNDICE. — BOWEL COMPLAINTS. — FLATULENCE. — DYSPEPSIA, — DYSENTERY. — DIARRHŒA. — CHOLERA. — FEVER. — BRAIN FEVER. — DELIRIUM. — DELIRIUM TREMENS. — MADNESS. — INSANITY. — HYDROPHOBIA. — INTERMITTENT FEVER, OR AGUE. — APOPLEXY. — EPILEPSY, OR FALLING SICKNESS. — FAINTING, OR SYNCOPE. — AFFECTIONS OF THE FACE. — AFFECTIONS OF THE EYE. — AFFECTIONS OF THE EARS. — AFFECTIONS OF THE LIPS. — PRESERVATION OF THE TEETH. — PRESERVATION OF THE HAIR. — AFFECTIONS OF THE NOSE. — AFFECTIONS OF THE THROAT. — CARE OF THE HANDS. — CARE OF THE FEET. — DISEASES OF THE HEART. — GOUT. — RHEUMATISM. — TIC-DOULOUREUX. — NEURALGIA. — LUMBAGO. — RING-WORM. — SPRAINS — CHILBLAINS. — LEECHES. — BREAD-AND-WATER, OR EVAPORATING POULTICE. — BANDAGES. — BLISTER. — CARBUNCLE — EXCORIATION. — GOITRE. — HARE-LIP. — INFLAMMATION. — CHOKING. — POISONS. — Irritant Poisons — Narcotic Poisons — Narcotic-Acrid Poisons.
Under this head directions will be given for the domestic management
of some of the more frequent ailments to which families are subject.
Book-doctoring is a very doubtful economy, except where it is made
the means of enabling the nurse or the mother to co-operate intelligently
with the medical adviser. But there are cases, as among emigrants, or
persons residing in remote places in the country, in which medical aid
cannot readily be obtained. In such cases, the following papers will be
found of great value. A number of specific remedies for various minor
ailments will be found appended to the Medical Articles.
Hooping-cough is thought to have been introduced into Europe
from Africa, and, like most other complaints, varies much in intensity.
It is a highly infectious disease, and grown persons are liable to its
influence; but it commonly takes place between the ages of four
months and twelve years. It usually begins as a common cough,
and is attended with the general symptoms of having taken cold;
but in its progress, soon becomes more severe; though, the longer
it is discoverable by the hoop, the more favourable it is likely to be.
A frequent discharge from the mouth, nose, and eyes, food often rejected,
together with large quantities of phlegm, after which the child generally
appears pretty well, and eats his food heartily—these are the
most common symptoms. When the disease is violent, they become
greatly aggravated, especially during the night, and the child will
appear almost strangled, becoming livid, and blood often starting
from the nose and eyes.
The following is a favourite prescription of the late Mr. Tuckwell,
of Oxford, who, for skill in his profession, courtesy of manners, and
kindness of heart, has had few equals, and who has left in that
University an almost imperishable memory:—
Dissolve one scruple of salt of tartar, in a quarter of a pint of soft
water: add to it ten grains of cochineal finely powdered, and sweeten
it with lump sugar.
This medicine is also highly recommended in the Lancet. The dose
for an infant is a tea-spoonful four times a day; from five years old
upwards, a table-spoonful may be taken: but as the paroxysms of
this complaint are much aggravated by the resistance of the child to
swallow medicine, it is very desirable to abstain, if possible, from
giving any internal remedy.
The following embrocation was prescribed by a gentleman, one of
the leading practitioners in Oxford; and for spasmodic coughs of all
kinds, as well as for inflammatory croup, it is invaluable:—
Two drachms of Tincture of Opium.
Two ounces of Camphor Liniment.
A tea-spoonful to be rubbed in over the throat and chest every night
and morning, and cover the parts immediately with flannel. If the
chest is loaded with phlegm, an emetic must be given once, twice,
or three times a week, as required. Ipecacuanha wine is most suitable,
and the dose for a child of four or five years is 2½ or 3 drachms.
During the first stages of this disorder, the patient should breathe
an equal temperature, as nearly as it can be managed, not too warm
and close, but equal; and when the virulence of the disorder has
passed away, the open air (if the weather be mild) may be frequently
resorted to; and a change of air, where it is practicable, will often
remove at once all remains of the complaint.
The only thing that remains to be mentioned, is the proper diet,
which is, indeed, of paramount importance; and for children of even
six and seven years of age, ought to be little more than milk and broths.
These are nourishing, and more readily digested than meats or puddings.
One prevalent error is, that milk engenders phlegm; but
this is a mistake. Should the milk be found to curdle on the stomach,
a little common salt must be added; or, better still, use asses’ milk,
if it is attainable. These light nutriments quickly pass out of the
stomach, or if brought out by coughing twenty times during the day
(which is sometimes the case), the child will immediately take more
with avidity.
If thirst prevails, a little toast-and-water may be given. When
taken in time, and treated properly, hooping-cough is scarcely ever
fatal, indeed never, as long as the patient is free from fever, or other
disease. If the attack, from its length and severity, should cause a
loss of strength, health will soon be recruited by a cold infusion of
bark, gentle exercise, and pure uninfected air, and dieted with a
nourishing broth, made as follows:—
Take three-quarters of a pound of veal, the same quantity of beef,
chopped very fine, and simmered for three hours in about two quarts
of water. Strain it, and let the invalid drink the clear liquid, hot
or cold, as may be most agreeable.
Mixture for Hooping-Cough.
Ipecacuanha Wine
2
drachms.
Carbonate of Soda
½
drachm.
Paregoric Elixir
2
drachms.
Water
1
ounce.
A tea-spoonful or two (according to the age of the patient) may
be given three times a day.
This natural process in a child’s development, usually commences
about the third month, though it is seldom till the fifth or sixth that
the teeth make their appearance through the gums. The period when
the teeth may be expected is indicated by an increased irritability
of the infant, the gums become tense, shiny, and swollen; while
the excited glands in the neighbourhood pour out so large a quantity
of saliva, that it overflows the mouth, causing the infant to drivel,
as the nurses call this natural salivation. At the same time the child,
as if to relieve the heat and irritation it feels, thrusts its hands into
its mouth in the attempt to do what the watchful mother will do for
it—scratch the top of the gum with her nail, or, making a rasp of
a rough crust, or a proper gum-ring, rub it freely along the top ridge,
that, by abrading it of the binding cuticle, the imprisoned gum may
have the power to expand. As the only benefit that can accrue from
rubbing the child’s gum is the tearing or relaxing this fine but
tenacious cuticle, all smooth surfaces, such as coral or ivory rings,
are perfectly useless; such instruments to be of any service, should
be cut into small diamonds like a fine file, and used frequently by
the parent, exactly in that manner. The crust, though serviceable
from its roughness, is dangerous from the chance of crumbs breaking
off and getting into the infant’s throat. After the irritation and
drivelling have continued for some weeks, a white line or a round
spot appears on the top of the gum of the lower jaw, and ultimately
of the upper; through these white spots the teeth finally burst their
way in the following order: the two incisors of the lower jaw are the
first to make their appearance, though frequently several weeks elapse
between the advent of the first and second; the next cut are the four
incisors of the upper, then the remaining two incisors of the lower
jaw, one on each side, but not joining. There is now a pause for a
short time in the process. The next in succession are the four eye
teeth in either jaw, thus completing the infantine set of sixteen teeth.
Another pause, usually of some months, succeeds before nature
resumes her active operations; when she does, it is to place one
double tooth on each side of both jaws, thus perfecting the child’s
complement of twenty teeth. When these are shed, and nature
completes her office, instead of the first ten she places sixteen teeth
in each jaw, thus doubling her first complement, and making the
adult set thirty-two. Each tooth as it is formed makes half a circle
on its axis, and rising sideways, pierces the gum with the extreme
point of its edge, revolving as it rises to the perpendicular.
The diseases that teething gives rise to in infants are very numerous,
and the consequences of so natural a process are some of the most
remarkable facts connected with the development of the human
economy. The disorders excited by difficult dentition are, diarrhœa,
convulsions, mesenteric disease, water on the brain, rickets, and
remittent fever—all of them to the infant fearfully mortal diseases.
Each of these affections, though so different in its locality, and so
opposite in its symptoms, is induced by the same cause—long-continued
irritation in the gums reacting on the delicate organization of the
brain and nervous system. And, as this irritation is caused by the
difficulty the imprisoned tooth finds in escaping from the fibrous
membrane in which it is enveloped, and making its way through the
tightly bound gum, it becomes the duty of the medical man or parent,
as soon as the first constitutional disturbance manifests itself, to assist
the efforts of nature to effect the escape of the tooth, by dividing the
gum and leaving an aperture through which the new-formed tooth
may reach its destination. But, as lancing the gums, as the process
is called, will be worse than useless unless effectually done, the gums
should never be cut unless the tooth can be plainly felt below, and,
to be of service, the incision must be carried down to the tooth,
or else the unyielding membrane in which it is encased will be
undivided, and the child put to the inconvenience of lancing without
effecting the slightest benefit. As, however, the irritation commences
from the first entrance of the tooth into the gum on emerging from
its bony socket, and long before the actual pressure of the tooth can
cause the graver mischief, or simply from the increased amount of
blood circulating in the parts, it is evident that lancing the gums in
so early a stage of formation is not only impolitic, but hurtful.
Another mode of relief, both for the diarrhœa and convulsions that
so frequently occur in weakly infants at this period, must be looked
for; and that means, in all stages of dentition, from the first to the
last, will be found either a source of instant relief or of certain
recovery; that remedy is the hot bath, which, in all cases of infantine
suffering, is the mother’s best hope, and should be her unshaken
reliance. The time a child should be kept in a hot bath should seldom
exceed two minutes; and, as the object is to unload some congested
organ, or to relieve certain parts of their excess of blood by causing
a rapid determination to the skin, the water should be hot enough
to produce this effect as instantaneously as possible. When diarrhœa
continues in despite of the hot bath, a little magnesia or a few grains
of prepared chalk may be given two or three times a day until the
excessive action is checked; or if unabated by these means, a few
drops of tincture of kino is to be administered, as prescribed for
diarrhœa.
When scarlet fever becomes epidemic among adults, children
rarely fail of being attacked by it in great numbers, and very frequently
sink under it. It is, indeed, rather a child’s disease, and is
very contagious amongst children; but is not often communicated
from them to adults. This disease begins with the common symptoms of
fever, often with languor and disposition to fainting, shivering, sickness,
a quick pulse, and pain in the head; there is frequently, very early in
the disorder, a stiffness in the muscles of the neck, which is soon
followed by some difficulty in swallowing. This affection of the
neck should be carefully inquired into, especially in young children;
the soreness of the throat being sometimes not complained of in the
most severe attacks of the disease, until but little hope remains of
any mode of treatment being attended with success.
The fever generally increases in the evening, and is often accompanied
with delirium; but some remission takes place towards morning,
and perspirations come on. There is no complaint in which delirium
is of so little consequence as in scarlatina. On the second or third
day the efflorescence (or redness) appears on the skin, and generally
first on the face, neck, and breast. Up to this period the disorder
is sometimes supposed to be measles, as many of the premonitory
symptoms are similar; but scarlatina is readily distinguished by the
absence of that hoarse cough, frequent sneezing, and watery discharge
from the nose and eyes, which are the constant attendants on the
early stages of measles: in this latter complaint also, the skin is
covered with a distinct eruption, raised above the skin, leaving it clear
and well-defined between the marks,—while in scarlatina, the redness
is on the skin, and its appearance seldom produces any remission
of fever.
When the complaint is to terminate in health, the fiery redness
abates gradually, and is succeeded by a brown colour, when the skin,
becoming rough, peels off in small scales, and health is generally
restored.
On the contrary, when it is to terminate fatally, the febrile symptoms
run very high from the first attack, the skin is intensely hot and dry,
the pulse is very frequent but small, great thirst prevails, the redness
appears on the second day or earlier, and about the third or fourth
is often interspersed with large livid spots, and the patient is cut off
about the sixth or eighth day. Sometimes a severe purging comes
on, which never fails to prove fatal. No complaint is more arbitrary
in its attacks, and none on which, humanly speaking, you can reckon
with so little certainty.
To determine to the surface of the body, it will be right to give the
simple saline, made as follows:—
Take of
Citric Acid
1½
drachm.
Bi-carbonate of Potash
2
drachms.
Water
7½
ounces.
Simple Syrup
½
ounce.
Spirits of Nitre
2
drachms.
Mix, and take a sixth part every four hours. If the child is very young,
give half the dose.
On the first appearance of this disorder, it will be proper to administer
an emetic of ipecacuanha powder; and for children of four years of age,
seven grains will be a sufficient quantity, and even a repetition of it
may be the means of preventing any disposition to diarrhœa (purging).
Throughout the whole of this disease it will be advisable to make
frequent use of some detergent (cleansing) gargle, which in young
children must be thrown into the throat with a syringe.
Detergent Gargle.
Take of
Purified Alum
1
drachm.
Barley Water
8
ounces (half a pint).
Honey of Roses
1
ounce.
Mix, and gargle the throat frequently.
Camphor is a medicine much employed in scarlatina, and with good
effect; but more particularly where the pulse is very low, and the
redness disappears suddenly from off the skin. In these cases volatiles,
the aromatic confection, and wine will be proper remedies—this latter
to be given in moderate quantity, according to the age and other
circumstances of the patient, and it should be given in the food, which
must consist of thin, nutritious aliments, such as sago, arrow-root,
barley water with milk, &c., &c., and thin warm barley water, without
milk, should be often drunk, in order to induce moderate perspiration.
In a general way, a cordial plan is required throughout the disease;
and where the throat is much affected, either with sloughs (discharges
of matter), or total blackness, bark is indispensably necessary, however
thick and florid the rash, however hot and dry the skin. Bark, in
moderate doses (for children of four years of age, six grains of Peruvian
bark may be given four times a day), reduces the fever in the milder
species of scarlatina, above every other remedy; and in the more
malignant scarlet fever, it supports the system until the regular stages
of the fever are accomplished, and a perfect crisis is formed. Should it
be disposed to act too freely on the child’s bowels, one drop of opium
may be added.
An unpleasant turn in the complaint sometimes takes place in a
secondary fever, and is often the consequence of administering bark
and wine too early, or too liberally, in the milder scarlatina.
As parents and nurses are naturally much alarmed at delirium, it
may be well to assure them that there is no disease in which delirium
is of so little consequence as in the one before us. In other fevers it
seldom comes on until they have arrived at a dangerous height, but it
sometimes accompanies scarlatina from the very first day, and many
of the patients never fail to be delirious every night, though, excepting
this, there exists no other unfavourable symptom from the beginning,
and during the illness.
This is a disease of the mucous membrane of the mouth, stomach,
and bowels; and when severe, may be traced throughout the whole
alimentary canal. Though thrush may attack persons at any stage of
life, still it is regarded as a disease more peculiarly incident to childhood
and infancy; and is generally induced by an abrupt change of
diet, or some cause impairing the nutritive quality of the mother’s
milk, which produces this eruptive fever in the infant’s digestive organs.
The symptoms of thrush are heat, pain, and restlessness, followed by a
series of small, raised, white spots, scattered over the mouth, tongue,
and lips; sometimes there are but few, at others the whole mouth is
studded with them. After a day or two, they enlarge and become
distended with a white puriform fluid; the eruption looking like a cross
of minute beads: this completes the suppurating or second stage; after
which, the vesicles proceed to ulceration, when they burst, discharge
their fluid, and degenerate into small flat ulcers, causing throughout,
but especially in this the last stage, considerable irritation and pain.
Treatment.—Having, if possible found the immediate cause of the
disease, and if an improper food, removed it, the child must be carefully
fed on a diet that in no way can irritate the tender and inflamed lining
membrane; and, if necessary, a few spoonfuls of beef tea are to be
given occasionally as a gentle stimulant. The medical treatment
consists in the exhibition of the subjoined powders and mixture, and
the employment, each evening, of the warm bath as a sedative to
the restless child.
Take of
Grey Powder
8
grains.
Scammony
6
grains.
Rhubarb
3
grains.
Mix and divide into nine powders for an infant from six to twelve
months, giving one powder twice a day; into six powders for an
infant from one to two years old, one twice a day; and into four
powders for a child of three years, to be given in the same manner.
Take of
Mucilage
½
ounce.
Castor Oil
2
drachms.
Syrup
2
drachms.
Mix well in a mortar, and add
Dill Water
½
ounce.
Mix, and give a small tea-spoonful twice a day to an infant from six
to twelve months; three times a day to one of from one to two years;
and every six hours to a child of three years old. Should the thrush
have proceeded to ulceration, the mouth of the infant or child should
be washed out by a lotion, made by dissolving a small quantity of alum
or borax in water well sweetened with honey; and then, by tying a
fold of lint to a piece of stick, and using it as a mop, to cleanse the
mouth, having first well wetted it in the lotion.
This cutaneous disease, the result of dirt and insufficient food,
is communicated by the merest contact; and as this is a misfortune
that any person may be exposed to, by touching in a cursory manner
the person of an affected individual, it is necessary to show the means
by which, with a day or two’s seclusion, it may be effectually eradicated.
The intolerable itching that so remarkably distinguishes this
disease, is the consequence of a very minute microscopic insect which
burrows under the scarf skin of the hands and body; and all that is
necessary to destroy the life of this insect, and of course cure the
disease, is to block up the pores of the skin, by rubbing in some stiff
simple ointment upon going to bed; use a hot bath in the morning to
cleanse the body of the grease, and repeat the ointment again; and
so continue the one at night, and the other in the morning till the
cure is effected. For long standing cases sulphur or creosote is necessary,
but for trifling cases, spermaceti ointment is quite sufficient, the
hands being kept greased and gloved both day and night.
This disease is an inflammatory affection principally of the skin,
when it makes its appearance externally; it is most frequent in its
attacks on women and children, and on those of an irritable habit,
rather than of a full robust constitution. Erysipelas will sometimes
return periodically, attacking the patient once or twice in the
year, or even once in the month; and then, by its repeated attacks, it
often gradually exhausts the strength, especially if the sufferer be aged,
or of a bad habit of body.
This disease is brought on by all the causes that are apt to excite
inflammation, such as injuries of all kinds, the external application of
stimulants, exposure to cold, and obstructed perspiration; and it may
likewise be occasioned by humours generated within the body, and
thrown out on its surface. In slight cases where it attacks the
extremities, it makes its appearance with a sensation of heat, accompanied
by roughness, pain, and redness of the skin, which becomes
pale when the finger is pressed upon it, and again returns to its fiery
hue when the pressure is withdrawn. There prevails some fever, and
the patient is hot, thirsty, and restless. If the attack is mild, these
symptoms will continue only for a few days, the surface of the part
affected will become dry and yellow, and the scarf skin (or outer skin)
will fall off in scales; but this complaint appears more frequently in
the form of small vesicles, or blisters, containing a thin fluid. In some
instances the fluid is of a different consistency, and instead of escaping
when the blister is broken, it adheres to, and dries upon the skin. In
unfavourable cases, these blisters sometimes degenerate into very obstinate
ulcers, which now and then become gangrenous. This, however,
does not frequently happen, for although it is not uncommon for the
surface of the skin and the blistered places to appear livid, or even
blackish, yet this usually disappears with the other symptoms of the
disorder. No remission of fever takes place on the appearance of the
vesicles; and when the complaint is not of a dangerous tendency, the
inflammation and fever cease gradually without any evident crisis.
During these symptoms (fever and inflammation) it will be proper to
administer aperient medicines, and nothing, perhaps, suits the purpose
better than the old-fashioned black draught. The external application
of Goulard’s Lotion will allay heat and irritation very successfully.
As erysipelatous fevers often terminate when profuse perspiration
can be induced, the patient must drink freely of tea, bran tea, or warm
barley water: and this is a necessary part of the treatment, which
must never be neglected. The vesicles must be kept lightly covered
with pure, unadulterated wheat flour; where the inflammatory symptoms
run high, the diet must consist of light nourishing food, such as
sago, arrow-root, bread pudding, and such like things; but in those
cases where symptoms of irritation prevail, a more generous diet, such
as animal broths, ought to be allowed.
When the attack is mild, the patient must be kept in the house, but
need not be confined to bed. Very earnestly impress on the minds of
your patients the baneful effects of opening the little watery blisters.
An instance of this kind occurred in the writer’s vicinity, followed by
the most lamentable and fatal results. The victim was a married
woman, about 33 years of age; the blister appeared on the upper lip,
and she, not knowing its nature, punctured it; inflammation, delirium,
and death quickly succeeded each other, and baffled the skill of two
medical men of long experience.
There is another species of erysipelatous inflammation, which usually
attacks the trunk of the body, and is vulgarly known as “Shingles.”
It consists of a number of blisters extending round the waist. Little
or no danger ever attends this species of erysipelas, but much pain is
felt darting through the body; and these pains will continue to annoy
the patient at times for some weeks after the eruption has disappeared.
This, the most serious of all eruptive diseases, though having
many symptoms in common with other affections of this inflammatory
class, has some peculiar to itself, and which, carefully observed, will
always accurately define the disease, and point out small-pox from
every other analogous affection. These distinctive features are the
greater heat of the skin, the nausea and sickness that from the first
attend it, and the fact that the rash appears on the fourth day of the
illness, and not on the third, as in other eruptive diseases. Small-pox
usually commences with shivering, pains in the back and head,
heat, thirst, nausea, often sickness, a general feeling of languor and
debility, quick full pulse, great heat and dryness of the skin, and a
white furred tongue. This state continues with the usual febrile
symptoms and nightly paroxysms till the fourth day, when a fine
papillary rash, like grains of millet seed, breaks out on the face,
neck, arms, and breast; in a few hours more extending over the
rest of the body. On the fifth day the rash has become more distinct,
each papilla has become larger and filled with a transparent fluid,
changing its form into that of a vesicle, which, as the disease advances,
enlarges with a flat head and depressed centre, the fluid passing from
a transparent lymph into a yellowish matter. While this change
is taking place, the extremities and the head swell, the head and face
often becoming immensely distended, closing the eyes, and giving to
the countenance a deformed and unnatural appearance. About the
eighth day the maturation of the pustules is completed, and from
thence to the eleventh day the declension of the eruption takes
place, the pustules burst, the matter is effused, scabs are formed,
and the dead cuticle begins, from the twelfth day, to peel off or
disquamate, leaving pits in the skin, the consequence of the suppuration
having destroyed the fatty matter beneath the cuticle.
As the different stages of the disease are advancing, corresponding
changes are taking place in the constitution of the patient; the heat
and thirst increase, the pain, restlessness, and anxiety are augmented;
the inflammatory and febrile actions keep advancing, rendering the
slightest noise intolerable, and causing delirium and a chain of the
most dangerous symptoms.
Treatment.—The inflammatory nature of small-pox renders what
is called the cooling mode of treatment, in all its details, a duty
of imperative importance. For this purpose, the room in which
the patient is placed should during the disease be kept dark and
cool, and at least once a day thoroughly ventilated by means of a
fire in the grate, for a short time night and morning, but especially
at the latter period. The room, also, should be frequently purified
by sprinkling the floor with chloride of lime, or by the burning of
vinegar on a heated shovel. As the stomach is the first organ sensibly
affected, and continues more or less disturbed during the whole disease,
the treatment should begin by giving the patient an emetic, composed,
if an adult, of twenty grains of ipecacuanha and one grain of tartar
emetic; and as soon as that operation has ceased, the following
powders and saline purgatives are to be employed, giving the mixture
every two, and the powders every four hours.
Take of
Epsom Salts
1
ounce.
Mint Water
8
ounces.
Antimonial Wine
3
drachms.
Spirits of Nitre
2
drachms.
Syrup of Saffron
2
drachms.
Mix, and give to an adult two table-spoonfuls for a dose, and to
children, according to their age, from a dessert-spoonful upwards.
Take of
Calomel
3
grains.
Powdered Antimony
2
grains.
Rhubarb
3
grains.
Jalap
10
grains.
Mix, and make a powder. Give one of such a strength, every four
hours to an adult till the bowels are well acted on, when they are
to be discontinued; but the mixture is to be persisted in, though
less frequently, or in half the dose. For a child from nine to twelve
years of age, half of one of the above powders is to be given every
four hours, till the same result is effected; and for younger children,
each powder of the above strength is to be divided into three parts,
and administered as the others. For an ordinary drink, in which
the patient should on no account be stinted, lemonade, thin gruel,
or cold tea is to be used; all solid food or nutritious aliment must
be withheld, the patient kept low, his head cool, and the feet hot.
When the fever runs high, and the head symptoms are severe, it
may be necessary to bleed, but if not, a blister is to be laid on the
nape of the neck, and perhaps two small ones behind the ears, to relieve
the tumefaction of the eyes, and where the want of sleep demands
it, a draught at bed-time, composed of fifteen grains of nitre dissolved
in two ounces of water, with twenty-five drops of laudanum; or to
children, from three to ten drops in a little gruel, according to their
ages. Such, in mild or distinct small-pox, is generally all the treatment
needed; and even in the aggravated confluent, till the time of disquamation
often no other means are necessary.
In cases, however, where the rash, after showing favourably, suddenly
recedes from the skin, or only partly comes out, the patient must
be put into a warm, or rather hot bath for three or four minutes; and
when the pulse falls, and becomes small and feeble, as it becomes
absolutely necessary to bring back the rash to the skin, hot wine
and water must be given, together with soups, tonics, and stimulants,
till the invigorated constitution has power to re-act. Should this
not have been called for, a system of careful feeding, aided with wine
and bark, must be commenced at the period when nature begins to
throw off the dead eruption.
The great object to be observed in the treatment of small-pox,
is to keep the patient cool, and on the lowest regimen, till the disquamation
begins to act freely on the bowels, and to allay fever by cooling
drinks. As soon as the patient is convalescent, the diet should be
light, and composed chiefly of farinaceous foods, puddings, custards,
&c. The body should be bathed once a week, and the cuticle
excited by dry rubbing with a towel, and especial care taken for
some weeks to keep children from the contact of the patient, who
should for that time take an aperient every three days.
To prevent the face and neck from being pitted, each pock in that
neighbourhood should be lightly wetted with a weak solution of lunar
caustic, at the period when the pustules are filled with a transparent
fluid, while they are yet round, and before suppuration has set in
or the tops of the vesicles grown flat—or in other words, at the end
of the second stage.
This is a disease characterized by a species of inflammatory fever,
attended with all the symptoms of a severe cold, running at the nose
and eyes, sneezing, cough, cold chills, tightness at the chest, languor,
lassitude, pain in the back and head, and, in fact, by all the indications
of constitutional disturbance and fever; though the sign by which it
may be most readily known and determined, is the running of humour
from the eyes, and constriction of the chest, with a short dry cough.
The great secret in the treatment of measles to be borne in mind, is not
to discontinue the treatment with the subsidence of the symptoms, for
no disease leaves behind it so many and hurtful consequences; therefore,
to purify the system, and save the body of the child from mumps,
dropsy, tumours, bad eyes, and many other distressing affections, it
is necessary to keep up for some weeks, after the disease is cured,
a mild but steady action on the body; give the child change of air,
plenty of exercise, and a nutritive but light and stimulating diet.
The symptoms of measles commence with cold chills and flushes,
lassitude, heaviness, pain in the head, and drowsiness, cough, hoarseness,
and extreme difficulty of breathing, frequent sneezing, defluction or
running at the eyes and nose, nausea, sometimes vomiting, thirst,
a furred tongue; the pulse throughout is quick, and sometimes full
and soft, at others hard and small, with other indications of an inflammatory
nature. On the third day, small red spots make their appearance,
first on the face and neck, gradually extending over the upper and
lower part of the body.
On the fifth day the vivid red of the eruption changes into a brownish
hue, and in two or three days more the rash entirely disappears, leaving
a loose powdery disquamation on the skin, which rubs off like dandriff.
At this stage of the disease, a diarrhœa frequently comes on, and being
what is called “critical” should never be checked unless seriously
severe. Measles sometimes assumes a typhoid or malignant character, in
which form the symptoms are all greatly exaggerated, and the case
from the first becomes doubtful and dangerous. In this condition
the eruption comes out sooner, and only in patches, and often, after
showing for a few hours, suddenly recedes, presenting instead
of the usual florid red, a dark purple or blackish hue, a dark brown
fur forms on the gums and mouth, the breathing becomes laborious,
delirium supervenes, and if unrelieved, is followed by coma; a fœtid
diarrhœa takes place, and the patient sinks under the congested state
of the lungs and the opposed functions of the brain. The unfavourable
symptoms in measles are a high state of fever, excessive heat and
dryness of the skin, hurried and short breathing, and a particularly
hard pulse. The ordinary after-consequences of measles are, croup,
bronchitis, mesenteric disease, abscesses behind the ear, ophthalmia,
and glandular swellings in other parts of the body.
Treatment.—In the first place the patient should be kept in a cool
room, the temperature of which must be regulated to suit the child’s
feelings of comfort, and the diet adapted to the strictest principles
of abstinence. When the inflammatory symptoms are severe, bleeding
in some form is often necessary, though, when adopted, it must be
in the first stage of the disease; and if the lungs are the apprehended
seat of the inflammation, two or more leeches, according to the age and
strength of the patient, must be applied to the upper part of the chest,
followed by a small blister; or the blister may be substituted for
the leeches, the attendant bearing in mind that the benefit effected
by the blister can always be considerably augmented by plunging
the feet into very hot water, about a couple of hours after applying
the blister, and keeping them in the water for about two minutes.
The first internal remedies should commence with a series of aperient
powders, and a saline mixture, as prescribed in the following formularies;
at the same time as a beverage to quench the thirst, let a
quantity of barley water be made, slightly acidulated by the juice
of an orange, and partly sweetened by some sugar-candy, and of
which, when properly made and cold, let the patient drink as often
as thirst or the dryness of the mouth renders necessary.
Aperient Powders.—Take of scammony and jalap, each twenty-four
grains; gray powder and antimonial powder, of each eighteen
grains. Mix and divide into twelve powders, if for a child between
two and four years of age; into eight powders, if for a child between
four and eight years; and into six powders for between eight and
twelve years of age. One powder to be given, in a little jelly or
sugar and water, every three or four hours, according to the severity
of the symptoms.
Saline Mixture.—Take of mint water, six ounces; powdered nitre,
twenty grains; antimonial wine, three drachms; spirits of nitre,
two drachms; syrup of saffron, two drachms. Mix. To children
under three years, give a tea-spoonful every two hours; from that
age to six a dessert-spoonful at the same intervals; and to children
between six and twelve, a table-spoonful every three or four hours. The
object of these aperient powders is to keep up a steady but gentle
action on the bowels; but whenever it seems necessary to administer
a stronger dose, and effect a brisk action on the digestive organs—a
course particularly imperative towards the close of the disease—two
of these powders given at once, according to the age, will be
found to produce that effect. Thus, two of the twelve for a child
under four years; and two of the eight, and two of the six, according
to the age of the patient. When the difficulty of breathing becomes
oppressive, as it generally does towards night, a hot bran poultice laid
on the chest will be always found beneficial. The diet throughout must
be light, and consist of farinaceous food, such as rice and sago puddings,
with beef tea and toast; and not till convalescence sets in, should
hard or animal food be given. When measles assumes the malignant
form, the advice just given must be broken through; food of a
nutritious and stimulating character should be at once substituted and
administered in conjunction with wine, and even spirits, and the
disease regarded and treated as a case of typhus. But as this form
of measles is not frequent, and, if occurring, hardly likely to be treated
without assistance, it is unnecessary to enter on the minutiæ of its
practice here. What we have prescribed in almost all cases will
be found sufficient to meet every emergency without resorting to
a multiplicity of agents. The great point to remember in measles
is not to give up the treatment with the apparent subsidence of the
disease, as the after-consequences of measles are too often more
serious and more to be dreaded than the measles themselves. To
guard against this danger, and thoroughly purify the system after
the subsidence of all the symptoms of the disease, a corrective
course of medicine, and a regimen of exercise should be adopted
for some weeks, according to the cure of the disease.
This disease, like the Small-Pox, seems to depend on specific
contagion, and seldom affects a person but once in his life. The
eruption is often succeeded by chilliness, succeeded by flushings, pains
in the head and back, thirst, restlessness, and a quick pulse; but at
other times, none of these premonitory symptoms are observable.
Pustules soon appear, and about the second or third day are filled with
a watery fluid, which is never converted into yellow matter, as in the
small-pox (to which it bears great affinity); and about the fifth day
they usually dry away, and are formed into hard crusts or scabs. No
danger attends chicken-pox, but often a good deal of suffering. The
small-pox and chicken-pox differ: the eruption of the former is
preceded by a fever of a certain duration, while that of the latter is
either preceded by none, or by one of uncertain duration; also in the
pustules and succeeding scabs appearing much earlier in the chicken-pox
than in the small-pox; and in the fluid of the pustules never
acquiring the thick purulent appearance, which it always does in
distinct small-pox.
Let the patient partake freely of water or cooling drinks, as thirst is
always an attendant on the disease, and gentle laxatives should be
occasionally given—a tea-spoonful of lenitive electuary, with a little
milk of sulphur in it, is all that is generally required; but should febrile
symptoms run high, it may be advisable to take two or three saline
draughts during the day. The following is a recipe for an excellent
saline, to be drunk while effervescing:—Twenty grains of carbonate of
soda dissolved in a tumbler containing two table-spoonfuls of water; add
two tea-spoonfuls of lump sugar rolled; then put a dessert-spoonful of
lemon into a wine-glass (or fifteen grains of citric acid dissolved in one
table-spoonful of water). Pour it into the tumbler, and drink it while
the effervescence is taking place.
The benefit of this draught cannot be too highly estimated where the
stomach is deranged, and there is nausea and faintness, or in cases of
fever and thirst.
The Croup is a complaint somewhat similar to the hooping-cough,
and to which children only are subject. There are two species of it, the
one acute, the other chronic: neither of them often attack children so
late as ten or twelve years of age; while they may seize infants newly
weaned, and are then the most severe. The cause of this disease is a
morbid secretion of thick mucus in the trachea (windpipe), adhering so
firmly to its sides as to impede respiration. The quantity and thickness of
mucus increasing, gradually lessens the diameter of the part, and if it
effects this to a considerable degree, the disease must of necessity prove
fatal. The symptoms by which croup is manifested, even to the most
uninitiated in the duties of the sick-room, is the peculiar croaking noise
made in respiration (from whence it takes its name); and when the
disorder is light, there is but little apparent indisposition between the
paroxysms, save a certain dulness, and a sense of fear in children of an
age to express it.
The fits frequently terminate by sneezing, coughing, or vomiting, and
return without any regularity. It is attended with a sharp and shrill
voice, and a flushed countenance, which grows livid during the
paroxysms. A warm bath should immediately be administered, and an
emetic given as soon as possible; say, ten drops of antimonial wine for
a child three years of age, and repeated every quarter of an hour until
effectual, and according to the age and strength of the patient; a blister
should be applied across the throat, the sufferer being made to inhale
the vapour of warm water with vinegar in it, and kept nearly upright
in bed. A doctor should be procured as soon as possible; and, until
his arrival, the foregoing directions may, in most cases, materially
influence the physician’s proceedings, and often save life.
Children liable to this disease should be warmly clad, wearing flannel
next the skin, and an emetic given upon the earliest appearance of the
attack; for remember, this disease requires prompt attention to save
life. With care, children usually grow out of it; that is, the
constitution will repel the attacks after the tenth or twelfth year.
This disease takes its name from its being attended by an eruption
similar to what is produced by the stinging of nettles. The causes of
this complaint are by no means obvious; but it seems to proceed either
from the perspiration being checked, or from some irritating matter in
the stomach. In all cases, there prevails considerable itching and
some heat in the parts affected; and, in some constitutions, a slight
degree of fever either precedes or attends the eruption. Its duration
seldom exceeds three or four days.
In some cases, Nettle Rash is accompanied with large wheals or
bumps, which appear of a solid nature, without any cavity or head,
containing either water or other fluid.
Half a tea-spoonful of magnesia, and the same quantity of cream of
tartar, mixed in half a tea-cupful of milk, an hour before breakfast, and
repeated as required, will be found very efficacious.
Some practitioners have entertained the idea that the humours of the
body are never vitiated to such a degree by the nettle rash as to
require the use of internal remedies, and that if the irritation could be
certainly allayed by external applications, there would be no necessity
for any other mode of cure.
As this disorder is very frequent in spring, when a hot sun, with cold
winds, prevail, the visitor will hear of a variety of herbs as “never-failing
cures” of nettle rash. Among these the nettle itself is the
Abernethy of the party, concocted into a sort of tea with a proportion
of one-third of ground-ivy infused in it. Although in a chronic form,
it is often of rheumatic origin. Nettle rash is never a dangerous
malady; but care should be taken to avoid currents of air, for, if it
recedes, or, as is the common expression, “driven in,” it produces
sickness, and other harassing symptoms.
We have always found, in such cases as these—and, indeed, at most
times—that simple remedies, easily accessible, are the most efficacious.
The persons most prone to consumption, are those of a sanguine or
phlegmatic temperament, with long neck, sharp shoulders, narrow chest,
slender fingers, clear skin, fair hair, and rosy complexion. The disease
usually begins with a short dry cough, followed, after a certain length
of time by a gradual loss of strength, lassitude, and great fatigue upon
small exertions; the pulse is quick and small, while the cough, at first
confined to the day, begins to extend into and through the night; the
breathing is hurried, with a sense of tightness at the chest, accompanied
with shooting pains; the expectoration at first frothy, becomes viscid,
opaque, often tinged with blood; and very copious in the morning. As
the disease advances, emaciation takes place, the cough, pain, and
difficulty of breathing increase, the face is flushed, the soles of the feet and
palms of the hands are affected with a dry burning heat, the tongue,
formerly white, now becomes clean and red, the pulse is smaller and
quicker, and hectic fever sets in, attended with profuse perspiration;
generally occurring twice a day, and, as the symptoms grow more
formidable, the appetite usually increases, filling the patient with delusive
hopes of recovery. The final symptoms, and those that indicate approaching
dissolution, are the setting in of diarrhœa, night sweats,
prominent cheek bones, hollow and cadaverous countenance, swollen
legs, great emaciation, and curved finger-nails. The expectoration has
at the same time altered its character with each stage of the disease; at
first scanty and frothy, it becomes opaque and presents a mixture of
mucus and pus, occasionally streaked with blood, and finally becomes
all purulent, sinking in water, and often combined with irregular
pieces of green or yellow substances.
Treatment.—There are three objects to be aimed at in the treatment
of consumption; first, to promote the absorption of the diseased
matter; second, to subdue inflammation; and, third, to improve the
general health. For the first effect, it is the general practice to slightly
salivate the system by small doses of calomel and kino, followed by a
course of iodine, either in the form of burnt sponge, hydriodate of potass,
or tincture of iodine. Inflammation is subdued by small bleedings, two
or three times repeated, leeches on the chest, blisters, or the counter-irritation
of the tartar emetic ointment. The general health is to be
improved by exercise, cold ablutions, and friction every morning, by a
light and generous diet, and tonics with the mineral acids. In
confirmed consumption, and where all the worst symptoms are in
operation, the treatment must depend greatly on the actual state of the
patient, though the most ordinary course is comprised in the following
means and remedies: counter-irritation over the chest, by the tartar
emetic ointment; an opiate at bed-time; and two table-spoonfuls of
such a mixture as the following, every four or six hours.
Take of
Tartar Emetic
20
grains.
Infusion of Gentian
6
ounces.
Powdered Nitre
½
drachm.
Mix. Where the sweatings are excessive, or there is spitting of blood
with the cough, from fifteen to thirty drops of the elixir of vitriol in a
wine-glass of water, is to be sucked through a quill every three or four
hours.
No practice is so fatal as the sending a confirmed consumptive
patient to a warm climate, or even to remove him to a warmer residence
in his own country, as the increased temperature only developes the
worst symptoms more rapidly. To a patient only predisposed to
consumption, change of scene and climate is highly beneficial; but
with the disease on him, it is suicidal. The modern practice of
deluging the stomach with rancid fish oil, is a very questionable
procedure, as any good that can result from its use must depend upon
the amount of iodine or nitrogen the cod liver oil may possess;
remedies that can be given in greater quantities, in a much less
objectionable way.
In every stage of consumption, but especially in the early part of the
disease, the patient should exercise the lungs as much as possible, by
drawing deep inspirations of air, and inflating the organ to its fullest
extent, and then slowly expiring what he has imbibed, repeating the
process for ten minutes at a time, and resuming it four or five times a
day. For this purpose he can either stand at a window, on a hill, or
wherever the air is pure; when the atmosphere is damp, the air must
be drawn through a veil, folded three or four times. This makes an
infinitely better respirator than the metallic ones sold in the shops. As
the natural stimulant of the lungs is air, no means are so likely to
excite absorption of the tuberculous matter, as that which expands
every air cell of its structure, and while healthily exercising the organ,
stimulates it to increased action. That consumption is curable, is a
theory now rapidly gaining ground; but this can only be effected by
converting the acute into a chronic disease, and in that form following
the admonitions of nature as a guide to the practice; and the most
important of these is exercising the lungs themselves.
A peculiar condition of the body, in which the healthy vital energy
is in a measure in abeyance, where the system is less strong, the body
less perfect, the organization less harmonious, and the living power to
resist accidents less perfect and capable of resisting those influences of
time, air, contagion, and accident, ever at war on the frame of man, and
which robust health may rebut and for a time defy, but before which
the less perfect organization of scrofula ultimately succumbs. It is to
this unnatural weakness of the constitution that we owe many of those
diseases and ills that like a scourge afflict mortality; such as
consumption, mesenteric disease of the bowels in children, rickets,
goître, cretinism, hare-lip, white swellings, and many other local and
constitutional maladies; all deriving their origin from this physical and
specific weakness of the whole or a part of the human body. Any
chronic swelling of the absorbent glands is denominated scrofula, as
shown both by the wen in the throat and the white, shiny, and insidious
swellings in the knee; yet neither of them is, correctly speaking, scrofula,
but merely the local evidence of something we feel and know, but
cannot define in the system, couched in the blood, reflected in the want
of general nervous energy, and manifesting itself in some local character,
to which science gives a name and unprofessional wisdom assigns
the disease. The chief characters by which a scrofulous diathesis is
known or may be suspected, are a want of perfect bodily symmetry,
small, thin, or crooked limbs, a round or pigeon-breast, excessive
enlargement of certain organs, broad jaws, low forehead, long neck, and
large occiput, great transparency of the skin, with a rosy tint of the
cheeks; when the complexion is dark, it is of a dirty, viscid
appearance, when fair, unnaturally clear; a bluish ring round the eyes,
which though large, clear, and sometimes black, are more generally
light blue, with swollen or puffed eyelids, long lashes, upper lips thick
and projecting, and the general expression of the countenance
voluptuous case, with want of decision and energy; the first teeth are
small, subject to decay, and the second white, liable to split, and often
become prematurely decayed.
A cough is an effort of nature to relieve the lungs and air passages
from any obstruction of mucus, phlegm, pus, or other sources of irritation
in the parts. There are, consequently, many varieties of cough, according
to the nature and situation of the disease or affection that excites it:
as the cough in consumption, that from bronchitis, the stomach cough of
children, hooping-cough, &c., beside which there is the common cough of
an ordinary cold, which this article especially refers to. The ordinary
cough is, in the first instance, generally hard and dry, becoming, after a
day or two, more relaxed and attended with free expectoration, which, after
passing through some changes of character, as regards quantity, colour,
and substance, usually cures itself. When the febrile symptoms that
attend a cold and cough are too slight to demand treatment, the best
cough mixture that can be taken is one composed of equal parts of the
syrup of squills, syrup of tolu, paregoric, and ipecacuanha wine, of
which a dessert-spoonful may be given every four hours. When the
cough is attended with great difficulty and tightness, a “warming
plaster” should be applied to the chest, and the following expectorant
mixture, employed to promote relaxation of the parts:—
Take of
Milk of Ammoniacum
6
ounces.
Dover’s Powder
½
drachm.
Mix in a mortar, and add
Oxymel of Squills
1
ounce.
Spirits of Sweet Nitre
½
ounce.
Syrup of Tolu
1
ounce.
Mix. One table-spoonful to be given three times a day, and two on
going to bed.
Is a functional affection of the respiratory organs, frequently depending
on constitutional causes, and seldom the result of organic
disease. Asthma generally attacks persons of advanced years, and
of a weak and lax system; it is, when not hereditary, often the result
of sudden changes of temperature, disorder of the digestive organs,
or of mental anxiety. An attack of asthma is usually indicated by
a sense of constriction or tightness round the chest, a fulness of the
stomach, lassitude, drowsiness, and headache. All these symptoms
become more urgent towards evening, accompanied with laborious
breathing and difficult expiration, attended at the same time with a
wheezing noise in the chest and windpipe at every inspiration. As
night approaches a hard dry cough succeeds to these symptoms, while
the oppressed breathing and sense of suffocation become so acute, as
the paroxysm reaches its climax, that the patient is compelled to
spring up in bed, or rush to the open window, from fear of instant
suffocation. Asthma generally attacks the patient in the night, and
most frequently the severity of the fit endures for three or four hours,
usually terminating about two in the morning, when, after a free expectoration
of frothy mucus, the symptoms gradually subside, and the
patient, after much anxiety and suffering, falls asleep. A succession
of such paroxysms occur for several consecutive nights, before the
symptoms give way and allow the exhausted patient time to recover
his strength and tone.
Treatment.—The first endeavour must be directed to shorten
the fit and to relieve the most distressing symptoms: the next, to
remove the exciting and predisposing causes. Where the patient is
strong and not far advanced in life, an emetic, composed of ten grains
of ipecacuanha and one grain of tartar emetic, mixed in a cup of
warm water, should be given in the first stage of the attack; followed
up for some hours by nauseating doses of antimony and squills, as in
the following mixture:—Antimonial wine, one ounce; water, four
ounces and a half; tincture of squills, three drachms. Mix; and take
a table-spoonful every hour so long as the urgency of the symptoms
continues. When the attack is slight, and devoid of the marked features
of a paroxysm, and the difficulty of breathing and sense of tightness
in the chest are the chief symptoms, much benefit will be derived
from taking from five to ten drops of hydrocyanic acid in a table-spoonful
of water every two hours, for three or four times.
The asthma of old age, however, must be treated very differently:
here, instead of debilitating, it becomes necessary to support and
stimulate the patient under the exhaustion of the paroxysms. For
this purpose, warmth should be early applied to the body and extremities,
by the hot bath or bottles of hot water. The chest and pit
of the stomach should be rubbed for a few minutes with hartshorn
and oil; hot coffee, or small doses of brandy-and-water, administered
occasionally; and the following mixture, according to the age and
sex, given in doses of one or two table-spoonfuls every two or four
hours, as the state of the patient may demand:—Carbonate of ammonia,
one scruple; Dover’s powder, half a drachm; peppermint water, six
ounces; mix, and add tincture of squills, spirits of lavender, and sulphuric
ether, of each one drachm. When asthma has been induced
by a derangement of the digestive organs, it will be necessary to
give a dose of castor oil or an alterative pill; while for the shortness
of breath and difficulty of breathing that often precedes and follows
the full paroxysm, a poultice, composed of equal parts of mustard and
flour, and applied warm to the chest for ten or fifteen minutes, will
yield considerable relief. As an aperient, two compound assafœtida
pills will be found of the utmost benefit, especially to those advanced
in life.
Is now much milder in its attacks, and seldomer met with than formerly,
though it still remains a disease of both severity and danger. Acute
bronchitis is characterised by general fever, heat of the skin, difficulty
of breathing, with hurried and sometimes laborious respiration; a
peculiar sense of fulness and roughness of the windpipe, followed by
hoarseness, oppression, or pain over the region of the heart, accompanied
by a short dry cough. After from six to twelve hours, a
secretion of mucus takes place in the trachea and bronchial tubes,
producing a wheezing rattling noise as the patient respires; and in
consequence of the blood not being freely exposed to oxygen in its
passage through the lungs, the lips and cheeks assume an ashy or
dusky hue. The pulse at the first is quick and hard, but after a
time, becomes full and what is called, soft; but so compressible, that
a little extra pressure of the finger will apparently extinguish it. There
is at the same time great prostration of strength, considerable anxiety
and alarm, with pain in the head, giddiness, and when the symptoms
are severe, even delirium.
Bronchitis arises in general from exposure to cold and humid atmosphere;
taking cold after violent exertion, or from any of the
ordinary causes of cold or sore throat. The hoarseness and dry full
sense, experienced in the nose and windpipe, is often felt extending
far down the chest, attended with considerable sneezing; and the
efforts of a dry hard cough, causing pain both in the chest and
shoulders.
Chronic Bronchitis, when arising as a primary disease, presents some
or all of the previous symptoms, but in a considerably modified form;
the fulness in the windpipe, oppressed and laborious breathing, hoarseness
and cough, are, however, the most general symptoms of chronic
bronchitis; the expectoration, though after a time becoming more
free, is far from being copious, and consists of a discoloured mucus;
sometimes of a purulent appearance, at others stained with blood, or
streaked with a brick-coloured fibrinous matter. The symptoms are
generally exaggerated towards night, when they are attended with
increased fever and night sweats.
Treatment of Acute Bronchitis.—In full-bodied constitutions, if the
disease be taken in its first stage, bleeding to the extent of eight
or ten ounces may be very safely and beneficially employed; but as
the debility that attends bronchitis is both great and sudden, unless
adopted in the earliest stage, the practice would be highly culpable, as
all the physical stamina is required to throw off the collected mucus from
the bronchial passages so bleeding; therefore, unless employed early, it
can never properly be practised. When necessary, an emetic must
be immediately given, consisting of antimonial and ipecacuanha wines,
of each half an ounce, or the following powder:—Ipecacuanha 15 grains,
tartar emetic 1 grain, mix; to be dissolved in a little warm water and
drunk directly, following it up by frequent draughts of warm water.
If the first emetic does not operate freely, repeat the same dose within
the hour, assisting the action, if necessary, by tickling the throat with
a feather. As soon as the vomiting has subsided, apply a blister
three inches wide by six inches long, down the centre of the chest,
and give a table-spoonful of the mixture below every two hours.
Take of
Distilled Water
6
ounces.
Tartar Emetic
6
grains.
Powdered Nitre
1
scruple.
Dissolve, and add tincture of colomba, 2 drachms—mix. At the same
time, between the doses, let the patient inhale the steam of hot vinegar
and water, and wear a veil over the face, so as always to breathe
through a medium. When the blister has risen and the plaster has
been removed, apply a hot bread poultice, which repeat every hour,
for two or three times; and finally, dress with violet powder.
When the expectoration changes its character and becomes thick,
greenish and ropy, it will be necessary to give stimulating expectorants,
to facilitate the discharge; for that purpose, the annexed mixture, in
doses of a table-spoonful every three or four hours, is to be employed.
Expectorant Mixture.
Gum Ammoniacum
2
drachms.
Carbonate of Ammonia
1
drachm.
Rub into a powder, then add a tea-spoonful of water; triturate till the
whole is rubbed into a smooth creamy paste, when add, by degrees,
six ounces of water.
Syrup of Squills
1
ounce.
Tincture of Tolu
2
drachms.
Spirits of Sweet Nitre
2
drachms.
Paregoric
½
ounce.
Should there be much restlessness or want of sleep, 30 drops of
laudanum may be taken at bed-time in a little gruel, or added to a
dose of the expectorant mixture. Or when the mixture is not necessary,
from 10 to 15 grains of Dover’s powder, according to the
age and strength of the patient, should be taken an hour before bed-time.
It is also necessary to take an occasional aperient, which should
consist of two assafœtida pills at night, and a black draught the
following morning; or five grains of blue pill, and a dose of Epsom
salts, three hours afterwards. The patient should be kept as much
as possible in one temperature during the attack; and all lengthened
conversation and fatigue strictly avoided. The diet should be light,
low, and farinaceous, and consist of eggs, milk, custards, and sago,
and tapioca puddings; and only when the expectorant or stimulating
stage has been reached, should the drink be anything stronger than
gruel. But when the expectorants are indicated, it becomes necessary
to give wine, or other stimulants, and support the patient’s strength
by a more generous diet.
Treatment of Chronic Bronchitis.—Where the symptoms are severe,
the treatment may begin by placing a blister on the throat, and giving
the expectorant mixture already prescribed. But in ordinary cases,
it will be sufficient to place a large hot bran poultice on the throat
and chest, renewing it every three or four hours; and twice a day
rubbing the chest and throat with the following embrocation:—
Dissolve, by heat, two drachms of camphor in two ounces of olive
oil, and add spirits of sal volatile half an ounce, and at the same
time give the expectorant mixture in table-spoonfuls every two hours.
Where there is much loss of rest, and much anxiety, the annexed
mixture to be substituted for the expectorant, and taken in doses of
two table-spoonfuls every four hours.
Dover’s Powder
1
drachm.
Carbonate of Ammonia
2
scruples.
Camphor Water
8
ounces.
Sulphuric Ether
1
drachm.
At the same time, the steam of hot vinegar and water is to be inhaled,
and the patient’s strength supported by a proper and efficient dietary;
with all the precautions advised in acute, observed in the management
of chronic bronchitis.
A disease which, though unquestionably common to this country
from remote time, has only within the last thirty years obtained a
distinctive name and character. What the peculiar state of the atmosphere
is, that induces or predisposes to this disease, science has not
yet discovered, though the external causes, as far as appreciation
enables us to form an opinion, appear to be, a long-continued state
of humidity, succeeded by sudden heats, or seasons of alternate hot
and wet weather, or a long humid autumn followed by a cold and
boisterous winter. In these conditions of the climate the disease
often becomes epidemic and puts on a protean shape, and, though
twenty persons in the same tenement are attacked with it, not two
perhaps present the same chain of symptoms, or have been seized in
the same way. The first sign of illness in one is a sudden coma,
that deprives the patient for some minutes of all consciousness;
another falls in a fit, a third is seized with an intense pain on the
top of the head, others by fits of sudden heat or cold, by coughing,
or pains in the back, chest, or throat; but however varied the commencement
may be, or different the general run of symptoms, there
are three signs that, taken together, always characterize influenza,
and by which it may in every case be at once identified; these
are—severe and splitting pain on the top of the head, great and
sudden loss of strength, and a rough excoriated sensation in the chest
behind the breast-bone, as if the lining membrane in that part was raw.
When influenza comes on gradually, the disease generally puts
on the following succession of Symptoms: a sense of cold, lassitude,
weariness, cold chills, pains in the back, head, and loins; these symptoms
are followed by flushings, weight on the head and a great
oppression on the chest, sneezing, the eyes become bloodshot, a thin
acrid discharge from the nostrils occurs, with inflamed fauces and
throat, followed by a short cough with a thick viscid expectoration,
which soon becomes thin, discoloured mucus, mixed with purulent
discharge. With these symptoms there is extreme prostration of
strength, loss of energy, and great depression of spirits, the pain on
the head continuing with unabated violence. The pulse, which at the
beginning was quick and small, becomes, as the disease progresses,
sharp, weak, and irregular. From the first the appetite has failed,
the tongue furred, and the stomach in a state of nausea and often
irritated to vomiting. The discrepancy in the state of the pulse in
influenza generally renders it an insecure guide to a knowledge of
the heart’s action by the number or the frequency of the beats; the
only true test of the vital strength of the patient is, the amount of
pressure by the finger the pulse will bear. Influenza, if not speedily
cured, is very prone to degenerate into bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy,
or some chronic thickening of the mucous membrane of the
throat, or enlarged tonsils.
Treatment.—The foremost point to be remembered in the treatment
of this disease is, that the great debility is real, not a prostration
dependent on nervous pressure, but a bonâ fide loss of vital power;
consequently, bleeding, strong relaxing medicines, or blisters, are,
except in very rare cases, highly injurious, and more likely to kill
than cure the patient; the treatment therefore required is more a
course of judicious dietary than one of physic. The medicinal means
must consist of the following mixture and pills, keeping the feet hot
by hot bricks, or bottles of water, and a hot bran poultice applied
frequently to the neck and chest.
Take of
Powder of Compound Tragacanth
2
drachms.
Hot Water
½
pint.
Lump Sugar
2
drachms.
Mix in a mortar, adding the water slowly till a smooth thin mucilage
is made of the whole; then add—
Tincture of Tolu
1
drachm.
Ipecacuanha Wine
½
oz.
Spirit of Nitre
6
drachms.
Shake well together, and lastly, add solution of acetate of ammonia,
1½ ounce. Mix, and make a 12 ounce mixture: of which let the
patient take two large table-spoonfuls every four hours.
Take of
Compound Rhubarb Pill
½
drachm.
Extract of Henbane
½
drachm.
Mix, and divide into 12 pills, two to be taken at bed-time every
other day.
To support the strength, the food must be of the lightest and most
nutritious kind, such as boiled mutton, custards, and sago puddings;
and as frequent stimulants are indispensable, claret glasses of warm
egg-flip, either made in the usual way with the addition of a little
rum or brandy, or egg-sherry must be given, with toast, every two
hours. By these means, and the addition of twenty drops of laudanum,
at bed-time, to a dose of the mixture, all ordinary cases of influenza
may be safely and expeditiously treated to recovery.
Persons are said to be bilious, when bile finds its way from the
small intestines into the stomach, and there, mixing with the digesting
food and irritating the coats of the stomach, becomes absorbed into
the blood, on which it acts like, a species of poison, producing a
constitutional disturbance of more or less severity. The symptoms
that prognosticate this kind of malady are intense pains in the head,
weight and tenderness of the stomach, nausea and sickness, fœtid
breath, a bitter or coppery taste in the mouth and throat, a coated
tongue, and a quick sharp pulse. The skin is dry, there is considerable
thirst, and also occasional shiverings.
Treatment.—The effect of bile on the stomach should be considered
in the light of a chain of symptoms excited by the presence of some
foreign or unhealthy substance; and the rational view of the treatment
of such symptoms consists in expelling the intruding mischief
as quickly as possible; and, as it is always better to make the bile
take its natural course of exit—downwards—than urge it out of the
system in an opposite direction, the treatment should commence by
taking such aperients as will excite the whole alimentary canal, and
carry it out of the stomach through the bowels: at the same time
avoiding by every means its expulsion by vomiting. To carry off the
bile by aperients, and allay the sickness, is in fact, all that has to be
done, for when these objects are achieved, every other symptom will,
as a natural consequence, subside. As the nausea and headache are
the most urgent and distressing symptoms, they are the first to demand
relief. A small blister, the size of the round of a wine-glass, should
be laid on the pit of the stomach, and a dose of the subjoined
effervescing mixture given every half hour; taking advantage of the
first lull in the retching to give two of the aperient pills, which are
to be repeated every six hours, till their action on the bowels shows
that the object for which they were taken has been obtained. For
females and persons of delicate constitution, one pill instead of two
should be taken as a dose. If the patient is in bed, bottles of hot
water should be kept at the feet; and as an after-corrective, the
tonic mixture prescribed below, is to be taken twice a day for about
a week; at the same time the convalescence will be facilitated, and
the tone of the stomach improved, if a little toasted bacon is eaten
for breakfast, and a dry biscuit and a glass of stout taken for lunch.
Is the name given to the effect produced on certain parts and
secretions of the system by a diseased state of the liver, or whatever
cause prevents the bile from finding its natural outlet; and by confining
it to the gall-bladder, or the secreting vessels of the liver,
causes it to be absorbed into the blood, and, passing into the circulation,
gives rise to those symptoms, which constitute what is called
jaundice. The word “jaundice” signifies yellow, and is used to designate
that impaired state of the liver known by the external signs of
a yellow skin, a yellow tinge of the white coat of the eye, and a
deep saffron colour imparted to the secretion from the kidneys, while
the other alimentary discharges are almost white; these characteristics
of jaundice are attended with languor, loss of appetite, sometimes
amounting to a loathing of food, disturbed sleep, great avidity both
of stomach and bowels, nausea, and often sickness; a heavy bitter
taste, that no cleanliness can eradicate, pervades the mouth and fauces,
while a dull heavy pain takes possession of the right side, just over
the liver, greatly increased by pressure, but which no change of
position abates. Attending these symptoms there is always more or
less of what is understood as fever: when the disease is protracted,
and the bile remains long unremoved from the blood, the skin and
eyes darken in their colour, and assume a green aspect, and when
still more obstinate of cure, that green becomes of a deep purple or
blackish hue, when the disease is called black jaundice.
Jaundice is a very common disease in hot climates, especially to
Europeans newly arrived, and, indeed, is by no means rare in this
country and the sister island; and though, as we have already said,
it may proceed from any diseased condition of the liver, there are
many other causes that may induce it, such as pressure on the liver
by the formation of tumours, pregnancy, and the presence of gall-stones,
though in this latter case the cause is generally easily
discovered by the severity, sharpness, and continuance of the pain.
Though the remedies employed for jaundice are under all circumstances
nearly alike, it is both satisfactory and useful to discover as
early as possible what is the immediate cause that, obstructing the
bile, has led to its absorption by the blood; as on this knowledge
much time may be saved in the treatment, which is remarkably
simple, and may be undertaken with the greatest confidence without
consulting any medical opinion. In all cases of jaundice, especially
when attended with pain, the warm bath is of the utmost importance,
as it will afford instant relief; and if the pain and disease proceeds
from a gall-stone, the heat of the bath, by expanding the duct in
which it is impacted, will almost immediately facilitate its passage,
and thus by removing the obstruction, at once remove the cause of
the disease.
As remedial means, the adult patient should take one of the following
pills three times a day, or one every eight hours, and every
second morning two tea-spoonfuls of Epsom salts dissolved in a
tumblerful of cold water, with a wine-glassful of dandelion-tea every
four or five hours, and continued as long as it is necessary to take
the pills.
Pills.
Take of
Camphor
2
grains.
Powdered Opium
2
grains.
Blue Pill
20
grains.
Mix and divide into six pills.
Take of
Dandelion Roots, washed and cut small
2
ounces.
Liquorice Root and Sassafras, of each
2
drachms.
Boiling Water
1½
pint.
Simmer slowly for twenty minutes; strain, and, when cold, give a
wine-glassful every four or five hours.
When the obstruction has been removed, and the cure has been
effected—as the restoration of the skin and eyes to their natural
colour will indicate—it is sometimes necessary to take a tonic for a
few days, to restore the tone of the stomach; this will be best effected
by taking a table-spoonful of the following mixture an hour before
each meal for four or five days:—Infuse 2 drachms of gentian, 2
drachms of carbonate of soda, and 1 drachm of ginger for six hours
in a pint of boiling water; and, when cold, giving it in the above
doses. To those subject to jaundice, exercise and sea bathing should
be vigorously adopted after each recovery, so as to work the system
into an energetic and self-supporting condition; for if not excited
out of its torpidity, the body is very prone to relapse into its
previous torpidity.
These ailments are in all cases symptoms of the effect of other
causes, and never occur spontaneously, but are the result of indigestive
food or excessive acidity of the stomach, the presence of a large quantity
of bile in the small intestines, acrid and misacting medicines,
wet feet or exposure to cold; the result of disease in the mucous or
muscular coats of the bowels, exposure to miasmata or infectious air,
and the inhalation of noxious gases.
1. Bowel Complaint, attended with Sickness and Vomiting.
The vomiting should be first allayed by small effervescing draughts,
or wine-glasses of soda-water, with a tea-spoonful of brandy, given every
half hour, and a blister the size of a crown piece laid on the pit of the
stomach: while for the relief of the bowels the following mixture is
to be given in doses of two table-spoonfuls every hour till the relaxation
is checked.
Prepared Chalk
1
ounce.
Aromatic Powder
2
drachms.
Sugar
1
drachm.
Peppermint Water
8
ounces.
Mix well in a mortar, and add
Tincture of Kino
3
drachms.
When the bowel complaint is attended with pain or griping in the
stomach, 1 drachm of the tincture of assafœtida, and 40 drops of
laudanum are to be further added to the mixture, which is still
to be taken in the same quantity, and, if necessary, repeated as
frequently.
2. Bowel Complaint, the result of Improper or Undigested Food.
Prepared Chalk
1
ounce.
Carbonate of Magnesia
2
drachms.
Carbonate of Soda
1
drachm.
Carbonate of Ammonia
2
scruples.
Camphor Water
8
ounces.
Mix well in a mortar, and add
Tincture of Kino
2
drachms.
Mix and take two table-spoonfuls directly, and one every hour
afterwards.
3. Bowel Complaint from Exposure to Cold or Wet.
Infusion of Red Roses
8
ounces.
Epsom Salts
½
ounce.
Dissolve, and add
Diluted Sulphuric Acid
30
drops.
Mix, and take two table-spoonfuls every three hours, and one
of the following pills every four hours. Should the skin be dry and
hot, give ten grains of Dover’s powder, at bed-time, in a little
gruel.
Compound Rhubarb Pill,
Extract of Henbane,
of each one scruple. Mix, and divide into eight pills.
4. Bowel Complaint, attended with Cramps and Spasms.
Apply hot mustard poultices, made with equal parts of mustard and
flour, over the bowels, and to the inside of each thigh, and give the
following mixture and pills every hour till relief is afforded.
Prepared Chalk
1
ounce.
Aromatic Powder
2
drachms.
Carbonate of Ammonia
1
drachm.
Mint Water
8
ounces.
Mix well, and add
Tincture of Kino
3
drachms.
Sulphuric Ether
1
drachm.
Mix; two table-spoonfuls with one pill every hour.
Camphor
6
grains.
Powdered Opium
4
grains.
Calomel
9
grains.
Extract of Hemlock, enough to make into a mass,
which is to be divided into six pills.
5. For the Bowel Complaints of Young Children, the most efficacious
and convenient remedy is the tincture of kino, given in doses of 20 to
60 drops, in a little sugar and water, and repeated every hour or two
till the relaxation is stopped. When the bowels are disordered from
teething, it is best to give an alterative powder every four hours, for
two or three times, such as the following for an infant of nine months,
increasing the strength according to the age.
Grey Powder
6
grains.
Rhubarb
2
grains.
Scammony
9
grains.
Mix well, and divide into three powders.
When the relaxation has been stopped, it is always advisable to take
an aperient pill, in a day or two after, to restore the bowels to a healthy
condition. In many simple cases of bowel complaint, a dose of castor
oil is the only remedy required, and where resulting from improper food,
by its aperient action it both removes the cause and the effect with it.
The bowel complaint, or diarrhœa, that occurs as a critical symptom
in fever, is on no account to be hastily or injudiciously checked; but
when calling for treatment, the mixture No. 4 is the most advisable one
to employ for that purpose.
Unless in exceptional cases, such as from ill-cooked food, an excess of
vegetable diet, &c., flatulence is always an indication of impaired
functional action of the stomach, either proceeding from a disease of
that organ or through sympathy with some other part; but by far the
greater number of those who suffer from flatulence owe it to a weakened
state of the stomach itself, often hereditary, frequently the result
of an erroneous dietary, and sometimes from the injudicious habit of
over-stimulating; besides these cases, it frequently proceeds from
mental anxiety, imperfect mastication of the food, and a close sedentary
habit.
Flatulence is often completely cured by strict attention to dietetic
rules, such as avoiding for a time all vegetables and fruits, making the
breakfast and tea on hard crusts, biscuits, or dry toast, and chewing these
for a considerable time before permitting the food to pass into the
stomach; at the same time taking as small a quantity of fluid in the
way of tea, coffee, or cocoa, as possible, and only sufficient to facilitate
the descent of the solid food; meat and bread for dinner, with a sparing
draught of cold gin and water, should constitute the meal. The tea
should be a repetition of the breakfast, and a supper of biscuit and
cheese with a small tumbler of cold spirits and water, the same as that
for dinner; a system like this, with exercise, repose on a sofa for half
an hour after each meal, and using the flesh-brush night and morning
over the chest and shoulders, and especially across the stomach, so as to
excite the organ to increased action, will be found to yield the fullest
advantage, and in many cases will supersede the necessity of any
medicine whatever. When, however, there is much acidity in the
stomach, it should be neutralized by a tea-spoonful of magnesia, or
half a drachm of carbonate of soda, a short time before any one of the
meals, and, when the bowels require it, a compound assafœtida pill at
bed-time; the same regimen as to diet being persevered in, as that
above. Where the stomach has become seriously enfeebled by a long-continued
state of flatulence, it will be necessary, in addition to either
of the former plans, to give the organ tone and strength, by employing
one or other of the subjoined pills, adopting them in the order in which
they stand.
Take of
Sulphate of Zinc
10
grains—powder.
Rhubarb, Powdered
20
grains.
Extract of Gentian, sufficient to make a mass,
which divide into thirty pills, one to be taken three times a day.
Take of
Nitrate of Silver (Lunar Caustic)
3
grains—powder.
Quinine
4
grains.
Ginger
6
grains.
Mix well, and add extract of camomile sufficient to make a mass, which
divide into twenty-four pills, one to be taken three times a day. When
flatulence is attended with a sense of coldness in the stomach, a tea-spoonful
of Gregory’s powder, with ten grains of soda, may be taken
in a little aromatic water before breakfast each morning.
Or indigestion, is that impaired condition of the stomach when the food
is only half or imperfectly digested; producing want of appetite, a
sense of distension, debility, headache, languor, want of sleep, and all
those constitutional symptoms that usually attend an overtaxed and
weakened stomach.
Treatment.—To effect a perfect restoration in the tone of the stomach,
an entire change in the mode of diet is absolutely necessary, also in the
habits and pursuits of the patient: the stomach must first be emptied
and slightly stimulated by an emetic, or by a few alterative doses of
blue pill and rhubarb, and the system submitted to a regular course
of such tonics as infusion of camomile with carbonate of soda, gentian
with potass, and, after a time, infusion of quassia with a few drops of
muriatic acid. The food should be at first light and simple, and comprise
the most solid aliments, and such as will compel a long mastication
before swallowing; all drinks or stimulants with the meal
being strictly prohibited till the salivary glands yield of themselves
enough saliva to macerate the food; and this can only be effected by
a long and perfect mastication.
This is a disease more common in hot climates than cold ones, and
both in its type and character approaches much more nearly than
any other disease, to cholera. Dysentery is either the result of a
congestive state of the bowels, or it proceeds from a chronic inflammation
of the lining membrane of the colon.
Symptoms.—Dysentery commences with shivering, a griping flatulent
state of the bowels, frequent discharges of mucus, or blood and mucus,
and often blood alone; with loss of appetite, sickness, fever, and great
debility.
Treatment.—When depending on inflammatory action, it is necessary
to bleed and give cooling drinks with an emetic. In ordinary cases,
the treatment should begin with the warm bath or fomentations, with
three grains of calomel, one grain of opium, and three grains of
assafœtida pill; the whole made and divided into two pills, which are
to be taken every six hours, and a starch injection with assafœtida
tincture twice a day. As the symptoms improve, tonics are to be
given, at first mild, and gradually increased in strength, and combined
with wine and a soft unexciting diet.
A relaxation or looseness of the bowels, consequent upon a certain
condition of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal; that is,
either a state of congestion, or stagnant state of the blood in the
membrane; or else from an inflammatory condition of the same tissue;
or it may proceed from ulceration of the bowels, the presence of indigestible
food, or acrid substances in the stomach; it may also occur as
a crisis of fever, and without any direct cause of irritation. The causes
that produce diarrhœa are very numerous, and often of the most opposite
nature; though the chief are, sudden cold applied to the body,
checked perspiration, powerful stimulants, the inhalation of noxious
gases, &c.
Symptoms.—Nausea, sickness, and vomiting, thirst, dry state of the
mouth and skin, frequent and copious evacuations, and a furred or red
condition of the tongue.
Treatment.—The first step in the treatment of diarrhœa is to check
the vomiting; to effect this, the feet are to be plunged into hot water
and kept constantly warm, and a small blister or one or two leeches
applied to the pit of the stomach. The state of the tongue must decide
the nature of the subsequent treatment. When this organ is coated
either with a white or brownish fur, it indicates a congested state of
the membrane of the stomach, and must be treated by the exhibition
of an emulsive mixture of chalk, and when the symptoms are attended
with pain, by an opiate pill, as in the following prescription.
Prepared Chalk
1
ounce.
Honey
½
ounce.
Peppermint Water
6
ounces.
Mix into a smooth mass, of which give a table-spoonful every hour,
and a one-grain powdered opium pill every four or six hours, till the
pain is subdued. When, however, the tongue is red both on its surface
and sides, it indicates inflammatory action, and must be treated by an
opposite mode of practice, and the following mixture administered; the
opium, however, being employed when pain is present, in the same
form and frequency as in the former state of the bowels.
Infusion of Rose Leaves
8
ounces.
Epsom Salts
½
ounce.
Dissolve, and add diluted sulphuric acid, half a drachm; mix, and take
a table-spoonful every hour. In all forms of diarrhœa, the feet should
be kept warm, and a hot bath, if procurable, will, in every instance, be
found beneficial. The diet should always be soft and nutritious, but
not liquid; the best dietary consists of thick arrow-root, made with
milk, blanc mange, tapioca, sago, and semolina puddings, made with
eggs, and eaten moderately cool; and when animal food is given, it
should consist in the first instance of boiled meats, and the stomach
very cautiously brought back to digest roast or hard substances.
Although Cholera has, by the interposition of Providence, decreased
in virulence, and the cases that occur are comparatively few, it is well
to incorporate in our medical directions the circular issued by the
Royal College of Physicians relative to the treatment of this fatal
disease. In any case of sudden emergency, where medical attendance
cannot be immediately procured, these instructions will be of the
greatest use.
“1. No degree of looseness of the bowels should be neglected for a
single hour. Medical advice should be at once sought when the
looseness begins; and, previous to the arrival of a medical attendant,
some of the medicines at other times used for checking diarrhœa
should be taken:—for example, the chalk mixture; the compound
cinnamon powder; or the compound chalk powder with opium, in
doses from 20 to 40 grains for an adult.
“2. No saline aperients or drastic purgatives should be taken without
the advice of a medical man.
“3. Intemperance in eating or drinking is highly dangerous; but
the moderate use of vegetable as well as animal food may be recommended,
and, in general, such a plan of diet as each individual has
found, by experience, to be most conducive to his health; for any
considerable change in the diet to which a person has been accustomed,
is seldom advisable during the prevalence of an epidemic.
“4. Debility, exhaustion, and exposure to damp, render the poor
especially subject to the violence of the disease. The committee urge
upon the rich the necessity of supplying those in need with food, fuel,
and clothing.
“5. The extreme importance of removing or counteracting all impurities,
whether in the air, water, or soil—as by ventilation, cleanliness,
and the free use of the chloride of lime or chloride of zinc—cannot be
too strongly insisted upon.
“Lastly, since the reports made to the College of Physicians show
that of the persons who were engaged about the sick in the last
epidemic, the number of those who were attacked by the disease was,
in proportion, exceedingly small, the fear of infection may be practically
disregarded.”
Nearly every chemist keeps an “anti-cholera mixture” in a state of
preparation, during the cholera season. And as these mixtures are
prepared from recipes issued by the Board of Health, or by medical
men skilled in the treatment of cholera, they may generally be depended
upon. The great thing to be borne in mind is to take medicines to
check looseness of the bowels before the system becomes exhausted.
Fever is the result of a diseased or impaired action of the system,
and though sometimes attending or following certain diseases as a
symptom or consequence, most frequently falls on the constitution as
a substantive disease, either developing its characteristic symptoms, as
the disease advances, or following the slow maturity of a chain of
morbid actions. Fevers may, in the first instance, be divided into
those which proceed from some indirect or secondary cause, and those
that arise from contagion, or causes the direct precursors of fever,
having a definite rise, an understood progress, and a well ascertained
termination. In the first named class of fevers, are comprised those
febrile symptoms that appear during or after some organic disease,
accidents, surgical operations, or other causes of physical suffering.
The second, or spontaneous class, is divided into two chief heads—nervous
and inflammatory fevers: under nervous fevers are classed
typhus, intermittent, continued, and remittent fevers; and under that
of inflammatory fevers, first, all eruptive fevers, as scarlet fever, small-pox;
and, secondly, the fevers attending all inflammatory actions of
organs or viscera, such as inflammation of the liver and bowels.
The general characteristics of fever are cold chills, lassitude, headache,
loss of appetite, thirst and nausea, with a moist furred tongue, or
else a tongue dry and coated, pain in the back and loins, succeeded by
cold shiverings, which gradually give place to heat, diffusing itself over
the body and becoming permanent; ringing in the ears, intolerance of
light, and cold extremities; the pulse is either small and quick, or full
and hard. Special fevers, and constitutional temperament, very much
magnify, or even mitigate these symptoms; still those given are the
ordinary characteristics, and sufficient to indicate the presence of fever
to the least accustomed eye.
The treatment, on the same broad principle, resolves itself into
relieving the congested organs, breaking the chain of morbid actions
on which fever depends, equalizing the circulation, and lastly, by the
adoption of a course of medicinal agents, correcting the vitiated state
of the secretions, and restoring the functions to a healthy performance
of their several duties. To effect the first it is often found necessary
to bleed, or else by leeches, cupping, or blisters, relieve the overloaded
organs; the second object is generally effected by an emetic, which in
some instances it becomes necessary to repeat. The warm, the hot, or
the shower bath, or aspersions of cold vinegar and water, are the means
employed to effect an equalization of the circulation, and restore
blood and warmth to the surface. The therapeutic means to be
employed during the career of a fever, must depend entirely upon
the character of the disease to be treated, and will be entered upon
more particularly under their several heads.
A remarkable peculiarity belonging to all fevers, is a periodicity of
the disease, or a property that all fevers have of arranging their effects
into periods of regular sections; as, first, into fits and paroxysms, then
into remissions, and finally into critical days. Most fevers have three
stages, called the cold, hot, and sweating; in some, these divisions are
perfect and distinct, in others, broken and imperfect; these fits following
in regular order, comprise a paroxysm, which may return at certain
hours or only at irregular periods.
The critical days are regarded as the 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, and 20;
and the non-critical days are the intervening ones.
The ages at which persons are most liable to fever, are from 20 to 30,
and in the following order, gradually declining from 30 to 40, 40 to 50,
and 50 to 60. As respects sex, females are more subject to fever than
males, but only in a small degree. All fevers are not infectious, but
those that are so are communicated by contact, exposure to the atmosphere
surrounding a fever patient, and whatever depresses the mind
or weakens the body, predisposes the system to infection. The best
preventive against the worst form of fever, is cleanliness, a cheerful
disposition, and an active body.
Brain Fever is characterized by two distinct epochs or stages—excitement
and collapse; and though often distinct and well-defined, it
occasionally happens that the one stage is so blended with the other
as not to be appreciable, till the graver consequences of the second
period evince themselves. The symptoms of the first stage are deep
and intense pain in the head, tightness across the forehead, throbbing
of the temporal arteries, ringing in the ears, flushed face, bloodshot
eyes, and a wild and glistening stare; the pupils are contracted, and
particularly sensitive to light, while the ears are impatient and irritable
to the sense of noise: violent delirium, want of sleep, convulsive paroxysms,
attended with a hot dry skin, hard quick pulse, a white coated
tongue, great thirst, nausea and vomiting, and a confined state of the
bowels. Sometimes delirium is the first symptom, or the disease may
progress to a culminating point in a more insidious manner, often commencing
with an apparent attack of biliary vomiting. This formidable
disease usually proves fatal in a few days, sometimes in twelve hours.
The mode of treatment resolves itself into blood-letting, purgatives,
and cold applications to the head. In bleeding, respect must be had
to the effect produced, and not to the quantity abstracted, that is, till
the pulse is affected, or fainting takes place; for this purpose, the
patient should be bled standing, and from a large orifice, in a full stream.
About half an hour after the bleeding, and when the patient has rallied
from the fainting, cupping is to be employed behind the ears, or the
nape of the neck, while half a dozen leeches are applied to each temple.
At the same time, bladders of ice are to be applied to the shaved head,
occasionally varied by rubbing ether over the scalp briskly, and allowing
it to evaporate. As constipation is a marked feature of brain fever,
powerful purgatives must be employed from the first indication of the
disease; for this purpose, one of the following powders should be given
every three hours, and three table-spoonfuls of the accompanying
mixture every four hours.
Powders.
Calomel
30
grains.
Jalap
2
drachms.
Ipecacuanha
6
grains.
Mix and divide into six powders.
Mixture.
Infusion of Senna
7
ounces.
Epsom Salts
2
ounces.
Syrup of Buckthorn
1
ounce.
Sal Volatile
1
drachm.
Mix.—If this does not keep up a frequent and vigorous action on the
bowels, in addition, put two drops of croton oil on the tongue, or
wipe the wet cork or stopper of the bottle on the patient’s lips.
After twelve hours, and between that and two days, the second stage,
or series of symptoms sets in, the headache and wild delirium cease,
and are succeeded by a low indistinct muttering and a state of stupor,
from which it is finally impossible to rouse the patient. Hearing and
vision become imperfect and difficult, with squinting, double vision, and
distended immovable pupil: the spasms have given place to twitching
of the muscles, and starting of the tendons: the limbs are cold and
powerless, or palsied, the countenance ghastly; a cold sweat breaks
out over the body, and the patient dies in a state of profound coma.
The treatment in this second and fatal stage, is necessarily one more
of regimen than medicine. If the pulse is hard, a blister may be put
on the head; but the great art lies in the judicious application of
stimulants, such as ether, ammonia, valerian, beef tea, wine, and opiates.
The following mixture combines most of these agents, and may be
employed to promote reaction, accompanied with thickened beef tea,
and bottles of hot water to the feet.
Carbonate of Ammonia
½
drachm.
Powdered Opium
3
grains.
Ipecacuanha
3
grains.
Mix in a mortar, and add
Camphor Water
5½
ounces.
Compound Tincture of Cinnamon
½
ounce.
Sulphuric Ether
1
drachm.
Mix. A table-spoonful every two hours.
A symptom of some form of disease, as of madness, inflammation
of the substance of the brain, or of its coats, of fevers, erysipelas,
disease of the bladder; or it may supervene after concussion or
compression of the brain, injuries of the head, the result of surgical
operations, or from many vegetable poisons. Delirium, though often
the result of an excess of blood in the head, is by no means invariably
so, as delirium frequently attends as a reactionary symptom after
exhaustion; and from nervous irritation. There are many varieties
of this distressing symptom, as the low muttering delirium of typhus
fever, and the quick rambling chattering of other forms of cerebral
disturbance. Delirium is generally attended with a quick jerking
pulse, the face is flushed, the eyes red or bloodshot, with pain in the
head, ringing in the ears, great antipathies to places, persons, or
things, muscular exertions of the arms, or picking at the bed-clothes,
constant and incoherent talk, or low indistinct muttering. The body
is often hot and dry, and the feet cold; and in cases of vegetable
poisoning, the pupils are generally excessively dilated.
Treatment.—When delirium is attended with a full quick pulse
and pains in the head, it will be necessary to bleed from the arm,
apply four or six leeches to each temple, to place a blister on the
nape of the neck, and a bag of ice on the head, or else cloths constantly
wetted in an evaporating lotion; at the same time mustard poultices
should be applied to the legs and feet, one drop of croton oil put on
the tongue, followed in an hour by a black draught. The room is to
be darkened, and the patient kept perfectly quiet. When delirium
proceeds from low fever, and is attended with a small wiry pulse, the
case must be met by palliatives, anodynes, and tonics. The feet are
to be kept warm, the hair cut, and the head cool, the cupping glasses
applied to the nape of the neck, the mental irritation soothed by an
opiate, and the system roused by the careful employment of wine
and arrow-root, and such other remedies as the concurrent symptoms
at the time, and the original character of the disease, may seem to
render expedient.
There is one precaution that should be observed in all cases of
delirium, especially in the more violent kinds, and that is by moral
suasion to obtain a mastery over the patient: this is to be effected by
blending firmness with kindness, as nothing can be more injurious
than intimidation or the threat of coercion, unless, indeed, that
monstrous abuse, the strait waistcoat, an instrument of torment
scarcely, if ever, called for.
Trembling delirium, or the drunkard’s palsy, is a disease in which
the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, as well as the
lining membranes of the brain, are in a state of chronic inflammation,
resulting almost always from intemperate habits and excessive
indulgence in ardent spirits. This disease is manifested by a total
want of sleep, and a quivering of the lips, hands, and muscles,
generally, every attempt at speech or motion increasing the tremor;
rambling, and constant chattering; the skin is cold and moist, the
pulse small and quick, and the tongue furred in its centre, with red
edges, the countenance is anxious, the patient full of suspicion, and
oppressed with dreams and frightful images.
Treatment.—The first step to be taken is to tranquillize the system,
which may be effected by giving one grain of opium as a pill every
four hours with two table-spoonfuls of the following mixture every
one or two hours.
Camphor Water
5½
ounces.
Brandy
2
ounces.
Ether
1
drachm.
Spirits of Sal Volatile
1½
drachm.
Mix. In addition to the mixture and pills, it is sometimes necessary
to give brandy-and-water, wine, or pure spirit. When the trembling
is subdued, and the system tranquillized, the following mixture is
to be given in the same dose and quantity as the former, but discontinuing
the pills.
Infusion of Rose Leaves
8
ounces.
Epsom Salts
½
ounce.
Syrup of Red Poppy
2
drachms.
Diluted Sulphuric Acid
20
drops.
Tincture of Opium
1½
drachms.
Mix.—When there is much congestion of the head, it will be necessary
to apply a few leeches to the temples, but as a general rule, all
depletion is injurious. During the whole attack, the patient is to be
steadily watched, kept quiet, and, as far as possible, amused and
interested.
Disease of the brain eventuating in loss of reason, assumes many
shapes, and has many forms and conditions; though the term madness
with some degree of reason is applied to all, abstractedly considered,
and, relatively understood, no phrase can be more faulty and objectionable.
Insanity, idiocy, cretinism, imbecility, dementia, and
melancholia, or melancholy madness, are some, though by no means
all, the forms of mental aberration that come under this very comprehensive
term. Each of these forms of madness, or loss of judgment
and imagination, has a distinctive character of its own, and has either
been excited by some other disease; some great commotion of the
system, caused by violent excitement of the passions; by direct
injury to the head; exposure, uncovered, to the influence of the
summer sun, causing a sun stroke; to some diseased condition of the
brain, induced by some specific affection of that organ; or an hereditary
cause, the consequence of a redundancy or diminution in some of the
lobes of the brain, in which case, the disease being born with the
patient, there can be no hope of cure or improvement.
Insanity, or that madness which—of a temporary character, produced
and kept alive by an active disease elsewhere in the body than the
brain itself, though that organ occasionally is the primary cause—is
a symptomatic form of madness subsiding, in general, when the
disease that provoked it is cured.—See Insanity.
Idiocy, being that hopeless state of fatuity, the consequence, as
has been said, of a defective development of the brain, and born with
the patient, it has been thought unnecessary to refer to it in a more
particular manner, the great variety of such cases only filling the
mind with painful images.
Cretinism is a special variety of idiocy, indicated by a large head,
square visage, wide mouth, thick ears, and goitres; in fact, it is the
idiocy peculiar to that form of scrofula whose most marked feature is
the goître, attacking whole tribes of people in different parts of the
world, and who, in addition to a fatuity of mind and an enlarged neck,
are noted by a dwarfish stature, seldom exceeding four feet.
Melancholia is that variety of madness depending on some chronic
state of disease, whose chief attributes are, a sad and desponding
state of mind; a settled melancholy, that only sees despair and sorrow
in every purpose of life; and though the imagination may only pursue
one line of reasoning, the patient contemplates it as devoid of every
ray of hope, and eagerly seeks to terminate his existence before the
event he broods upon can overtake him. To such persons an unreasonable
dread of poverty is the most frequent form in which the madness
shows itself, and from the apprehension of which no relief offers itself
to the patient but suicide. Melancholy madness most frequently
results from a chronic state of insanity, or, in other words, insanity,
if long standing, is in certain constitutions liable to degenerate into
melancholia. The treatment of this disease is almost entirely of a
moral character, and must consist in frequent change of scene and
society, exercise, and lively conversation, any temporary oppression
of the head being relieved by a few leeches, and an occasional aperient;
at the same time, without seeming to do so, maintaining an unceasing
watch over the patient, and while apparently reposing confidence in
his honour, never relaxing the vigilance of supervision.
Hypochondriasis, or vapours, as it is sometimes called, very often
assumes a species of aberration closely resembling melancholy madness;
and like the many varieties of what is called monomania, or madness
on one subject, difficult to determine whether primarily depending on
a diseased state of the brain, or of the digestive organs. The treatment
in all such cases must conform as near as can be traced to the exciting
cause, though in these instances, medicine is generally much less
necessary than moral suasion, and the promotion of a healthier action
of mind and body, by change of air and invigorating exercise, especially
such as rowing, swimming, fencing, climbing hills, horse-riding, and
quick walking.
There only remains one other form of madness to be considered,
mania, properly so called, or raving madness; but as this is a subject
so distinct from all the other forms of temporary aberration; is induced
by so many and contrary causes; and demands a course of treatment
so distinct, that it would be unnecessary to do more than give the
general symptoms, and indicate the broad principles on which the
treatment is based; all patients so affected, both for their own comfort
and to further the chance of their recovery, are treated in establishments
specially adapted for the purpose. There are many cases of
confirmed madness, where the patient is neither raving nor furious,
but in which more or less of the same symptoms are common to that
condition: these are, delirium without fever, flushed face, and wild
expression of countenance, sharp pains in the head, ringing in the
ears, rolling and flashing eyes, grinding of the teeth, loud roarings,
and violent muscular exertions, rooted antipathies to objects and places
formerly beloved or attached to, insensibility or indifference to heat
and cold, hunger, thirst, or watching, and attended throughout by a
quick, full, and hard pulse. A remarkable peculiarity with all maniacs
is, that periodically, or once a month, or at the full of the moon, all
the symptoms are exaggerated, and occasionally a perfect remission
of the symptoms, the patient enjoying lucid intervals; from this
periodicity they are called lunatics. The treatment consists in carrying
out the three following objects, each indication, as it is called, requiring
a distinct treatment: first, to gain a perfect command over the maniac;
secondly, to divert his mind from the existing train of thought; and
thirdly, to diminish the preternatural action of the brain.
This alarming and dangerous state of the mental faculties, is,
fortunately, more frequently the consequence of diseased action
elsewhere, or in other words, a symptomatic affection, than the result of
an organic or morbid condition of the brain itself. Insanity may arise
from any severe constitutional disturbance, or local disease, so long
continued as to affect reciprocally the system, hence it is a frequent
symptom of all fevers, whether of the nervous or inflammatory type;
often supervening upon severe accidents, and very frequently following
the shock sustained by the system on the performance of important
surgical operations. Insanity may also be idiopathic, or arise without
any previous disease, as when the mind has been long kept preternaturally
bent on one engrossing subject; or it may proceed from some
sudden emotion of the mind, acting on the weakened frame, or from any
cause that excites and keeps up a long tension of the reflective powers.
It may also arise from organic disease of some part of the brain, or
follow from an hereditary taint. Insanity is distinguished from
madness, only by the milder character of all the symptoms, and by the
subsidence of the incoherency on the suppression of the immediate
cause that produced it; whereas, madness is excited by the same
causes, and continues for a longer or a shorter time after the subsidence
of all the excitement that gave rise to it. The insanity that constitutes
what is denominated madness, as a special disease, we shall not refer to
in this work, confining ourselves merely to that state which attends or
follows ordinary disease.
Symptoms.—Insanity appears in many forms, seldom showing twice
alike; but, as a general rule, its characteristics are in the following
order: severe pains in the head; noise in the ears; redness of the face;
peculiar wildness of the countenance; rolling and glistening of the
eyes; grinding of the teeth; loud roarings; violent exertions of strength;
incoherent discourse; unaccountable antipathy to certain persons,
particularly to their nearest relatives and friends; a dislike to such
places and scenes as formerly afforded particular pleasure; a diminution
of the irritability of the body with respect to the morbid effects of cold,
hunger, and watching: together with a full strong pulse.
Causes.—Hereditary predisposition; sanguineous temperament;
violent emotions of the mind; immoderate indulgence in any passion;
violent exercise; frequent intoxication; sedentary life; abtruse study;
parturition or lactation; tumours compressing the brain; preceding
attacks of epilepsy, fever, &c.
Treatment.—Before proceeding to the mode of treatment, the
following objects are to be strictly borne in mind:—1. To gain
a perfect command over the maniac. 2. To divert the patient’s
mind from the existing train of thought. 3. To diminish the preternatural
action of the brain. To effect these results, the following
remedies must be had recourse to:—1. By bleeding, if of a
plethoric habit, and the attack recent. 2. Purgatives; both the drastic
and cooling aperiatives have been recommended—perhaps the former
are preferable; hellebore, senna, and jalap. 3. A spare low diet. 4.
Emetics of sulphate of zinc, or of tartar emetic. 5. Nauseating
remedies. 6. Cold bath during the paroxysms. 7. Sedatives; hemlock,
camphor, and henbane; opium is generally prejudicial. 8. Counter-irritants;
blisters, setons or issues. 9. Where great debility is present
from the first, or supervenes after the employment of active remedies,
tonics and stimulants, as in debility from other causes.
Insanity, to a greater or less extent, may be regarded as an effect of
many fevers, especially those of nervous order and typhoid type, and
though in general the hallucinations of this mental disturbance subside
on the decadence of the symptoms, cases arise where the balance of
mental power is not restored for some considerable time after the bodily
recovery, and others in which a predisposition is left behind, upon
which, at the slightest excitement, the insanity returns with perhaps
increased severity; in such cases the disease assumes a new phase, and
more properly comes under the denomination of lunacy.
Hydrophobia, or dread of water, as the name signifies, is a disease
peculiarly affecting the nervous system, caused by the bite and
absorption into the blood of the saliva, or virus, as it is called, of some
rabid or strongly irritated animal, but most frequently of the two
domestic species, the dog and cat, though, from the almost analogous
symptoms excited in the system by certain accidents, eventuating in
what has been called tetanus, the two diseases by many medical men
have been considered as synonymous. The influence exerted by the
mind on the body, both for good and evil, is a fact well known to the
most casual observer, but in no instance is that effect exercised with
more dangerous consequences than in the disease under notice; for it
is unquestioned that many persons have been forced into a state of
hydrophobia, simply through the terror inspired by the scratch or
abrasion of an animal perfectly in health, though perhaps under a
temporary fit of displeasure or pain. The peculiarity of this disease, is
the great length of time that usually takes place between the receipt of
the accident, or bite, and the disease itself, or the manifestation of the
constitutional symptoms; sometimes weeks elapse, at others months,
and not unfrequently years have supervened between the cause and the
effect.
Symptoms.—At whatever time these may show themselves, they
commence with wandering pains over the body, anxiety, restlessness,
disturbed sleep, and frightful dreams, the patient starting up in horror
and bedewed with cold perspiration; by degrees muscular contractions
occur at intervals, weight and oppression of the stomach, a tightness in
the throat, and difficulty of swallowing, till suddenly the crowning
symptom takes place, and the patient, in attempting to drink, is seized
with a sudden horror, and recoils in terror from the wished-for potation;
the very sight or sound of water, or the motion of fluid, throwing the
body into violent convulsions. From this stage the symptoms rush on
to their climax; the countenance is contracted, the eyes wild and
staring, the teeth set firmly, and with the tightened lips covered with a
ropy foam, or a thin watery saliva pours from them; this state is
alternated with shrieks, animal noises, bilious vomitings, convulsive
jerks and plunges, till one fearful spasm that draws the body like a bent
bow, resting on head and heel, releases the patient from his sufferings.
Treatment.—The hot bath, electricity, blisters, bleeding and opium in
immense doses, are the only agents that art can employ in this
formidable disease; the most violent measures and the most opposite
have been resorted to; but, unfortunately for science, hitherto with but
little effect or benefit. In no disease is the old adage of “prevention
better than cure” so applicable as in this. For the tranquillity of mind,
for the satisfaction of the patient, and for motives of safety, in all cases
of bite or abrasion from the tooth of an animal, the part should be
cauterised. A tape or bandage being first tied tightly above the part
to prevent absorption, the part is then to be washed with warm water,
and lunar caustic then applied. If these steps are adopted quickly and
effectually, and, if possible, the part sucked or dry-cupped before
applying the caustic, and the ligature or pressure continued for some
time, there will seldom be any necessity for the painful and questionable
practice of excision. The patient’s mind must be soothed; an aperient
and a sedative given, and a warm poultice applied over the eschar. A
mode of treating hydrophobia by means of ice, internally, down the
spine, over the throat and chest, has been adopted with success, but the
cases are too few to warrant pronouncing it either safe or certain.
The term intermittent is applied to that kind of fever which consists
of a succession of paroxysms, between each of which there is a distinct
and perfect decline of fever symptoms. Different names have been
applied to this fever, according to the distance of time observed between
the periods of its return. When it comes on within the space of
twenty-four hours, it is called a quotidian; when it returns every other
day, it is called a tertian; and when it attends on the first and fourth
day, it is named a quartan ague. That under the tertian type is most
apt to prevail in the spring, and the quartan in autumn.
Intermittents often prove obstinate, and are of long duration in
warm climates; and they not unfrequently resist every mode of cure,
so as to become very distressing to the patient; a fact, to which the
writer can bear testimony from personal experience. It is very generally
acknowledged, that marsh exhalations, or the effluvia arising
from stagnant water, when acted upon by heat, are the most frequent
exciting causes of ague. A low diet, great fatigue, and the sudden
disappearance of eruptions, have been ranked among the exciting
causes of intermittents.
Some persons imagine this fever may be communicated by contagion;
but this supposition is by no means consistent with general observation.
One peculiarity in this fever is, its great susceptibility of a renewal
from very slight causes, as from the prevalence of an easterly wind,
or from the repetition of the original exciting agency. It would appear,
likewise, that a predisposition is left in the habit, which favours a return
of the complaint.
Each paroxysm of an intermittent fever is divided into three different
stages, which are called the cold, the hot, and the moist stage. The
cold stage commences with languor, a sense of great debility, frequent
yawning and stretching, and an aversion to food. The face and
extremities become pale, the features shrink, the bulk of every external
part becomes diminished, the nails turn a dark blue colour, and the
skin, over the whole body, bears the appearance of having been
exposed to excessive cold: at this time, universal rigours come on,
together with pains in the head, back, loins, and joints, nausea and
vomiting of bilious matter; the breathing is small, frequent, and
anxious; the urine is almost colourless; the thoughts are confused;
and the pulse is small, frequent, and often irregular. After a short
time, these symptoms abate, and the second stage commences with
an increase of heat over the whole body, redness of the face, dryness
of the skin, thirst, pain in the head, throbbing in the temples, anxiety
and restlessness; the respiration (breathing) is fuller and more free,
but still frequent; the tongue is furred, and the pulse has become
regular, hard, and full. If the attack has been very severe, delirium
will perhaps arise at this time. After these symptoms have continued
for some time, a moisture breaks out on the forehead, and, by degrees,
becomes a profuse perspiration, extending over the whole body.
Having pointed out the phenomena usually attending a paroxysm
of intermittent fever, and likewise their mode of succession, it may
be as well to observe, that they prevail in different degrees of intensity,
and that the series of them may be more or less complete.
The treatment of intermittents is, first, to put as speedy a stop
to the fit as possible when it has taken place; and, secondly, to prevent
its return at the usual, or any after period. Two drachms of Peruvian
bark, powdered, may be taken every two hours, as the benefit to be
expected from this medicine will greatly depend on the large quantity
administered in a short space of time; for, five or six ounces of bark
taken in a few days, will be attended with a much better effect than
perhaps as many pounds taken in the course of some weeks. In
instances where bark fails of remaining on the stomach (as in the
writer’s case), arsenic is almost invariably successful: it must be
prepared as follows:—
Take 64 grains of white arsenic reduced to a very fine powder, and
the same quantity of vegetable alkali; mix these together; add half
a pound of distilled water, and let it boil slowly until the arsenic is
completely dissolved: half a pound of compound spirit of lavender
is then to be added to it, and as much more distilled water as makes
the whole solution amount to a pound. The dose of this is from
two to ten drops, given in milk, once, twice, or even thrice in the
day, according to the age and strength of the patient. Eight days’
administration of the medicine in this way will be generally found
sufficient for a cure of this complaint.
Vomitings and gripings are the troublesome symptoms now and
then produced by this medicine: they disappear, however, on discontinuing
the drops, or only require a gentle opiate, or some warm
cathartic (aperient), such as the tincture of rhubarb. I would by
all means recommend those who are living in or near a town, to have
the solution of arsenic made by a chemist of known respectability,
and to keep it securely locked up, with Poison on its label.
The food of the patient must be of a light and nourishing description,
such as sago or arrow-root; but when the fit is off, he may partake
of animal food, and a spare quantity of wine. The passions of the
mind exercise a wonderful influence on ague; the writer has known
the disease instantaneously removed by a sudden shock, and whether
of surprise, fright, joy, or grief, appears immaterial; as long as it
exercises a sudden and violent effect on the nervous system, the cure
is complete.
Apoplexy is a disease which arrests all voluntary motion, and
deprives a person of consciousness, as though he had been struck by
a blow. Sometimes a person is warned of the approach of apoplexy
by various symptoms, such as giddiness, drowsiness, loss of memory,
twitching of the muscles, faltering of the speech, &c.; but most frequently
he falls to the ground without any warning, and lies as though
in a deep sleep. While so lying he breathes heavily, with a snorting
kind of noise, and with considerable muscular action of the features.
The face is red and swollen, the veins distended, the eyes protruding
and bloodshot, remaining half open or quite closed, and a foam frequently
forms about the mouth.
Apoplexy mostly arises from accumulation of blood in the system,
but it may be the result of an enfeebled constitution, and general want
of vitality.
Where a person is seized as described, a medical man should be
sent for, and the patient should be carried into a cool room and placed
in a sitting posture, in such a situation that the air may be freely
admitted to him. The neckcloth, shirt collar, waistband, and other
ligatures should be unfastened, and cold water should be poured over
the head. Mustard plasters may be applied to the soles of the feet
and the calves of the legs, or where the mustard cannot be immediately
procured, the feet and legs should be placed in hot water.
If the attack occurs with a person of full habit of body, a dozen
leeches may be applied behind the ears and on the temples. It is of
great importance that the bowels should be freed of their contents,
and as there is a great difficulty in swallowing, one drop of croton oil
should be placed on the tongue and repeated every two hours, until
the object is entirely accomplished. Blood-letting should in no case
be attempted by a non-professional person. Where the fit arises from
enfeebled strength (which is indicated by a small irregular pulse) the
remedies should be of a milder form, and stimulants may be cautiously
administered at intervals.
The most common immediate cause of apoplexy is pressure of the
brain, either from an effusion of blood or serum, or from a distention
of the vessels of the brain by an accumulation of the blood in them,
independently of effusion.
The predisposing causes are the habitual indulgence of the appetite in
rich and gross food, or stimulating drinks, coupled with luxurious and
indolent habits, sedentary employments carried to an undue length;
the habit of sleeping, especially in a recumbent posture, after a full
meal; and lying too long in bed.
The exciting causes are excesses in eating and drinking; violent
mental emotions; the sudden suppression of piles, gout, rheumatism;
or any other cause which augments the circulation of blood to, or
extracts the flow of blood from, the brain.
Persons below the middle height, robust, with large hands and short
thick necks, are generally recognised as apoplectic subjects; but it is,
in truth, confined to no particular conformation of the body, all persons
being alike liable to be attacked by it.
Persons, however, who are predisposed to this disease should not
fail to profit by the warnings of its approach mentioned at the commencement
of this article. Their diet should be light and nutritious;
all luxurious habits should be abandoned, and moderate exercise should
be taken. Above all, they should avoid giving way to their passions,
as it is well known that many persons have been struck with death
in the midst of a fit of anger.
This is a disease coming on in convulsive paroxysms, returning at
undefined and irregular periods, accompanied by great muscular exertion,
foaming at the mouth, loss of memory and of voluntary motion, and
ending in sleep or a state of coma. The attacks are often sudden, the
patient without notice falling to the ground; at other times, it is
preceded by a sense of weight in the head, drowsiness, and languor,
indicating the approach of the fit.
The causes of epilepsy are various; in some cases it is hereditary, in
others it proceeds from softening of the brain, or organic disease of that
organ and the spinal marrow; it sometimes results from blows, very
frequently in children from worms, or other sources of irritation in the
bowels and stomach. Epilepsy is most frequent in the young, the
spare, and those of a delicate organization.
Symptoms.—The fit usually begins with an excessive and involuntary
action of the muscles, the body is bent forward, or drawn violently
backward with great force, the eyes roll in a rapid and furious manner,
the lips are convulsed, and a frothy saliva, like the champ of a horse,
covers the lips and teeth; the tongue is violently protruded, and often
dreadfully injured by the spasmodic closing of the teeth; the pulse is
quick and irregular, the breathing heavy and laboured, the muscular
action of the arms and legs and the writhings of the body are immense,
and often the exertions of more than five or six strong persons are
requisite to restrain even a woman. After a time, which varies from
ten minutes to half an hour, nature becomes exhausted, and the patient
sinks into a state of sleep, or more properly coma, from which in
a few hours he awakes, exhausted, low and feeble. The only
diseases with which epilepsy could be confounded, are hysteria
and apoplexy; from the first, it is known by the absence of tears,
sobs, and laughter, and the rising in the throat, like a ball or
lump, that always characterizes it; and from apoplexy, by the
stertorous breathing and the dilated pupil.
Treatment.—Where the patient is young, and it is the first attack,
bleeding to a small extent is advisable; but in general, beyond the
exhibition of stimulating draughts of ammonia and brandy, cold water
dashed on the face, and heat applied to the feet, little or nothing can
be done during the paroxysm beyond putting a gag in the mouth, and
fastening it behind the head, so as to save the patient’s tongue; the
treatment must be left till after the fit, and the remedies used with the
hope of preventing a recurrence of the attack. When epilepsy proceeds
from disease of the brain or spinal column, a seton should be established
in the neck, the general correction of the system attended to, by change
of scene, a course of mineral waters, a plain but unexciting diet, and
the daily use of the subjoined pills, marked 1 and 2, continuing each for
three weeks, resting one week, and then beginning the other with
exactly the same routine. It may be here remarked, that no medicine
has been found so efficacious in epilepsy as nitrate of silver or lunar
caustic, and after that a preparation of copper.
No. 1.—Take of
Nitrate of Silver
4
grains.
Bread Crumbs
1
drachm.
Mix. Extract of gentian, sufficient to make a mass, which divide
into twenty-four pills, of which give one, three times a day. No. 2.—Take of
Ammoniate of Copper
6
grains.
Bread Crumbs
1
drachm.
Mix well, and add extract of camomile, enough to make into a mass,
which divide into twenty-four pills, one to be given three times
a day.
When epilepsy is symptomatic, or the cause of worms or irritation in
the bowels, it must be treated according to the provocative cause; in
other cases, a course of mild aperient medicines should be adopted, and
the bowels kept regularly open; exercise by walking, sea bathing, early
hours, and such pastimes as give a healthy tone to the mind, steadily
persisted in. For the tremor that sometimes follows the recovery from
the fit, the following antispasmodic mixture will be found efficacious,
though, as a general rule for symptomatic epilepsy, a regular diet,
change of scene and air, exercise, and a constant mild action on the
bowels, will be found sufficient.
Take of
Valerian Root
2
drachms.
Serpentaria Root
1
drachm.
Boiling Water
½
pint.
Infuse for six hours, strain, and add
Spirits of Hartshorn
3
drachms.
Sulphuric Ether
1
drachm.
Mix, and give one or two table-spoonfuls three times a day. By adding
half a drachm of quassia to this infusion, a tonic property will be added
to the antispasmodic effect of the mixture.
Fainting, or Syncope, as it is professionally called, very often
attacks the individual without warning, though at other times, and
in those subject to these distressing symptoms, fainting is preceded
by well-defined sensations, such as a feeling of distress, languor,
and sickness; the sight becomes dim, and the eyes appear covered by
a film; an areola or dark circle appears round the orbits; a
buzzing, or low singing noise, is heard in the ears; the face and
lips are pale, a cold perspiration breaks out over the skin; the pulse
sinks to a mere flutter, and finally ceases; the body totters, and
unless upheld, falls to the ground. The loss of consciousness is
sometimes complete; at others, the patient retains a partial amount
of recollection; the pallor, too, is occasionally more intense, and
corpse-like, the eyes shut, mouth open, the limbs flaccid, and the
extremities deadly cold. This state lasts from five minutes to half an
hour; a spasm of the chest and a few gasping sobs, each more
prolonged than the last, are the first signs of returning consciousness.
When the fit is prolonged, it may terminate in epilepsy or convulsions.
The causes that predispose to faintings, are an intensely nervous state
of the system, a delicate constitution, and extreme debility from
whatever cause produced, or a diseased state of the heart. Youth is
more subject than age to fainting, and females are more frequently
affected by it than males.
Treatment.—When fainting is the result of nervous sensibility, or
when it occurs in hysterical women, there is seldom any danger; all
that is generally necessary is to lay the patient on her back in the
horizontal position; loosen any string that may compress the chest or
neck, open the window, dash water in the face, and apply volatile salts
to the nostrils, and give a draught with half a tea-spoonful of spirits of
lavender, or thirty drops of sal volatile, and twenty of ether, added to
the lavender and water, where the fainting threatens to merge into
hysteria. Should the case be obstinate, heated bricks or mustard
plasters must be applied to the feet or thighs. Where the fainting
proceeds from organic disease, the treatment must be guided by the
nature of the primary affection.
Under this head must be comprehended face-ache, consequent on
cold, tic-douloureux and other nervous affections, erysipelas, pimples,
blotches, and other eruptive diseases of the cuticle. As many of
the most serious and painful affections of the face are the result of
some disorganization of the system, or disease more remotely situated,
such as erysipelas, tic-douloureux, and tooth-ache, these affections must
be looked for under their respective heads; the present section being
confined merely to those blotches and pimples that so often disfigure
the countenance. These are sometimes of a scorbutic character; when
they are distinguished by irregular red or reddish brown patches on
the cheeks and nose, attended with heat and itching, occasionally
disappearing and again returning, after the least excitement.
Treatment.—Take of corrosive sublimate two grains, spirits of wine,
one ounce. Dissolve and mix, and take five drops in a wine-glass of
decoction of dandelion, or wormwood tea, three times a day, for a
week; when it is to be intermitted for a few days, and again resumed
in the same order and dose. In bad cases, a lotion made by mixing
milk of sulphur in elder-flower water, till the whole is of the consistency
of cream, may be applied every night, in addition to the medicine,
and washed off in the morning with warm water.
Black spots and freckles are to be treated by making an emulsion
of bitter almonds, and dissolving in every half-pint two grains of
corrosive sublimate; and after softening the cuticle by bathing the
face for a few minutes with warm water, applying the emulsion so
prepared before going to bed, letting the lotion dry into the skin and
washing well off in the morning. At the same time, a wine-glassful
of wormwood tea should be taken every day, either two or three
times. In all affections of the skin, proceeding from functional disorder
in the stomach, liver, or other organs, producing blemishes on
the face, there is no remedy that exercises so permanently beneficial
an effect as a course of wormwood; and the infusion should, therefore,
in all cases where the complexion is injured, especially in females,
be made the primary and principal remedial agent.
In long standing discoloration of the face, proceeding from impaired
action of the liver, a steady course of alternative medicine must be
persisted in for some time, if any permanent benefit is to be expected;
and for this purpose a compound Plummer’s pill must be taken every
night for one or two weeks, with a wine-glass of the compound
decoction of sarsaparilla twice a day; alternating this treatment every
week or fortnight, by one of the following pills, and a decoction of
dulcamara and dandelion, in the proportion of an ounce of each to a
pint of water.
Pills.
Blue Pill
1
scruple.
Extract of Colocynth
1
scruple.
Compound Rhubarb Pill
1
scruple.
Mix and divide into twelve pills.
At the same time, under either treatment, a warm bath should be
taken once a week, and a constant friction kept up over the body;
and especially above the region of the liver, while in the water, by
the flesh-brush, or a rough irritating towel.
Most of the affections of this organ are of too complicated a
character to be popularly treated. In this place the only disease
noticed will be that condition of the organ known as general inflammation,
and those affections that belong to the appendage of the eye.
Inflammation of the eye commences with heat and pricking, and a
sense of tightness in the part; the upper lid first and then the lower,
become red, swollen, and extremely painful, attended with great tenderness
when pressed; the eyeball itself is bloodshot, intolerant of
light, and feels as if particles of sand were between the ball and
the lids, the surrounding parts sympathize in the swelling, and there
is an abundant flow of tears. The constitution at the same time
suffers, there is more or less fever, a quick pulse, and considerable
pain in the head.
Treatment.—The patient should either be bled from the arm or
cupped on the temple, four or six leeches applied round the orbit,
the bowels at the same time acted on quickly by one of the following
powders every three hours, and a dose of the accompanying mixture
every four hours, till they are thoroughly relieved, the patient all the
time being kept quiet, and in a darkened room.
Powders.
Calomel
12
grains.
Antimonialis
12
grains.
Jalap, powdered
2
scruples.
Mix, and divide into four powders.
Mixture.
Take of
Infusion of Senna
5
ounces.
Epsom Salts
1
ounce.
Dissolve, and add
Syrup of Buckthorn
1
ounce.
Mix. Take two table-spoonfuls for a dose. After the leeches the eye
should be fomented with warm water, or a decoction of poppy-heads,
and should the skin remain dry and hot, a sweating draught must
be given at bed-time, preceded by a mustard and water foot bath.
Draught.
Acetated Solution of Ammonia
1
ounce.
Tincture of Squills
30
drops.
Tincture of Opium
30
drops.
Antimonial Wine
1
drachm.
Spirits of Nitre
2
drachms.
The delicate yet important organ of the ear is subject to many
diseases and accidents. The most frequent mischief to which the
external part of the organ is subject, is partial or complete loss of
the cartilage or shell of the ear, a result that either follows sabre
cuts, gunshot wounds, or sloughing from blows or pressure. Inflammation
seldom attacks the external parts, or, if it does, is in general
of an erysipelatous character. When the cartilage has been lacerated,
or part of its structure destroyed, the separated parts are to be placed
as near as possible in their natural position, and kept together by
two or three stitches, a warm moist poultice laid over the part, and
a light bandage passed round the head to keep the dressing in its
place. The external ear is also frequently the seat of scrofulous
ulcers and ill-conditioned sores, and the skin behind the ear is particularly
liable to small encysted tumours, which are very tedious
in their suppuration, and cause considerable pain and inconvenience.
The treatment is nearly the same for all these affections; a course
of alterative and tonic medicines, a warm bran or bread poultice night
and morning on the part, and when the discharge is fœtid and thin, a
lotion made by dissolving two grains of nitrate of silver in an ounce of
rose or distilled water, is to be used as a wash to the sores, once
or twice a day; in very obstinate cases a small blister applied to
the nape of the neck will speedily effect a cure, though in general,
cleanliness, attention to the diet, and an alterative and tonic course of
medicine, will effect a sure and far more satisfactory cure than can
be obtained by any counter-irritant remedy that can be used.
Ear-ache is a very painful affection of the auditory passage, consequent
on cold or a slight degree of inflammation in the membrane of
the ear; in all such affections the soothing system will be found the
best and safest practice, and this consists of a little cotton dipped in
oil with a few drops of laudanum placed in the ear, and a warm
bran poultice over all, repeating the poultice every two hours; when,
however, the pain is more intense, apply a leech below or behind
the ear, and promote the bleeding by poultices.
The lips, or rather the lip, for it is to the lower lip that disease
is generally confined, is subject to several affections such as inflammation
and enlargement, ulceration, chapping, and excoriation—all in
themselves trivial and harmless—and is only subject to one, and
fortunately rare disease of any serious moment—cancer. Leaving
this for the present out of consideration, all the others may be
regarded as symptomatic of the state of the stomach, or else are
caused by direct irritation from contact with jagged teeth. The most
prevalent form of sore lips is that of deep cracks or fissures, that
on the first stretch of the cuticle bleed; in persons of a scorbutic
habit, instead of cracking, the skin peels off in scales, leaving a raw,
irritable, and painful abrasion, aggravated by heat or moisture, and
which sometimes continues for weeks; both of these conditions are
dependent on the state of the system, and can always be cured in a
few hours, or in the worst case in two or three days, by a dose or
two of aperient medicine, such as a dose of blue pill, and a spoonful
of Epsom salts some hours after, repeating both for two or three
times, should the obstinacy of the case require it. When inflammation
and swelling of the lip takes place, as it sometimes does, from
the presence of a broken tooth, keeping up a constant irritation from
the sharp edge pressing on, or coming in contact with, the soft part,
the spicule should be at once filed down, or else the tooth withdrawn,
for while the exciting cause remains, no means will afford
relief. This having been done, a cold lotion of sal-ammoniac, vinegar,
and water applied by means of wetted pledgets of rag, will speedily
reduce the swelling, when a pill and a draught, such as have been
already ordered, will insure a permanent recovery of the part to
health. The lip in all cases should be kept as dry as possible, and
especially from the saliva and the tongue; and as all such cases are
symptomatic of the state of the system, their own permanent cure is,
as we have shown, by an aperient medicine. An excellent application
is a little tallow rubbed in by the finger before going to bed, the tallow
having the advantage over all other grease, in not becoming rancid.
Cancer of the lip is usually characterized by a callous thickening
of the cuticle and the formation of a warty excrescence; or it
may begin by a painful pimple, which after once or twice being
removed, degenerates into a small irritable ulcer, that discharges a
thin ichorous exudation, and rapidly affects the glands under the jaw,
which become distinct and knotty; the ulcer, after remaining for a
length of time in passive, irritant state, closing over, and again
breaking out, suddenly assumes an active form, and is attended with
stiffness in the muscles of the jaw and darting pains, till it finally
assumes all the features of this much dreaded disease; for which,
though caustic and arsenic are the best remedies we possess, there
is no certain cure but excision, in the same manner as for hare-lip.
Though cancer of the lip is generally confined to men in mid-life,
and inveterate smokers, it would appear more to depend upon some
occult state of the blood than on any social habit, however objectionably
pursued.
The preservation of the teeth ought to form an important item in
the care of the person. The possession of sound teeth is a great
blessing, as they not only promote the process of digestion, but keep
the breath sweet and pure. Unsound and unclean teeth are also most
unsightly and unpleasant for other persons to be brought in contact
with; for these combined reasons, the greatest care should be observed
in the management of these important organs. It must be understood
that the teeth are bones thinly covered over with a fine enamel, and
this enamel is more or less substantial in different persons. Whenever
this enamel is worn through by too coarse a powder or too frequently
cleansing the teeth, or eaten through by a scorbutic humour in the
gums, the tooth cannot long remain sound. The teeth, therefore, are
to be cleaned but with great precaution, for if the enamel is worn off
faster by cleaning the outside than nature supplies it within, the teeth
will probably suffer more by this method than by neglect. A butcher’s
skewer, or the wood with which they are made, must be bruised and
bit at the end till with a little use it will become the softest and best
brush for this purpose; and in general, the teeth may be cleaned
with this brush without any powder. It is necessary to observe that,
very near the gums of persons whose teeth are otherwise good, there is
apt to grow a false kind of enamel, both within and without, and this
false enamel or tartar, if neglected, pushes the gums higher and higher
till it leaves the fangs of the teeth quite bare, above the true enamel, so
that sound teeth are destroyed, because the gum has forsaken that part
which is not sheathed and protected. In the summer months this
tartar may be effectually removed by partaking daily of strawberries;
eating plentifully of watercresses is also considered a good remedy.
An excellent tincture for this defect will be found as follows:—Mix six
ounces of tincture of Peruvian bark with half an ounce of sal-ammoniac.
Shake these well for a few moments every time before the tincture is
used. The method of using it is, to take a spoonful and hold it near
the teeth, then with a finger dipped in, rubbing the gums and teeth,
which are afterwards to be washed with warm water. Another method
of preserving the teeth is to wash out the mouth with water after every
meal, especially if animal food has been eaten; by these means the
particles of food lodging about the teeth and gums are dislodged, which,
when allowed to remain and accumulate, prove excessively injurious.
Much harm is frequently done to the teeth by cleaning them with too
hard a brush or deleterious dentifrices, in either case the enamel being
scratched and otherwise injured. As a matter of course, the preservation
of the teeth is greatly influenced by what is eaten and drunk. All
things that are either very hot or very cold are extremely bad; acids
are especially injurious, as are also sweets.
The decaying of teeth is partly due to chemical decomposition of
the food lodged between the teeth in eating. When there is joined
to this an unhealthy or weak condition of the ivory, which is thus
rendered incapable of resisting the action of external causes, and also
the continual pressure of the adjacent teeth, when too close together,
then decay is almost sure to take place in some part or other of
the crown. When it occurs in the sides of the necks, just below
the enamel, the cause always is in the food, and generally so when
in the middle of the crown of the molars; but sometimes decay
takes place beneath the enamel, and long before the slightest
fissure in this part can be detected by any ordinary observation,
or, at all events, while there is no opening large enough to admit
the food. Besides these causes, another exists in the uncovered
state of the roots, or fangs, or on these being covered by tartar
instead of gum, both of which circumstances tend to produce
decomposition and decay, and should be cautiously guarded against.
When a cavity is actually developed, the sooner it is filled the better.
When it is small and has not opened into the natural cavity of the
tooth gold leaf is the best material, the dentist previously cutting away
the decayed matter and pressing in the gold with great force. When,
however, this cavity is exposed, gold is useless under ordinary circumstances.
The following are some of the best methods of filling teeth
when beginning to decay:—1. Mix thirteen parts of pure finely powdered
caustic lime with twelve parts of anhydrous phosphoric acid. This
powder is moist during the mixing, and while in that state is to be
introduced into the decayed tooth. The place in the tooth is to be
made dry before receiving the mixture. This kind of filling must be
used two or three minutes after being prepared. Soon after it is lodged
in the decayed cavity, it becomes very solid. 2. Take pure anhydrous
phosphoric acid forty-eight grains, pure caustic (unslaked) lime forty-two
grains. Finely pulverize each separately, and keep them separate
in well-stopped bottles till wanted. For use, mix the required quantity
in a small mortar, as rapidly and perfectly as possible, and at once
press the dry mixture in the cavity of the tooth. The surface should
then be smoothed off and finished by moistening with water. This
cement soon acquires great hardness; it is very white and durable,
and in its composition resembles the natural earthy matter of the teeth.
The whole process requires expertness to succeed; but the latter, when
attained, will amply repay for one or two failures. If the composition
be not mixed and applied quickly it becomes moist, and is therefore
unfit for use. In many cases the odour arising from carious teeth is
very offensive; to remedy this, the mouth should be well rinsed with
a tea-spoonful of the solution of chloride of soda in a tumbler of water,
which will have the desired effect.
Under ordinary circumstances, the hair may be preserved by the
most simple means. In a sound and healthy constitution, the best
preserver and beautifier of the hair is regular and careful cleaning. As
a general rule, the head cannot be too much brushed, brushing serving as
an active and healthy stimulant upon the skin, rendering the functions
more vigorous, and, as a consequence, the production of hair more easy
and its maintenance more certain. On this account, hard and penetrating
brushes are useful, but in using them it should be borne in mind
that it is the head which requires brushing more than the hair; while,
therefore, the brush is actively applied to the roots of the hair, the
surface should be brushed with a light and gentle hand. Occasional
washing with pure water is to be recommended, providing the hair is
not very long, so as to render drying difficult. To assist in drying it
thoroughly, dip the brush into a very little hair powder and brush it
out again; after that, a little pomatum may be brushed in.
With regard to cutting the hair, it is an operation which should not be
performed too frequently, nor delayed too long; in ordinary cases, it
would be well to have a small portion of the hair removed every
month or six weeks. Where the hair is in an unhealthy condition,
especially where much has fallen off, and a partial and impoverished
growth has risen up to represent that which is lost, the short and
impoverished hairs should be carefully and persistently cut, with the
view of giving them bulk and strength, and improving their growth.
The frequent plucking out of withered hairs is also productive of
benefit, as the process is necessarily accompanied by much stimulation
of the skin, which promotes the growth of the hairs individually and
generally.
The excessive use of grease in dressing the hair, is a common error
which cannot fail to be productive of injurious consequences. There
is a natural oil secreted by the hair which in a healthy state should
supply the requisite amount of moisture; sometimes this is defective,
and the hair becomes dry and harsh, it is then proper to supply the
deficiency by a little pomatum or oil. When the artificial grease is
applied in excessive quantities, it produces a matting of the hair,
prevents the pores of the scalp from acting freely, and thus the
proper supply of natural moisture is not communicated freely to the
hair.
The kind of grease to be used, should be animal fats in preference to
vegetable oils, the latter being apt to become rancid, and not possessing
such active stimulant properties as the former.
The use of soap in washing the hair, should be cautiously and
sparingly observed, as it is apt to change the colour and texture of the
hair. A little white soap dissolved in spirits of wine is more effectual
and less injurious than soap alone. After this the hair should be well
washed with pure water.
When grayness of the hair shows itself, it is and indication of want of
tone in the hair-producing organs, and if this tone can be restored, the
hair will cease to change, and at the same time further change will be
prevented. The plan of cutting, as previously recommended, combined
with judicious plucking, tends very much to prevent the extension of
grayness.
Keeping the head too much covered is calculated to prove injurious
to the hair, as by this means an excessive amount of heat is generated,
which tends to enervate and relax the hair-producing organs, and
consequently weaken and thin the hair; for this reason the wearing of
nightcaps is to be condemned, and the practice of wearing the hat
throughout the day is attended with similar evil consequences.
Curling the hair, especially when frequently resorted to, is a most
pernicious custom—the inordinate amount of heat that is employed to
produce the desired effect, drying up the natural oils, and otherwise
injuring the roots and texture of the hair.
Sudden heats and chills of all kinds are also productive of ill consequences;
and in short whatever accident or operation the hair is subjected
to, widely differing from its normal state, must produce, more or
less, those diseases and that decay to which it is peculiarly liable. In
every case it should be remembered, that the preservation of the hair
depends not only on local stimulation, but also on constitutional
treatment. This truth is the more to be insisted upon, as a common
notion prevails that the mere application of certain specifics will remedy
defects without any other aid. Above all, the advertised nostrums
which boast of being able to effect such extraordinary results, are not
to be relied upon, and in many cases should be cautiously avoided.
The simple truth is, that these specifics owe their boasted productive
and restorative powers to precisely the same principle that attends the
simplest formula, namely, the stimulation of the skin; and the application,
therefore, must be governed by the same laws, and attended with
the same results in the one case as in the other.
The membrane that lines the whole alimentary canal from the lips
and mouth downwards, has special peculiarities in particular places,
according to the function it has there to perform: in the nostrils, as
the external seat of smell, it is beautifully and remarkably adapted for
its purpose; yet, though being so incessantly in active operation, it is,
perhaps, the least affected part of the body. With the rest of the
lining membrane of the mouth, it suffers from cold, or in affections of
the stomach, discharging a thin fluid in cases of catarrh, and showing
a dry, red, and irritable surface when the bowels and stomach are
affected, hence the involuntary picking of children when they have
worms; but of itself, besides a thickening of its coats from various
causes, and thereby blunting the perception of smell, and obstructing
the reverberance of articulation, and the occasional formation of that
extraordinary zoophyte, the polypus, high up in the nostril, this part of
the frame has no other disease appertaining to it. For the first, an
occasional errhine, as a pinch of snuff, or the smallest atom of the white
of hellebore powder, imbibed in the same way, with a course of aperient
medicine, is all that is generally needed; though cases may occur in
which leeches and a lotion may be demanded, but they are, however,
very rare. The extraction, by surgical means, of the polypus, as no
local or constitutional treatment has any effect on its growth, renders
any further account here of this disease unnecessary. The external parts
of the nose are, however, more frequently affected than the internal, the
cuticle over the cartilage being subject to warts, inflammation, small
painful pimples and abscesses, and to cancer. The warts are easily
removed by a daily application of caustic or blue stone; the inflammations,
by a cold lotion of sugar of lead and water; and the pimples
and abscesses, by the same means assisted with cooling purgatives.
For the more formidable disease of cancer, surgical aid must be obtained,
as the treatment, in unskilful hands, might be attended with
risk.
There is a condition of the nose, usually, but not always justly, attributed
to persons of dissipated habits, in which that feature becomes
enlarged, of a red or purple colour, and covered with unseemly blotches,
pimples, and bright-coloured excrescences, distending the organ sometimes
to an enormous size. Though this disfigurement, undoubtedly,
frequently marks the drunkard, it is more properly an indication of
diseased liver than a characteristic of dissipation, and is more usually
found in its worst form in persons of temperate, than intemperate habits.
As this disease is in general a local system of a constitutional derangement,
the remedies to cure it must more properly be applied to the
system rather than the part. For this purpose a course of Plummer’s
pill, alternated with blue pill, and a decoction of dulcamara
and dandelion in water, two ounces of each, boiled from four to three
pints, and a wine-glassful taken every four hours, and a pill twice a
day, must be continued for some days, or even weeks; at the same
time the nose should be enveloped in a poultice made of scraped Solomon’s
seal, damped with vinegar, laid next the skin; and being put
on at bed-time, should be allowed to remain all night.
The throat is subject to two forms of inflammatory action, acute
and chronic; of the former, there are two conditions which, though
both present acute inflammatory action, and both are diseases of
a dangerous character, are very different in their symptoms and
their consequences. These are—1st. Inflammatory sore throat. A disease
that attacks persons of either sex, and of all ages up to forty
or forty-five years; after which period it is but rarely met with. It
is very often found attacking several persons at the same time like
an epidemic, in spring and autumn, especially so when there are great
vicissitudes of atmosphere; the disease being induced by the sudden
application of cold to a heated body, or the reverse, but most frequently
from wet feet, a sudden draught of cold air to the throat or
nape of the neck, or even from a drink of cold water when the body
is greatly heated.
The symptoms that first attract attention are, a great difficulty in
swallowing, with heat, constriction, and dryness of the throat; the
difficulty of swallowing rapidly increasing till at length that operation
becomes impossible, every attempt ending in the ejection of the liquid
through the nostrils. As the disease advances, a thick ropy phlegm, of
a yellowish colour, is thrown out from the part, and after much trouble
expelled; at the same time sharp pains run through the jaws and
ears, the voice in some cases is reduced to a whisper, and in all is thick
and hoarse. From the first sensation of dryness in the throat, symptoms
of fever show themselves in the constitution, such as heat, shivering,
thirst, nausea, sickness, and headache. If the earlier remedies have
failed to check the inflammation, the disease at the end of five, or
sometimes seven days, runs into suppuration, and one or more abscesses
are formed in the tonsils, which usually burst into the mouth; but when
the enlargement impedes the respiration, the abscesses must be opened
and the matter discharged.
Treatment.—When the symptoms are slight, a hot bran poultice, kept
constantly to the throat, a mild aperient, and the immersion of the feet
for a few minutes in hot water, is often all that is needed. In more
severe cases, however, and where the constitution is robust, an emetic
of ten grains of ipecacuanha and one grain of tartar emetic, should be
mixed in warm water and given directly, to be followed in two hours
by two compound colocynth pills, and half an ounce of Epsom salts,
dissolved in a tumblerful of water an hour later. As soon as the
emetic has ceased to act, the front of the throat should be rubbed
with hartshorn and oil, and a hot bran poultice directly after applied
round the throat. If the inflammatory action has set in strong, the
emetic should be followed by bleeding from the arm, or it may be
adopted at any subsequent stage of the treatment, and the poultice put
aside and a blister laid on the throat, should the urgency of the symptoms
warrant its use. When the thick phlegm causes annoyance and
cannot be expelled, a gargle of warm vinegar and water should be
employed to facilitate its removal. When suppuration sets in, which
may be known by the throbbing in the part and frequent shivers,
the hot poultice must be frequently changed, and the steam of hot water
repeatedly inhaled, so as to promote the formation of the matter. In
scrofulous constitutions, the tonsils frequently become chronically enlarged,
and upon any slight exposure to heat or cold commence a tardy
process of suppuration. In such cases the treatment recommended for
scrofula must be adopted both internally and locally.
2. Putrid sore throat.—This serious affection is not regarded as a
substantive disease by many medical men, but rather as a grave consequence,
or severe symptom of some other malady, such as malignant
and scarlet fever, or typhus, in which diseases it is very often found
as a terminating symptom. The symptoms of this disease commence
with cold shivers, pain in the head, giddiness, stiffness in the muscles
of the neck, flushed face, red or suffused eyes, sore throat, nausea,
sickness, and sometimes vomiting. The pulse through all these progressive
changes is small, quick, and feeble, and easily extinguished
by pressure. The throat, when examined, presents an inflamed appearance,
the redness deepening round the fauces, which, after a time, are
dotted here and there by irregular brown spots. The tongue and gums
are lined with a brown fur, while small vesicles filled with a transparent
acrid fluid form on the inner lips, and in the nostrils, which, on breaking,
excoriate the mouth and upper lip. Concurrent with this latter
symptom, diarrhœa takes place, the constitutional disturbance or fever
increases, and the strength of the patient sinks rapidly; the pulse still
more rapid and feeble, is also intermittent, and with increased difficulty
of breathing, there is often both delirium and coma. On the
third or fourth day a scarlet rash not unfrequently breaks out
over the chest and arms, which, on the sixth or seventh, peels off;
the mouth is covered with a dark fur, a fœtid odour issues from
the throat, and the patient exhibits all the characteristics of putrid or
malignant typhus. When the bright red appearance of the throat
declines about the fifth day, and some return of appetite shows itself,
a favourable termination may be hoped for, but when the inflammation
passes rapidly into ulceration and sloughing, and a flow of acrid saliva
takes place from the mouth, with coma, the result of the case is regarded
as extremely doubtful.
Treatment.—The mode of treating this disease is precisely the same
as for typhus, and consists in supporting the patient’s strength by the
most potent and energetic means, to give him strength to resist the first
shock of the disease, and then, to facilitate the separation of the sloughs
and support him over the reactionary stage. To fulfil the first intention,
beef tea, jellies, and a nutritious diet must be employed from
the first, with doses of wine at regular intervals, and where the depression
is great, brandy, either as a substitute or in addition; at the same
time such a stimulating tonic as the following mixture should be administered
every two hours, with, at bed-time when necessary, an addition
to the last dose of fifteen or twenty drops of laudanum.
Take of
Aromatic Confection
1
drachm.
Quinine
10
grains.
Camphor Water
5
ounces.
To be rubbed smoothly in a mortar; then add
Compound Tincture of Bark
4
drachms.
Compound Tincture of Cinnamon
4
drachms.
Sal Volatile
1
drachm.
Mix and give a table-spoonful every two hours. Bottles of hot water
should be kept to the feet, and a warm bran poultice placed round
the throat. When the first stage of the disease has been passed, in
addition to a nutritive diet, and a course of tonic stimulants, only
less frequently administered, the throat must be gargled occasionally
with the following gargles in succession.
Gargle No. 1.
Take of
Strong Sage Tea
1
pint.
Vinegar
4
ounces.
Mix. To be used every hour for three or four times on each occasion.
Gargle No. 2.
Boil
Bruised Oak-Bark
2
ounces.
in a pint of water for ten minutes; and add
Alum
2
drachms.
Mix. To be used as the former.
Gargle No. 3.
Take of
Infusion of Rose Leaves
1
pint.
Sulphuric Acid
30
drops.
Mix. To be used as the above.
Gargle No. 4.
Take of
Capsicum Vinegar
6
ounces.
Tincture of Catechu
4
drachms.
Water, to make a pint. Mix, and use as the former. For the fœtor
that arises from the sloughing, the mouth and throat are to be occasionally
washed with a weak solution of chloride of lime, and, throughout
the whole disease, the room should be frequently sprinkled with aromatic
vinegar, or the chloride of lime or tin.
Ordinary sore throat or hoarseness, when not a symptom of any more
severe illness, may usually be easily disposed of by rubbing the throat
freely with hartshorn and oil, and then enveloping the throat and neck
in two or three folds of hot flannel, plunging the feet two or
three times quickly in very hot water upon stepping into bed, and
placing a piece of Spanish juice in the mouth, allow it to dissolve there
during sleep. When the sore throat is attended with cold chills, a dry
hot skin and tendency to headache, before resorting to the liquorice
and being well covered up with clothes, the patient should drink about
half a pint of hot egg-flip made tolerably potent with a due proportion
of gin or rum.
It is acknowledged, by common consent, that dirty and coarse hands
are marks of slothfulness and low breeding; while, on the contrary,
clean and delicate hands are evidences of cleanliness and refinement.
The person who has much manual labour to perform, cannot, of course,
be expected to keep his hands of that delicate shape and texture, which
another person, whose employment is light, may do. But, at the same
time, it is always possible, under any circumstances, to keep the hands
in that state during the intervals of labour, so that they shall not
appear displeasing to the eye.
To promote the softness and whiteness of the skin, mild emollient
soaps, or those abounding in oil, should alone be used, by which means,
also, chaps and chilblains will generally be avoided. The coarse strong
kinds of soap, or those abounding in alkali, should, for a like reason, be
rejected, as they tend to render the skin rough, dry, and brittle. The
immersion of the hands in alkaline lyes, or strongly acidulated water,
has a like effect.
Roughness of the skin may generally be removed by a little sand
being mixed with the soap, or by rubbing the hands with pumice-stone
previously to applying the soap; in this operation care should be taken
not to allow the gritty particles to come into contact with nails, or they
will scratch them.
Dirt from the hands is more effectually removed by warm water
than cold; the hands, however, are liable to become dirty sooner
afterwards, and perhaps the best plan is to remove the dirt with warm
water, and afterwards rinse the hands in cold.
Washing the hands too frequently has a tendency to discolour them
with a brown or tawny hue. Under ordinary circumstances it will be
sufficient to wash the hands three times a day, namely, on rising, before
dinner, and on retiring to rest. After washing, the hands should be
carefully dried with a moderately coarse towel; this will promote a
free circulation through them, which will ultimately tend to enhance
their appearance. Exposure to cold winds and rain is detrimental to
the appearance of the hands, and gloves should always be worn.
Fruit and ink stains may be eradicated from the hands, by immersing
them in water, slightly acidulated with oxalic acid, or a few drops of
oil of vitriol, or to which a little pearlash or chloride of lime has been
added; observing afterwards to rinse them thoroughly in clean water,
and not to touch them with soap for some hours, as any alkaline
matter will bring back the stains. The hands may be preserved dry
for delicate work, by rubbing a little club moss, in fine powder, over
them.
Hands that perspire, and are inordinately hot, may arise from some
temporary derangement of the system, or from a constitutional peculiarity;
this may be partially remedied, by inserting the hands into
a water-jug full of water, and lowering them gradually until the elbows
reach, letting them remain at this point for two or three minutes; this
operation will, in general, keep the hands pleasantly cool for some
hours afterwards. In conclusion, it must be observed that an over-anxious
care for the state of the hands is to be deprecated. Some
persons who are possessed of a small and delicate hand are so vain
of it that they are constantly displaying it in an obtrusive manner,
which is very offensive to the looker-on. And in some instances the
fear of putting the shape and outline of the hand out of form, is so
great, that every kind of work is avoided, and even accomplishments,
such as the harp, piano, and guitar, are avoided, for fear of expanding
the hand, and flattening the extremities of the fingers; this is a preposterous
error, for the beauty of the hand does not alone consist in
whiteness and a statue-like contour, but in certain indurations, which
may be termed “expression,” and which are imparted by the pursuit
of suitable occupations, and appropriate accomplishments.
To preserve the feet in a proper condition, they should be frequently
soaked and well washed in warm or tepid water. Many persons are
subject to tender feet. This frequently arises from the use of thin
cotton or silk socks or stockings, and boots and shoes that are either
too tight or stiff, or not sufficiently porous to allow of the escape of
perspiration. Waterproof boots and shoes are on this account frequently
the cause of tender feet. The best remedy for tender feet is the
immediate adoption of worsted stockings or socks, and light easy shoes
of buckskin, goatskin, or some other equally soft kind of leather. For
the preservation of health, it is highly necessary to preserve the feet
dry; persons who are therefore exposed to the wet, or who have much
walking in wet weather, should be particular in wearing sound boots
and shoes; through neglecting this precaution, many persons have
brought on pulmonary complaints, which have frequently had a fatal
termination. Coldness and numbness of the feet is a complaint to
which some persons are subject, especially aged and delicate persons,
and those whose employment is sedentary. The best and most natural
remedy for this, is action, exercise, or friction—the former being always
adopted when possible. Retiring to rest with cold feet is especially to
be avoided, and persons so subject, should pace up and down the room
just previously to going to bed, until their feet have attained a warm
glow. Where this is impracticable, owing to weakness, old age, &c.,
warm woollen stockings may be put on with great advantage, or the
hot water bottle had recourse to. The peculiarly disagreeable odour
emitted by offensive feet, may be remedied chiefly by scrupulous attention
to cleanliness, and by occasionally soaking the feet in warm water
to which a small quantity of chloride of lime or sal-ammoniac has been
added.
There are many affections of this vital organ that, professionally
speaking, do not merit the name of disease, being in fact but temporary
inconveniences, symptomatic derangements, or, as has been said,
affections; but which, nevertheless, for the sake of perspicuity, it
will be better to class generally under the one name of diseases
of the heart, separating them, however, from the graver maladies
by a distinct heading; and, as they form the lighter part of the subject,
treating of them before considering the more serious form of this class
of ailments. The heart, as the centre and source of the circulating
system, is liable to a considerable number of affections, both simple
and complex, which may be divided into two heads—the functional
or nervous, and the structural or organic.
Functional, or Nervous Affections of the Heart.—Under this head
are comprehended palpitation, syncope or fainting, angina pectoris,
and neuralgia of the heart; all of which, though occasionally very
distressing, and sometimes most alarming to the sufferer, are often
only symptoms of other affections, and consequently of minor importance;
and even when spontaneous, and producing considerable
bodily disturbance, seldom cause any real apprehension, and still
more rarely result in positive danger, and in this respect bear a
marked contrast to those diseases of the opposite class.
Palpitation.—By this term is understood those frequent, strong,
and irregular movements of the heart, occurring in individuals who
have no indications of organic disease; these movements may be
transient or continuous, frequently accompanied with an audible
sound, so loud, as to be heard at several yards from the patient.
Palpitation is often attended with a feeling of sinking and anxiety,
accompanied with fainting fits or syncope, and sometimes with a
pulsation at the pit of the stomach. The causes of palpitation,
irrespective of a naturally nervous temperament, hysteria and weakness,
are any strong emotions of the mind, long study, violent exercise,
or a continued passive repose, the debility consequent on fever, or
whatever weakens the standard of health. Besides these causes,
palpitation may also be a symptom of organic disease of the heart.
The persons most frequently affected with palpitation are females;
the slightest extra exertion, or exposure to damp foggy weather,
often suddenly producing a paroxysm, attended with pain in the
head, and a sense of numbness in the left side or arm. Persons
who suffer from spinal irritation are also liable to palpitation, attended
in such cases with a remarkable acceleration of the pulse, often
amounting to 160 beats in a minute. The respiration is generally
difficult, or easily rendered so, on the slightest exertion or mental
emotion, and frequently induced by the slightest pressure, such as
that of the stays on the chest, waist, or lower part of the spine, the
pain often being intolerable. Palpitation is very common in young
females between the ages of 15 and 25, especially where the occupation
is long and sedentary, as in factories, or in dressmakers’ establishments.
Indeed, palpitation, with very rare exceptions, may be said to be a
complaint peculiar to the female sex, and the more the occupation
of young women confines them to a close unvarying atmosphere,
the more prone are they to attacks of this troublesome disorder; and
the more exposed they are to the open air, the less frequent and the
less severe are all such maladies.
There are few affections, even of the gravest character, whose
symptoms give rise to greater alarm in the mind of the patient, or
doubt and uncertainty to the inexperienced practitioner, than those
of a severe attack of palpitation: often before seeing his patient
he hears the irregular throbbing of the heart; on looking on the
white or lividly anxious countenance of the sufferer, fancies he reads
the external signs of the most formidable organic mischief, while,
in truth, a cheerful aspect, a few confident words, and the simplest
remedies, will not only remove all the unpleasant symptoms, but
restore the apparently diseased patient to health, and ultimately to
strength. It is only when the pulse is intermittent that any organic
disease is to be apprehended, the velocity or strength of the pulse
depending entirely on some accidental cause, more or less easily
removed.
Treatment.—Though the causes that excite palpitation are numerous,
they may all be reduced to two heads—that of inflammation or
a state of plethora, and a state of local or constitutional debility.
When palpitation can be traced to an inflammatory condition of body
it will be necessary, according to the age and the condition of the
patient, to reduce the circulation by bleeding, either from the arm,
or what is more usual, by leeches, or cupping glasses over the region
of the heart, or still better, between the shoulders, low down on the
spinal column, at the same time giving nauseating doses of tartar
emetic, hydrocyanic acid or tincture of digitalis, or foxglove. The
following mixture, combining all the advantages to be obtained from
each, may be safely substituted for one or either, having the power
to allay inflammatory action, reduce the circulation, subdue pain,
and promote a beneficial action on the skin.
Take of
Camphor Water
6
ounces.
Powdered Nitre
1
scruple.
Tartar Emetic
3
grains.
Laudanum
1
drachm.
Dissolve and mix. Give two table-spoonfuls at once, and one spoonful
every two or three hours afterwards.
At the same time a low diet,
rest, quietude, and strict attention to the state of the stomach and
digestive organs, are imperatively necessary. Where, however, the
exciting cause is debility, the system must be in the first case braced
by cold bathing or the shower bath, followed by vigorous friction
along the spine with the flesh-brush; tonics and steel in all shapes,
as chalybeate waters, or steel, wine or pills, or the usual iron and
myrrh mixture; to this must be added change of air, a rich and
liberal diet, and exercise either on horseback or by walking. The
next affection of the heart is
Syncope, or fainting, which is characterised by an indescribable
sense of distress and feeling of faintness; the eyes grow dim, and
are covered with a kind of film, attended with noises in the ears;
the face and lips are pale, a cold perspiration breaks out on the body,
the mind succumbs and grows confused, the body totters, and if not
supported, falls; respiration becomes imperceptible, and the pulse
is reduced to an irregular flutter. For a further account and treatment,
see Fainting.
Angina Pectoris.—The first symptoms of this distressing complaint
are a sudden and violent pain across the chest, coming on upon any
slight exertion, such as going upstairs, or after a hearty meal. The
pain gradually extends to the shoulder, and runs down to about the
middle of the arm, accompanied with a sense of stricture or tightness
across the chest, the pain becoming so acute as to threaten the patient
with instant death. The pulse sinks and becomes weak and irregular,
the countenance is colourless, cold sweats succeed, and a constant
cough, and after a time an expectoration of a scanty viscid mucus.
When the paroxysm first comes on, the patient is compelled to stand
perfectly still, as the only relief he can obtain from the agony of
his suffering is an absolute repose. After a time the fit comes on
from the slightest cause or mental excitement, and often attacks
him in the night upon waking from his first sleep. Angina pectoris
is generally a disease of advanced life, and is often accompanied with
flatulence, and common to gouty or rheumatic and sedentary habits
of body; and though sometimes a symptom of functional derangement,
is more frequently a characteristic of serious organic disease.
Treatment.—The first indication is to relieve the urgency of the
symptoms, and then between the pauses of the paroxysm administer
remedies, to prevent the return of the disease. Bleeding is occasionally
beneficial in this affection, but it must be employed in the earliest
stage, and only a small quantity of blood taken from the patient,
who is to be kept in a recumbent position, and as quiet as possible.
Where there is much dyspepsia or gastric disturbance, an emetic is
useful; but the main dependence for relief lies in the employment
of anti-spasmodics and carminatives.
The following mixture, as containing the best of both classes, may
be taken in the manner directed.
Take of
Aromatic Confection
1
drachm.
Peppermint Water
6
ounces.
Rub smoothly down in a mortar, and add
Tincture of Cardamoms, compound
1
ounce.
Laudanum
1
drachm.
Compound Spirits of Ether, or Hoffman’s Anodyne
2
drachms.
Mix. If the pain is very severe, take three table-spoonfuls, two
more in three hours, and one every four hours afterwards; or, when
the symptoms are less urgent, two table-spoonfuls every four or six
hours.
Concurrent with the mixture, a blister or strong warming
plaster should be laid over the left breast, according to the severity
of the pain, and the spine between the shoulders rubbed with warm
turpentine, or an embrocation composed of equal parts of camphorated
oil, turpentine, and oil of amber. Having by these means, and strict
repose, subdued the paroxysms, means must be adopted to prevent,
if possible, a recurrence of the disease. This may be effected by
removing all the exciting causes; by diminishing plethora, through
aperients and low diet, by a diminution of animal and a preponderance
of vegetable food; by avoiding all stimulants, spices, and heating
substances, and by guarding against all violent emotions of the mind,
or sudden and undue exertion or exercise. As all the symptoms
of angina pectoris may be caused by dyspepsia, the state of the
stomach should always command the first and most important consideration.
The next and last of the functional diseases of this organ is neuralgia
of the heart, which differs chiefly from angina pectoris in being characterised
by sharp darting pains in the left breast, but unattended by
any obstruction in the respiration, and in most cases without any
change in the heart’s action or the pulse. It is purely a nervous
complaint, and, like the previous affections, most frequently dependent
on dyspepsia or flatulence, and a constipated state of the system.
The treatment must be regulated by the causes that may seem to
have induced the neuralgia; though, as a local application, to allay
the pain of the paroxysms, a plaster of belladonna or opium and
litharge will, in all cases, be found of very great advantage, and
may, irrespective of any mode of internal treatment, be kept on the
chest for some considerable time. There is also another form of
heart affection sometimes met with, though not universally acknowledged
by the profession, called spasm of the heart, in which the treatment
must depend upon the age, sex, and strength of the patient; the
chief remedies, however, being the hot bath, stimulants, such as
ether and ammonia, and counter-irritation by friction.
The other class of diseases to which the heart is liable are those
which affect the tissue or substance of the organ itself, and are known
as structural or organic diseases; all of them are, consequently, highly
dangerous and often mortal maladies, and are called:—1. Inflammation,
chronic and acute, of the bag of the heart—Pericarditis. 2. Of the
substance of the heart—Carditis. 3. Hypertrophy, or enlargement of
the heart, either of the whole organ or a part, and frequently accompanied
with ossification, softening, or dilatation, sometimes regarded
as a distinct disease. 4. Atrophy, or wasting of the heart, a species
of emaciation of the organ by which the heart of a full-grown man
or woman becomes as reduced as that of a child—in other words,
less than half its natural dimensions—and its texture growing so
attenuated as to be as thin as tissue or bank paper. Nearly all these
affections of the heart, however distressing their symptoms may be,
almost always, when not the result of structural mischief, proceed
from a faulty state of the digestive organs, and are frequently entirely
cured by an assafœtida pill taken two or three times a week at bed-time,
and a little burnt soda and rhubarb in the morning; and it is
only when pain and great oppression occur that recourse need be had
to ether, opium, or anti-spasmodics.
The chain of symptoms which give rise to those general and local
affections, which are professionally denominated gout, proceed from
some constitutional disturbance, of the nature of which medical
science is yet completely ignorant. The symptoms have hitherto been
regarded as the disease, and it has been found, that whenever these
have been duly developed and have passed away, the system, as if
relieved of some acrid poison, has recovered its elasticity and tone;
leaving the patient in the enjoyment of a state of health superior to
that usually possessed. Gout appears to be a state of diseased action,
gradually vitiating the humours of the body, and accumulating a morbid
condition of the system, till the impaired or overcharged organs
becoming unable to perform their functions, that disturbance in the
physical economy takes place known to us as gout, that is, the symptoms,
which indicate the first of the three varieties into which the disease is
divided, namely, the acute: the second is, when these symptoms
suddenly cease in the part where they commenced, and fly to some
internal organ, when it is called retrocedent; and the third, when the
system becomes habituated to the malady, which, though mitigated as
respects suffering, continues in a permanent but subdued force, when it
is called chronic gout. Gout is usually divided into four species or
distinctive forms, as—
1. Regular gout, attended with violent inflammation of the joints,
enduring for several days, and then receding gradually, with swelling,
itching, and disquamation or peeling off of the cuticle.
2. Atonic gout, attended with debility of stomach or some other
internal part, either with or without inflammation of the joints,
accompanied with flying pains and considerable dyspepsia or
indigestion.
3. Retrocedent gout, marked by inflammation of the joints, suddenly
disappearing, and followed by immediate debility of the stomach or some
other internal organ.
4. Misplaced gout, shown by inflammation of some internal part,
preceded or not by some affection of the joints, which, however, quickly
disappears.
General symptoms.—Dyspepsia, flatulence, lassitude, torpor, low spirits,
cold and numbed extremities, with pricking and gnawing sensations in
the part, cramps, turgescence of the veins of the foot and leg; the
paroxysms usually coming on about two in the morning, with excruciating
pains in the joint of the great toe, succeeded by shiverings, a sense of
horror and general fever; the pain goes on increasing till the following
evening, when it reaches its acme of suffering, from which time it
gradually declines, a moisture breaks out on the body, and the patient
begins to breathe in freedom, he falls into a tranquil sleep, and discovers
on waking that the part so lately in torture is entirely free from pain,
but swollen and inflamed.
Treatment.—In this disease the first indication is, to alleviate pain,
which must be effected by giving an opiate of sufficient strength to
effect that purpose, and at the same time, to shorten the paroxysm,
exciting an action on the skin. To effect both these objects at once,
doses of the following mixture should be taken every two hours till the
desired result has been attained:—
Take of
Solution of Acetate of Ammonia
2
ounces.
Spirits of Nitre
3
drachms.
Antimonial Wine
2
drachms.
Tincture of Squills
2
drachms.
Laudanum
2
drachms.
Camphor Water
3
ounces.
Mix; two table-spoonfuls to be taken for a dose. The affected part is to
be enveloped in soft wool or flannel, and the patient’s mind soothed; the
limb kept at perfect rest, all exciting aliment discontinued, and where
the patient is young, a low and abstemious dietary insisted on, and if
necessary once or twice a week giving a mild purgative of magnesia
and Epsom salts. When the paroxysms have been subdued, the
colchicum, which some regard with so much favour, may be given either
in half drachm doses of the wine or tincture, or in, what is better, the
following formulary; but however taken, this drug should be always
preceded by an aperient medicine.
Take of
Epsom Salts
½
ounce.
Magnesia
2
drachms.
Peppermint Water
6
ounces.
Wine of Colchicum
3
drachms.
Mix, and take one table-spoonful three times a day. When the joint
will bear friction, the flesh-brush should be used daily, a milk and
vegetable diet pursued, exercise and change of air adopted, and, where
possible, the bath or chalybeate waters moderately taken. The gouty
deposits or concretions formed in joints of persons afflicted with gout,
or chalk stones, as they are commonly called, consisting of an insoluble
urate of soda, can only be dissipated in one way, by the steady use of
benzoic acid, which, in doses of one scruple combined with two drachms
of the carbonate of potass, is to be taken dissolved in water every
day an hour after breakfast and dinner, and continued till the
depositions are absorbed.
A very painful disease which affects the muscles and joints of the
human body, chiefly the larger joints and most important muscles, as
those of and around the shoulder, hip, knees, and back. Rheumatism
is divided into acute and chronic; or that condition, when the disease
is in vigour and freshness attended with extreme pain, and more or
less of general fever, and that state, when the system, by long acquaintance
with the disease, has become familiar to its attack, and it
comes on from any trifling exposure to cold, and after affecting a
larger or smaller surface, declines of its own accord—all the symptoms
however, being materially lighter than in the acute state. Besides
being acute and chronic, rheumatism is very often both general and
local, and this, under both previous conditions, and the diseases known
as lumbago and sciatica, are merely forms of acute or chronic local
rheumatism.
Acute Rheumatism, or Rheumatic Fever, is a disease which,
in many of its symptoms, strongly resembles inflammatory fever, and
usually commences after the languor, restlessness, and shivering,
which precede all febrile actions, and is attended with great heat,
much thirst, headache, a quick bounding pulse, white tongue, constipated
bowels, and acute pain either confined to one or two parts, or
more generally diffused over the body. There is at the same time
an oppression in the breathing, the abdomen is often tense and tumid,
and the secretion from the bladder, scant, and of a deep red colour;
while, from the surface of the body a perspiration breaks out, which,
though unattended with relief, by its peculiar acid smell defines the
disease, and affords a good diagnosis, before asking the patient a single
question. Upon entering the room the air seems redolent of stale
vinegar, and this fact, while helping the physician to a suggestion
of the disease, serves to define the attack from inflammatory or any
other form of fever. Another characteristic and distinctive symptom
of this disease, is the increase of pain in the course of the muscles
on any attempt to move the patient into another position. The
symptoms, if from the first unrelieved, gradually increase in intensity;
and the pulse in such cases becomes, in addition to its velocity, hard
and jerking. In all cases the symptoms are aggravated at night, and
remit their violence in the morning. The pain though sometimes
intense, is not always continuous, it is often only partial in its situation,
and sometimes abates for hours, but in all cases it is the last symptom
the patient loses. The disease after a course of from fifteen to thirty days
subsides, often leaving one or more members in a state of chronic
tumefaction.
The causes that induce rheumatic fever, are generally exposure to
cold damp air, or transitions from a warm moist atmosphere into a
cold or wet one, and the period most liable to an attack is that of youth
and vigorous manhood, the full-bodied and the active, rather than
the spare and torpid; and men more frequently than women. The
only other disease with which rheumatism can be confounded, is gout,
and from this it can always be known by the indigestion and little
constitutional disturbances which always precede gout; and lastly,
by that disease attacking the small joints, as the toes or fingers,
instead of, as in rheumatism, the shoulder, knee, or hip.
Treatment.—Bleeding has always been regarded as the chief if not
sovereign remedy in this disease; but as depletion is known to
favour that dangerous state known as metastasis, or a sudden removal
of the disease from one part to another; and, not unfrequently, from
the surface to some internal organ, bleeding should, therefore, if possible,
not be repeated, the physician depending upon other means to
effect the depletion necessary. Indeed, in many cases, the extraction
of blood from the system is quite uncalled for, as all its benefits can
be obtained by less serious and equally efficacious remedies, and by
adopting the following mode of treatment—one that will generally
be found sufficient to render the lancet quite unnecessary; or should
bleeding in the first stage have been adopted, it may be employed
with equal advantage after; only in that case, it will be less requisite
to give the aperient pills in such large doses.
Take of
Powdered Nitre
1
drachm.
Tartar Emetic
4
grains.
Camphor Water
10
ounces.
Laudanum
2
drachms.
Mix. Give two large table-spoonfuls every three hours, apply a
bottle of hot water to the feet, and administer two of the following pills
an hour after the first dose of the mixture, and one every six hours
after, till an effectual action is excited in the bowels, when they are
to be discontinued.
Take of
Compound Extract of Colocynth
1
scruple.
Calomel
15
grains.
Camphor, powdered
4
grains.
Croton Oil
2
drops.
Mix thoroughly together, make into a mass, and divide into six pills.
Should the pain continue excessive, and the patient be debarred from
sleep by the nightly irritation, either twenty-five drops of laudanum,
in half a wine-glass of water, with a tea-spoonful of spirits of sweet
nitre, is to be given to him, if an adult, at bed-time; or else ten grains
of Dover’s powder in a little gruel; and should it be required (one
or the other), repeated at night for two, three, or more occasions,
as may be needed; the patient, during the day, reverting to the mixture
and an occasional pill, sufficient to excite one or two actions in
the twenty-four hours. Thin gruel, lemonade, or linseed tea as a
diluent, are to be used frequently to quench the thirst, and a diet of
the least solid or exciting kind established till all the febrile symptoms
are subdued. After a lapse of from four to twelve days, the inflammatory
stage, or the acute form of the disease, will generally have
been passed through; after which, the treatment assumes a different
form, such as chronic rheumatism, though this term strictly signifies
a disease of considerable standing; for the sake of perspicuity, that
condition of the system existing at the termination of the acute form,
has been classed under it, which, though not correct as to fact, is
perfectly so as respects treatment, which is analogous in all conditions
not attended with inflammatory fever. In chronic rheumatism, the
inflammation and the pain are both confined to the locality or part,
and the object of the treatment is to allay that pain by reducing the
inflamed condition of the muscle or member. This is effected either
by internal remedies, or what are called constitutional means, or
through friction, by producing counter-irritation, or an artificial
inflammation in the parts of the body immediately above the suffering
place; or else by a judicious blending of the two modes of practice.
When the fever, or the acute stage has been subdued by the means
already mentioned, and a part of the body remains swollen and tender,
or when in old cases this condition comes on without other symptoms,
the following mixture is to be given, and the part carefully guarded
from the cold.
Take of
Solution of Acetate of Ammonia
2
ounces.
Wine of Colchicum
½
ounce.
Syrup of Saffron
2
drachms.
Camphor Water
3½
ounces.
Mix, and give a table-spoonful every three hours, and one of the following
pills every night an hour before bed-time.
Take of
Ipecacuanha
3
grains.
Acetate of Morphia
1
grain.
Liquorice Powder
10
grains.
Mix well, form into a mass with conserve, and divide into six pills.
When the health is debilitated, and the appetite defective, a grain
of quinine made into a pill may be taken an hour before each meal
for a succession of days. If this course is not marked with early
benefit, it will be necessary to employ friction, which may be carried
on concurrently with the medicine, and the best agent for this purpose
is the camphorated oil, which is to be rubbed gently but steadily in
with the hand for several minutes three times a day, after a few days,
or in old standing rheumatisms, increasing the strength at first by
adding a third part of turpentine to the camphorated oil, and finally
another third of spirits of hartshorn. Mustard plasters and even
blisters are sometimes employed in cases of inveterate rheumatism,
but the steady and judicious use of a stimulating embrocation with
a hot bath, friction with the flesh-brush, warm clothing and exercise,
will in almost every case cure a chronic rheumatism without the
necessity of either rubifacient or blister.
This extremely painful affection of the nerves of the face, though
receiving a special name, is in nothing different—except in the more
acute violence of its pain—from the general or local forms of neuralgia;
an inflamed or highly sensitive condition of a certain nerve or set of
nerves, the result of constitutional disturbance, indigestion, or wounds
in the course of one or other of the filaments of the nerves, being both
the exciting cause and the disease itself. The causes that most frequently
produce tic-douloureux, are almost always some long standing
functional derangement of the digestive organs, affections of the liver
or of the kidneys, or alimentary canal. Next in frequency to these
causes, is exposure to long-sustained fatigue or sudden heat or cold,
applied to the body, and sometimes sleeping in the sun. Tic-douloureux
has been frequently known to follow a halt, during a long march in
India, and like tetanus too, tic-douloureux sometimes supervenes upon
wounds; and years after the injury, whether punctured, gunshot, or
incised, has been healed, this agonising disease will break out upon
any sudden application of heat or cold to the body, or indeed after
any deep emotion of the mind. Whatever may be the predisposing
cause, the suffering and consequences induced bear no proportion in
their intensity to the insignificance of the agents that give rise to the
disease.
The symptoms of tic-douloureux commence with a sudden plunging
throbbing pain, darting as it were from over the eye, out of the cheekbone,
under the orbit, or from the side of the lower jaw, and spreading,
if the paroxysms are long continued, over the whole of one side of the
face from forehead to chin. The pain is so abrupt, peculiar, and intense,
as almost to deprive the sufferer of breath in its first assault. These
shooting, throbbing, and as they are justly called, agonizing pains
continue for an uncertain time, from only a few minutes to one or more
hours in duration, subsiding either by degrees or by an instant cessation
of pain, and ending as abruptly as the first shock began. Tic-douloureux
is distinguished from tooth-ache by the situation, and from rheumatism,
the only other affection it can be confounded with, by the peculiarity
and violence of the pain, the shortness of its duration, by always coming
on in paroxysms, and by the absence of all swelling and redness over
the part. A peculiarity of this disease is, that though sometimes
induced by the slightest touch of the finger, or the faintest breath of
cold air, at another time the part may be slapped or rubbed with
impunity.
Treatment.—This consists, in the first instance, acting on the digestive
organs, correcting the functional disturbance, and lastly by elevating
the tone of the system, and enabling it to restore the irritated nerves
to a pristine soundness, or if this cannot be done by constitutional
means, by the employment of local remedies for that purpose. First,
the best mode of acting on the digestive organs is by the steady
employment of gentle aperients, care being taken to avoid any active
or drastic purgative. For this purpose, a five grain compound rhubarb
pill should be taken every night for several days till the bowels are
brought into a healthy state, or a pill composed of equal parts of the
compound rhubarb and colocynth pill may be substituted, where a
little more active medicine is needed, the nightly dose being the same
in this as the former. Secondly, to correct the functional disturbance,
if, as most frequently, the result of indigestion, two table-spoonfuls of
the following mixture are to be taken every four or six hours.
Take of
Hops
2
drachms.
Cascarilla, bruised
1
drachm.
Cloves, bruised
2
drachms.
Infuse in a pint of boiling water for twelve hours; add
Carbonate of Potass
2
drachms.
Dissolve, and strain for use. Or where the stomach is cold and weak,
as in advanced life, let the patient take a tea-spoonful of Gregory’s
powder in a little peppermint water twice or three times a day.
Thirdly, to elevate the tone of the system, the body must be braced by
tonics, which may be effected by either of the two following forms
of medicine.
Take of
Carbonate of Iron
2
drachms.
Sulphate of Quinine
18
grains.
Mix, and divide into six powders, one to be taken three times a day;
or, take of
Infusion of Quassia
8
ounces.
Quinine
1
scruple.
Diluted Sulphuric Acid
30
drops.
Dissolve; two table-spoonfuls to be taken three times a day. Accompanying
the tonic course, the patient should take several glasses of
wine during the day, or else an equivalent of the best stout, and should
live on a liberal dietary, taking as much exercise as is compatible
with age and strength. When, in despite of all such remedial means,
the paroxysms of pain continue, it often becomes necessary to relieve
any local congestion that may exist around the nerve, either by the
application of five or six leeches over the source of the pain, or by
the employment of cupping glasses or a mustard plaster. In case of
both of these means failing, a blister may be applied behind the ear
of the affected side, and in extreme cases a blister down the spine at
the nape of the neck, which must be converted into an issue, and kept
open for a week or two. It is seldom, however, that this has to be
resorted to, the disease, however intense the paroxysms, generally
yielding to any one course if steadily and judiciously carried through,
unless, indeed, the disease is the consequence of a system shattered by
wounds, campaigns, and climate, then, and only under such unfavourable
circumstances, tic-douloureux becomes most formidable. The
discovery of chloroform has, however, placed in the physician’s hand
a boon that in a disease of this nature is in truth a very blessing to
suffering nature, and may be employed in conditions of system and
under circumstances where opium, morphia, brandy, and both narcotics
and stimulants are inadmissible, or, from the necessary dose to effect
relief, would be dangerous.
A disease of the nerves, so called from a pain in the nerve. It is
a form of nervous affection, that may either arise of itself, or be the
result of some other constitutional disturbance. Neuralgia may either
attack the root of the nerve, or where it arises from the brain or spinal
marrow, attend its whole course, or only manifest itself in its branches,
or even at the final termination of its smallest filament. According to
the part affected, the disease has obtained different names. When the
course of the nerve is affected, as in the hip or leg, it is called sciatica;
when the extremity is affected, if in the teeth, it is called tooth-ache;
and when the twigs and branches of the face are involved, tic-douloureux.
The pain attending all neuralgic affections, is of the most acute and
agonising description, being sharp, sudden, and plunging; coming on
in a moment, and after a paroxysm of intense suffering, abating as
abruptly as it commenced; and so erratic and uncertain are its attacks,
that it will sometimes be induced by the most trivial motion, action,
or lightest contact, while, not unfrequently, a blow or hard pressure
has no effect on the part. The twitching, or tic, that attends neuralgia
so frequently, is always more marked where there are many small
muscles in the neighbourhood, an aching numbness being left in the
part for some time after the subsidence of the more acute pain.
Neuralgia, as well as attacking the root, course, and extremities of a
nerve, occasionally shows itself in the organ to which the nerve ultimately
distributes itself, as in the heart, in angina pectoris, the breasts
of females, and other organs. Though the subject of neuralgia has
been deeply investigated, no satisfactory hypothesis has been yet come
to, to account for the origin of the disease; and whether it depends
upon a morbid state of the nerve, inflammation of the neurilemma, or
sheath of the nerve, from pressure, or some unhealthy condition of the
nervous centres, is still an undecided question. The treatment of this
most agonising disease must depend, as far it can be ascertained, upon
the supposed cause. When it is symptomatic, the treatment is much
easier and more simple, and must be regulated by that cause, the first
endeavour being to remove the primary disease, and after brace the
system by chalybeate, tonics, wine, bark, and exercise. When idiopathic,
however, the most opposite treatments have occasionally been successful,
and sometimes all modes of cure have failed; and when physician and
patient have both been exhausted with fruitless efforts, the malady has
subsided of itself. As a general rule, however, the constitutional tonic
and anodyne system, with counter-irritation, has been found the most
successful practice; the three modes enjoined very frequently effecting
what neither the tonic, the sedative, nor the local irritation alone could
achieve.
The safest mode of procedure in facial neuralgia, is to take an
aperient pill, and the best for this purpose is the compound assafœtida,
to be followed every four hours by a pill containing two grains of
quinine for twenty-four hours; and during the second day, twenty
grains of carbonate of iron in a little water, at the same periods, for
the same time. Should the pain be unabated on the third day, either a
couple of leeches are to be applied as near the seat of pain as possible,
or a mustard and flour poultice, kept on for half an hour, with a glass
of wine every four hours, and twenty to thirty drops of laudanum at
bed-time, in conjunction with one or two assafœtida pills. Should
these remedies fail of effect, the conjoined systems may then be adopted,
and the following mixture and powders given as directed.
Take of
Carbonate of Ammonia
25
grains.
Dover’s Powder
40
grains.
Camphor Water
6
ounces.
Spirits of Ether
1
drachm.
Mix. Two table-spoonfuls every four hours.
Take of
Carbonate of Iron
2
drachms.
Quinine
12
grains.
Dry Carbonate of Soda
20
grains.
Mix, and divide into six powders, one to be taken in jelly or water an
hour after each dose of the mixture. At the same time, apply a small
blister behind the ear of the part affected.
In some constitutions, it is
necessary to resort to extreme doses, both of sedatives and stimulants,
before any mitigation of the tormenting pain can be effected; and then
it is necessary to give opium, rather in regard to the effect desired
than with any reference to its conventional dose, and administer wine
out of goblets, rather than in glasses. Such cases are unfortunately
by no means rare, but they are such that no suffering should induce
a patient to adopt on his own responsibility, and unsanctioned by a
medical man.
Electricity and galvanism have been so often employed for empirical
purposes, and many, only partially informed of their real efficacy, are
prejudiced against their use as health-restoring agents: it has therefore
been thought advisable to give the medical routine of cure before
pointing out a safe, easy, and very admirable remedial agent in the
electro-galvanic chain, a small portable battery, that can be worn on
any part of the body, and which, by keeping up a constant galvanic
wave through the affected nerve, acts as a sedative, by equalizing the
nervous current, and often affording relief where all other means have
failed to effect a moment’s cessation of pain. The electro-galvanic
chains, manufactured and invented by Pulvermacher, may be applied
in any stage or in any kind of neuralgic pain, always with safety and
relief, and in many cases with permanent cure.
A painful affection of the muscles of the loins and small of the
back; a rheumatism, or sub-acute inflammation of the muscular fibres
of the part. Lumbago, like other forms of rheumatism, is induced by
exposure to cold, moisture, or wet, from over-heating the body, and
while in a state of perspiration, being exposed to draughts or cold air.
When of long standing, it is not unusual for the kidneys to sympathise
with the external inflammation, and complicate the disease.
The symptoms of lumbago are too well known to require recapitulation;
and as respects the treatment, the hot bath, either the complete
or hip, is in all cases the first and most important means to adopt,
being followed up by a vigorous rubbing in of the following embrocation
twice a day, and the exhibition of thirty drops of the spirits
of turpentine in a little gin, with a small quantity of water, upon
going to bed.
Take of
Camphorated Oil
2
ounces.
Oil of Amber and Turpentine, of each
1
ounce.
Spirits of Hartshorn
½
ounce.
Mix, and use as an embrocation.
Where the pain is excessive, and the rest is disturbed, ten grains
of Dover’s powder should be taken at bed-time in a little gruel, and
a bottle of hot water placed under the hollow of the back. When
the acuteness of the disease is subdued, it is advisable to wear a
warm plaster on the loins for some short time afterwards, to keep
up the heat, and guard against cold and a relapse.
This is a disease of the skin, and arises most frequently from
coming in contact with those already affected by it; in some habits
there is evidently a predisposition to it. It is a disease more frequently
met with in warm climates than in cold ones, is of an exceedingly
contagious nature, and in inveterate cases is very difficult to eradicate.
It shows itself in small red pimples, which break out in a circular
form, and contain a thin acrid (pungent) fluid. When the body is
heated by exercise these itch intolerably, and upon being rubbed,
discharge their contents, which by falling on the neighbouring parts,
spread the disease to a considerable degree. The original size of the
circle formed by the pimples, is usually about that of a sixpenny
piece; but in process of time it will become, if neglected, as large
as a man’s hand. Numerous are the remedies proposed for this very
unpleasant complaint, but none are certain except the following;
and if no other application has been previously used, its success is
sure:—two-thirds of pyroligneous acid to one-third of water; rub the
spots carefully for three mornings: if cured, a scurf will appear, which
must be softened with cold cream, or lard without salt, but no soap
or water must be used.
It is desirable to cut off the hair from the immediate neighbourhood
of the ring; and after the cure is effected, weaken the lotion
still further, by the addition of more water, and well wash the head
all over with it. It seldom happens that an internal use of medicine
is requisite; but where the disease is very inveterate, we would recommend
a powder to be given at bed-time once or twice. The following
will answer very well for a child of seven years of age.
Calomel
1
grain.
Jalap, Powder
8
grains.
If other applications have been tried, the cure will not be so speedy.
Consist in straining, wrenching, or tearing of the ligaments or tough
structures which bind bones together to form joints. The wrist and
ankle are the joints most commonly sprained. Sprains are among
the most severe accidents to which we are subject, as regards the
part itself; the pain is, at the moment, excruciating, often continues
so on the slightest movement, and too frequently lays the foundation
of what is commonly called White Swelling.
To treat a sprain properly, it should be kept perfectly at rest; and
if it be of the ankle or knee, the patient must lie in bed, or on a
sofa. Warm, moist flannels should be repeatedly applied for some
hours, and a bread-and-water poultice on going to bed. These should
be continued for some days, and no attempt made to use the joint.
If the pain be very severe, and it continues so for the first or following
days, leeches may be applied, and repeated if necessary. Some
persons are fond of putting on a vinegar poultice at once; but this
is better left alone till the tenderness has subsided, and there remains
only a little pain and stiffness in the joint. Then a vinegar poultice
is a very good application, as it produces a diversion of the inflammation
going on in the ligaments, by bringing out a crop of pimples
on the skin, at a time when the pressure of rubbing in any stimulating
lotion cannot be borne.
When the pain has entirely ceased, the joint must not be carelessly
used; and, if it be the knee or ankle sprained, walking till the joints
become weak and ache must be most carefully avoided, as irreparable
mischief is thereby very often caused. Short and gentle walks only,
therefore, may be taken; and may be repeated by degrees more
frequently during the day, if they do not produce pain or fatigue.
A joint often swells a long time after a sprain; under which circumstance
it is best to bind it up with straps of soap-plaster, or a roller.
Chilblains consist of a peculiar inflammation of the skin of parts
exposed to sudden alternations of temperature. They occur on the
nose, ear, hands, but most frequently on the feet. The reason why
they occur more frequently on the hands and feet is, because persons
are apt directly they come in from the frosty air, to warm
those parts at the fire. The face does not get warmed in the same
manner, or its skin would be equally liable to chilblains.
In this inflammation, which constitutes chilblains, the sides of the
small blood-vessels become paralyzed, and losing their contractility,
are dilated by the pressure of the blood within them. If the inflammation
be not abated, that is to say, if the little blood-vessels are
not restored to their original size, and to their natural contractility,
they burst, and matter will be formed, or mortification may ensue.
This contractility depends upon proper nervous action in those small
fibres which give life to the sides of the hair-like vessels, or small
blood-pipes. Any sudden shock of cold or heat deprives these nerves
of their power, and induces a local paralysis. The change from cold
to heat oftener produces this shock than that from heat to cold; but
either sudden alternation will produce chilblain. It need hardly be
said that the nerves of persons in low states of health, persons of
scrofulous habits, and young persons in whom the tissues are delicate,
are more liable to be locally paralyzed in the manner described,
than those persons of robust constitution, having a large quantity of
vitality to resist such attacks. Hence we find such invalids, scrofulous
persons, and children, more liable to chilblain than others. The
liability to chilblain is often an indication of a low state of health,
and want of healthy vital action in the system.
When the nature of chilblains is understood, the mode of prevention
will be at once perceived, viz.—1st. To protect the parts most
liable to the attack (hands and feet) from sudden alternations, either
from cold to heat, or from heat to cold. 2dly. To keep the constitution
in such a healthy state as to make all parts possess such
vitality as to be able to resist slight alternations in temperature.
1. Protection of the Parts.—Those substances which are good non-conductors
of heat are the best coverings. Woollen stockings or
socks, and warm boots and shoes, come under this category. Light
shoes and stockings should be worn in the house, or the feet will
become so accustomed to a high temperature that they will be more
sensitive to cold. Warm leather gloves, being impervious to wind,
are better for the hands than woollen ones, through which the dry
frosty air is apt to pierce and chap the hands. Tight wristbands,
tight garters, and boots which lace or button tightly about the
ankles, must be avoided, because, by preventing the proper circulation
of the blood in the hands or feet, they diminish the vitality
of the part, and produce an unnatural pressure on the coats or walls
of the small blood-vessels. The most frequent cause of chilblain is
the warming of numbed hands or feet at the fire. This habit must,
of course, be relinquished entirely. Gutta-percha soles, by preventing
the wearers from warming their feet at the fire, have saved hundreds
from the attacks of chilblains; but such soles should not be
worn in the house. After walking in the snow, or in frosty weather,
the coverings of the hands and feet should be removed. Dry stockings
should be put on after gently rubbing the feet with the pair
which has been taken off. The fresh pair must not be warmed. It
is well to wear woollen stockings when out, and cotton stockings
when in-doors. The use of excessively hot water when the feet are
cold, has produced mortification; but the frequent washing of the
feet in tepid water and soap, restores the powers of the nerves in
the parts, and renders them less likely to be affected by those
alternations of temperature to which they are liable to be exposed.
2. Constitutional Means of Prevention.—Persons in robust health are
less liable to take infection, suffer less from injuries, and when wounded,
are possessed of greater powers of nature for reparation, than partial
or confirmed invalids. The cold of winter ought to stimulate us to
exertion; and exercise is especially necessary to health in winter. Too
warm clothing of the body enervates and debilitates; only sufficient
clothing, therefore, should be worn. Rooms in winter are often made
hotter than the air of summer; this, and bad ventilation, is another
blow to constitutional strength. Enough, however, has been said on
this subject to indicate the necessity of general attention to the health
in persons who are excessively liable to chilblains.
3. Treatment.—When the inflammation called chilblain has attacked
any part, it should be considered whether it is a mere local affection,
or whether it shows a constitutional state, which renders the hands
or feet, or both, more liable to the attack than those parts ought to
be. If hands and feet are both attacked in several spots at the same
time, and this without any very evident cause, constitutional treatment
is pointed out, in addition to the use of remedial agents locally; where,
however, there is only a single spot on the hands or feet, and a cause
(such as warming the feet at the fire) is remembered, only local
treatment is necessary. The hands and feet enjoy different conditions,
however, and require slightly different management. Our treatment,
therefore, resolves itself into three parts:—
Constitutional. Of the Hands. Of the Feet.
Constitutional Treatment.—Aperient medicines may be used to relieve
the overloaded blood-vessels, and lessen the pressure upon the coats
of the capillaries, or hair-like blood-pipes of the parts affected. After
this has been done, small doses of tartrate of antimony wine (which
seems to constringe the enlarged vessels) may be taken with advantage.
The writer has seen this treatment (without local means) act as a
sort of charm, and relieve full crops of chilblains on hands and feet.
A dram of the wine may be added to half a pint of water, in which a
drachm of saltpetre has been dissolved. Dose: for an adult, one or
two table-spoonfuls every four hours; for a child, one or two tea-spoonfuls
three times a day. It should not be given in such doses
as to produce vomiting. The head, neck, and chest, should be washed
in cold water every morning, and brisk exercise taken at regular hours.
Persons of a scrofulous habit should be particularly attentive to their
general health in winter. The addition of salt to the washing water
is recommended in their cases. It is not an uncommon practice for
persons, after exposure to cold, to drink hot elder wine, or hot negus,
or warm spirits and water; all such measures, having a tendency to
produce rapid and violent reaction, are likely to render persons liable
to chilblains.
Treatment of the Hands.—Wash in cold water every three hours,
and lather well with Windsor soap. When the hands are nearly dried
with the towel, pour a little Eau de Cologne, or milk of roses, into the
palm of one hand, and rub it over the whole of both; lastly, polish
with the towel till every part glows with warmth, and is so completely
dry that the lint from the towel does not stick to the skin. The writer
believes this simple plan to be infallible.
Treatment of the Feet.—All the plans for prevention are curative.
Chilblain in the feet often assumes a more serious form than in the
hands, and the application of cold water is inadmissible, especially
in the case of females. The three degrees of chilblain in the feet
are: 1st. The skin is red in patches, and slightly swelled, with more
or less itching or tingling, with slight tenderness. 2d. Small blisters
appear, surrounded by a livid skin. 3d. Ulceration and mortification
take place. For the first two cases, which are most common, the
frequent application of tepid water (using plenty of soap) gives relief.
A leech is a useful remedy to unload the overcharged blood-vessels;
or the part may be pricked with a needle, or punctured with a lancet;
in such cases a soft bread-and-water poultice should be kept on during
the night, applied warm, so as to encourage the flow of blood.
Common as leeches are now, few persons have any notion of the
distance from which they are brought for our use. Our own country
furnishes at present few, if any, medicinal leeches. Formerly they
were imported from France, but now, many are brought from Syria,
and, as they are very delicate creatures, vast numbers of them are
often lost in a rough passage across the sea.
Leeches should be kept in a cool place, in a stone or glass jar,
filled with river water, and tied over with coarse muslin to prevent
their escape, though it allows them air. The water should be changed
only when it begins to get foul, as too frequent disturbing destroys
them. They are also sometimes found dead after storms.
There is often a great deal of trouble in getting leeches to fix. The
part on which they are to be applied should be carefully cleared of
perspiration, and wiped with a cool moist cloth, so as to leave it damp.
If they do not take readily, the part may be moistened with a little
sugar and water, or milk. But if this does not answer, the skin may
be gently scratched with a needle-point, till the blood comes, and then
they will take. If it be wished to put the leeches as near as possible
on one spot, the best plan is to put them all in the deep part of a
small pill-box, or in a small wine-glass, which is to be turned down
on the part. If you wish them to spread over a large surface, as
upon one of the limbs, or the stomach, they must be put on singly
and by hand, which is often very tedious and tiresome work. They
should then be held tightly by the tail, wrapped in a piece of wet
rag, so that they may be less inconvenienced by the heat of the hand;
and if the leech do not soon fix, it is best to put it again into the water
to cool itself, and after applying others, to try it again. It is always
best to have more leeches than the number directed, in case some
will not bite.
When the proper number have been applied, they should be left
quite alone, or they are apt to unfix, and, wandering about, are of no
further use. When they have sucked their fill, they generally drop
off, and should then be put in a plate with a little salt, which quickly
makes them throw up the blood; and, as soon as they have emptied
themselves, they should be put into plenty of fresh cold water, so that
they may get free from the salt, for if left in it, or if too much be put
on them, they contract violently, and die almost immediately.
After the leeches have come off, the bleeding from the wounds is
to be encouraged, by first quickly sponging off whatever clotted blood
there may be, and then covering the part with a warm bread-and-water
poultice, which must be changed every half hour, so long as it may
be thought necessary to keep up the bleeding. This is much better
than leaving the surface exposed, and mopping with a warm sponge,
which is very fatiguing to the patient, besides exposing him to the
danger of taking cold.
One disadvantage in the use of leeches is the great uncertainty, as
to whether too little or too much blood is obtained by them. Getting
too little blood, however, is a matter of very trifling consequence, in
comparison with getting too much, for instances have occurred in which
leech-bites have continued bleeding for days in grown-up persons as
well as children, bringing them into a very dangerous condition; nay,
there is no want of well-authenticated cases of death caused by bleeding
leech-bites, and that, too, in the course of twenty-four hours. The cause
of this serious business is sometimes a peculiar constitution, in which
the blood will not clot with sufficient firmness to stop the bleeding;
or it may be some little artery has been wounded by the bite in such
a way that it cannot be stopped by a clot of blood.
If, then, a leech-bite continue bleeding for some hours, and the person,
more especially if an infant, begins to be very faint, and the countenance
and lips pallid and cold, like marble, no time must be lost in stopping
the bleeding.
This is done by pressure with the finger; but, if that fail, by applying
caustic, or by running a moderate sized darning needle into the skin
on one side of the bite, and bringing its point well out on the other
side. The whole wound is thus lifted up, and a piece of silk or strong
thread is then to be wound round and round the bite, under the two
ends of the needle. This will raise it up like a small spot, and generally
stops the bleeding very effectually. In four days cut the silk
and draw out the needle carefully, and there the matter usually ends.
But in the peculiar state of constitution which has been before noticed,
sometimes even after the removal of the needle and thread, the bleeding
will continue. Nothing then remains, but to touch the bottom of the
wound with a bit of thin iron wire heated white hot, which never
fails to stop the bleeding. Though this may seem a very horrible
proceeding, it is not very painful if the iron be white hot, as it destroys
sensation in an instant; but whether it give pain or not is a matter
of no consequence, as it is the only sure mode of saving the patient.
Scald out a basin, for you can never make a good poultice unless
you have perfectly boiling water; then, having put some into the basin,
throw in coarsely-crumbled bread, and cover it with a plate. When
the bread has soaked up as much of the water as it will imbibe,
drain off the remaining water, and there will be left a light pulp.
Spread it a third of an inch thick on folded linen, and apply it when of
the temperature of a warm bath. It may be said that this poultice will
be very inconvenient if there be no lard in it, for it will soon get dry;
but this is the very thing you want, and it can easily be moistened by
dropping warm water on it, whilst a greasy poultice will be moist, but
not wet.
A poultice thus made is, to the surgeon, what well-made stock is to
the cook, a foundation to be seasoned or medicined with laudanum or
poppy-water, with carrot or horse-radish juice, or with decoctions of
herbs, with which the patient or the doctor may be inclined to medicate
it, instead of loading an already irritable and very sensitive part with a
heap of hard poppy-shells, or scraped carrots, or horse-radish, called
poppy, carrot, and horse-radish poultices, but which increase rather than
allay the sufferer’s pains.
When vegetables are used to medicate poultices, they should be
bruised, put into a pot, covered with water, and simmered for about
half an hour. The liquid is then to be strained off, and mixed with
bread-and-water or linseed to the consistence of a poultice.
Bandages are those surgical appliances, made of linen, calico, or
flannel, either in long narrow strips called rollers, in belts, fillets, or
triangular sections; they are used to keep dressings in a proper
situation, to compress blood-vessels, and check dangerous bleeding, to
rectify deformities, maintain fractures in their position, and to unite
wounds and breaches in the continuity of parts. Bandages, of whatever
material made, should be strong enough to bear extension, and support
the part to which they are applied; and sufficiently supple and elastic
to fold with ease, and yield to the expansion of the tissues below them.
They should be without either seam or selvage, and have smooth
unravelled edges. Bandages are either simple or compound. A simple
bandage is a long narrow piece of linen, calico, or flannel of any length,
from three to nine yards, and of a width varying from two to six inches.
When such a strip is tightly and evenly rolled up, it is called a bandage
or roller.
When rolled from both ends, and the two heads meet in the centre,
the bandage is called a double-headed roller.
Compound bandages are those where several pieces are sewn together
in different forms or shapes, as in the more simple one of the letter T,
or when the bandage is torn at the end into several strips, in which
case it is called a many-tailed bandage.
The handkerchief bandage is very useful to retain light dressings on
the head, or to cover and keep in position bags of ice, or cold
applications, where evaporation is not required. For this purpose, take
a large silk handkerchief, throw it over the head and face, carry the
back ends under the chin, and tie them securely; then neatly fold back
the loose portion over the face, and making the fold grip the forehead,
lead the ends to the nape of the neck, and there crossing, secure them
in front of the throat.
In applying a simple bandage to the leg or arm, the envelopment of
the limb must commence with the foot or hand, and requires to be
performed with neatness and regularity, for, if the pressure or tightness
is greater in one part than another, the limb will become unevenly
marked by swollen and contracted ridges, causing both pain and
mischief. Having carefully made a beginning by passing the roller a
few times round the foot or hand, making every revolution cover a third
of the former, it is in the same order carried up the limb from hand to
hand, providing for the increasing size of the part by making a fold of
the bandage; turning it sharply back on itself, and laying it smoothly
down, each succeeding fold being made in the same line; when the
whole limb is enveloped, either pin or sew the end to the fold beneath,
or split the end of the bandage, and tie in a knot.
The application of the double-headed roller is for wounds or bleeding
at the temple. After applying a compress, a piece of lint or linen
should be doubled square as many times as is required, and of a size
commensurate with the purpose for which it is employed. The
operator takes a head of the roller in each hand, and opening the
bandage a short length, commences on the opposite side to the wound,
and bringing both ends round to the compress, gives them a twist, and
carrying one over the top of the head and the other under the chin,
makes them meet where they began, and giving another twist, carries
them horizontally, one over the forehead and the other round the back
of the head, meeting again over the pledget, where the same operation
is to be repeated, and the ends either tied on the top of the head or
pinned over the temple.
The roller bandage for the eye, to keep the dressings firmly in position;
after making a few oblique turns over the eye and cheek, so as
effectually to cover the eye, the bandage is to be doubled back and
pinned in its place behind the head, and then carried horizontally
round the head, to keep the oblique folds in position, and then
secured by a couple of pins over the forehead. Each circle should lie,
by the width of a hem, farther back than the preceding one.
For injuries to the chin, a bandage, consisting of a piece of calico
about six inches broad and a yard long, is to be split down each end to
within four inches of the centre. The unsplit part is then applied over
the dressings on the chin, the outer margin overlapping the point of the
jaw; the two outer tails are then carried to the crown of the head and
tied, while the inner tails are led in like manner to the forehead, and
there secured. A nightcap should be worn as a precaution to make the
grip of the knots more secure.
A bandage round the chest for fractured ribs is applied by means of a
double-headed roller, which, commencing over the top of the breast-bone,
is carried round to the back, and then led one over each shoulder,
made to cross on the breast, passed under the armpits, cross each other
at the back, and gradually tightening as they descend, cross again in
front, till a sufficient depth is obtained, when one end is to be pinned
over the other. But a much simpler and less elaborate bandage for
fractured ribs is made out of a broad piece of jean or holland sewn
tightly over in front by a strong needle and thin twine; cross straps,
like braces, may be added, to keep the whole in place. When a
bandage is thus adjusted, it will keep its position, without slackening,
for weeks.
The bandage T is generally used for wounds in the groin, or as a
suspensory; the cross arms of the bandage on the top of the T are
passed and secured round the middle, while the long end is conveyed
between the legs, brought upwards, and fastened in the front to the
other part.
The term blister is applied to any substance that has the power to
raise the outer skin into bladders or pustules. There are several varieties
of blisters—animal, vegetable, and mineral, the principal being
cantharides or Spanish flies, mustard, euphorbium, mezereon, savin,
antimony, silver, vinegar, potassa, and ammonia.
Blistering and counter-irritation is a mode of treatment by which it is
sought to cure one disease by establishing another of the same type,
but less severe than the first; bearing this in mind, the general utility
of all external stimulants, especially that of blisters, will be better
understood and more fully appreciated.
Blisters are used in medicine as a means of depletion, either to carry
off from the body a certain amount of blood in the form of serum, and
thus act as a local bleeding, or in addition to this effect, to cause, by the
inflammation they produce on the surface, a larger amount of blood to
circulate through the adjacent cuticle, and thus relieve some deeper
organ or part from the excess of blood that disease causes to be
attracted to it. With this view only, and when no depletion is required,
medical men are in the habit of using a milder form of blistering than
that effected by raising the epidermis in bladders, and to this they give
the name of rubifacients, or, in simple English, substances that “make
red.”
From the benefit they afford, the ease of application, and the safety
of their employment, blisters have become of universal use, and may be
considered as an established domestic remedy. Yet there are certain
points in connection with them that require explaining, both for
protection and guidance. When the blister has sufficiently risen,
remove the plaster, and nipping the blister where it bags most, gently
press out the water, taking great care not to break the skin as it
collapses; immediately place over the whole a warm bread poultice,
the bread confined within a fold of muslin, and allow it to remain
for one or two hours; then carefully remove the poultice, and
sprinkle the blistered part with a thick layer of violet powder, cover
this with a piece of linen, and, by a bandage or handkerchief, keep the
whole in its place; every four hours add more violet powder, especially
over the moist part, taking care not to remove the cake or crust that
forms till the cuticle is sufficiently healed to permit of its being taken
away, when the place is to be lightly dusted with the powder from time
to time, to avoid cracking the new cuticle. It is seldom if ever
necessary to interpose gauze or tissue paper between the blister and the
skin, and, except in very rare and singular cases, should never be done,
nor is there any time that can be fixed as the duration a blister should
remain on; this must depend on the rising, which will take from eight
to sixteen hours to effect; though in infancy and childhood, from the
extreme delicacy of the cuticle, the time required is infinitely shorter.
But this is a point that every nurse provides for by frequent inspection.
When a blister is not at hand, steep a pewter plate or piece of flat
metal in boiling water, and place it at once on the skin, pressing it
down for a moment, and then allowing it to rise, and as it cools remove
it; or in cases of still greater emergency, a blister may be obtained by
wetting a part of the cuticle and rubbing on it for a few minutes, lunar
caustic; or cut a circular hole out of a piece of adhesive plaster, which
having adhered to the skin, tie some lint to the end of a stick, dip the
padded end in nitric acid or aqua-fortis, and brush lightly and rapidly
the skin exposed within the hole in the plaster, when a vesicle will be
immediately produced. In this country it is seldom that any blister is
used but that of cantharides or Spanish flies, except in extreme cases,
that of mustard, as given above. The blister plaster as sold in the
shops is a species of tough ointment, and is made of wax, suet, rosin,
and lard, all melted over a slow fire, and while cooling the powdered
flies stirred in, till the whole, when cold, becomes a smooth, firm, and
tenacious mass. The mode of making a blister is to cut out a shape
from a piece of adhesive plaster, either round, oval, oblong, or
according to the part on which it has to be applied, and taking a piece
of the blister plaster, and softening in the fingers with the right thumb
wetted in water, extend it over the shape, leaving a margin of half an
inch all round; the plaster is to be spread about the thickness of a
shilling, and all over of an equal smoothness. This is then to be warmed
for a moment before the fire, and applied evenly over the part, the edges
of the plaster being nicked, where necessary, to make it lie flat. For the
ears, the shape of the blister resembles the figure 6, the O part coming
under the lobe of the ear, and the tail sweeping behind it; each ear,
however, requires a different position of the figure, that of the left
needing the 6 as it naturally stands; the right must have it reversed,
as thus, 9.
Is a hard circumscribed tumour of an inflammatory character, commencing
in the cellular tissue and extending to the skin, and named
from the intense burning pain that attends its progress. A carbuncle
in general appearance resembles a boil, but differs from it in not having
a core, and terminating in a gangrenous slough, instead of, as in the
other, by suppuration.
In whatever part of the body a carbuncle is formed, it is first indicated
by great redness and violent pain, excessive itching, and a
burning heat.
Carbuncles are more frequent in advanced life than in the young;
and are generally indications of a low, putrescent or typhoid state of
the system; and not unfrequently the result of it. The extent of a
carbuncle is as various as the part of the body in which it appears; it
varies, from the size of a walnut to the dimensions of a plate; the
parts of the body most subject to its attack are the neck, shoulder, armpit
and hip.
Treatment.—The local remedies, from first to last, are warm emollient
poultices; which are to be applied directly the tumour shows
itself, and continued every three or four hours, till the healing process
is fairly established. As soon as the swelling becomes conical, the top
is to be freely opened. The best poultice to use is either bread-and-water
or linseed meal. To meet the constitutional disturbance, a mild
alterative pill of equal parts of extract of colocynth and henbane, should
be given every second day, and when the febrile action is considerable,
two table-spoonfuls of the following mixture every four or six hours.
Camphor Water
6
ounces.
Nitrate of Potass
15
grains.
Tartar Emetic
3
grains.
Syrup of Saffron
2
drachms.
In addition, when there is much pain and want of sleep, add
one drachm of laudanum to the mixture, or give the patient 25 drops
at bed-time, while needed. When the abscess has been opened, it
will be necessary to administer tonics, with a liberal diet and wine.
For this purpose the following mixture is to be taken in doses of two
table-spoonfuls three times a day.
Quassia
½
drachm.
Cardamom Seeds
2
drachms—bruised.
Boiling Water
1
pint.
Infuse for six hours, strain, and add diluted nitric acid, 1 drachm.
If the debility is excessive it will be advisable to give stimulants,
in which case the following mixture is to be employed.
Take of
Camphor Water
3
ounces.
Compound Tincture of Bark, ditto Cinnamon, of each
½
ounce.
Spirits of Sal Volatile, ditto Sulphuric Ether, of each
1
drachm.
Give a table-spoonful every hour, increasing the interval, as the
strength of the patient rallies; at the same time continue the wine,
and if required, brandy.
This term implies any abrasion, peeling off, or separation of the
cuticle, by which the sensitive and true skin is left unprotected. Many
persons are subject to excoriation or chafing, from the slightest muscular
exertion, more particularly in such parts as are exposed to friction.
In general, excoriation is the result of inattention to the surface of the
body, and is frequently excited by perspiration and dust or fine particles
of sand adhering to the cuticle, and being rubbed by the play
of the muscles into the lines and creases of the body. The perspiration
secreted by fatiguing exertion will, from its acridity, if left on
the body, very frequently act as an irritant on the cuticle and
destroy its texture. Cleanliness, therefore, whether with adult or
infant, is the best preventive against this painful affection.
The treatment of excoriation, when occurring in those parts of the
body usually covered, should consist in first washing the place with
warm water, and when well dried by a soft towel, to be freely dusted
with violet powder, repeating the application every two hours: for all
that is necessary is to remove the exciting cause, and keep the part
cool and covered. When the abrasion is deep seated, a piece of lint
wetted with the liquor plumbi (extract of lead), is to be laid on for
an hour, and on its removal the abrasion dusted with violet powder
or common flour; no other lotion will be needed, and ointments or
grease should never be employed.
Bronchocele, or the Derbyshire Neck, as this disease is variously
called, is a chronic enlargement of the thyroid gland, a small glandular
body lying in front of the organ of voice in the throat, and which in
a natural state presents no external features, but when diseased, is
capable of an almost incredible enlargement. Goitre is distinguished
by a diffused, soft, elastic swelling, extending either quite across the
neck, presenting larger prominence on either side than in the centre,
or the enlargement may be all on one side, according as the whole
gland, or only one of its lobes is affected. The swelling is entirely
devoid of pain, and completely detached from the skin, which preserves
its natural colour and appearance. Goitres usually make their
appearance about the seventh or eighth year, and at first grow very
slowly, but after a time develope more rapidly, extending in all directions,
and frequently hanging over the chest. The disease is seldom
dangerous, unless, from the size it attains when by pressing on the large
blood-vessels of the neck, and retarding the return of blood from the
head, or by compressing the windpipe, it produces dangerous symptoms.
Women are more subject to this disease than men, though in many
countries where it is always endemic, both sexes and all ages are found
affected with it.
Treatment.—Of all the remedies that have at various times been
employed with the hope of curing this unsightly deformity, one only
has ever produced any permanent benefit, namely, Iodine, in one or
other of its forms. All operations are inadmissible and dangerous;
and the cure is to be effected solely by a combination of external and
internal remedies. In the first place, where possible, the patient should
be removed from the neighbourhood where the disease was produced,
the tumour is then to be gently excited by the application of three or
four leeches, and the following ointment rubbed well into all parts
of the swelling every night, intermitting for a day or two, whenever
the skin becomes tender from the rubbing.
Take of
Powdered Camphor
15
grains.
Calomel
1
scruple.
Iodine
30
grains.
Spermaceti Ointment
1
ounce.
Mix thoroughly, and make an ointment. At the same time a table-spoonful
of the following mixture is to be taken three times every day.
Take of the hydriodate of potassa one drachm, mint water, six ounces,
mix.
This system should be persevered in for several weeks, the patient,
however, carefully taking the measurement of the throat and tumour
before commencing either course of treatment; and having accurately
recorded the number of inches in circumference, test the diminution
every week, by re-measuring the tumour till its absorption and the
restoration of the throat to its natural figure.
This disease, so called from a fancied resemblance to the appearance
of that animal, is one of those distressing malformations that are born
with a child. Hare-lip is more frequently found in the upper than in
the under lip, and fortunately it is so, for, in the latter case, the child is
unable to articulate or retain the saliva in the mouth, creating a source
of ceaseless discomfort and pain. The disease consists of a fissure or
longitudinal division of one or both lips, having a space between, wider
at the bottom and narrowing to an apex at the gum, resembling the
outline of the letter V reversed, Ʌ. This condition is called the simple
hare-lip, but sometimes the fissure is double, having a pendant piece of
the lip in the centre of both fissures. The compound hare-lip is that
condition of deformity where the cleft extends along the bones of the
palate, over the whole arch of the mouth, while in some cases the bones
of the palate are entirely wanting—a most distressing malady, as the
child can never articulate, and only with great difficulty eat or drink, as
all sustenance passes into the nostrils. Independent of the deformity
attending this malformation, the infant so afflicted is prevented from
sucking, and must be reared by hand.
The treatment of this misfortune is very simple and most satisfactory,
and no mother out of apprehension of her child’s suffering should
neglect to have the deformity cured; which, when in the simple form of
the cleft lip, can be effectually done. The operation consists in making
the two edges of the fissure even, bringing them together by means of
two short silver needles, and keeping them in that position by silk
thread passed over their ends like the figure 8, till the process of union
has taken place, requiring about eight or ten days, when the needles are
withdrawn, and in a week longer the permanent cure will be effected.
The best period for performing the operation is between the age of six
and twelve months, before the child can entertain any alarm at what is
to be done, or by cries and restlessness materially interfere with the
success of the operation.
By this term is generally understood that condition of a part in which
it becomes painful, hotter, redder, and more turgid than in a state of
health. The more considerable these symptoms become; or when they
take place in very sensitive parts, they induce that condition of the
system known as fever, and which, when the primary symptoms occur in
certain tissues, becomes inflammatory fever. The seat of inflammation
lies in the capillaries, those minute vessels or tubes that in health
perform the office of secretion and nutrition, but diseased, become
distended with red blood, consequently swell and cause the enlargement,
the first symptom of inflammation; at the same time the increasing
quantity of blood accumulating in the part, causes the redness and
accession of heat; while the rigidity, tightness, and weight induced by
the collected blood pressing on the sentient nervous filaments below,
produce the dull, the sharp, or hot throbbing pain experienced according
to the situation of the swelling, and constitute the last and most
distressing symptom of local inflammation.
All inflammations are either local or general; when local, and
attacking an organ, the disease is named after the part affected, as
hepatitis—inflammation of the liver; phrenitis, of the brain; gastritis, of
the stomach, and so with respect to other organs; but when it is general,
as already said, it is called inflammatory fever. As there are degrees
in the rapidity or slowness with which inflammation takes place, and
also in the time the disease continues, inflammation has been divided
into the acute, the sub-acute, and the chronic, each form demanding a
separate and peculiar practice. Nature, that in all forms of disease
attempts to effect a cure, has in the case of local inflammation provided
several means, the chief of which are—
1st. Resolution, which is a gradual absorption of the accumulated
blood.
2d. By hæmorrhage, or the bursting of the distended part, and the
escape of the blood.
3d. By suppuration, or the conversion of the effused blood into pus,
or matter, which, gradually pressing on the skin, causes absorption of
its texture till an aperture is formed and the contents of the abscess
escape; and
4th. By gangrene, or mortification, which, when a part has been
killed by excessive inflammation, forms a line of demarcation, and
separates the dead from the living part. The symptoms, general and
local, of inflammation, are materially altered by the structure of the part
in which the disease takes place; thus, the heat is much less, the pain
infinitely more acute, and the pulse hard and sharp, when the
inflammation attacks the serous membrane, or that tissue which lines the
chest; while in the mucous membrane, or that which lines the mouth
and stomach, there is less pain, more heat, and a full, round pulse.
The treatment of inflammation is both general and local. By the
first is understood, bleeding from the arm, tartar emetic, opium, and
saline purgatives; the latter, leeches, cupping, blisters, baths, and
fomentations.
When a mass of food, such as a piece of meat, potato, or other
substance, lodges in the fauces, or the base of the tongue, if in sight,
but too far for the fingers to reach, it should be immediately grasped
with a pair of pincers, or, what is better, a pair of curling tongs, and
dragged out. If neither are at hand, and as time is precious, press
down the tongue with the fingers, and tickle all the surrounding parts
with a feather, so as to induce heaving or vomiting, Nature by that
action often getting rid of its obstruction. If, however, none of these
means present a chance of relief, use the point of the curling tongs as
a probe, and push the obstruction into the gullet. However quickly
these operations may have been carried on, the sufferer may have died
before the obstacle has been displaced, or become so apparently lifeless
as seemingly to render all further steps useless; this, however, is not
the case, cold water must be dashed on the face and chest, ammonia
applied to the nostrils, and the lungs inflated with air. When the
lodgement has been lower down and taken place in the gullet proper—a
fact that can be ascertained by an examination of the mouth, and also
by the mute indication of the sufferer’s fingers—the impediment to its
descent to the stomach proceeds from some spasmodic action into which
some of the muscular fibres are thrown, causing them to grip the body
in its descent and retain it in that position, while its bulk pressing
forward on the windpipe, causes the danger to life that results from the
accident. Two or three sudden or sharp slaps between the shoulders,
or water dashed abruptly in the face, will often, by producing a sudden
gasp, release the spasm and cause the descent of the object; if not, a
probe, flexible tube, or a quill, must be employed, and the substance
pushed past the constriction; when, however, the bulk is too large to
be moved by such simple means, and while a messenger is sent for a
surgeon to bring the proper instrument, endeavours should be made to
keep up a partial supply of air in the lungs, by means of the bellows.
Those substances which, when taken into the body, or applied
externally, always produce such an effect or disturbance in
the animal economy, as to induce disease, or a chain of symptoms
that if uncorrected would eventuate in serious mischief to the health
of the body, or even induce death. Or, to simplify the explanation:
a poison is any agent capable of producing a morbid, noxious, or
dangerous effect upon anything endowed with life. All poisons are
common or relative: by the first, is understood those substances which
produce morbid or dangerous symptoms on all conditions of animal
life, on man as well as on the brute, on the fish as well as the fowl. By
relative poisons is understood those agents which are only poisonous
to man, or some particular species of animals; thus aloes, which is
a useful medicine to man, is poisonous to dogs and wolves; and
others which are deadly to the horse, form a nutritious food to the
ox. As an instance of the common poisonous agent, affecting all
animals in the same manner, may be advanced arsenic and corrosive
sublimate. Agents or substances are poisonous only in regard to
their dose, the part of the body they are applied to, and the subject
on which they are applied.
To illustrate these facts, it is sufficient to say that both arsenic
and corrosive sublimate are valuable medicines in certain modified
doses, while in excess, they are deadly; secondly, a poison to the
stomach may be innocuous to the lungs, or what would be fatal to
the integrity of the system, applied to one part of the body, is harmless
when administered to another; thus the carbonic acid gas which
we imbibe with exhilarating satisfaction with our malt-liquor, soda-water,
and champagne, is a deadly poison if instead of going down the
gullet, it should descend the windpipe, and enter the lungs. There
are only four ways by which a poison can enter the system, and prove
injurious or fatal to life; of these the most common is by the mouth
into the stomach, by the air passages into the lungs, by absorption
through the skin, either in its natural state, or from an abrasion or
scratch; and lastly by the bowels, from an enema. But whichever
way they enter the system, they only re-act upon it in two forms of
action; that is, that they are either absorbed into the blood, and
conveyed by the circulation to the part or parts affected, or they
produce an immediate influence on the nerves of the part with which
the poison first comes in contact; and by a sympathetic action affect
the whole nervous system. Poisons may belong to either of the
three kingdoms, the animal, mineral, or the vegetable, but as the
symptoms produced are sometimes nearly the same, from whichever
class or kingdom they may be derived, it has become the custom to
arrange the several poisons according to the most characteristic effect
they produce on the animal economy, and to divide them into the
Irritant Poisons, the Narcotic Poisons, and the Narcotic-Acrid
Poisons, thus embracing all deleterious substances under one or other
of the above classes.
Are those that excite inflammation in some part, or the whole of the
alimentary canal.
Nitric Acid
Muriatic Acid
Sulphuric Acid
Phosphorus
Sulphur
Chlorine
Iodine
Hydriodate of Potass
Bromine
Oxalic Acid
The fixed Alkalis
Nitre
Alkaline and Earthy Chlorides
Lime
Ammonia and its Salts
Alkaline Sulphurets
Baryta
Euphorbia
Castor Oil seeds
Croton
Bryony
Colocynth
Elaterium
Ranunculus
Anemone
Clematis
Mezereon
Cuckoo-Pint
Gamboge
Savin
Cattha
Poisonous Fish
Compounds of Arsenic
Compounds of Mercury
Ditto of Antimony
Ditto of Tin, Zinc, Silver, Bismuth, and Chrome
Compounds of Lead
Ditto of Copper
Venomous Serpents and Insects
Daffodil
Jalap
Cantharides
Decayed Animal Matter
Mechanical Irritants.
Are those poisons that produce an immediate and continued disorder
of the nervous system.
Opium
Lactuca
Solanum
Nitric Oxide Gas
Chlorine Gas
Ammoniacal Gas
Sulphuretted Hydrogen
Carbonic Acid
Cyanogen
Hyoscyamus
Hydrocyanic Acid, and all vegetables producing it, as bitter almonds, cherry laurel, peach, and mountain ash, carbonic oxide, and oxygen.
The poisons of this class produce a double action, that of a local
irritation, and a secondary, or after effect on the nervous system.
Nightshade
Hemlock
Tobacco
Water Hemlock
Monkshood
Squills
Ipecacuanha
Meadow Saffron
Foxglove
Nux Vomica
Camphor
Cocculus Indicus
Upas
Secale Cornutum
Darnel Grass
Alcohol
Ether
Thom-Apple
Fool’s-Parsley
Hellebore, Black
Hellebore, White
Strychnia
False Angustura
Poisonous Fungi
Mouldy Bread
Seeds of the Laburnum, and some empyreumatic oils.
Though chemistry has of late years made great progress in the
science of analysis, vegetable poisons are so soon eliminated from
the body, as to leave hardly any trace for the chemist’s tests to re-act
upon, and the mineral poisons may be regarded as almost the only
class on which science can operate with invariable certainty. The
first duty of any one called to act in a case of poison, is to administer
an antidote, of which there are supposed to be two; one, which given
immediately, will chemically destroy the virulence of the poison—as
in the case of a person who has swallowed a powerful acid, the
exhibition of chalk will destroy the potency of the acid, by forming
a new and harmless compound—and antidotes or drugs in many
instances of a problematical effect, which are supposed to have the
power of neutralizing the effect produced on the system, by the agency
of the poison, and restoring the disorganised body to a pure and pristine
health. Of this class of drugs once implicitly believed in, science
has found few if any to bear the test of a rigid experience. To leave
theory, and come at once to the practical, the first care of any one,
when an individual has voluntarily, or by accident taken a poison, or
any known or suspected deleterious substance, is to procure its instant
evacuation from the system by vomiting. In many cases, either the
drug itself, or the over-dose of it, excites this remedial step, and if so,
the attendant should encourage the action of the stomach by all the
means immediately procurable; or if the vomiting has not set in, to
excite it at once, either by warm water in frequent draughts, or should
that not be present, by a draught of mustard and water, or a few
spoonfuls of common salt dissolved in water; or should neither of
these be in readiness, and while the water is heating, and medical aid
or other means is being sought, give copious draughts of cold water,
and by the feathery part of a quill, tickle the fauces, or with the handle
of a spoon press down the root of the tongue; when the contents of
the stomach must be ejected. This process may be repeated; and
even without further means, the poison may in this way be ejected
from the stomach. In cases where vegetable, or what are called
narcotic, poisons have been taken, it is sometimes extremely difficult
if not impossible, to produce vomiting, though attempted with proper
emetics; in all such, in fact in all vegetable poisons, the stomach
pump becomes imperative, and the most valuable of agents, as it not
only fills the stomach with water, but immediately after relieves it
of that, and whatever poisonous matters it may hold in suspension
or solution. This process of filling the stomach with tepid water,
and again expelling it, must be continued till all apprehension that
more poison remains, is removed from the mind of the operator. In
cases of poisoning by narcotic and vegetable substances, to empty
the stomach is the first, last, and most important duty, and till the
chief agent, the stomach pump, can be procured, some of the means
already advised should be adopted, but where more perfect remedies
are at hand they should be employed; of such the best emetics for
a vegetable poison are the minerals, especially the white vitriol or
sulphate of zinc, twenty or thirty grains of which, dissolved in half a
tumbler of warm water, will be found to act almost instantly. To
rouse the energies after the ejection of the poison, electricity should,
when possible, be applied; stimulants such as ammonia, hot coffee,
or camphor administered; and when necessary, aspersions of cold
water, and the patient constantly kept moving. In other cases blisters
or hot mustard plasters must be applied to the spine, thighs, feet, or
stomach; according to the nature and potency of the poison. In
irritant or corrosive poisons, concurrent with the vomiting, which,
when not induced by the poison itself, should be at once excited,
agents to neutralize the virulence of the poison must be administered,
and again repeated after each vomiting, to be in turn ejected, again
taken, and again discharged. In all poisonings of this class, proceeding
from the mineral acids or corrosive compounds, when proper emetics
are at hand the vegetable, such as the ipecacuanha, is the most
efficacious, twenty or twenty-five grains of which, dissolved in warm
water will be found an effective dose; while as a corrective to the
corroding nature of the poison, draughts of tepid water, in which
shavings of brown soap have been scraped, must be drunk frequently,
or half tumblers of water, in which half a tea-spoonful of soda, either
the common or carbonate, or the same quantity of ordinary potass;
frequent draughts of milk or mucilage, treacle, honey and water; or
should none of these articles be at hand, spoonfuls of chalk and water,
and in still more extreme cases, when no other aid is at hand to relieve
the burning agony induced by the poison, the plaster from the wall
or ceiling should be broken down, mixed in water, and given to the
patient to neutralize the activity of the poison. Such are the general
means adopted to eject the poison from the system; special poisons,
however, require particular and special notice.
Arsenic, in addition to the vomiting, should be treated with the
white of eggs mixed in water, and administered every ten minutes;
or honey, treacle, sugar and water, or milk.
Oxalic Acid.—New milk must be given in frequent draughts
after each fit of vomiting, or chalk and water.
Corrosive Sublimate and Verdigris are treated nearly in the
same manner as arsenic; the chief antidotes being white of eggs,
milk, and sugar and water; though for verdigris, iron filings dissolved
in vinegar, and mixed with mucilage, are generally preferred for this
rarely employed poison.
Nitrate of Silver, Or Lunar Caustic.—The best antidote,
concurrent with the emetic, is common table-salt, dissolved in water,
and taken frequently. A tea-spoonful of salt in a wine-glass of water is
to be given every half hour.
Sulphuric, Muriatic, or Nitric Acid, or what is called the
Mineral Acids, require, like oxalic acid, milk, but especially, magnesia,
chalk, and soap or mucilage, but primarily magnesia.
Hydrocyanic Acid, or Prussic Acid.—Where this drug is not
immediately fatal, and has only been taken in moderate quantity, the only
antidotes are powerful stimulants of brandy, ammonia, and ether; and
as emetics are valueless in this poison, sudden effusions of cold water
must be adopted with stimulants to the stomach.
In all cases of poisoning by vegetable matter, whether acrid or
narcotic, the first duty is to encourage the sickness, if set in, by warm
water, and where the power of the stomach has been paralysed by an
excessive dose, instantly to promote vomiting by a full dose of sulphate
of zinc or white vitriol, in a dose varying from 20 to 30 grains, or else
10 or 15 grains of sulphate of copper or blue stone; but neither
antimony nor ipecacuanha. When the stomach has been well evacuated,
strong infusions of coffee, or draughts of vinegar and water are to be
given occasionally. In all cases of corrosive or acrid poisons, when the
lower bowels are affected, it becomes necessary to employ enemas of a
soothing and corrective nature. All that the non-professional person
can do in any case of poisoning, till the arrival of medical advice, is to
empty the stomach of the hurtful matter by the quickest and readiest
aids; and when emetics are not at hand, such natural and domestic
means are to be resorted to as can be the easiest obtained; warm water,
mustard, salt, tickling the gullet with a feather, or pressing down the
tongue with a spoon, as already advised. It should be borne in mind,
that for mineral poisons vegetable emetics are to be used, and for
vegetable poisons mineral emetics: that in cases of poisoning from the
mineral acids, it is useless to give emetics, and dangerous to administer
water alone; in such cases, such articles are to be given as will
counteract the corrosive virulence of the acid, and convert it into an
inert compound, such as magnesia, soda, chalk, soap, or in extremity of
means, the plaster from the walls: that where prussic acid has been
taken, emetics are equally valueless; the prostrated powers are to be
raised by powerful stimulants, and the means already indicated. For
the poisons that are applied externally, and prove hurtful by absorption,
such as the bite or sting of venomous reptiles, the first duty of an
assistant is to tie a garter, tape, or some ligature tightly round the limb,
a few inches above the wound, next to wash it immediately with warm
water, and then, if there are no cracks in the lips or gums, fearlessly to
apply the mouth to the bitten part, and slowly and steadily suck it;
washing the mouth with cold water every time there is a rest, and the
contents are spit out. When cupping glasses are at hand, they should
be applied instead of the mouth; in either case, the part, after being
sucked or cupped, is to be well rubbed over with lunar caustic, a warm
poultice laid upon the place, the limb kept at rest, and, a few hours after
the bandage or ligature removed. For the poisonous sting of gnats,
bees, wasps, and other insects, a piece of lint, wetted in the pure extract
of lead, is all that is necessary to cure one or the other. For the
sickness, lassitude, and fainting, that often follow the sting of reptiles, it
is requisite to administer ether, brandy, and ammonia, and sometimes
opium.
MEDICAL AND HOUSEHOLD RECEIPTS. — TOILETTE RECEIPTS. — FOOD FOR INVALIDS.
Those receipts with initials and recommendations attached to them have
been tried, and are recommended by intelligent Correspondents. It must
not be supposed, however, that where such a signature or recommendation
is absent, the receipt cannot be relied upon. They are all of the first
class.
The following recipes for various aperient medicines have been drawn
up at our request, by a Medical Gentleman, in consequence of the
expression of a want felt by heads of families of simple and safe laxatives,
without the cost of an application to an apothecary, or the risk attendant
upon taking quack medicines:—
Spring Aperients.—For children, nothing is better than:—1. Brimstone
and treacle; to each tea-cupful of this, when mixed, add a tea-spoonful
of cream of tartar. As this sometimes produces sickness, the
following may be used:—2. Take of tartrate of soda one drachm and a
half, powdered jalap and powdered rhubarb each fifteen grains, ginger two
grains. Mix. Dose for a child above five years, one small tea-spoonful;
above ten years, a large tea-spoonful; above fifteen, half the whole,
or two tea-spoonfuls; and for a person above twenty, three tea-spoonfuls,
or the whole, as may be required by the habit of the person.
This medicine may be dissolved in warm water, common or mint tea.
This powder can be kept for use in a wide-mouthed bottle, and be in
readiness for any emergency. The druggist may be directed to treble
or quadruple the quantities as convenient.
Tonic Aperient.—3. Take of Epsom salts one ounce, diluted sulphuric
acid one drachm, infusion of quassia chips half an imperial pint,
compound tincture of rhubarb two drachms. Half a wine-glassful for
a dose twice a day.
Aperient Pills.—To some adults all liquid medicines produce such
nausea that pills are the only form in which laxative medicines can
be exhibited; the following is a useful formula:—4. Take of compound
rhubarb pill a drachm and one scruple, of powdered ipecacuanha six
grains, and of extract of hyoscyamus one scruple. Mix and beat into
a mass, and divide into twenty-four pills. Take one, or two, or if of
a very costive habit, three at bed-time.—5. For persons requiring a
more powerful purge, the same formula, with ten grains of compound
extract of colocynth, will form a good purgative pill. The mass
receiving this addition, must be divided into thirty, instead of
twenty-four pills.
Black Draught.—6. The common aperient medicine known as
black draught is made in the following manner:—Take of senna leaves
six drachms, bruised ginger half a drachm, sliced liquorice root four
drachms, boiling water half an imperial pint. Keep this standing on
the hob, or near the fire, for three hours, then strain, and after allowing
it to grow cool, add of sal volatile one drachm and a half, of tincture
of senna, and of tincture of cardamoms, each half an ounce. (This
mixture will keep a long time in a cool place.) Dose: a wine-glassful
for an adult; two table-spoonfuls for young persons above fifteen years
of age. It is not a suitable medicine for children.
Infants’ Aperient.—7. Take of rhubarb five grains, magnesia three
grains, white sugar a scruple, manna five grains; mix. Dose, varying
from a piece half the size of a sweet pea to a piece the size of an
ordinary pea.—8. A useful laxative for children is composed of calomel
two grains, and sugar a scruple, made into five powders; half of one
of these for a child from birth to one year and a half, and a whole
one from that age to five years.
Cholera and Bowel Complaints.—Some years ago I received
from the late Dr. Beddome, of Tooley Street (the original inventor
of Beddome’s Powders), a recipe for bowel complaints, which I have
found so uniformly successful in relieving those disorders, and perhaps
warding off cholera, that I enclose it for the benefit of your numerous
readers.—Robert Brown, Cheapside.—Rhubarb powder, half a drachm;
calcined magnesia, one drachm; paregoric elixir, one ounce; peppermint
water, half a pint. Mix and shake up, and take two table-spoonfuls
every three hours till relieved.—The following is a better prescription
for the same purpose:—Take of chalk mixture, eight ounces; aromatic
confection, one drachm; compound tincture of camphor, three drachms;
oil of carraway, three or four drops. Mix. Take two table-spoonfuls
every three hours, or oftener, if the pain and purging are urgent. A
tea-spoonful is a dose for young children, and one table-spoonful for
those of ten or twelve years of age.
Relief for Asthma.—The following mixture is recommended as
a relief for the asthmatic:—Two ounces of the best honey, and one
ounce of castor oil mixed. A tea-spoonful to be taken night and
morning.—I have tried the foregoing with the best effect.—J. D.
For a Cough.—Quarter of a pound of linseed; quarter of a pound
of raisins; two ounces of stick liquorice; two quarts of soft water, to
be boiled until reduced to half the quantity. When strained, add a
quarter of a pound of brown candy, pounded; one table-spoonful of
good old rum, one table-spoonful of lemon-juice or vinegar. A cupful
to be taken on going to bed, and more frequently if required. To be
warmed.—Used for years, and approved.—A. C. B.
For Colds and Coughs.—Take spermaceti powder, half an ounce;
powdered gum arabic, half an ounce; elixir paregoric, three drachms;
clarified honey, a table-spoonful; mix and make an electuary; of which
a tea-spoonful is to be dissolved in the mouth, and swallowed slowly
whenever the cough is troublesome, or the hoarseness great.—B. B.
For Hooping-Cough.—Dissolve a scruple of salt of tartar in a
quarter-pint of water; add to it ten grains of cochineal; sweeten it
with sugar. Give to an infant the fourth part of a table-spoonful four
times a day; two years old, half a spoonful; from four years, a
table-spoonful.—E. J. D.—[This has been a very successful mixture.]
To make Toffee for Hooping-Cough.—Take one pound of treacle;
half a pound of moist sugar; a piece of butter, the size of a walnut;
a tea-spoonful of ginger or lemon-peel, or oil of peppermint; and half
a tea-spoonful of jalap. Boil them together till it will set firm in a
basin of cold water. It requires stirring while boiling, and takes a
long time to boil.—J. G. B.
An excellent and cheap Cough Mixture.—Paregoric elixir
one pennyworth, and six drops of laudanum. Mix a little treacle with
three or four ounces of vinegar, and put it on the fire till nearly boiling;
then add it to the other ingredients. Put it in a bottle, shake it, and it
will be ready for use. When the cough is troublesome, take a spoonful.
Hoarseness.—A piece of flannel, dipped in brandy, and applied to
the chest, and covered with a dry flannel, is to be worn all night.—Four
or six small onions, boiled, and put on buttered toast, and eaten
for supper, are likewise good for colds on the chest.
To cure Hiccough or Hiccup.—This spasm is caused by flatulency,
indigestion, and acidity. It may be relieved generally by a
sudden fright or surprise, or any sudden application of cold, also by
swallowing two or three mouthfuls of cold water, by eating a small
piece of ice, taking a pinch of snuff, or anything that excites coughing.
For Shortness of Breath, or Difficult Breathing.—Vitriolated
spirits of ether, one ounce, camphor twelve grains. Make a
solution, of which take a tea-spoonful during the paroxysm. This is
usually found to afford instantaneous relief in difficulty of breathing,
depending on internal diseases, and other causes, where the patient,
from a very quick and laborious breathing, is obliged to be in an
erect posture.
Consumption.—Watercresses, eaten plentifully at every meal, are
excellent for this complaint. They should also be pounded in a mortar,
and the juice thus obtained be drunk by the patient. This simple
remedy has completely cured some, and relieved many sufferers from
consumption. For the relaxed bowels common in this disease, the
following is excellent:—Take fine flour, and tie it up tight in a cloth,
and boil it for a day (the longer the better). Let the patient take
as much of the dry flour in the inside as will lie on a sixpence, daily,
or oftener, if requisite.
Cold, or Inflammation of the Eyes.—The white of an egg
mixed with a few bread crumbs (to give it substance), and put into
a muslin bag, and applied as a poultice to the eye, will afford great
relief in a few minutes, or generally a cure in a day or two. The
poultice is best applied at night, or when lying down; when removed,
the eye should be well bathed with warm water, using a bit of muslin,
not a sponge.
Excellent Medicine for Indigestion.—Carbonate of magnesia,
one ounce; carbonate of soda, one ounce; powdered ginger, one
drachm; best Turkey rhubarb, half a drachm. Well mix in a
mortar, and to be kept in a bottle with a glass stopper. The dose
for an adult is half a tea-spoonful.
Excellent Medicine for Rheumatism.—Powdered gum guaiacum,
eight grains; flour of sulphur, two drachms; powdered rhubarb,
fifteen grains; cream of tartar, one drachm; powdered ginger, thirty
grains; powdered nutmeg, eight grains. To be made into an electuary,
with two ounces of clarified honey; a tea-spoonful to be taken
night and morning.
Quinine Draught.—The following draught, as ordered by Dr. Copland,
was of the greatest service in a case of dyspepsia, accompanied
by derangement of the liver:—Sulphate of quinine, two grains; diluted
sulphuric acid, two drops; spirit of nutmegs, one drachm; distilled
water, ten drachms. Mix. To be taken daily at mid-day.
Sedative Ointment.—The violent local irritation which often
follows the application of blisters to the surface of children, is a serious
objection to their use, and requires that particular care be taken to
lessen the liability of sloughing, &c. Should, however, the ulcer be
very irritable, the following ointment thickly spread on lint will be
found serviceable:—Lime water, oil of almonds, of each half an ounce;
mix well together, then add prepared lard, one ounce.
To Prevent Galling in Persons confined to their Beds.—(Most
valuable.)—The white of an egg, beaten to a strong froth, then
drop in gradually, whilst you are beating, two tea-spoonfuls of spirits
of wine, put it into a bottle, and apply occasionally with a feather.
A Cure for Blistered Feet.—Rub the feet, at going to bed,
with spirits mixed with tallow, dropped from a lighted candle into the
palm of the hand. On the following morning no blisters will exist.
Draught for Palpitation of the Heart, with great Nervous
Irritability.—Tincture of foxglove, ten drops; camphor mixture,
one ounce; tincture of columba, one drachm. This draught may be
taken twice a day.
For Heartburn.—Carbonate of magnesia, ten grains; carbonate of
soda, five grains; ginger in powder, five grains; liquorice in powder,
fifteen grains. Take as a powder two or three times during the day.
For Inflammation of the Eyes.—Brandy, one tea-spoonful; white-wine
vinegar, one tea-spoonful; soft water, nine tea-spoonfuls. Mix—and
to be used frequently.
Useful Mixture for Diarrhœa in Infants.—Carbonate of magnesia,
half a drachm; rhubarb, in powder, twenty grains; dill water,
three ounces; aromatic spirit of ammonia, thirty drops; sugar a tea-spoonful.
Mix. Two tea-spoonfuls may be given two or three times
a day.
Mixture for Children Teething when the Bowels are
Disordered.—Chalk mixture, fifteen drachms; tincture of cinnamon,
one drachm. Mix together. Two tea-spoonfuls to be given three or
four times a day as required.
Electuary for Scorbutic Eruptions.—Peruvian bark, powdered,
half an ounce; aromatic confection, half an ounce; syrup of oranges, a
sufficient quantity to mix the bark and confection; and take a piece the
size of a nutmeg, three times a day, in a glass of seidlitz or soda-water.
Draught for Hysteric Patients.—Camphor mixture, one ounce;
fœtid spirit of ammonia, two drachms.
Fever Draught.—Almond mixture, one ounce; carbonate of potass,
twenty grains; syrup of poppies, one drachm. Pour into this a table-spoonful
of lemon-juice, and drink while effervescing.
Aperient Electuary.—A very useful family medicine, particularly
good for those who are troubled with asthma or rheumatism. One
ounce of senna powder; half an ounce of flour of sulphur; two drachms
of powdered ginger; half a drachm of saffron powder; four ounces of
honey. The size of a nutmeg to be taken night and morning.
Aperient for Children.—Gingerbread, made with oatmeal instead
of flour, is a very useful aperient for children.—J. D.—[Good.]
Deafness from Deficient Secretion of Wax.—Take oil of turpentine,
half a drachm; olive oil, two drachms. Mix. Two drops to
be introduced into the ear at bed-time.
Remedy for Deafness.—Oil of almonds, half a pound; garlic,
bruised, one ounce; alkanet root, a quarter of an ounce; infuse and
strain. In deafness, a little to be poured into the ear.
Zinc Ointment is made by rubbing well together one ounce of
oxide of zinc, and six ounces of hog’s lard. This ointment is useful
for chilblains; it is also commonly used for dressing the sores remaining
after scalds and burns, to absorb the great discharge which generally
follows; and it is a very good application to cracked skin, from which
a watery fluid oozes and irritates the neighbouring skin.
For the Cure of Chilblains.—Put the hands and feet once a
week into hot water, in which two or three handfuls of common salt
have been thrown; this is a certain cure.—Z.
Method of Preventing Cold Feet at Bed-time.—Draw off
your stockings just before undressing, and rub your ankles and feet
well with your hand, as hard as you can bear the pressure, for five
or ten minutes, and you will never have to complain of cold feet in
bed. It is hardly conceivable what a pleasurable glow this diffuses.
Frequent washing of the feet, and rubbing them thoroughly dry with a
linen cloth or flannel, is very useful.—J. R., Warwick.
Cure of Corns.—Place the feet for half an hour, two or three
nights successively, in a pretty strong solution of common soda. The
alkali dissolves the indurated cuticle, and the corn falls out spontaneously,
leaving a small excavation, which soon fills up.—E. J.—[Certain.]
Another.—Soak some young ivy leaves in vinegar for a few hours;
then tie one of the leaves on the corn with a piece of thread. It
should be changed each night and morning, and in a few days the
corn can be taken out without any pain. Six friends have tried this
with great success. After the corn has been taken out, the leaves
should be continued for a day or two, in order to remove any little
hardness that may remain.
Another.—Cut a piece of the soap cerate plaster, spread on calico,
of the size required, and apply to the corn.—One application has cured
mine.—E. C., Bridlington Quay.
To remove Corns.—Get four ounces of white diachylon plaster, four
ounces of shoemaker’s wax, and sixty drops of muriatic acid or spirits
of salt. Boil them for a few minutes in an earthen pipkin, and when
cold, roll the mass between the hands and apply a little on a piece
of white leather.
A certain Cure for Soft Corns.—Dip a piece of soft linen rag
in turpentine, and wrap it round the toe on which the soft corn is,
night and morning; in a few days the corn will disappear; but the
relief is instantaneous. I have tried this with the greatest success.—S.
H., Hull.
Sore Throat.—I have been subject to sore throat, and have invariably
found the following preparation (simple and cheap) highly
efficacious when used in the early stage: Pour a pint of boiling water
upon twenty-five or thirty leaves of common sage; let the infusion
stand for half an hour. Add vinegar sufficient to make it moderately
acid, and honey according to the taste. This combination of the
astringent and the emollient principle seldom fails to produce the
desired effect. The infusion must be used as a gargle several times a
day. It has this advantage over many gargles—it is pleasant to the
taste, and may be swallowed occasionally, not only without danger,
but with advantage.—G. M.
Ear-ache.—Sometimes ear-ache is connected with chronic ulceration
in the external and internal part of the ear, when injections of warm
water and soap are advisable. In this case, there is sometimes a
constant fœtid discharge, for which the following mixture has been
recommended by Dr. Hugh Smith:—Take of ox-gall, three drachms;
balsam of Peru, one drachm. Mix. A drop or two to be put into
the ear with a little cotton.
Cure for Tooth-ache (outward application), Chilblains, etc.—Take
of solution of ammonia, two drachms; camphorated spirit, six
drachms; essence of bergamot, ten drops, and mix.—I have tried it,
and found it very efficacious.—E. C., Bridlington Quay.
Tooth-ache.—Dr. Blake recommends two drachms of alum, to be
dissolved in seven drachms of sweet spirits of nitre; a piece of lint
or a small piece of sponge to be dipped in the solution and applied
to the tooth.
A Valuable Receipt for the Tic-Douloureux.—I was dreadfully
afflicted with it, and the receipt has cured me and many others; it
is simple, as follows:—Take half a pint of rose-water, add two tea-spoonfuls
of white vinegar, to form a lotion. Apply it to the part
affected three or four times a day. It requires fresh linen and lotion
each application; this will, in two or three days, gradually take the
pain away. The above receipt I feel desirous of being made known
to the public, as I have before mentioned the relief I have experienced,
and others, whose names I could give.—J. T.
To Cure Warts.—Take a cake of dry pipe-clay, and scrape a little
from it, then rub the wart or warts well with it four or six times a
day till they disappear. I had one on my forehead above twelve
months, which pained me very much in putting on or taking off my
hat. I tried the above receipt, by rubbing it well about four times
a day; and in the course of a fortnight it was gone, leaving only a
mark behind. I can feel nothing of it now, even by rubbing it with
my finger.—A. M.
To Eradicate Warts.—Dissolve as much common washing soda
as the water will take up; repeatedly wash with this for a minute or
two, and let the warts dry without wiping.
A Certain Cure for Warts.—Take the inner rind of a lemon,
steep it twenty-four hours in vinegar, and apply it to the wart. The
lemon must not remain on the part above three hours, and must then
be applied fresh every day.—F. E. W.—[This is only another mode of
applying acetic acid. The application with a camel-hair brush is
the best method.]
Another Method.—Get a little bullock’s gall, keep it in a bottle,
and rub a little on the wart two or three times a day.
Remedy for Rheumatism, Lumbago, Sprains, Bruises, Chilblains
(before they are broken), and Bites of Insects.—One
raw egg well beaten, half a pint of vinegar, one ounce of spirits
of turpentine, a quarter of an ounce of spirits of wine, a quarter of
an ounce of camphor. These ingredients to be beaten well together,
then put in a bottle and shaken for ten minutes, after which, to be
corked down tightly to exclude the air. In half an hour it is fit for
use. Directions:—To be well rubbed in, two, three, or four times a
day. For rheumatism in the head, to be rubbed at the back of the
neck and behind the ears. This liniment can be made at home for
9d.; if not made at home, the chemist should be told to follow the
prescription exactly.—J. H. D.
A Certain Remedy for Spasms.—Take three-pennyworth
of balsam of sulphur, and three-pennyworth of oil of aniseed; put
these together, and let them stand in a warm place for twenty-four
hours, and at the same time take two-pennyworth of spirits of wine,
and two-pennyworth of spirits of turpentine, put these together, and
let them stand as the above; then, after twenty-four hours, mix the
whole well together. Take seven or eight drops on a piece of loaf
sugar when the pain is troublesome, and it will give instant relief.
Observe, a little tea or coffee may be taken afterwards, to rinse the
mouth.—W. W.
Simple Remedy for a Pain in the Side.—At bed-time take a
fresh cabbage-leaf, hold it near the fire till quite warm, and then apply
it to the part affected, binding it tight with a cloth round the body;
let it remain for twelve hours or more, when it will generally be
found to have removed the pain. If not entirely removed, it will be
well to repeat the application of a fresh leaf, allowing it to remain
on the same time as the first. This will very seldom fail.—I have
forwarded the above three very simple, yet, at the same time, efficacious
prescriptions, with the intention that they may be of service to some
of the numerous readers of your volume, as well as in the district in
which I reside.—A. L.
For Sprains and Bruises.—Especially where the parts are discoloured
with blood underneath the skin, and for rheumatic swelling
of the joints: Vinegar, one pint; distilled water, half a pint; rectified
spirits, one and a half pint; camphor, two ounces. Mix the vinegar
and water, dissolve the camphor in the spirits of wine, and then put
them all together. For sprains, bruises, and other injuries, when the
skin is not broken: Carbonate of ammonia, two ounces; vinegar,
two pints; proof spirit, three pints. Mix the ammonia with the
vinegar; when the effervescence ceases, add the spirit. In inflammation
of the joints of some standing, this is mixed with linseed meal,
and applied as a poultice, twice a day.
Primrose Ointment for Burns and Ulcers.—Bruise one pound
of the leaves of this well-known plant in a mortar, along with half
a pound of the flowers; simmer these in an equal quantity of hog’s
lard, without salt, until the primroses become crisp; after which, the
ointment, whilst fluid, must be strained through a coarse sieve. This
is an excellent application for obstinate ulcers or burns.
An Excellent Remedy for Sprains.—Put the white of an egg
into a saucer, keep stirring it with a piece of alum about the size of
a walnut until it becomes a thick jelly; apply a portion of it on a
piece of lint or tow large enough to cover the sprain, changing it for
a fresh one as often as it feels warm or dry: the limb is to be kept in a
horizontal position by placing it on a chair.—B. B.
Resin Ointment, or Yellow Basilicon, is composed of two
ounces of yellow wax, five ounces of white resin, and seven ounces
of hog’s lard; these must be slowly melted together, and stirred constantly
with a stick, till completely mixed. This ointment is sometimes
used in treating scalds and burns; also for dressing blisters, when
it is wished to keep up a discharge from them for a few days. This
is a stimulating ointment.
Lime Liniment for Burns, Scalds, etc.—Linseed or common
olive oil, and lime water equal parts; to be shaken up together every
time of use, for scrofula and syphilitic sores, and still more for burns
and scalds.
To Prevent the Skin From Discolouring after a Blow or
a Fall.—Take a little dry starch or arrow-root, and merely moisten
it with cold water, and lay it on the injured part; this must be
done immediately, so as to prevent the action of the air upon the
skin; however, it may be applied some hours afterwards with effect.
I learnt this when resident in France; it may already be known
here, but I have met with none amongst my own acquaintances who
seem to have heard of it. Raw meat is not always at hand, and
some children have an insurmountable repugnance to let it be
applied. I always make use of the above when my children meet
with an accident, and find that it keeps down swelling, and cleanses,
and facilitates the healing of scratches, when they happen to fall on
the gravel in the garden.—J. M. A. M.
Pains after Exertion.—It is not generally known to pedestrians
that the pains in the knees and legs, which usually follow
after a long excursion, and which continue with some persons for
two or three days after, may be prevented or considerably lessened,
by bathing the parts affected in cold spring water, immediately before
going to bed. Care should be taken, if the feet be dipped in the
water, afterwards to dry them thoroughly with a rough towel; and
persons of weak constitution, or liable to cramp, ought not to dip
their feet at all. Those who reside at the sea-side, if of sound
strong constitutions, will find great relief in the summer months, by
bathing in the sea, but this practice ought not to be adopted without
great caution. In my own case, and that of two of my brothers,
it has proved invaluable for restoring vigour and energy to the
system, after a long and tiring walk.—F. J. L., Margate.
To Heal Burns.—Steep the bark of sumach-root, and boil it
away until it is very strong; then add hog’s lard, and boil it until
the water has all evaporated. A little of this applied to a burn
will check the inflammation instantly. It has been known to cure
dangerous scalds when physicians’ remedies have failed.—S.
Certain Cure for Cramp in the Legs.—Stretch out the heel
of the leg as far as possible, at the same time drawing up the toes
as far as possible. This will often stop a fit of the cramp after it
has commenced. I have never known this fail.—E. J.
Calamine Ointment, or Turner’s Cerate, consists of half a pound
of yellow wax, and a pint of olive oil, which are to be melted
together; this being done, half a pound of calamine powder is to be
sifted in, and stirred till the whole be completely mixed. This is
an excellent ointment for stimulating sluggish wounds or sores.
Bleeding at the Nose.—To stop this malady, which is sometimes
alarming, it is recommended by Dr. Negrier (who has extensively
tried it) simply to elevate the patient’s arm. The explanation
is based upon physiological grounds: the greater force required to
propel the blood through the vessels of the arm when elevated,
causes the pressure upon the vessels of the head to be diminished
by the increased action which takes place in the course of the
brachial arteries (the arteries of the arms). If the theory be sound,
both arms should be elevated.
Hydrophobia.—No kennel should be without this medicine:—Six
ounces filings of pewter, six ounces rue, four ounces garlic, four ounces
mithridate or Venice treacle. Cut the rue and garlic small; mix
them with three quarts of strong beer, or white wine, in an earthen
vessel that can be stopped close; put it into a pot of water with
hay tied about it, to prevent it from being broken against the sides
of the pot when the water is boiling; let it simmer over a slow fire
three or four hours, then squeeze the liquor from the herbs, bottle it
for use, and seal the cork. How to apply it:—For a dog, one table-spoonful
the first day, two the second, three the third, four the fourth,
and five the fifth; continue to give five for four mornings more; nine
mornings in all. The same quantity to man or woman, making
allowances for robust or less vigorous frames. To a child, half the
quantity.
Poison.—When you have reason to suppose that you have accidentally
swallowed a poisonous substance, and proper medical advice
is not at hand, take an emetic. This may be done almost instantaneously
by swallowing a cupful of warm water mixed with a tea-spoonful
of mustard. If you have not dry mustard in the house,
you are almost sure to have a mustard-pot, and a quantity from
that put into the water will very quickly empty the stomach. As
mustard may thus prove of so much use, it should never be wanting
in any house; but even should there be no mustard at hand, warm
water by itself forms a tolerably efficacious emetic.
A Hint to Invalids.—It may not be generally known to persons
in delicate health that new milk put into a vessel, and let stand
until it becomes of a pleasant sourish taste, is much more wholesome
and nutritious than sweet milk; it is more cooling and strengthening, and
agrees with many stomachs with which new milk will not.—H. C.
A Fumigation for Infected Air.—Take muriatic acid, and nitrous
acid, of each half an ounce; put them into a quart bottle; add of
manganese an ounce and a half; carry this about the room for a
few minutes; a powerful smell will then be perceived, which will be
sufficient; then let the bottle be closely stopped till the air begins
to be offensive, when the same method must be repeated. This will
last for months.
To prevent Infection from Typhus Fever.—Six drachms of
powdered saltpetre, six ounces oil of vitriol; mix them in a tea-cup by
adding one drachm of the oil at a time. The cup to be placed during
the preparation on the hearth, and to be stirred with a tobacco-pipe.
The cup to be placed in different parts of the room.—F. E. W.
To Remove the Smell of House Sewage.—Mix gypsum
(sulphate of lime), with the sewage, which is called “deodorising,” and
it will partially answer the purpose; but peat charcoal will be found a
more effective addition.
To Cure the Sting of a Wasp.—Apply oil of tartar, or solution of
potash, to the part affected, and it will give you instant ease.—F. E. W.
Fly Water.—The following preparation, without endangering the
lives of children, or other incautious persons, is not less fatal to flies
than a solution of arsenic. Dissolve two drachms of the extract of
quassia in half a pint of boiling water, add a little sugar or syrup, and
put the mixture in plates.—F. E. W.
To avoid Injury from Bees.—A wasp or bee swallowed may be
killed before it can do harm, by taking a tea-spoonful of common salt
dissolved in water. It kills the insect and cures the sting. Salt, at all
times, is the best cure for external stings; sweet oil, pounded mallows,
or onions, or powdered chalk made into a paste with water, are also
efficacious.
Effectual Method of curing the Stings of Bees and Wasps.—The
sting of a bee is generally more virulent than that of a wasp, and
with some people attended with very violent effects. The sting of a
bee is barbed at the end, and, consequently, always left in the wound:
that of a wasp is pointed only, so that they can sting more than once,
which a bee cannot do. When any person is stung by a bee, let the
sting, in the first place, be instantly pulled out; for the longer it remains
in the wound, the deeper it will pierce, owing to its peculiar form,
and emit more of the poison. The sting is hollow, and the poison
flows through it, which is the sole cause of the pain and inflammation.
The pulling out of the sting should be done carefully, and with a
steady hand; for if any part of it breaks in, all remedies then, in a
great measure, will be ineffectual. When the sting is extracted, suck
the wounded part, if possible, and very little inflammation, if any, will
ensue. If hartshorn drops are immediately afterwards rubbed on the
part, the cure will be more complete. All notions of the efficacy of
sweet oil, bruised parsley, burnt tobacco, &c., appear, on various
trials, to be totally groundless. On some people, the sting of bees
and wasps has no effect, it is therefore of little consequence what
remedy they apply to the wound. However, the effect of stings greatly
depends on the habit of body a person is of; at one time a sting
takes little or no effect, though no remedy is used, which at another
time will be very virulent on the same person. I have had occasion
to test this remedy several times, and I can safely avouch its efficacy.
The exposure to which persons are subjected during the hot summer
months, will no doubt render the advice very useful, its very simplicity
making it more acceptable.—W. F. C., Islington.
Disinfecting Liquid.—In a wine-bottle of cold water, dissolve two
ounces acetate of lead (sugar of lead); and then add two (fluid) ounces
of strong nitric acid (aqua-fortis). Shake the mixture, and it will be
ready for use.—A very small quantity of the liquid, in its strongest
form, should be used for cleansing all kinds of chamber utensils.—For
removing offensive odours, clean cloths thoroughly moistened with the
liquid, diluted with eight or ten parts of water, should be suspended
at various parts of the room.—In this case the offensive and deleterious
gases are neutralized by chemical action. Fumigation in the usual
way is only the substitution of one odour for another. In using the
above, or any other disinfectant, let it never be forgotten that fresh
air—and plenty of it—is cheaper and more effective than any other
material.—O. N.
Hair Dye, No. 1.—I have operated upon my own cranium for at least
a dozen years, and though I have heard it affirmed that dyeing the hair
will produce insanity, I am happy to think I am, as yet, perfectly sane,
and under no fear of becoming insane; at all events, I am wiser than I
once was, when I paid five shillings for what I myself can now make for
less than twopence!—but to the question:—I procure lime, which I
speedily reduce to powder by throwing a little water upon it; then mix
this with litharge (three-quarters lime and a quarter litharge), which I
sift through a fine hair sieve; and then I have what is sold at a high
price under the name of “Unique Powder,” and the most effectual hair
dye that has yet been discovered. But the application of it is not very
agreeable, though simple enough:—Put a quantity of it in a saucer,
pour boiling water upon it, and mix it up with a knife like thick
mustard; divide the hair into thin layers with a comb, and plaster the
mixture thickly into the layers to the roots, and all over the hair. When
it is all completely covered over with it, then lay all over it a covering
of damp blue or brown paper, and bind over it closely a handkerchief,
then put on a nightcap over all, and go to bed; in the morning, brush
out the powder, wash thoroughly with soap and warm water, then dry,
curl, oil, &c. I warrant that hair thus managed will be a permanent
and beautiful black, which, I dare say, most people would prefer to
either gray or red.—J. G.
Hair Dye, No. 2.—Moisten the hair first with a solution of silver
in nitric acid, and then with a weak solution of the hydro-sulphuret of
ammonia. This is instantaneous in its effects. It is to be observed
that it also stains the skin.
Superfluous Hair.—Seeing a general desire for a receipt to
remove superfluous hairs, I send you one which I can recommend:—Lime,
one ounce; carbonate of potash, two ounces; charcoal powder,
one drachm; mix with warm water to a paste, and apply it to the hair.
When dry, wash it off.—W. Ll. R.
For Thickening and Strengthening the Hair.—Skim the fat
from the top of calves’ feet while boiling; mix with a tea-spoonful of
rum; shake together. Apply night and morning.
Economical Hair Wash.—Take one ounce of borax, half an ounce
of camphor, powder these ingredients fine, and dissolve them in one
quart of boiling water; when cool, the solution will be ready for use;
damp the hair frequently. This wash not only effectually cleanses and
beautifies, but strengthens the hair, preserves the colour, and prevents
early baldness. The camphor will form into lumps, but the water will
be sufficiently impregnated.
To Promote the Growth of Hair.—Mix equal parts of olive oil
and spirits of rosemary, and add a few drops of oil of nutmeg. If the
hair be rubbed every night with this, and the proportion be very
gradually increased, it will answer every purpose of increasing the
growth of the hair. I have tried this, and recommended it to others,
with the best effect.—E. J.
Erasmus Wilson’s Lotion to Promote the Growth Of
Hair.—Eau de Cologne, two ounces; tincture of cantharides, two
drachms; oil of rosemary and oil of lavender, of each ten drops.
Camphor Cerate for Chapped Hands.—Take one ounce and a
half of spermaceti, half an ounce of white wax, scrape them into an
earthen vessel or pipkin (an earthen jam-pot will do), add six drachms
of pounded camphor, and pour on the whole four table-spoonfuls of best
olive oil; let it stand before the fire till it dissolves, stirring it well
when liquid. Before you wash your hands, take a small piece of the
cerate, and rub it into your hands, then wash them as usual. Putting
the cerate on before going to bed is very good. The ingredients cost
one shilling, and this quantity will last for three winters. The vessel
should be covered, to prevent evaporation.
Macassar Oil To Make the Hair Grow and Curl.—Olive oil,
one pound; oil of origanum, one drachm; oil of rosemary, one drachm
and a quarter. Mix.
To Make a Curling Fluid for the Hair.—Melt a bit of white
bees’ wax, about the size of a filbert kernel, in one ounce of olive oil; to
this add one or two drops of attar of roses.
To Soften the Skin, and Improve the Complexion.—If
flour of sulphur be mixed in a little milk, and after standing an hour
or two, the milk (without disturbing the sulphur) be rubbed into the
skin, it will keep it soft, and make the complexion clear. It is to be
used before washing. This recipe is used in my family every day, and
found to answer.—G. W.
To Whiten the Nails.—Diluted sulphuric acid, two drachms;
tincture of myrrh, one drachm; spring water, four ounces. Mix. First
cleanse with white soap, and then dip the fingers into the mixture.—N.
To Whiten the Hands.—Take a wine-glassful of Eau de Cologne,
and another of lemon-juice; then scrape two cakes of brown Windsor
soap to a powder, and mix well in a mould. When hard, it will be an
excellent soap for whitening the hands.
An Excellent Eye-wash.—I send you the following recipe,
having found it very useful in my own case. It is especially adapted to
relieve the pain and weakness incident to the eyes of elderly people,
when depending on debility of the optic nerves:—Take sulphate of
zinc, one drachm; spirit of camphor, three drachms; distilled water,
hot, four ounces; rose-water, eight ounces. Pour the boiling water
upon the zinc and camphorated spirit in a closed vessel, and when cold,
strain through linen or fine tow; then add the rose-water.—J. Wilson,
Cork.
For Weak Eyes.—Two grains acetate of zinc, in two ounces of
rose-water; filter the liquor carefully, and wash the eyes night and
morning. I have used the above for many years.—M. A. S.
Goulard Lotion, or Lead Wash.—This may be made by dissolving
one drachm of sugar of lead in a pint of soft water. Some
persons are very fond of using this wash, with the addition of spirits
of wine, as an evaporant; but I do not like it, for it renders the skin
very dry and harsh, and its sedative virtue acting through unbroken
skin, is not of much value. Under other circumstances, it is very often
useful. When used as a wash for the eyes, two grains of the sugar
of lead are to be dissolved in two table-spoonfuls of water.
To Fill a Decayed Tooth.—Procure a small piece of gutta-percha,
drop it into boiling water, then, with the thumb and finger, take off
as much as you suppose will fill up the tooth nearly level, and while in
the soft state press into the tooth; then hold on that side of the mouth
cold water two or three times, which will harden it.—The writer of
this chanced to try it, and for two years has found it very successful;
of course the breath is sweeter, and the tooth free from cold.—G. A. M.
New Method of Filling Teeth.—Mix thirteen parts of pure
finely powdered caustic lime with twelve parts of anhydrous phosphoric
acid. This powder is moist during the mixing, and, while in that state,
is to be introduced into the decayed tooth. The place in the tooth
is to be made dry before receiving the mixture. This kind of filling
must be used two or three minutes after being prepared. Soon after
it is lodged in the decayed cavity, it becomes very solid.—E. A. C.
Simple Means of Removing Tartar from the Teeth.—In the
summer months, tartar may be effectually removed from the teeth, by
partaking frequently of strawberries.
Tooth-Powder.—Powdered orris-root, half an ounce; powdered
charcoal, two ounces; powdered Peruvian bark, one ounce; prepared
chalk, half an ounce; oil of bergamot or lavender, twenty drops. These
ingredients must be well worked up in a mortar, until thoroughly
incorporated. This celebrated tooth-powder possesses three essential
virtues, giving an odorous breath, cleansing and purifying the gums,
and preserving the enamel; the last rarely found in popular tooth-powders.—C.
Simple Mode of Cleansing the Teeth.—Take a tooth-brush,
which, after having dipped it in water, rub upon your cake of soap, and
then apply to the teeth; the mouth can easily be cleansed of the soap-suds,
by rinsing with water. I have found this simple receipt very
effective.—J. T.
Excellent Dentifrice.—I have used the following dentifrice for
seven or eight years uninterruptedly, and can confidently recommend
it as excellent and economical:—Procure a lump of whiting, and
scrape off as much, in fine powder, as will fill a pint pot. Take two
ounces of camphor, moisten it with a few drops of brandy or spirit
of wine, and rub it into a powder. Mix this with the whiting, and
add to it half an ounce of powdered myrrh. Put the whole into a
wide-mouthed bottle, and cork down. A small portion of this may
be emptied into a box every few days for use. By keeping it corked
down, it will be as fragrant at the end of the year as when made. If
too strong of the camphor, it will be easy to add a little more
whiting.—T. K.
Cold Cream.—Sweet almond oil, seven pounds by weight; white
wax, three-quarters of a pound; spermaceti, three-quarters of a pound;
clarified mutton suet, one pound; rose-water, seven pints; spirits of
wine, one pint. Directions to mix the above:—Place the oil, wax,
spermaceti, and suet in a large jar; cover it over tightly, then place
it in a saucepan of boiling water (having previously placed two or more
pieces of fire-wood at the bottom of the saucepan, to allow the water
to get underneath the jar, and to prevent its breaking); keep the water
boiling round the jar till all the ingredients are dissolved; take it out
of the water, and pour it into a large pan previously warmed and capable
of holding twenty-one pints; then, with a wooden spatula, stir in the
rose-water, cold, as quickly as possible (dividing it into three or four
parts at most), the stirring in of which should not occupy above five
minutes, as after a certain heat the water will not mix. When all the
water is in, stir unremittingly for thirty minutes longer to prevent
its separating, then add the spirits of wine and the scent, and it is
finished. Keep it in a cold place, in a white glazed jar, and do not
cut it with a steel knife, as it causes blackness at the parts of contact.
Scent with otto of roses and essential oil of bergamot to fancy. For
smaller quantities, make ounces instead of pounds.—R. S.
Rosemary Pomatum.—Strip from the stems two large handfuls of
recently gathered rosemary. Boil these in a well-tinned saucepan,
with half a pound of hog’s lard, till reduced to four ounces. Strain it,
and put it into a pomatum pot. Oils for the hair may be made by
simply stirring any essential oils into oil of ben, oil of almonds, olive
oil, or castor oil. The pink and red oils are coloured by being heated
to the boiling point, and poured upon alkanet root. But such preparation
is bad, because heating the oil to the point necessary to make it
act upon the dye of the alkanet root, gives it a tendency to become
rancid. Coloured oils should therefore be avoided, if it be for this
reason only; but for ladies who wear caps, there is a still stronger—coloured
oils always stain these caps.—W.
Pomatum.—Take of white mutton suet four pounds, well boiled in
hot water (three quarts), and washed to free it from salt. Melt the suet
when dried with a pound and a half of fresh lard, and two pounds of yellow
wax. Pour into an earthen vessel, and stir it till it is cold; then beat
into it thirty drops of oil of cloves, or any other essential oil whose scent
you prefer. If this kind of pomatum is too hard, use less wax.
To make Court-Plaster.—Stretch tightly, some thin black or flesh-coloured
silk in a wooden frame, securing it with packthread or small
tacks. Then go all over it with a soft bristle brush, dipped in dissolved
isinglass or strong gum arabic water. Give it two or three coats,
letting it dry between each. Then go several times over it with white
of egg.—J. Manson.
Rose Lip Salve.—Eight ounces sweet almond oil, four ounces prepared
mutton suet, one ounce and a half white wax, two ounces
spermaceti, twenty drops otto; steep a small quantity of alkanet
root in the oil, and strain before using. Melt the suet, wax, and
spermaceti together, then add the chloric oil and otto.—R. S.
Bandoline for the Hair (a French Receipt).—To one quart of
water put half an ounce of quince pips, boil it nearly an hour, stirring
it well, strain it through a piece of fine muslin, let it stand twenty-four
hours, and then add fourteen drops of the essential oil of almonds. A
dessert-spoonful of brandy may be added, if required to keep a long
time.—E. I.
Bandoline for the Hair.—Take of castor oil, two ounces; spermaceti,
one drachm; oil of bergamot, one drachm. Mix with heat
and strain; then beat in six drops otto of roses. If wished coloured,
add half a drachm of annatto. Tried and recommended by W. B. W. K.
Cost, 1s. 4d.
Elder-Flower Ointment.—This is the mildest, blandest, and most
cooling ointment, as the old women term it, which can be used, and
is very suitable for anointing the face or neck when sun-burnt. It is
made of fresh elder-flowers stripped from the stalks, two pounds of
which are simmered in an equal quantity of hog’s lard till they become
crisp, after which the ointment, whilst fluid, is strained through a
coarse sieve.
Bear’s Grease (Imitative).—Hog’s lard, sixteen ounces; flour
of benzoin and palm oil, of each a quarter of an ounce. Melt together
until combined, and stir until cold. Scent at pleasure. This will
keep a long time.
Pomade Victoria.—This highly-praised and excellent pomade is
made in the following way—and if so made, will be found to give a
beautiful gloss and softness to the hair:—Quarter of a pound of honey
and half an ounce of bees’ wax simmered together for a few minutes,
and then strain; and of oil of almonds, lavender and thyme, half a
drachm each. Be sure to continue stirring till quite cold, or the honey
and wax will separate.—Tried and recommended by W. W.
Cold Cream.—Lard, six ounces; spermaceti, one ounce and a
drachm and a half; white wax, three drachms; rose-water, three
ounces; carbonate of potass, fifteen grains; spirits of wine, three-quarters
of an ounce; essential oil of bergamot, three drachms. Melt
the three first, then add the rose-water, carbonate of potass, and spirits
of wine, stirring well, and when nearly cold add the perfume. I can
safely say that this is first-rate, having made many pounds of it.—G.
R. M. D.
To Perfume Linen.—Rose leaves dried in the shade, or at about
four feet from a stove, one pound; cloves, carraway seeds, and allspice,
of each one ounce; pound in a mortar, or grind in a mill; dried salt,
a quarter of a pound. Mix all these together, and put the compound
into little bags.—S., Clapham.
Pot-Pourri.—Take of orris-root, flag-root, bruised, each four ounces;
yellow sandal-wood, three ounces; sweet cedar-wood, one ounce;
gum benzoin, storax, of each one ounce; cloves, half an ounce; nutmegs,
one ounce; patchouli leaves, one ounce. The above should be
all coarsely powdered, and well mixed. Then add—bay salt, one
pound; rose leaves, three ounces; essence of lemon, half a drachm;
millefleurs, one drachm; oil of lavender (English) twenty drops;
musk, ten grains. The above may be used for saquets, if the bay salt
and rose leaves are omitted, substituting for the latter ten drops of
otto of roses. The above forms a grateful perfume, and will retain
its scent for a considerable time. It may be relied upon as excellent.—W.
G. G.
To make Eau de Cologne.—Rectified spirits of wine, four pints;
oil of bergamot, one ounce; oil of lemon, half an ounce; oil of
rosemary, half a drachm; oil of neroli, three-quarters of a drachm;
oil of English lavender, one drachm; oil of oranges, one drachm.
Mix well and then filter. If these proportions are too large, smaller
ones may be used.—A. L.
To Extract the Perfume of Flowers.—Procure a quantity of
the petals of any flower which has an agreeable flavour; card thin
layers of cotton wool, which dip into the finest Florence oil; sprinkle
a small quantity of fine salt on the flowers, and place layers of cotton
and flowers alternately, until an earthen or wide-mouthed glass vessel
is quite full. Tie the top close with a bladder, and lay the vessel in
a south aspect, exposed to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days,
when opened, a fragrant oil may be squeezed away from the whole
mass; little inferior (if roses are made use of) to the dear and highly-valued
otto, or odour of roses.
Essentia Odorifera.—Take of musk grain, ten grains; civet, five
grains; Peruvian balsam, twelve grains; oil of cloves, four drops; oil
of rhodium, two drops; sub-carbonate of potash, half a drachm; rectified
spirits of wine, two ounces. Digest them together in a close vessel,
with a heat equal to that of the sun in summer (78 deg. Fahr.) for several
days, and afterwards pour off the essence for use. This is an exquisite
perfume, and a single drop gives a fine flavour to many ounces of
other liquors.—K.
A Very Pleasant Perfume, and also Preventive against
Moths.—Take of cloves, caraway seeds, nutmegs, mace, cinnamon,
and Tonquin beans, of each one ounce; then add as much Florentine
orris-root as will equal the other ingredients put together. Grind the
whole well to powder, and then put it in little bags, among your
clothes, &c.—A. L.
To Loosen the Stoppers of Smelling-Bottles.—If the stopper
is firmly fixed by means of the salts contained within the bottle, do not
attempt to strike the stopper, but add as much citric acid to water as
it will take up, thus making what chemists term a saturated solution;
or else pour some vinegar into a tumbler, and immerse the bottle in
the solution or vinegar. In the former case a citrate of ammonia
will be formed, and in the latter case an acetate of ammonia. After
the bottle has remained in the tumbler a short time, remove it to a
basin of warm water, and it will soon be released.—K.
Cleaning Combs.—I beg leave to offer a plan that will do away
with the “cleaning of a comb,” or, at least, in a great measure lessen
that disagreeable duty. Cut a bit of coarse flannel the size of the comb
(small-tooth comb I mean) and before you use it work the flannel on to
one edge of the comb, push it about half-way up the teeth; when you
have used it, draw the flannel off and the comb will easily be made
perfectly clean by being rinsed in water. I keep bits of flannel cut
always with my comb.—S. K. Y.
To Wash Hair-Brushes.—Never use soap. Take a piece of soda,
dissolve it in warm water, stand the brush in it, taking care that the
water only covers the bristles; it will almost immediately become
white and clean; stand it to dry in the open air with the bristles downwards,
and it will be found to be as firm as a new brush.—A Rigid
Economist, Guernsey.
To Clean Hair or Clothes-Brushes.—Dissolve about the size
of a walnut of washing soda, and an atom of soap in a basin quite full
of warm water. Pass the hairs of the brush quickly for a few minutes
on the surface of the water without wetting either the handle or back,
which always loosens it and spoils varnish brushes; if cleaned in this
manner it will save great trouble, and last a much longer time.—M.
L. J.
To Clean Head and Clothes-brushes.—Put a table-spoonful of
pearlash into a pint of boiling water. Having fastened a bit of sponge
to the end of a stick, dip it into the solution, and wash the brush with
it; carefully going in among the bristles. Next pour over it some clean
hot water, and let it lie a little while. Then drain it, wipe it with
a cloth, and dry it before the fire.—J. Gregory.
To Clean Sponge.—Immerse it in cold buttermilk, let it soak for
a few hours, and wash it out in clean water, it will be perfectly clean
and soft. This I have often tried, and never found it to fail.—J.
E. C.
To Clean a Comb.—Many of the readers of the Practical Housewife
may perhaps smile upon seeing so simple a recipe as the one I now send,
but having during my experience as a housekeeper felt more annoyance
from trifling than material causes, I venture to send my contribution.
Tie one end of a strong silk thread to the handle of a wash-stand or
bureau-drawer. Sit down before it with a towel spread on your lap,
and holding the other end of the silk tightly in your left hand, take the
comb in your right hand and pass it hard and carefully along the thread,
which must be made to go in between all the teeth separately, so as
to remove or scrape down all the impurities. Then rub the comb
with a comb-brush, or a soft cloth; rinse it in warm soap-suds, and
wipe it dry.—M. G., Stockport.
To Clean Bottles Infected with Bad Smells.—Put into
bottles so affected some pieces of gray or brown paper; fill them
with water; shake the bottles strongly; leave them then a day or
two in this state, when, finding them more or less affected, repeat
the process, and afterwards rinse them with pure water.—S. S. T.
One of the useful accomplishments of a lady is to understand how
to make the invalid in her family comfortable. Food prepared by
the kind hand of a wife, mother, sister, friend, has a sweeter relish
than the mere ingredients can give, and a restorative power which
money cannot purchase. These receipts will enable the watchful
attendant to vary the food, as choice or symptoms may render expedient.
Jellies and meat broths, together with the various kinds of
farinaceous food, are the lightest on the stomach, as well as generally
the most nutritious for an invalid. Milk preparations are useful
when the lungs are weak. Food that the stomach can digest without
distressing the patient is the kind that gives actual strength.
To Make Gruel.—Mix a dessert-spoonful of fine oatmeal or patent
groats, in two of cold water, add a pint of boiling water, and boil
it ten minutes, keeping it stirred. Or,—boil a quarter of a pint of
groats in a quart of water for about two hours, and strain through
a sieve. Stir into the gruel a small piece of butter, and some
sugar, nutmeg, or ginger, grated; or, if it be not sweetened, add a
small pinch of salt.
Barley Gruel.—Wash four ounces of pearl-barley; boil it in
two quarts of water with a stick of cinnamon, till reduced to a
quart; strain and return it into the saucepan with sugar and three-fourths
of a pint of milk. Heat up, and use as wanted.
Flour Caudle.—Mix, smoothly, a table-spoonful of flour with a
gill of water; set on the fire in a saucepan a gill of new milk,
sweeten it, and, when it boils, add the flour and water; simmer and
stir them together for a quarter of an hour.
White Caudle.—Make the gruel as above, strain through a sieve,
and stir it till cold. When to be used, sweeten it to taste, grate in
some nutmeg, and add a little white wine; a little lemon-peel or juice
is sometimes added. The yolk of an egg, well beaten, may likewise
be stirred in when the gruel is boiling.
Rice Caudle.—This may be made with water or milk; when it
boils, add some ground rice, previously mixed smoothly with a little
cold water; boil till thick enough, when sweeten it, and grate in
nutmeg, or add a little powdered cinnamon.
Arrow-root.—It is very necessary to be careful not to get the
counterfeit sort; if genuine, it is very nourishing, especially for persons
with weak bowels. Put into a saucepan half a pint of water,
grated nutmeg, and fine sugar; boil up once, then mix it by degrees
into a dessert-spoonful of arrow-root, previously rubbed smooth with
two spoonfuls of cold water. Or,—Mix a dessert-spoonful of arrow-root,
with a little cold water, have ready boiling water in a kettle,
pour it upon the arrow-root until it becomes quite clear, keeping it
stirred all the time; add a little sugar. Where milk may be taken,
it is very delicious made in the same way with milk instead of
water, a dessert-spoonful of arrow-root, and half a pint of milk; add
a small bit of lemon-peel.
Tapioca.—Choose the largest sort, pour cold water on to wash it
two or three times; then soak it in fresh water five or six hours,
and simmer it in the same until it becomes quite clear; then put
lemon-juice, wine, and sugar. The peel should have been boiled in
it. It thickens very much.
Sago.—Cleanse it by first soaking it an hour in cold water, and then
washing it in fresh water. To a tea-cupful add a quart of water and
a bit of lemon-peel, simmer it till the berries are clear, season it
with wine and spice, and boil it all up together. The sago may be
boiled with milk instead of water, till reduced to one-half, and served
without seasoning.
Sago Milk.—Cleanse as above, and boil it slowly, and wholly
with new milk. It swells so much, that a small quantity will be
sufficient for a quart, and when done it will be diminished to about
a pint. It requires no sugar or flavouring.
Ground Rice Milk.—Boil one spoonful of ground rice, rubbed
down smooth, with one pint and a half of milk, a bit of cinnamon,
lemon-peel and nutmeg. Sweeten when nearly done.
Restorative Milk.—Boil a quarter of an ounce of isinglass in a
pint of new milk till reduced to half, and sweeten.
Suet Milk.—Cut one ounce of mutton or veal suet into shavings,
and warm it slowly over the fire in a pint of milk, adding a little
grated lemon-peel, cinnamon, and loaf sugar.
Imitation of Asses’ Milk.—Boil together equal quantities of new
milk and water; sweeten with white sugar-candy, and strain.—Or,
Stir into a gill each of milk and boiling water a well-beaten egg,
and sweeten with white sugar-candy.
Barley Milk.—Boil half a pound of washed pearl-barley in one
quart of milk and half a pint of water, and sweeten: boil it again,
and drink it when almost cold.
Baked Milk.—Is much recommended for consumption. The milk
should be put into a moderately warm oven, and be left in it all night.
Calf’s Feet and Milk.—Put into a jar two calf’s feet with a
little lemon-peel, cinnamon, or mace, and equal quantities of milk
and water to cover them; tie over closely, and set in a slack oven
for about three hours; when cold, take off the fat: and sweeten and
warm as required.
Sheep’s Trotters.—Simmer six sheep’s trotters, two blades of mace,
a little cinnamon, lemon-peel, a few hartshorn shavings, and a little
isinglass, in two quarts of water to one; when cold, take off the
fat, and give nearly half a pint twice a day, warming with it a little
new milk.
Isinglass.—Boil one ounce of isinglass shavings, forty Jamaica
peppercorns, and a bit of brown crust of bread, in a quart of water, to
a pint, and strain it. This makes a pleasant jelly to keep in the
house; of which a large spoonful may be taken in wine and water,
milk, tea, soup, or any way most agreeable.
Gloucester Jelly.—Boil in two quarts of water till reduced to
one quart, the following ingredients: hartshorn shavings, isinglass,
barley and rice, one ounce of each. When this jelly, which is light
and very nourishing, is to be taken, a few table-spoonfuls of it must
be dissolved in a little milk, together with a bit of cinnamon, lemon-peel,
and sugar. It will be very good without the seasoning.
Bread Jelly.—Cut the crumb of a penny roll into thin slices,
and toast them equally of a pale brown; boil them gently in a quart
of water till it will jelly, which may be known by putting a little
in a spoon to cool; strain it upon a bit of lemon-peel, and sweeten
it with sugar.
Rice Jelly.—Boil half a pound of rice, and a small piece of cinnamon,
in two quarts of water, for one hour; pass it through a
sieve, and when cold it will be a firm jelly, which, when warmed in
milk and sweetened, will be very nutritious; add one pint of milk
to the rice, in the sieve, boil it for a short time, stirring it constantly,
strain it, and it will resemble thick milk, if eaten warm.
Strengthening Jelly.—Simmer in two quarts of soft water, one
ounce of pearl-barley, one ounce of sago, one ounce of rice, till reduced
to one quart; take a tea-cupful in milk, morning, noon, and night.
Hemp-seed Jelly.—Bruise hemp-seeds, boil them in water, and
strain; afterwards, simmer the liquor until it is of the thickness of gruel.
Tapioca Jelly.—Wash the tapioca, soak it for three hours in cold
water, in which simmer it till dissolved with a piece of thin lemon-peel;
then sweeten, and take out the peel before using.
To Make Panada in Five Minutes.—Set a little water on the
fire with some sugar and a scrape of nutmeg and lemon-peel; meanwhile
grate some crumbs of bread. The moment the mixture boils up,
keeping it still on the fire, put the crumbs in, and let it boil as fast
as it can. When of a proper thickness just to drink, take it off.
Or,—Put to the water a bit of lemon-peel, mix the crumbs in, and,
when nearly boiled enough, put some lemon or orange syrup. Observe
to boil all the ingredients, for if any be added after, the panada will
break and not jelly.
Chicken Panada.—Boil a chicken, till about three parts ready, in
a quart of water; take off the skin, cut the white meat off when cold,
and put into a marble mortar; pound it to a paste with a little of the
water it was boiled in, season with salt, a grate of nutmeg, and the
least bit of lemon-peel. Boil gently for a few minutes to the consistency
you like; it should be such as you can drink, though tolerably
thick. This conveys great nourishment in a small compass.
Sippets.—When the stomach will not receive meat, sippets are very
nutritious, and prepared in this simple manner:—On an extremely hot
plate, put two or three sippets (small square pieces) of bread, and
pour over them some gravy, from beef, mutton, or veal, with which
no butter has been mixed. Sprinkle a little salt over.
Broths of Beef, Mutton, and Veal.—Put two pounds of lean beef,
one pound of scrag of veal, one pound of scrag of mutton, sweet herbs,
and ten peppercorns, into a nice tin saucepan, with five quarts of water;
simmer to three quarts, and clear off the fat when cold. Add one onion,
if approved. Soup or broth made of different meats is more supporting,
as well as better flavoured. To remove the fat, take it off when cold
as clean as possible; and if there be still any remaining, lay a bit of
clean blotting-paper on the broth when in the basin, and it will take up
every particle. Or, if the broth is wanted before there is time to let it
get cold, put a piece of cork up the narrow end of a funnel, pour the
broth into it, let it stand for a few minutes, and the fat will rise to the
top; remove the cork and draw off in a basin as much of the broth as
is wanted, which will be perfectly free from fat.
For a Quick-made Broth.—Take a bone or two of a neck or loin
of mutton, take off the fat and skin, set it on the fire in a small tin
saucepan that has a cover, with three-fourths of a pint of water, the
meat being first beaten and cut in thin bits; put a bit of thyme and
parsley, and, if approved, a slice of onion. Let it boil very quickly;
skim it; take off the cover if likely to be too weak, else cover it.
Half an hour is sufficient for the whole process.
Calf’s Feet Broth.—Boil two calf’s feet, two ounces of veal, and
two of beef, the bottom of a penny loaf, two or three blades of mace,
half a nutmeg sliced, and a little salt, in three quarts of water, to three
pints; strain, and take off the fat.
Chicken Broth.—May be made of any young fowl, which is
afterwards to be brought to table; but the best sort is to be procured
from an old cock or hen, which is to be stewed down to rags, with a
couple of onions, seasoned with salt and a little whole pepper; skim
and strain it.
A Weaker Kind.—After taking off the skin and rump, put the
body and legs of a fowl, from the white meat of which chicken panada
has been made, into the water it was boiled in, with one blade of mace,
one slice of onion, and ten white peppercorns. Simmer till the broth
be of a pleasant flavour.
Beef Tea.—Cut half a pound of lean fresh beef into slices, lay it in
a dish, and pour over it a pint of boiling water; cover the dish and let
it stand half an hour by the fire, then just boil it up, pour it off clear,
and salt it very little.
Veal Tea is made in the same way, and Chicken Tea also.
Another, to Drink Cold.—Take one pound of lean beef, clear it
from every particle of skin, fat, or sinew, rasp or divide it into very small
pieces; then put it into a jar, and pour a quart of boiling water upon it;
plunge the jar into a kettle of boiling water, let it stand by the side of the
fire, but not near enough to simmer, and allow it to grow cold. Then strain
the beef tea through a muslin sieve, and, if the patient be very delicate,
filter it through blotting-paper. This tea is to be taken when cold, and
will remain upon the stomach when other nourishment fails; it may be
given to infants.
Eggs.—An egg broken into a cup of tea, or beaten and mixed with a
basin of milk, makes a breakfast more supporting than tea alone. An
egg divided, and the yolk and white beaten separately, will afford two
very wholesome draughts, and prove lighter than when taken together.
Eggs very little boiled, or poached, taken in small quantities, convey
much nourishment; the yolk only, when dressed, should be eaten by
invalids.
Stew for Persons in Weak Health.—Cut veal into slices, and
put them into an earthen jar, with sliced turnips, and a little salt; cover
closely, set the jar up to the neck in boiling water, and stew till the
meat is tender.
DOMESTIC MANIPULATION. — I. CLEANING, DRYING, CORKING, TYING DOWN, STOPPERING, AND UNSTOPPERING. — II. CUTTING, GRINDING, AND WRITING ON GLASS. — III. DECANTING, STRAINING, AND FILTERING OF LIQUIDS. — IV. THE MANUFACTURE AND USE OF CEMENTS. — V. DIVIDING, POWDERING, GRINDING, ETC. — VI. KNOTS, PACKAGES, PARCELS, ETC. — VII. ON THE OPERATIONS AFFECTING WATER. — VIII. BOILING, STEWING, ETC. — IX. ECONOMY OF HEAT. — X. CLEANING AND DISINFECTING. — XI. FERMENTING AND DISTILLING. — HOUSEHOLD RECEIPTS.—CLEANING, DYEING, RENOVATING, MENDING, PRESERVING, ETC. — INJURIES AND DEATHS FROM THE INFLAMMABILITY OF FEMALE CLOTHING.
Under the head of Domestic Manipulation, we propose giving a series
of instructions on the numerous and essential manual operations that
are constantly being required in every family, and which, whether they
are well or ill done, must of necessity be performed. The term
Domestic Manipulation, employed in the widest sense, would include
all the manual operations required in a house, but we propose to
limit it to such as partake in a slight degree of a chemical or other
scientific character; thus the operations of Filtering, Decanting,
Weighing, Measuring, Bottling, Corking, Unstoppering, Pounding,
Heating, Boiling, Distilling, Cementing, &c., &c., will be included;
whilst Dusting, Washing, and Scrubbing, though no less, in strictness,
manipulations, will be passed over in silence. These general directions
will be followed by a number of Receipts and Hints tried and recommended
by numerous intelligent Housekeepers.
Cleaning.—Perhaps no more effectual and easy mode of cleaning
wine and beer bottles can be recommended than that commonly
adopted, viz., the use of small shot and water; in the case of old port
wine bottles, however, it often occurs that the mechanical action of the
shot fails to remove the hardened crust from the interior; a small
quantity of pearlash or soda, or still better, the washing liquids
described in another page, added to the water, will soften the crust
sufficiently to permit its easy removal; there is, however, one objection
to the use of shot for the purpose of cleaning bottles; unless due care
be taken, by the violence of the shaking it often happens that several
become firmly wedged between the bottom and sides of the bottles, and
are not removed by the subsequent rinsings with clean water, and if the
bottles are used for acid wines or other liquids (almost all our home-made
wines contain a considerable portion of free acid), the shots are
slowly dissolved; and from the metallic arsenic which they contain, as
well as from the lead itself, the liquid is rendered poisonous. This
effect may be readily guarded against by removing any shots which
may have become fixed, by a stiff wire slightly hooked at the end.
Decanters are formed of flint glass, which is much softer and more
readily scratched than the common kinds, they require therefore a less
rough treatment; in general, warm (not boiling) water, with the
addition of a few pieces of coarse brown paper, and if requisite a little
soda, will be found effectual; should greater force be required, a small
portion of tow wrapped round the notched end of a moderately stiff
wire, and used with a little strong soda, will be found sufficient. Sand
or ashes should never be employed in cleaning decanters, as they
roughen and totally disfigure the brilliant surface of the glass.
Drying.—It is scarcely necessary to speak of the advantages of
being able to dry thoroughly both decanters and common bottles; if
the former, after having been cleaned, are put away wet, they become
musty; and many liquids are much injured by being put into wet
bottles. Some of our readers have doubtless experienced the inefficiency
of the ordinary means for drying decanters, &c., after draining for some
days they still remain damp, and if placed near a fire the warmth merely
drives the vapour to the colder part of the vessel; they may, however,
be readily and quickly dried after draining, by making them slightly
warm and blowing in fresh air with a pair of bellows, which rapidly
carries out the damp vapour, and leaves the vessel perfectly dry. If
bellows are not at hand, the damp air may be drawn out (not blown)
with the mouth, assisted by a tube sufficiently long to reach nearly to
the bottom of the decanter; in the laboratory a piece of glass tube is
usually taken, being always at hand, but for domestic use a piece of
paper may be rolled up so as to form an extemporaneous and effectual
substitute.
Corking.—Little can be said with regard to the corking of bottles,
beyond stating the fact that cheap bad corks are always dear; the best
corks are soft, velvety, and free from large pores; if squeezed they
become more elastic and fit more closely. If good corks are used of
sufficiently large size to be extracted without the corkscrew, they may be
employed many times in succession, especially if they are soaked in
boiling water after, which restores them to their original shape, and
renews their elasticity.
Fig. 1.
Tying down.—The operation of tying down corks merits a longer
notice, as without it many effervescent wines and liquids could not be
preserved. The most common
mode of fastening
down corks, is with the
ginger beer knot, which is
thus made:—First the
loop is formed as in Fig.
1, then that part of the
string which passes across
the loop is placed on the
top of the cork, and the loop itself passed down around the neck of the
bottle, and by pulling the ends of the cord is made tight beneath the
rim; the ends of the string are finally brought up, and tied either in a
double knot, or in a bow on the top of the cork. When ginger beer is
made at home it will be found most advantageous to use the best corks,
and to tie them down with a bow, when both corks and strings may be
made use of repeatedly.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
For effervescent wines, such as champagne,
gooseberry, &c., which require to be kept a
longer time, and are more valuable, a securer
knot is desirable, which may be made thus:—A
loop as in Fig. 2 is first formed, and the
lower end is then turned upwards and carried
behind the loop, as shown at Fig. 3; it is then
pulled through the loop as in Fig. 4, and in
this state is put over the neck of the bottle;
the part a being on one side, and the two parts
of the loop on the other; on pulling the two
ends the whole becomes tight round the neck,
and the ends, which should be quite opposite,
are to be brought up over the cork, twice twisted, as in Fig. 5, and then
tied in a single knot.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Stoppering.—The stoppering of bottles is an operation usually
performed by the makers; it may, however, be useful to know that
badly fitting stoppers may be readily fitted by re-grinding; this is done
by dipping the stopper in a mixture of fine sand, or still better, emery
and water, replacing it, and turning it backwards and forwards with a
slight pressure; fresh sand must be applied from time to time. When
the fitting is exact, so that the stopper turns freely without shaking, the
whole may be finished off by using a little fine emery and oil.
Unstoppering.—This operation is much more likely to be required
than the one last described, for the stoppers of decanters, smelling-bottles,
&c., from various causes, frequently become fixed, and many are
the fractures both of bottles and stoppers, caused by the misdirected
efforts to remove them. In treating of the various means that may be
employed, we will mention them in the order in which they should be
tried, beginning with the simpler and more easy, and passing on to
those which are more effectual, and at the same time, unfortunately,
more dangerous. The first method, then, that should be tried, is to
press the stopper upwards with the fore-finger and thumb of the left
hand (the other fingers holding the neck of the bottle), and at the same
time giving the stopper a succession of short, sharp, light taps, with the
wooden handle of a chisel, knife, or small hammer; care must be taken
not to strike the stopper with sufficient force to break it, and it should
be borne in mind that it is not the force of the blow, but the vibration,
or jar, which is effectual in loosening it; should this plan be found
ineffectual after a short trial, it may probably be from the stopper being
cemented by some substance, such as the dried sugar of a sweet wine.
In such cases we should endeavour to dissolve the cement by a suitable
solvent, which should be placed in the groove between the stopper and
the bottle; thus, if the stopper is cemented with sugar, gum, or salt,
water may be used; in many circumstances, oil is advantageous, or
spirit, or even strong acid may be used; whatever liquid is employed it
should be allowed to remain some days, being renewed if requisite, and
the tapping, &c., should be again had recourse to.
Should these methods fail, a piece of cloth may be dipped in very hot
water and wrapped round the neck of the bottle, when the heat causes
the expansion of the glass, and if the stopper be tapped or twisted
before the heat has had time to enlarge it, its removal may be effected;
this operation must necessarily be a quick one, for if the stopper is
heated and enlarged, as well as the bottle, it is obvious that no benefit
will result. In the laboratory it is often customary to heat the bottle,
not by a strip of cloth dipped in hot water, but by turning it rapidly
over the flame of a lamp; in this way there is more danger of cracking
the bottle, and the plan is not to be recommended in general, although
employed with considerable success by those who, like operative
chemists, are constantly in the habit of applying heat to glass vessels;
it will at once be seen that the plan is fraught with great danger if
applied to bottles containing inflammable liquids, as spirits, &c.
Fig. 6.
The most effectual mode of removing stoppers, especially those of
small bottles, such as smelling-bottles, remains to be described. Take
a piece of strong cord, about a yard or
four feet in length, double it at the
middle, and tie a knot (Fig. 6, b) so as
to form a loop (a) of about four inches
in length at the doubled end, bring the
knot close to one side of the stopper, and tie the ends tightly together
on the opposite side, as at Fig. 7, e, so as to fasten the string securely
round the neck of the stopper; now
pass one of the ends through the
loop (a), and tie it firmly to the
other end; the doubled cord is next
to be placed over a bar or other
support, then if the bottle is surrounded
by a cloth to prevent
accidents in case of fracture, and
pulled downwards with a jerk, the
force of which is gradually increased,
it will be found that in a short time
the stopper is liberated. Two precautions are requisite: one is, that the
strain on both sides of the stopper is equal; the other, that care be
taken that when the stopper is liberated, it is not dashed by the rebound
against any hard substance, which would cause its fracture.
Fig. 7.
We have described the most advantageous modes of extracting
fixed stoppers from decanters, &c. It is possible that some of our
readers may have followed our advice sufficiently well to have succeeded
in cracking the necks of their decanters. In case any should have been
so unfortunate, or rather we would say—if we were quite sure we
were not addressing ladies—so clumsy, let them not despair; dexterity
in manipulation comes by practice; and as no evil is without a
remedy, we will next consider what can be done with the broken
decanter. Unless it is cracked down to the bottom, it may be cut off
and converted into a handsome sugar basin; or if not high enough
for that purpose, will serve for a pickle dish, or a flower-stand, &c.; and
in the same way, a tumbler broken at the upper part will furnish an
elegant salt-cellar, or serviceable soap dish; and even common bottles,
if sufficiently stout, may be made into useful jars, instead of being
consigned to the dust-heap.
The operation of cutting glass, consists in leading a crack in the
required direction; this is readily done by a hot iron rod, a piece of
pointed burning charcoal, or, what is still better, a burning pastile—which
is somewhat similar in its composition to those used for fumigation;
and which latter, although rather expensive, and inconvenient
from their shape, may be applied for the purpose. When the operation
of cutting up glass vessels into useful forms is much had recourse to,
pastiles are prepared for the purpose, being superior to a heated iron
rod, as they continue to burn and retain their heat, whilst the latter
requires to be re-heated, if the crack has to be led any considerable
distance. Pastiles are readily made by rubbing up half an ounce of
powdered gum tragacanth with water, so as to form a mucilage about
as thick as ordinary starch; this should be allowed to remain a few
hours, and then mixed with a quarter of an ounce of benzoin, previously
dissolved in the smallest possible quantity of proof spirit; after
mixing them together in a mortar, as much powdered charcoal should
be added as will form a stiff paste, and the whole well worked together,
rolled into sticks the size of a common black-lead pencil, and dried.
As thus prepared, they should be free from cracks, and solid throughout;
and on being ignited at the end, they will burn steadily away
to a point. If an iron rod is used, it should be nearly as stout as the
little finger, and taper at the end for an inch and a half to a blunt point.
Before commencing the line along which it is wished to divide the
glass, it should be marked with a pen and ink, and allowed to dry,
when the iron, heated to dull redness, or the lighted extremity of the
pastile, should be brought to the end of a crack, being held in a slanting
direction with regard to the glass, as shown in the cut, and slowly
moved in an oblique direction towards the line; the crack will be
found to follow the heated point, and may be thus led as required,
even passing over parts varying very considerably in thickness, as
in the case of the flutings on a cut decanter; but it cannot, with
certainty, be made to pass suddenly from a very thin to a very stout
part, or the reverse: thus it may be led around the sides of a tumbler,
but could hardly be made to pass down one side, across the bottom,
and up the other. The rapidity with which the operation is performed,
depends upon the heat of the iron or pastile; if the former is very
hot, or the latter made to burn more vividly by blowing upon it, the
operation is quickened, but it is not performed with so much certainty,
as the crack may pass on further than is desirable: care should be
taken not to lead the crack too near the
edge of the vessel, or to another crack,
as in that case it is apt to leave the
proper course, and fly suddenly to the
edge, to which an inexperienced operator
should not attempt to go nearer than
half an inch.
It sometimes occurs that a piece is
broken out of a glass, without leaving
any crack to commence from; in this
case, one must be made, by heating the
edge (one formed by the fracture, if possible), with the iron or pastile,
and instantly applying the moistened finger. When a crack is formed
which may be used as described above, care must be taken not to
cause an extensive fracture, which may run across the intended line
of division; this may be avoided by commencing the crack at some
distance from the line, and by applying the heated point for a very
short time, preferring to make two or three unsuccessful attempts
rather than to hasten the operation, and risk the destruction of the
glass. When a glass vessel has been thus divided, the edges are
sufficiently sharp to cut the fingers in handling, and are usually wavy;
it is therefore necessary to make them smooth and even. The most
ready way of doing this is, by grinding them down on a flat sandstone
or ordinary paving-stone, with a little sharp sand or emery, and water,
taking care to move the glass in a circular direction, and not merely
backwards and forwards; the smoothness of the whole will depend
entirely on that of the stone, and on the fineness of the sand or emery
employed. If, from any irregularity, there is much glass to grind
away, it is preferable to commence with sand, and finish with emery
on a smooth stone; if the edges are not thus ground down, they should
have the sharp angles, which are really dangerous, removed by a fine
file, which should be moistened with oil of turpentine or camphine,
as this liquid has an extraordinary effect in increasing the action of
the file upon the glass, and at the same time protecting the steel
instrument from wear.
Advantageous as cracks are in glass vessels whenever we wish to
separate them into two parts, they are by no means desirable under
other circumstances; and it is as important to know how to stop their
progress, as to lead them forward. This is readily done in stout glass,
by drilling a hole about half an inch in advance of the crack, which
gradually passes on into it, and then its further progress is arrested.
Holes may be drilled in glass with a common drill and bow, the place
being first marked with a file or flint, and the drill point kept wet
with oil of turpentine. (It is hardly necessary to state, that a crack
existing in the neck of a decanter, and liable to be forced apart with
the stopper, could not be arrested in its progress by such means.) If
necessary, a little emery powder may be used with the oil of turpentine;
and after the operation, the hole must be filled up with some
cement; if the vessel is to be used for holding liquids, a little fresh
slaked lime, moistened with equal parts of white of egg and water,
may be used for this purpose.
The grinding of glass on a flat stone with sand or emery, and water,
is often useful in making a bottle stand steadily; and by its means a
wine-glass with a broken foot may be turned to good account; for if
as much of the stem as possible is knocked off, by striking it with the
back of a knife, the remainder may be ground away so that the vessel
will stand.
One of the most important Domestic Manipulations, although one
of the most simple and easy, is the labelling of glass vessels. It is
not too much to affirm, that scores of lives might have been saved if
this had been attended to; in cases of accidental poisoning, we usually
find that the victim has drunk from some bottle which has been put
away without a label; and thus some corrosive liquid used for cleaning,
or some poisonous lotion, has been inadvertently swallowed. One of
the most ready modes of labelling glass, and other objects, consists
in having at hand a sheet of paper, which has had spread on one side
some gum water, mixed with half its weight of coarse brown sugar,
and allowed to dry; this may be cut into labels, written on, and readily
attached to glass by moistening with the tongue; the white margin
of a sheet of postage stamps answers the purpose very well. If,
however, acid liquids are used, or the vessel is placed in a damp situation,
as a cellar, other means must be had recourse to. With a little practice
it is easy to write in a legible, though not very conspicuous manner,
on glass, with a gun-flint, or with the sharp-edged fragments of common
flint. In the laboratory what is called a writing diamond is used for
this purpose; this should not be confounded with a glazier’s diamond,
which is used for dividing, and not scratching glass. We would here
caution our reader against writing on glass with a diamond ring, &c.,
as the practice injures the jewel considerably; in the glazier’s diamond,
the natural edges of the crystal are used, which are not liable to injury
as are the cut angles of a brilliant.
When glass vessels are exposed to damp, the best mode of writing
on them is to prepare an ink for the purpose, by mixing the common
cheap varnish, called Brunswick black, with half its weight of oil of
turpentine, or what is the same thing, in a purer state, camphine; this
should be kept in a closely corked bottle, and used with a broad nibbed
quill pen; it soon dries, and though pale, is very distinct, and almost
imperishable. If it is required much darker, about a quarter of an
hour after it has been done, a little lamp-black should be rubbed over
it, with cotton or wadding, when it immediately becomes as black as
common ink, and resists damp, and rubbing or wiping with either wet
or dry cloths for a very long time; the same ink is equally advantageous
for use with white earthenware; and although we have never had
occasion to use such a mixture, there is no doubt that a little whiting
mixed thin, with any common varnish, would furnish an equally useful
ink for writing on black bottles.
The decanting of liquids is, under ordinary circumstances, an
operation sufficiently simple to require no explanation; but the ease
and certainty with which it can be performed, depend entirely upon
the form of the vessel from which the liquid is poured; the adhesion
existing between liquids and solids giving rise to the tendency in the
former to run down the outside of the vessel; and, if the latter is
nearly full, or very large in circumference, or the sides approach the
perpendicular direction, this accident almost always occurs. The
difficulty of returning a glass of wine to the decanter, or of pouring
from one full tumbler into another, are well-known examples of this
inconvenience.
Advantage may, however, be taken of the adhesion of liquids to
solids, and by it the former may be led into the required direction.
This cannot be better illustrated than by a description of the means
by which a glass of wine may be returned, without spilling, to the
decanter. If a tea-spoon is dipped into the wine, so as to become
wetted with it, and held perpendicularly with the bowl downwards,
and the point over, but not touching the entrance into the decanter,
and the edge of the glass be made to touch the back of the spoon,
it will be found, on inclining the former, that the wine, having a
perpendicular solid body to adhere to and run down, will do so in
preference to trickling along the oblique outer surface of the wine-glass;
and in this mode a liquid may be poured steadily out of any
similar vessel with so little disturbance as not to agitate any sediment
that may exist in it. In the laboratory of the chemist, a piece of
glass rod is usually employed for this purpose; but a spoon, or pencil,
or any similar substance having a surface capable of being wetted
by the liquid, answers equally well.
If, however, the vessel out of which it is wished to decant is large,
very full, or the sides, on pouring, are nearly perpendicular, the plan
is not successful; thus, it could not be employed in aiding the transfer
of the liquid from one full tumbler to another. Even this may be
accomplished without the aid of a funnel, or without spilling, by
preventing the adhesion of the liquid to the edge or side of the
vessel out of which it is poured, which may be readily done by
greasing the rim, when it will be found quite practicable to pour out
of a nearly full tumbler without spilling.
In many instances, the employment of a syphon in decanting will
be found very advantageous, particularly when the containing vessel
is large, and cannot be readily moved, or when there is any sediment
which it is desirable not to disturb. The most simple form of this
instrument consists of a tube, bent as in Fig. 1, with one leg shorter
than the other; this may be made of glass, pewter, or, in fact, of any
kind of stiff tubing that will retain its form—a
piece of gutta-percha pipe, carefully
bent by a moderate warmth, whilst a piece
of stout cord is in the interior to prevent the
sides closing together, answers very well.
Before use, the syphon must be filled with
liquor; this is best accomplished by turning
it upside down, with the opening to the short
leg raised on a level with that of the long
one, when the liquid should be poured into
the former. When both legs are filled, they
should be closed with the fingers; the
shorter leg introduced into the liquid it is
wished to draw off; and the opening of the longer leg brought to
a lower level than that of the shorter, and on removing the fingers
the liquid will flow as in Fig. 1, until it is below the level of the
short leg. If the syphon is made of small tubing, or is lessened at
the openings so as not to exceed one quarter of an inch in diameter,
there will be no occasion to close the end of more than one leg with
the finger, as the liquid will not flow when it is brought to the proper
position unless both orifices are open; and thus the necessity of
plunging the finger into the liquid is obviated, and the syphon can
also be used with a narrow-necked bottle, into which the hand could
not be passed.
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
To do away with the necessity of filling the syphon before use,
the instrument is usually made with a sucking tube,
as in Fig. 2; in this case, all that is requisite is,
to introduce the short leg, close the opening to the
long one, and, by the action of the mouth, draw
up the liquid until both legs are full, when, on
removing the finger, the stream will flow. A very
ingenious syphon of this kind is described by the
German chemist Mohr; it is thus constructed:—Take
a long Eau de Cologne bottle, and, with a file
and turpentine, make a deep notch across, about
an inch and a half from the bottom; then, with a
charcoal point or pastile, or hot iron, produce a crack,
and cut off the bottom, grinding it smoothly (all these
manipulations are described in our last article, page
152); then take a tube bent at an angle of forty-five degrees, and, by
means of a good cork, perforated with a rat-tail rasp, fit it tightly in
the bottom of the bottle, and add also another piece of tubing for
a suction tube; the whole
will then have the appearance
represented in Fig. 3, and will
form an exceedingly useful and
very convenient syphon.
Fig. 3.
In emptying large stone
bottles or carboys, the following
plan may be had recourse to:—Perforate
a sound cork with
two openings by a rat-tail rasp,
and fit, air-tight, two tubes
bent as in Fig. 4. On blowing
through the upper, the liquid
will be forced to ascend and run over the bend of the other, which
will then act as a syphon. This plan is exceedingly useful in emptying
carboys of corrosive liquids as oil of vitriol,
&c.; and if all the joints are—as they
should be—air-tight, the flow may be
arrested by closing the upper tube with
the finger. In the figure the outer leg
of the syphon is shortened to save space;
in practice, it must be of sufficient length
to be lower than the inner leg within the
vessel.
If a syphon is required frequently for
decanting the same kind of liquid, it is
found troublesome to be constantly filling
it before each time of using it; this trouble
is obviated by the use of an instrument
formed with legs of equal length, which
are turned up at the ends, as in Fig. 5;
this having been filled, may be hung up
in the erect position, and
the liquid will not escape,
but on plunging one end
into a liquid, it will be
found immediately to flow
from the other, provided
that the latter is below the
level of the surface of the liquid.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
The operations of straining and filtering are frequently
required in domestic manipulations, and the
apparatus employed usually consists of sieves and a jelly-bag. As
in many other instances, it will be found advantageous to import several
contrivances from the laboratory to the kitchen; one of the most useful
(because most simple) strainers consists of a square frame, formed
of four pieces of wood nailed together at the corners, with a piece
of calico, linen, or canvas, of suitable fineness, tacked to the four
sides; this strainer is particularly useful in separating any solid
substance—as the residue in making wines—or if grated potatoes
are put on one made of coarse cloth, the starch can be readily washed
through, leaving the useless portion on the strainer; the cloth should
not be tacked very loosely, as it bags down when any substance is
put on it, and the liquid runs away below from the centre. This
strainer is a most useful one; it is readily made, of any degree of
fineness, and of any size; and it also possesses the great advantage,
that, if necessary, the tacks fastening the cloth can easily be withdrawn,
when the substance remaining can be rolled up in the cloth, and
tightly squeezed to express the last portions of the liquid, which are
frequently the most valuable.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
In cases where a finer filtration is required than can be obtained
by means of a cloth, as in cleaning turbid wine or spirit, the use of
filtering-paper is recommended; this paper is merely a stouter kind
of blotting-paper, thick varieties of which answer very well for
domestic purposes; it is most simply used by taking a square piece,
folding it into half—by bringing the two opposite edges together—and
then folding the oblong so obtained across its length; by this
means a small square is obtained, one quarter the original size, which
may be opened into a hollow cup, having three thicknesses of paper
on one side, and one on the other; this is to be placed, with the
point downwards, in a funnel, and the liquid poured in; and as soon as
the pores of the paper are expanded by the moisture, it will be
found to flow through perfectly clear; care must be taken in making
the filter, not to finger it much where the two foldings cross each other,
as a hole is readily made at that part, and the filter spoiled. The
objection to this simple contrivance is, that from its flat sides applying
themselves closely to those of the funnel, the flow of the liquid
is impeded, and is, therefore, slow. This effect may be obviated
by the use of the plaited filter, the construction of which we will
endeavour to describe. A square
piece of filtering, or stout blotting-paper,
is to be doubled, and the
oblong so obtained is to be again
folded in half, when if the last
fold is opened, it will have the
appearance of Fig. 6. From the
corners b b, folds are to be creased
in the direction towards a, but
not reaching it for half an inch; these are indicated by the dotted
lines, which divide the double paper
into four triangles, each of which is to
be again folded into eighths, and care
must be taken that all the folds
are made the same way, that is,
projecting to the same side of the
paper. When complete, the double
and creased paper will appear as
Fig. 7. Now divide each eighth into half, by a fold in the opposite
direction to those previously made, when it will be found that the
whole will fold up like a paper fan; the projecting loose ends which are
formed by the corners b, should be cut off, and the double sides separated
for the first time by blowing them apart, when the whole may be
readily opened out as in Fig. 8. In making this filter, which takes
a much less time than to follow the description,
two precautions are requisite. The folds should
be made at once with one firm pressure, and not
with a series of rubbings; and all the creases should
stop short of the middle, otherwise a hole will be
made at that point, long before the filter is completed.
The advantages of this filter are, that it exposes
a large surface for the liquid to pass through; and
from its only being in contact with the funnel where
the angles project, the current flows away readily.
Fig. 8.
The best means for filtration of water, and the
construction of water filters will be treated of when we speak of the
“domestic manipulation” connected with that liquid.
The term cement, includes all those substances employed for the
purpose of causing the adhesion of two or more bodies, whether
originally separate, or divided by an accidental fracture. As the
substances that are required to be connected together are exceedingly
various, and differ very much in their properties as to texture, &c., &c.,
and as the conditions under which they are placed, with regard to heat
and moisture, are also exceedingly variable, a number of cements,
possessed of very different properties, are required; for a cement that
answers admirably under one set of circumstances, may be perfectly
useless in others. A vast number of cements are known and used in
the various arts; but they may all be referred to a few classes, and our
object in this paper will be to describe the manufacture and use of the
best of each class, and also to state what are the general principles
upon which the success or failure of cementing usually depends.
The different parts of a solid are held together by an attraction
between their several particles, which is termed the attraction of
cohesion, or cohesive attraction. The amount of this varies with the
substance; thus, the cohesion of the particles of iron to one another is
enormously great, whilst that between those of chalk is but small.
This attraction acts only when the particles are in the closest possible
contact; even air must not be between them. If, after breaking any
substance, we could bring the particles into as close contact as before, and
remove the air, they would re-unite, and be as strongly connected as
ever. But, in general, this is impossible; small particles of grit and
dust get between them; the film of interposed air cannot be removed;
and thus, however firmly we press the edges of a broken cup together,
it remains cracked china still. Perfectly flat, clean surfaces, like those
of freshly ground plate-glass, may sometimes be made to cohere, so
that the two pieces become one, and cannot be separated without
breaking. The attraction of cohesion takes place between the parts of
the same substance, and must not be confounded with that of adhesion,
which is the attraction of different substances to one another; for
example, the particles of a piece of wood are united by cohesive
attraction, whilst the union of glue and wood to each other depends on
adhesive attraction. And it is important that this distinction be borne
in mind, for, in almost all cases, the cohesion between the particles of
the cement is very much less than the adhesion of the cement to other
bodies; and if torn apart, the connected joint gives way—not by the
loosening of the adhesion—but by the layer of cement splitting down
the centre. Hence the important rule, that the less cement in a joint,
the stronger it is. Domestic manipulators usually reverse this, by
letting as much cement as possible remain in the joint, which is,
therefore, necessarily a weak one. A thick, nearly solid cement, which
cannot be pressed out of the joint, is always inferior to a thinner one, of
which merely a connecting film remains between the united surfaces.
Having thus mentioned the general principles that ought always to
be borne in mind, we will now proceed to describe the manufacture of
some of the more useful cements, and their mode of use.
Mouth Glue affords a very convenient means of uniting papers, and
other small light objects; it is made by dissolving by the aid of heat,
pure glue, as parchment glue, or gelatine, with about one quarter or
one-third of its weight of coarse brown sugar, in as small a quantity of
boiling water as possible; this, when perfectly liquid, should be cast
into thin cakes on a flat surface very slightly oiled, and as it cools cut
up into pieces of a convenient size. When required for use one end
may be moistened by the mouth, and is then ready to be rubbed on any
substances it may be wished to join; a piece kept in a desk or workbox
is exceedingly convenient.
Paste is usually made by rubbing up flour with cold water and
boiling; if a little alum is mixed before boiling it is much improved,
being less clammy, working more freely in the brush, and thinner, a less
quantity is required, and it is therefore stronger. If required in large
quantity, as for papering rooms, it may be made by mixing one quartern
of flour, one quarter pound of alum, and a little warm water; when
mixed, the requisite quantity of boiling water should be poured on
whilst the mixture is being stirred. Paste is only adapted to cementing
paper; when used it should be spread on one side of the paper, which
should then be folded with the pasted side inwards, and allowed to
remain a few minutes before being opened and used; this swells the
paper, and permits its being more smoothly and securely attached.
Kept for a few days, paste becomes mouldy, and after a short time putrid;
this inconvenience may be obviated by the use of—
Permanent Paste, made by adding to each half-pint of flour-paste
without alum, fifteen grains of corrosive sublimate, previously rubbed
to powder in a mortar, the whole is to be well mixed; this, if prevented
from drying, by being kept in a covered pot, remains good any length of
time, and is therefore convenient; but unfortunately it is extremely
poisonous, though its excessively nauseous taste would prevent its
being swallowed accidentally; it possesses the great advantage of not
being liable to the attacks of insects.
Liquid Glue.—Several preparations under this name have from
time to time found their way into use. The liquid glue of the
shops, however, is a totally different preparation, being inodorous,
and very much cheaper. It is made by dissolving shell-lac in water,
by boiling it along with borax, which possesses the peculiar property
of causing the solution of the resinous lac. This preparation is
convenient for its cheapness and freedom from smell, but it gives way
if exposed to long-continued damp, which that made with naphtha
resists.
Of the use of common glue, very little need be said; it should always
be prepared in a glue-pot or double vessel, to prevent its being burned;
which injures it very materially; the objection to the use of this
contrivance is, that it renders it impossible to heat the glue in the inner
vessel to the boiling point; this inconvenience can be obviated by
employing in the outer vessel some liquid, which boils at a higher
temperature than pure water, such as saturated solution of salt (made
by adding one-third as much salt as water). This boils at 224° Fahr.,
12° above the heat of boiling water, and enables the glue in the inner
vessel to be heated to a much higher temperature than when pure water
is employed. If a saturated solution of nitre is used, the temperature
rises still higher.
Waterproof Cements are very numerous; a very good one for
uniting china and glass will be found in another page. It should be
stated, however, that the gum ammoniac should be also dissolved in
a small quantity of spirit. Mastic, used instead of ammoniac, makes
a clearer cement. This mixture, under various fanciful titles, is
usually sold at a most exorbitant rate.
Lime and Egg Cement is frequently made by moistening the
edges to be united, with white of egg, dusting on some lime from a
piece of muslin, and bringing the edges into contact. A much better
mode is to slake some freshly burned lime with a small quantity of
boiling water; this occasions it to fall into a very fine dry powder,
if excess of water has not been added. The white of egg used should
be intimately and thoroughly mixed, by beating, with an equal bulk
of water, and the slaked lime added to the mixture, so as to form a thin
paste, which should be used speedily, as it soon sets. This is a valuable
cement, possessed of great strength, and capable of withstanding
boiling water. Cements made with lime and blood, scraped
cheese, or curd, may be regarded as inferior varieties of it. Cracked
vessels, of earthenware and glass, may often be usefully, though not
ornamentally repaired by white lead spread on strips of calico, and
secured with bands of twine. But in point of strength, all ordinary
cements yield the palm to Jefferey’s Patented Marine Glue, a compound
of India-rubber, shell-lac, and coal-tar naphtha. Small quantities
can be purchased at most of the tool warehouses, at cheaper
rates than it can be made. When applied to china or glass, the substance
should be cautiously made hot enough to cement the glue,
which should be then rubbed on the edges so as to become fluid,
and the parts brought into contact immediately. When well applied,
the mended stem of a common tobacco-pipe will break at any other
part in preference to the junction. The colour of the glue unfortunately
prevents its being used.
The Red Cement, which is employed by instrument makers for
cementing glass to metals, and which is very cheap and exceedingly
useful for a variety of purposes, is made by melting five parts
of black resin, one part of yellow wax, and then stirring in, gradually,
one part of red ochre or Venetian red; in fine powder, and
previously well dried. This cement requires to be melted before
use, and it adheres better if the objects to which it is applied are
warmed. A soft cement, of a somewhat similar character, may be
found useful for covering the corks of preserved fruit and other
bottles, and it is made by melting yellow wax with an equal quantity
of resin, or of common turpentine (not oil of turpentine, but the
resin), using the latter for a very soft cement, and stirring in, as
before, some dried Venetian red. Bearing in mind our introductory
remarks, it will be seen that the uniting broken substances with a
thick cement is disadvantageous, the object being to bring the surfaces
as closely together as possible. As an illustration of a right
and a wrong way of mending, we will suppose a plaster of Paris
figure broken; the wrong way to mend it is by a thick plate of
plaster, which makes, not a joint, but a botch. The right way to
mend it, is by means of some well-made carpenter’s glue, which,
being absorbed into the porous plaster, leaves merely a film covering
the two surfaces, and, if well done, the figure is stronger than
elsewhere.
On carefully reading over our article, we find one useful substance
has been omitted, namely, what is termed mastic cement, which is
used for making a superior coating to inside walls, and which must
not be confounded with the resin mastic. It is made by mixing
twenty parts of well-washed and sifted sharp sand, with two parts
of litharge, and one of freshly burned and slaked quick-lime, in fine
dry powder. This is made into a putty, by mixing with linseed
oil; it sets in a few hours, having the appearance of light stone;
and we mention it, as it may frequently be employed with
advantage in repairing broken stonework (as stairs) by filling up
the missing parts. The employment of Roman cement, plaster,
&c., for masonry work, hardly comes within the limits of Domestic
Manipulation.
The operations of chopping, powdering, grinding, &c., are so frequently
required in cooking, and the other branches of domestic economy,
as to render any description of their utility wholly unnecessary;
and we may therefore confine ourselves to describing the best means
of accomplishing the object desired. Powdering is usually performed
by the aid of the pestle and mortar. Most of the works on Cookery
recommend the use of a marble mortar; this material is about one of
the worst that could be selected for the purpose. In the first place,
it is expensive; secondly, it is rapidly corroded, even by the weak
acids used for food; thirdly, it is readily stained by oily substances;
fourthly, it is absorptive of strong flavours, imparting them readily
to the next substance pounded; and lastly, it is brittle, and even if
not broken, is not calculated to withstand much wear. By far the
best material for the purpose is the Wedgewood ware; mortars made
of it are cheaper, cleaner in use, and stronger than those of marble,
and are not corroded by acids or alkalies—their pre-eminence is so
great, that they are invariably used by druggists.
Fig. 9.
The act of powdering requires great tact and practice to perform
it neatly and rapidly. After the object has been broken into small
pieces by blows from the pestle, a grinding action is required; this
should at first be given by striking the fragments, not in the centre
of the mortar, but towards the side furthest from the operator; the
pestle, by this means, grinds over them in its descent to the centre,
and much more rapidly accomplishes their division than if mere blows
are given. After the object has been divided to a certain extent,
blows are entirely useless, and a grinding in circles becomes requisite;
if the circle is confined to one part of the mortar, the same portions
get rubbed over and over again, the others escaping;
this is avoided by constantly and regularly
altering the size of the circles. If they are commenced
in the centre, they should gradually increase
in size until the sides are reached, and
then contract again, and so on. By this means,
the whole of the powder is brought under the
action of the pestle, and the operation is much
quicker than if performed at random. One great
fault usually committed in powdering, is the endeavour
to operate on too large a quantity of material
at one time. The operation is much more
rapidly conducted if small portions are taken, and
if the material is tough, and contains much fibrous
matter, the process may be very much shortened by
removing those parts which are sufficiently powdered, by sifting from
time to time through a sieve. This may be objectionable, however,
from the fine powder escaping into the air; in this case, the following
contrivance will be found useful:—A cylindrical tea-canister of the
requisite size is taken, with a loosely fitting lid, (or, if tight, the
lid may be enlarged by four slits being made partly up the
sides); a bag of lawn is dropped into the canister, the top being
turned over the edge; the powder to be sifted is put in the bag,
the lid put on, and, by tapping and shaking, the finest portions
pass into the canister without any escaping into the air—a point
of very considerable importance where the powder is irritating or
expensive.
Various contrivances are constantly had recourse to, in order to
render certain substances more readily pulverisable, the contrivance
varying very much with the peculiarities of the substance. We will
mention a few of these, as they may afford useful suggestions in cases
of difficulty. All vegetable, and many mineral substances, are much
more readily powdered after having been thoroughly dried; so far is
this process carried, that many drugs are dried so as to lose fifteen
per cent. of their weight before powdering. In proof of the utility
of the drying, let any person try to powder a piece of whiting as it
comes from the oilman’s; it will be found to cake together, and be more
readily powdered; if dry, however, it powders with the greatest ease.
After drying, substances should not be exposed to the air; but, unless
they are of such a nature as to be softened by heat, are better operated
on while still warm. Flints are more readily powdered by being heated
to redness and quenched in cold water; charcoal, for tooth-powder,
while still warm from drying. Gum can only be powdered whilst
perfectly dry. Camphor, which is with great difficulty powdered alone,
yields readily if a drop or two of spirit is poured on it. Substances
which clog together and cake under the pestle, are not uncommon; to
these it is sometimes requisite to add sand, which may afterwards be
separated—this prevents the clogging; but its use is often impracticable.
Lime, if required in very fine powder, for dusting over plants
to kill slugs, &c., is readily obtained by slaking it, when fresh burned,
with boiling water; when, if too much water is not used, it falls into
an exceedingly fine powder.
Sal-ammoniac, and some other saline bodies, are most readily
powdered by dissolving them in as small a quantity of boiling water as
possible, and stirring the solution rapidly as the water is boiled away,
or as the solution cools. Before dismissing the pestle and mortar, we
may allude to their use in mixing powders together, although a much
more ready mode of doing this is with a sieve. Two or more powders
stirred together, and passed two or three times through a sieve, are
much more intimately mixed, than if rubbed for a long time in a mortar.
Metals cannot be divided in the mortar; the most convenient mode of
proceeding, if they are fusible under a white heat, is to melt them, and
pour them whilst liquid into a pail of water, which should be full to
avoid any spluttering, and the hotter the metal, the more filmy the
particles. It is scarcely requisite to state, that the metal should be
poured in a circle, so as not to collect at one place.
Chopping is usually performed in the kitchen, with a large common
knife; but is more speedily done by some of the improved contrivances
similar to the following:—The chopping-board should be made of hard
wood, with the grain at right angles to the surface of the board, by
which it is rendered much more durable than if they are parallel to it.
The chopping-knives should be placed at right angles to the handles,
and may be of either the following patterns. If a large quantity of
material has to be acted on, we would
recommend a board as above, not less than
three inches thick, and smooth on both
sides, so that either may be used, of the
requisite size—say eighteen inches or two
feet in diameter. On this should stand a
loose bottomless tub, to confine the materials,
and the whole resting on the floor,
should be used with a knife, sufficiently
long in the handle to be employed by a
person standing erect, and it would be very
convenient to have a small cross-bar for
the hands, as shown in Fig. 12.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 12.
Small chopping-knives are sold, consisting of three blades riveted
together, and a very convenient one is made by fastening, at convenient
distances, a number of flat circular disks, sharpened at the edges, on to
a central axis with a handle at each end.
Many substances, such as stale bread, dried herbs, &c., may be very
conveniently powdered by rubbing them through a wire sieve, of the
requisite degree of fineness. Herbs
intended for use in this way, should
be dried as rapidly as possible,
without being scorched, in small
heaps, before the fire; parsley and
others done this way, may be powdered,
retaining their bright green
colour and flavour, both of which
are preserved if they are corked
tightly in bottles, and kept in a
dry, dark cupboard. The use of
waxed paper to preserve dried
powders in, or for tying them down
in jars, or generally as a very good
substitute for bladder, will often be
found convenient. It is readily made by laying a sheet of smooth stout
paper on a warm iron plate, as the top of a kitchen oven; on this place
the thin tissue or other paper to be waxed; put a piece of wax on it,
and as it melts, rub it over, spreading it evenly. One end of a cork,
covered with two thicknesses of linen, answers very well for a rubber.
If a hot plate is not at hand, the sheet of paper may be held before the
fire, and rubbed over as it warms, with the cut edge of a cake of white
wax; but this requires the co-operation of two persons.
The poet Crabbe, speaking of the writing of the rustics, signing
his parish register, says—
“’Tis strange that men
Who guide the plough should fail to guide the pen!
For half a mile the furrows even lie;
For half an inch the letters stand awry.”
A parallel remark might with equal justice be made on the gentler
sex, who, after exercising a degree of tact, neatness, and tasteful
invention, that the self-styled “lords of the creation” might in vain
hope to rival, in the formation of a piece of needlework, knitting,
netting, or crochet, are for the most part, totally unable, when it is
finished, to tie it up so as to make a decent parcel; ladies’ packages
are, in fact, the opprobrium of the sex—the annoyance of all carriers,
cads, and coachmen, who have anything to do with their conveyance,
and the torment of their owners; the cords are certain to become
loose, the knots are sure to slip, except when a slip-knot is requisite,
and then it is a fixture! It is in the hope that we may be instrumental
in improving this state of things, that we are induced to devote this
article to Knots, Packages, Parcels, &c., and we shall at once lay before
our fair readers a method of tying a parcel neatly and securely, and
at the same time affording facilities of releasing the contents without
destroying the string by cutting it away—a too ordinary practice,
especially where time is an object.
Fig. 13.
The most simple purpose for which a knot is required, is the
fastening together of two pieces of
string or cord: the knot selected
for this purpose should possess two
important properties—it should
be secure from slipping, and of
small size. Nothing is more common
than to see two cords
attached together in a manner
similar to that shown in Fig. 13. It is scarcely possible to imagine
a worse knot; it is large and clumsy, and as the cords do not
mutually press each other, it is certain to slip, if pulled with any
great force. In striking contrast to this—the worst of all—we place
one of the best; namely, the knot usually employed by netters, and
which is called by sailors “the sheet-bend.” It is readily made
by bending one of the pieces of cord into a loop (a b, Fig. 14),
which is to be held between the finger and thumb on the left
hand; the other cord c is passed through the loop from the farther
side, then round behind the two legs of the loop, and lastly, under
itself, the loose end coming out at d. In the smallness of
its size, and the firmness with which the various parts grip
together, this knot surpasses every other: it can, moreover,
be tied readily when one of the pieces, viz., a, b,
is exceedingly short; in common stout twine, less than
an inch being sufficient to form the loop. The above
method of forming it is the simplest to describe, although
not the most rapid in practice; as it may be made in
much less time by crossing the two ends of the cord (a b,
Fig. 15) on the tip of the fore-finger of the left hand,
and holding them firmly by the left thumb, which covers
the crossing; then the part c is to be wound round the
thumb in a loop, as shown in the figure, and passed
between the two ends, behind a and before b; the
knot is completed by turning the end b downwards in
front of d, passing it through the loop, securing it under
the left thumb, and tightening the whole by pulling
d. As formed in this mode, it is more rapidly made than
almost any other knot; and, as before stated, it excels
all in security and compactness, so firmly do the various
turns grip each other, that after having been tightly pulled, it is
very difficult to untie; this is the only drawback to its usefulness, and
in this respect it is inferior to the
reef-knot, Fig. 16, which is made in
precisely the same manner that a shoestring
is tied, only pulling out the ends
instead of leaving them as bows. The
only precaution necessary in making a
reef-knot is, to observe that the two
parts of each string are on the same
side of the loop; if they are not, the
ends (and the bows, if any are formed)
are at right angles to the cords; the
knot is less secure, and is termed by
sailors a granny-knot. Other knots
are occasionally used to connect two
cords, but it is unnecessary to describe
them, as every useful purpose may be
answered by those above mentioned.
Fig. 14.
Fig. 15.
Fig. 16.
The binding knot (Figs. 17 and 18) is exceedingly useful in
connecting broken sticks, rods, &c., but some difficulty is often
experienced in fastening it at the finish; if, however, the string is
placed over the part to be united, as shown in Fig. 17, and the long
end b, used to bind around the rod, and finally passed through the
loop a, as shown in Fig. 18, it is readily secured by pulling d, when
the loop is drawn in, and fastens the end of the cord.
For fastening a cord to any cylindrical object, one of the most
useful knots is the clove hitch, which, although exceedingly simple
and most easily made, is one of the most puzzling knots to the
uninitiated. There are several modes of forming it, the
most simple being perhaps as follows:—Make two loops,
precisely similar in every respect, as a and b, Fig. 19,
then bring b in front of a, so as to make both loops
correspond, and pass them over the object to be tied,
tightening the ends; if this is properly done, the knot
will not slip, although surrounding a tolerably smooth
cylindrical object, as a pillar, pole, &c. This knot is
employed by surgeons in reducing dislocations of the
last joint of the thumb, and by sailors in great part of
the standing rigging. The loop which is formed when
a cable is passed around a post or tree to secure a vessel
near shore is fastened by what sailors term two half
hitches, which is simply a clove hitch made by the end
of the rope which is passed around the post or tree, and
then made to describe the clove hitch around that part
of itself which is tightly strained.
Fig. 17.
Fig. 18.
Fig. 19.
From the tying of knots we may pass on to the tying
over of bottles, preserves, jars, &c.; the object with which
this operation is performed is either to prevent the excess
of air or the escape or entrance of moisture; the act itself is so very
simple as to require no explanation; but a few words may be said on
the choice of material, which should
be varied, so as to suit the exigencies
of each particular case. When a vessel
of spirit is to be tied over, leather
is frequently selected—a very erroneous
practice, as the vapour of spirit passes
readily through that substance, but
cannot penetrate bladder, which should
be invariably used for the purpose.
So effectually is spirit confined by
bladder, that when weak spirits are
put into bladders or into vessels tied
over with bladder, and allowed to
remain some time, they are strengthened,
as the vapour of the water
passes away, that of the spirit being
retained.
Bladder, or other animal membranes
of the same nature, in a moist and
flaccid state, are usually selected for
tying over preserves and jams, for
which they are well adapted; should
it be impracticable to obtain them, the
waxed paper described at page 165 is
a very good substitute. Many persons place a thin piece of oiled
paper in the jar resting on the jam, in addition to tying it down;
this assists in excluding air and preventing mouldiness, but we have
found a piece of very thin paper
moistened with white of egg much
more efficacious. The thin sheet-lead
used for lining the interior of tea-chests,
or stout tin-foil, is very advantageously
used in tying down
vessels containing specimens of natural history preserved in spirits,
as they effectually prevent the escape of the latter for a long series
of years. The plan usually pursued is to tie the cork over first with
a single bladder, then with the metal, and finally with a second
piece of bladder, which is afterwards covered with a coat of black
paint.
Fig. 20.
The tying up of parcels in paper is an operation which is seldom
neatly performed by persons whose occupations have not given them
great facilities for constant practice. Whether the paper be wrapped
round the objects, as is the case usually when it is much larger than
sufficient to enclose them, or merely folded over itself, as is done by
druggists, who cut the paper to the required size, it is important that
the breadth of the paper should be no more than sufficient to enable
it to be folded over the ends of the object enclosed, without passing
over the opposite side: it is impossible to make a neat or close parcel
with paper which is too broad; excess in length may be readily
disposed of by wrapping it round; but excess of breadth should be
cut away. With regard to turning in the ends, the mode adopted by
grocers is the best. The most common cause of failure in parcels is
their being badly corded; we will, therefore (however unnecessary
the description of so simple a performance may appear to those already
acquainted with it), describe the most readily acquired mode of
cording.
Fig. 21.
Let a single knot be made in the end of the cord, which is then
passed round the box or parcel. This knotted end is now tied by
a single hitch round the middle of the cord
(Fig. 20) and the whole pulled tight. The
cord itself is then carried at right angles
round the end of the parcel, and where it
crosses the transverse cord on the bottom
of the box (Fig. 21), it should (if the parcel
is heavy, and requires to be firmly secured)
be passed over the cross cord, then back
underneath it, and pulled tightly, then over
itself; lastly, under the cross cord, and on
around the other end of the box. When it reaches the top it must be
secured by passing it under that part of the cord which runs lengthways
(a, Fig. 20) pulling it very tight, and fastening it by two half hitches
round itself. The great cause of parcels becoming loose is the fact
of the cord being often fastened to one of
the transverse parts (as b, Fig. 20) instead
of the piece running lengthways, and in
this case it invariably becomes loose. The
description may perhaps be rendered clearer
by the aid of the figures, which exhibit
the top and bottom of a box corded as
described. The cords, however, are shown
in a loose state, to allow their arrangements
to be perceived more easily.
The subject of the Water supply to the Metropolis and other large
towns is one of the highest importance to the well-being of the community
at large, in whatever point of view it may be regarded—whether
as affecting the comfort, the health, or the pocket of the consumer, its
influence can scarcely be overrated. To enter, however, into this
matter, affecting, as it does, so many varied and conflicting interests,
would be to pass beyond the limits set to this series of papers;
what remains for us to do is to avail ourselves of the vast amount of
scientific knowledge which has been recently brought to bear upon
the question, and to cull from it such portions as bear directly upon
Domestic Manipulation.
The quantity of water for domestic purposes depends mainly upon
its degree of hardness or softness; and this in its turn depends
almost entirely upon the quantity of lime dissolved in some form
or other in the water. In speaking of the quality of water, the term
“degree of hardness” is much used; thus we say that the water of
the Thames is of fourteen degrees of hardness, that of the Hampstead
springs about ten degrees, &c. &c. In these and most other
cases the hardness is owing to a certain amount of chalk (carbonate
of lime) dissolved, and the degrees of hardness correspond with the
number of grains contained in a gallon of water. Thus the Thames
water, of fourteen degrees of hardness, has in each gallon fourteen
grains of chalk, and the Hampstead ten grains. It is found, upon
experiment, that one gallon (weighing 70,000 grains) of pure water
will not dissolve more than two grains of chalk, and so acquire
two degrees of hardness; and that whenever more is contained in
water, the excess is always owing to the presence of carbonic acid
gas, which enables it to dissolve a much larger quantity. The practical
part of our subject depends on this fact; for if by any means
we can get rid of the carbonic acid, the dissolved chalk is necessarily
precipitated, and the hard water, unfit for culinary and domestic
purposes, becomes soft, and well adapted to both these uses. Carbonic
acid is in part expelled from water by heating it to the boiling
point: a still larger quantity is got rid of after boiling for some few
minutes, and nearly every trace disappears at the end of half an
hour; and just in proportion as the carbonic acid gas is expelled, so
does the chalk fall, rendering the water in the first instance turbid,
and becoming deposited on the interior surface of kettles, where
it forms the well-known rock or fur.
It has been found that water of fourteen degrees of hardness lost
two degrees when merely made boil; boiling for five minutes reduced
the hardness to six degrees; and for a quarter of an hour, to little
more than four degrees. The practical application of this knowledge
needs scarcely to be pointed out. Whenever a soft water is required,
boil for several minutes before using. In making tea, for instance,
the economy and general superiority of soft water is well known.
Those, however, who use Thames water, just made to boil, employ a
water of upwards of eleven degrees of hardness: those who boil for
five minutes, diminish the hardness of the water by nearly one-half;
and by boiling for a quarter of an hour, it can be lessened to one-third.
This circumstance is one of those that prove how great a
substratum of truth there is at the bottom of most popular notions.
How many a young gentleman, with a smattering of science just
enough to inform him that water gets no hotter however long or
violently it is boiled, has laughed at his grandmother’s antiquated
notions, because she requested that the water might be made to boil
thoroughly before the tea was made: the old lady could give no
very satisfactory explanation of her prejudice, yet it was not the
less a correct one.
Before going further in this matter, it may be stated that there are
some waters in which the lime is dissolved in the form of gypsum
(sulphate of lime); in these, which fortunately are rare, the hardness
is of a permanent character, and cannot be lessened by boiling. Tea
made under such circumstances may be improved, either by the
addition of a very small quantity of carbonate of soda, or the tea
should be kept soaking for half an hour, under such circumstances
as will retain the heat. This latter is the plan followed in Greenwich
Hospital, where they use a well water of nineteen degrees of
permanent hardness.
In washing, the use of hard water is, as is well known, extremely
prejudicial. The explanation is exceedingly simple: every degree
of hardness in a gallon of water destroys ten grains of soap; and
by following out the calculation, it will be found that 100 gallons of
unboiled Thames water waste exactly two pounds of soap before
any approach to a lather can be made. Now what is the remedy
for this evil? Simply to boil the water some time before use; one
quarter of an hour’s boiling will reduce the waste of soap from two
pounds to ten ounces; and half an hour’s boiling will still further
lessen it to six ounces; but no amount of boiling will make Thames
water equal to rain water, which is without hardness.
There is one practical matter of great importance to which we wish
to draw the attention of all concerned; it is the effect of boiling
linen in hard water. If clothes are put into cold water, and then
boiled, the precipitation of chalk (which has been so often alluded
to) takes place on the clothes, and whatever colouring matter exists
in the water goes down with the chalk, and also becomes attached
to the linen, rendering it of that disagreeable and unremovable dirty
hue which is so characteristic of certain laundries. If boiling is
absolutely requisite for white fabrics, it should be done in water
which has been boiled half an hour, allowed to stand, and then poured
off from the sediment; otherwise, from the immediate precipitation
of the chalk, the dirt is boiled in and thoroughly fixed to the fabric.
A moment’s consideration will convince any one that a deposit similar
to the fur in a tea-kettle cannot be expected to improve the appearance
of white linen. Where clear rain water can be obtained, there
is no objection to the boiling of clothes in it, as, being absolutely
free from lime, no precipitation can take place. The use of soda in
softening water employed in washing, is well known; but the remedy
is not without its own evil: it weakens the fibre of the cloth, and
unless it is much more thoroughly removed by rinsing than is
usually the case, it occasions a very permanent yellow tinge when
the cloth is heated.
From our last article on the properties of hard and soft water,
we pass, by a natural transition, to the employment of that liquid in
the culinary operations above named. In practice, nothing can at
first sight appear more simple than the operation of boiling, whether
it be confined to the mere heating of a liquid, or extended to the
preparation of an article of food; yet it is one which involves chemical
principles of a very high order, and which is by no means so simple
a matter as it may be regarded at a cursory glance.
To trace the steps of the process from its commencement, let us
imagine a vessel of water placed over the fire, and receiving constantly
a supply of heat from that source; the effect is, that its temperature
gradually rises from about 50° or 60°, the usual warmth of ordinary
water, to 212°, the point at which boiling takes place; but before it
reaches that height, a number of bubbles may be observed forming
on the sides of the vessel; these gradually increase in size, and when
they become sufficiently buoyant, quit their position, rise to the surface,
and escape; they consist of air previously dissolved in the water,
and which is expelled by the increased heat. Water which has been
boiled and allowed to become cold, without much exposure to the
air, fails to re-absorb the quantity it previously contained, and consequently
has its character somewhat altered. Thus, it freezes more
readily than water which has not been boiled, in consequence of the
air not having to be expelled in the act of solidifying, as is usually
the case: hence, the ice from boiled water is free from those numerous
air bubbles which are always to be observed in common ice. It possesses
also a mawkish unpleasant taste, and is totally unable to preserve
the life of any aquatic animal. The presence of this minute quantity
of air in ordinary water, is very essential to its utility. Faraday found
that water, totally destitute of air, does not boil in the usual mode,
but when heated to the boiling point, it at once, with an instantaneous
and violent explosion, passes into the form of steam. This strange
fact, which shows upon what small, and, apparently, trivial circumstances,
the comfort—nay, we may truly say—the existence of man
depends, is strikingly shown by a very ingenious experiment, devised
by that most celebrated chemist. He took a piece of Wenham Lake ice
(which, from peculiar local causes, such as being formed from spring
water, is totally destitute of air), and melted it under a covering of
sweet oil; this prevented the absorption of any air during the liquefaction;
on continuing the heat, the water rose in temperature, and on
reaching the boiling point, suddenly burst into steam, with an explosive
power, sufficiently great to scatter the glass vessel in which the experiment
was made into fragments; and had it not been for a protecting
covering of wire gauze, very serious effects might have ensued.
From the precipitation of the dissolved chalk present in most kinds
of water, a cloudiness or slight turbidity is always to be observed in
boiled water.
After the escape of the air, bubbles of steam, at first very small in
size, are formed at the bottom of the vessel, those formed at first are
at once cooled from the whole water not being of an equal temperature,
and are condensed before they reach the surface: this very rapid and
successive condensation of numerous small bubbles gives rise to that
peculiar vibration which occasions what is termed the singing of the
tea-kettle, and which, as is well known, is indicative of its approach to
the boiling point; when the whole water is uniformly heated, this effect
no longer occurs, but the bubbles of steam rise to the surface and escape.
After having been heated to 212°, the temperature of water no longer
rises; it is not possible, under ordinary circumstances, to increase the
temperature in the slightest degree, for all the extra heat that is given to
boiling water merely produces an increased quantity of steam, by which
it is carried off, without affecting the heat of the remaining water.
This is a matter of considerable practical importance in cookery; and
it should be always borne in mind, that the most gentle simmer is as
efficacious in cooking as the most violent boiling, for the degree of
heat in both cases is precisely the same, so that after having once raised
the water to the boiling point, the most moderate fire is sufficient in
ordinary cases to keep it there; by attention to this point, a most
enormous saving may often be effected in the consumption of fuel,
although this is a consideration that will be more fully entered into
in a subsequent article. Thick liquids, which do not readily permit
the escape of steam or the rapid motion between the particles of the
fluid, may, however, be readily heated at the part exposed to the fire
to a much higher degree, whilst those portions not immediately in
contact with the heat are much colder; from this cause they are very
apt to be charred, and if articles of food, they are totally spoiled. To
avoid this effect, recourse may be had to the bain marie, which is simply
the same contrivance that may be observed in a carpenter’s glue-pot,
applied to the preparation of articles of food, being merely an inner vessel
to contain the substance to be heated; this is placed in an outer one,
the space between the two containing water. On placing this on
the fire, it is obvious that the substance in the inner vessel, being
heated solely by the boiling water, cannot possibly become burnt; this
most useful contrivance is adopted in all first-class kitchens, and is
equally indispensable in the chemist’s laboratory; by its aid, soups,
gravies, &c., can be kept hot any length of time without risk, preserves
made without burning, &c.; the chief precautions required in its use
are, that the inner vessel should be thin and formed of metal, so as
to allow the rapid transmission of heat from the boiling water, and care
should be taken that the outer vessel does not boil dry. One serious
disadvantage attends its use as ordinarily employed, it is, that it is
impossible to heat substances in it to the boiling point, for the water
itself is only at that temperature, and the substance in the inner vessel
is always a few degrees below. This evil may, however, be entirely
obviated, by using a solution in the outer vessel, which boils at a higher
temperature than 212°, and which will therefore raise the inner vessel
and its contents to that point; thus, if the water be made to dissolve as
much common salt as it is capable of doing, it will not boil until it is
heated to 224°; or if it is saturated with sal-ammoniac or nitre, the
heat will rise 12° or 14° higher. We need scarcely say that the
first of these substances will be found a very useful and economical
addition to the bain marie. When chemists require a still higher
temperature, they have recourse to a bath of olive oil, which is capable
of bearing a degree of heat as high as 500°; but its extreme danger
over an open fire entirely precludes its use in any culinary operation.
The mode of conducting the operation of boiling should not be
uniform, but vary with the different purposes required. Thus, in the
case of meat, a temperature of 212° hardens, instead of softening, two
of the substances which it contains; namely, the fibrine, or material
forming the chief part of the muscular fibre, and the albumen, or portion
which is analogous to white of egg; if, on the contrary, meat is cooked
by means of water at a lower temperature, the most nutritious parts
are dissolved out, and the solid food left comparatively innutritious.
The celebrated German chemist, Liebig, proposes the following plan:—he
recommends that a piece of meat of considerable size should be
taken and plunged into perfectly boiling water, over a good fire; that
the water should be kept boiling for a few minutes, and then a portion
of cold water, equal in quantity to about one-half of the boiling water,
should be thrown in: this will reduce the temperature to about 160°,
at which point the meat should be kept until thoroughly done; which,
however, takes a much longer time than in the ordinary mode.
The object of this mode of proceeding is, in the first instance, to
harden the exterior of the meat, converting it into a sort of crust,
which prevents the escape of the nutritious juices into the water, whilst
the long continuance of the gentle heat afterwards cooks the interior
without hardening either the albumen or the fibrine. Of course, where
the object of boiling is to make soup, the opposite plan must be had
recourse to; the meat should be in small instead of large pieces, put
on in cold water and very slowly heated, so that all the soluble parts
may be dissolved before the fibre is hardened by the action of boiling
water.
In boiling eggs, the effect of heat in hardening the albumen is well
known; by being suddenly plunged into boiling water, the outside is
hardened to the greatest degree of which it is capable, and is thereby
rendered extremely difficult of digestion, whilst the inside is barely
warmed; if, on the contrary, they are placed in cold water, which is
then raised to the boiling point, removed from the fire, and allowed to
stand about a minute (or two, if required to be well done), it will be
found that, instead of having an almost leathery consistence, the white
will be uniformly partially hardened, and will furnish a much more
pleasant and digestible article of diet; the improvement, in fact, is
so great, the common eggs cooked in this manner very nearly approach
new-laid ones in quality.
If the operation of boiling has to be performed on any substance
containing starchy matters—as potatoes, rice, flour, &c., then the heat
must, on the contrary, be raised to a sufficient degree to burst the
little grains of which the starch consists, and liberate the interior
nutritious portions, before it can become fit food for man; uncooked
starch not being readily or easily digested. And even in the case
of those vegetable-feeding animals whose power of digesting such
substances surpasses that of man, there is the greatest advantage to
be derived from the use of cooked food, as the most intelligent and
scientific farmers at the present day well know; and we would strongly
urge on those of our readers who keep pigs, to try the experiment of
baking the potatoes they give them, for this process, like boiling, has
the effect of bursting the starch grains; they will find the effect to be
that the food will go much further, all of it being digested, and that
the quality of the flesh will be very materially improved.
Perhaps few of our readers are aware of the extraordinary wastefulness
of our usual processes for obtaining artificial heat; at the most
moderate computation, seven-eighths of the warmth produced by an
open fire, pass up the chimney, and are entirely useless; and according
to other estimates, which we regard as being nearer the truth, fourteen
parts out of every fifteen are thus uselessly wasted. In no other
civilized country in the world, except in England, is such an enormous
waste of fuel allowed; nor would it be the case here, were it not that
the comparatively low price of fuel, from the abundance of coal, has led
to the extravagance. It may be asked, what are the defects of a
common fire-place that render it so wasteful, and in what way is the
heat carried off? In reply it may be stated, that one-half the heat
produced passes away with the smoke and heated air arising from the
fire, a quarter is carried up by the draught of cold air from the room,
which, flowing around the fire and between it and the mantel-piece,
rises with the smoke. Again, the soot which passes away is unburned
fuel, and is, therefore, useless; and a large portion of heat is thrown
downwards on to the ashes, and is wasted; whilst the iron, of which
the grates are generally made, conveys away a very considerable
quantity. On the continent of Europe, where the cold in winter is
much more intense than in this country, and where fuel is considerably
dearer than with us, the production of heat is more economically
managed—stoves of very admirable construction being constantly had
recourse to, both for the purpose of producing warmth and for cookery.
It is to the latter application of heat that we must mainly confine
ourselves in this paper, and having been at some considerable pains in
examining the various stoves and ranges now to be obtained in this
country, we place the results of our experience before our readers.
The cooking-stove common on the continent, consists of an enclosed
fire-pan, with a grating below and a lid at the top for the supply of
fuel; this is enclosed in an oven, supported on the floor of the room by
feet, and which is heated by the warmth thrown out by the sides of the
fire-pan, and also by a flue spreading over the top, which is thus heated;
whilst the upper surface of the flue forms a hot plate, on which many
saucepans, &c., can be kept boiling, and any vessel can also be placed
over the fire by the removal of the lid. As the draught is under
perfect control, the fuel is slowly consumed; and the stove affords
means of baking, boiling, frying, and stewing, at a very small
expense.
Some years since, a modification of this contrivance was introduced
here, under the title of the Bruges Stove, by Messrs. Cottam & Hallam,
Oxford Street. But it had one deficiency, which, in English eyes,
overwhelmed all its advantages, viz., that no fire was visible, and also
that boiling, toasting, and roasting, were, not to be performed by
its means.
Those of our readers who visited Prince Albert’s Model Cottages
opposite the Exhibition, may have noticed a stove, looking very much
like a long oblong box, standing on four legs, having two doors in the
front, one opening into a large-sized oven, the other disclosing the
fire-grate, which was fed by the removal of a lid at the top—the
draught from the fire passed over the oven, heating it and the hot
plate above. This stove combines all the advantages of the continental
cooking stoves, with the cheerful appearance of an open fire; at the
same time, by closing up the fire-place door, it is converted into a close
stove, with an excessively small consumption of fuel. From experience
in its use, we can state that it bakes admirably, either bread or large
joints of meat; at the same time, it boils a saucepan and steamer over
the fire-hole, and also four large or six smaller saucepans on the top of
the hot plate; it fries well, and broils before the fire, and this,
with less than one-half the fuel that was employed to do a portion of
the work in the range which it has deposed. The bain marie, the use
of which was described in our last article, and which is so excellent a
means of keeping soups, gravies, sauces, &c., hot without burning or
drying them up, is readily used with it; and the sauté pan, or deep
frying-pan, which is employed as a preliminary operation in most
French-made dishes, is conveniently used. This contrivance (which is
absurdly termed by our cooks the sooty pan) derives its name from the
verb sauter, to jump—the meat being rapidly turned over and browned
previous to stewing. The only disadvantage attending the use of the
stove is, that it is not calculated for roasting; but every other
operation in cooking, it performs infinitely better than a common fire,
and that at a consumption of less than half a bushel of coke per day.
This stove, which is termed the Cottager’s Stove (Fig. 1), is made by
Messrs. Benham, Wigmore Street.
Fig. 1.
Those who object to a stove of this character, preferring a range,
even at a greater sacrifice of economy, should still be somewhat guided
by correct principles in their selection; a range surrounded by iron is
an absurdity, as the metal conducts
away the heat rapidly; it
should be backed and lined with
fire-brick or Welsh lumps, which
throw out the heat with great
power. In an open fire-place, the
active combustion is wanted in
front for roasting, and there only
should air enter the fire; in most
ranges the air enters below,
causing the greatest heat to be
thrown upon the ashes. It may
be thought that closing up the
bottom would produce the same
effect as allowing it to be choked
up with ashes in a common
grate, deadening the fire; this
is not the case with a properly constructed range, backed with a
slanting back of fire-clay; the ashes can be readily removed at the
bottom, and from all the draught being in front, there is a bright fire
at the place where it is required. The range in the Reform Club,
which was erected by Messrs. Benham, under the direction of the late
Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the new Houses of Parliament, is
of this kind, and it is, perhaps, the finest in the world. Our common
ranges are far too deep—the burning of such a mass of coal being
useless. One of the best constructed ranges, of a small size, is
Nicholson’s Cottage Range, that obtained the prize given by the Royal
Agricultural Society; it is free from the objections raised above, and
comprises an oven and boiler; is economical in price and efficient in
use. Unlike the Cottager’s Stove, it is a fixture, requiring setting, and,
therefore, is more a subject for the landlord’s than the tenant’s
consideration. It may be seen in London at Pierce’s, in Jermyn Street.
The improvements in the use of fuel have mainly arisen from
philanthropic individuals directing their attention to improving the
comfort of the working classes, and the improvements here made have
been copied for the use of the wealthier class, by both the makers above
named, as well as by others.
Fig. 2.
In situations where gas is to be obtained, it forms a ready, and, for
some purposes, very economical means of obtaining heat; its economy
does not arise from its cheapness compared with other
means, but from the fact that it need not be lighted
till the instant it is required, and can be as quickly
extinguished when it has done its required duty; for
heating any vessels containing liquids, especially if
the heat is required to be only of short continuance,
gas will be found extremely advantageous; a ring
burner, constructed as shown in Fig. 2, less than three
inches in diameter, will quickly boil a gallon of water
in a metallic vessel; burners of this description are
usually used in the laboratory, surrounded by a case
made of sheet-iron or tinned plate, as Fig. 3; this
serves to support the vessel to be heated, to steady the jets of flame,
and to conduct every portion of hot air against the bottom; the door also
gives a ready access to the burner for the purposes of lighting the gas.
Fig. 3.
For the domestic use of gas in heating, we believe there is no contrivance
so useful as the following:—A circular hole, from two to four
or more inches in diameter, is cut in the dresser, through which is
passed a sheet-iron tube, supported by three little elbows; this tube
projects a few inches above the table, and about a foot and a half
below; its lower end is open, and into it projects a gas pipe, furnished
with a stop-cock; the upper extremity is covered with a sheet of wire
gauze, similar to that used for blinds, on
which, as shown in Fig. 4, may be placed
some pieces of pumice-stone, surrounded
and kept together by a broad ring—neither
the pumice-stone nor the ring, however,
are essential parts of the contrivance.
The action of this arrangement is as follows:—When
the gas is turned on it
escapes from the pipe, rising through the
tube, and mixing with the air contained
within it; this mixture then escapes
through the wire gauze, and may be
lighted on its upper side, without passing
through it to the gas below; the flame
should be perfectly free from smoke, which indicates too much gas—should
be pale, colourless, and not soil any bright metal placed in it;
if the flame is in the slightest degree yellow
it will do this, and then the gas should be
partly turned off—on the contrary, if there
is not enough gas, the flame will be extinguished.
When lighted, the pumice becomes
red-hot, and throws out a great heat;
when used in boiling, the vessel should be
supported a short distance over the flame
by a trivet; if it is made to rest on the top
of the ring, and is sufficiently large to close
it entirely, the current is stopped and the
flame extinguished, whilst the unburned
gas still escapes below. This contrivance
is most useful, it is lighted in an instant,
is perfectly free from smoke, no unburned gas escapes, it throws out
great heat, and may be employed to heat bright tools with much more
convenience than a charcoal fire: the objections to its use are, that
in burning it produces, as all gas does, a quantity of carbonic acid gas,
deteriorating the air, and that the flame cannot be very much enlarged
or diminished, so that if fires of different power are required, two or
more of the contrivances must be put in order. Otherwise, the instantaneous
action, small cost, great heating power, and cleanliness of the
plan, strongly recommend it. In summer weather, in many small
families, it can be made to dispense altogether with the use of a fire.
By a little variation, the whole contrivance may be made to stand on
the table like Fig. 2; in this and other cases, vulcanized India-rubber
will be found to form by far the best kind of flexible tube, being quite
impervious, very durable, and excessively pliant. Those who wish
to try the experiment of heating on this plan, may readily do so by
covering the top of the glass chimney of any common burner with
a piece of wire gauze, folding it over the sides; the gas may then be
turned on, and lighted above the gauze, after it has mingled with the
air in the chimney; a small burner, however, does not afford sufficient
gas for the purpose, and there is consequently too much air, and the
flame is weak and liable to go out.
Fig. 4.
We cannot conclude this article on heat, without entering our most
earnest protest against all those injurious contrivances for burning
charcoal without a flue; the use of charcoal-braziers in a large kitchen
is not to be recommended, but a charcoal stove in a dwelling-room
is most objectionable. Charcoal, in burning, produces carbonic acid
gas, an invisible and therefore insidious poison, which is so deadly in
its effects, that if the air of a room contains but one-tenth of its bulk,
the breathing of it for a short time is fatal. Every pound of charcoal,
in burning, produces more than three pounds and a half of this deadly
gas, and the ill effect of charcoal stoves may be readily imagined.
In Paris, in the years 1834 and 1835, there were 360 cases resulting
from the fumes of charcoal, of which more than 260 were fatal. In
order to test the effects of these stoves, Mr. Coathupe, of Wraxall,
shut himself up in a close room containing eighty cubic yards of air,
with one of them in action. In four hours he was seized with giddiness,
which, in an hour’s time, became most intense; he then had the desire
to vomit, but not the power; this was followed by an utter loss of
strength, throbbing at the temples, and agonizing headache, but no
sense of suffocation; finding that the experiment was becoming
dangerous, he essayed to open the window, but had the greatest difficulty
in so doing; and when his wife came into the room, he was
found in a speechless state, in which he remained for some time.
In a fatal case, which happened in St. John’s Wood, where two girls
were killed by the use of one of these stoves, the writer found, on
investigation, that the quantity of carbonic acid produced was capable
of rendering poisonous the air of a room ten times the size of the one
in which it was used; and yet the maker is guilty, even to the present
time, of the moral turpitude of recommending these as fitted for
burning in a close room. Men who, knowing the poisonous effects of
these stoves, still sell them, recommending them as wholesome, with
the deliberate assertion that their prepared fuel, which is merely
charcoal disguised, is not deleterious, evince a much more lively
interest in the state of their own pockets, than in the lives of their
customers.
Let it not be imagined that the case of Mr. Coathupe is only a
solitary one; the action of burning charcoal is of the same deleterious
nature on all persons. In January, 1836, seventy people suffered the
same symptoms, though in a milder degree, in the church at Downham,
in Norfolk, where two of these dangerous contrivances had been
introduced: and in the Annales d’Hygéine, tome xi., will be found an
account of the suicides in the department of the Seine in ten years,
these were 4595 in number, of which 1426 deaths were produced by
burning charcoal. We would again recommend our readers under
no circumstances, however much they may be recommended by false
assertions, to admit stoves without flues into their houses. In France,
the deaths from charcoal have been mostly suicides, as, from their
deadly effects, they are never used in close rooms. But in England,
persons are often ignorant of the action of charcoal fumes, and relying
on the word of some stove makers, whose “conscience,” as Milton
says, “is their maw,” the numerous deaths have been chiefly those of
innocent persons, victims to the cupidity of the makers.
In our previous papers on Domestic Manipulation, we have several
times given directions as to the best mode of conducting processes for
cleaning various articles, such as bottles, glass, &c. What remains,
therefore, under this head, is to furnish hints for cleaning miscellaneous
articles, which have not been included under previous accounts; and
the very important process of disinfecting, which may be regarded as
a medical cleaning, falls, naturally, into the same chapter. As the
substances to be submitted to the process of cleaning vary greatly
from one another, we shall find it more convenient to throw our remarks
into the form of miscellaneous hints, than to arrange them in a chapter
for consecutive reading.
Iron-Work which is exposed to wet, rusts rapidly; it is usually
preserved from the action of moisture either by covering it with two
or three coatings of paint, as is customary in large out-door works,
or by brushing it over with a varnish termed Brunswick black; this
plan is usually followed in the case of smaller substances used in-doors.
A very superior plan of protecting small iron goods from the injurious
action of wet, is to heat them a little below redness, and whilst hot to
brush them over with common linseed oil, which is decomposed by
the heat, and forms a thin, very firm coating of varnish, which is quite
impervious to water, and unlike paint or Japan-black does not chip off.
It is evident that this plan can only be adopted in a limited number
of cases, but where it is available we very strongly recommend it.
Floor Boarding and other wood-work is exceedingly apt to be
stained by various substances spilt upon it. Ink stains, for instance,
are extremely obstinate; they withstand washing many times, and at
last turn to a rusty iron colour, from the application of the alkali
of the soap. Both the black stain of recent ink and the rusty iron-mould
may be removed by the action of oxalic or muriatic acid. As
wood is not likely to be injured like cloth or linen, muriatic acid may
be used, being the cheaper, and it should be diluted with two or three
times its bulk of water, and applied until the stain is removed. Grease
which has been trodden in, or has remained a long time, should be
first softened by the application of a little turpentine, and then it will
be found to yield much more readily than it otherwise would to the
action of fuller’s earth and pearlash or soda. Fruit stains are quickly
removed by the action of a little chloride of lime, mixed with water,
and applied until the desired effect is produced. It should be borne
in mind that all vegetable colours are utterly destroyed beyond any
restoration, by the energetic action of this agent.
Paint, when soiled, is readily cleaned by soap and water; soda and
pearlash are frequently employed, but they act by removing a portion
of the paint, and if not thoroughly washed off with clean water afterwards,
they will be found to soften the whole. Caustic alkalies, such
as the solution for washing on the new plan, will rapidly dissolve
paint, and are therefore inapplicable for cleaning; they may, however,
be usefully employed in removing paint from wood, where such an
operation is requisite.
Plate may be cleaned by rouge, or if this is not readily obtained,
by washed whiting; this is readily made by stirring some whiting up
with water, then allowing the larger particles and the grit to subside,
and pouring off the water charged with the finer powder, which is
allowed to settle, and dried for use. When plate is very much stained,
it may be cleaned with putty powder, but this preparation would soon
wear away the silver if used frequently or unnecessarily. It may be
mentioned, that this substance is not made from putty, as its name
might seem to imply, but is a rust or oxide of tin, obtained by heating
the metal.
Japanned Goods, such as tea-boards, should not have boiling water
poured upon them, but should be washed with warm water, and
polished with a piece of wash-leather and fine flour.
Knives.—The common wooden knife-board wears out the knives
very rapidly, it is therefore much better to employ a piece of buff-leather
to cover the board; for very superior cutlery emery powder
should be used instead of Bath brick. Whatever the material of the
board, it will be rapidly spoiled by cleaning the backs of knives upon
the edge of the board; to prevent this evil, a small piece of leather
should be fixed at one end to clean the backs upon. We have seen
several knife-boards lately, covered with a material formed of India-rubber
and powdered cork, which was manufactured as a substitute
for floor-cloth, and sold under the name of kamptulicon; but we have
had no experience in their use.
Steel Forks are readily cleaned by having a pot of damp moss or
hay, with some sand intermixed, into which they may be repeatedly
thrust. If knives or forks get an unpleasant taint which cannot be
removed readily, they may be plunged into the mould of the garden,
which has a very absorptive power, and rapidly removes such odours.
Bedsteads may be freed from vermin by brushing them over in the
cracks with a mixture formed of one ounce of corrosive sublimate,
dissolved in half a pint of oil of turpentine, and the same quantity of
any spirit, such as strong gin or whisky; this effectually prevents
their harbouring. But when first applied, it possesses a disagreeable
odour from the turpentine, and great care must be taken with it as it
is excessively poisonous, although from its disagreeable smell it is not
likely to be swallowed accidentally. It has been found that the presence
of the odour of creosote (in vessels which have been used in carrying
railway sleepers prepared with this substance, to prevent their rotting)
has effectually driven away these enemies to our nocturnal peace.
Unfortunately, the odour of creosote is very powerful and unpleasant,
but there may be cases in which it may be applicable. On the whole,
constant and unremitting cleanliness, and the employment of iron
bedsteads, which are now manufactured of the most elegant forms, are
the best means of getting rid of these pests.
As stated in our first article, the operations of dusting, scrubbing, &c.,
though in strictness, Domestic Manipulations, hardly come within the
limits of this series of papers; we pass on, therefore, to the more
important operations of disinfecting. Various means have been proposed
of lessening or utterly destroying the infectious emanations that
proceed from persons in certain diseases, and which frequently have
the power of attaching themselves with greater or less tenacity to
such articles as wearing apparel, &c. Generally speaking, the presence
of a good system of ventilation is sufficient to prevent taking any
infection. When rooms are properly aired, a disease can seldom be
caught more than a few feet from a patient; or even in the case of those
most infectious disorders, scarlet fever and small-pox, it seldom spreads
more than a few yards; but if the air of a room is confined, the
infection is concentrated, and becomes much more certain in its action.
Downy and fibrous materials readily receive infection; it may, in
fact, in many instances, be folded up in them, and so retained almost
any length of time; but if they are thoroughly exposed to a free
current of air, it is dissipated in a short time. It should be mentioned,
that infectious diseases are more readily received in certain states of
the body; thus, fear, timidity, mental anxiety; and such states of mind,
by lowering the general tone of the system, render it much more
liable to contract infectious or contagious diseases; a state of
exhaustion from bodily fatigue, or from hunger, has the same tendency.
Infection is also more readily received through the lungs than through
the skin; therefore, it is important never to receive the breath of
a patient, and, as a sailor would say, always keep to the windward
side of him. Amongst the domestic disinfectants, vinegar has a great
reputation, but undeservedly so; its only action is to overpower, by
its odour, the smell of a sick-room—as a destroyer of the peculiar
influences that engender disease, it has no power. Burning substances
act in the same manner. Burnt brown paper, fumigating pastiles,
tobacco, only act by substituting one smell for another. The ridiculous
practice of carrying about a piece of camphor is very common, and
is perfectly inefficacious. If it has any action at all, it must be an
injurious one; for camphor is a stimulant, and its constant inhalation
must tend to lower the system, and so produce the very evil it is
supposed to remedy.
The best means of preventing infection, are ventilation and cleanliness
in every particular. The best means of destroying it are those
powerful chemical agents which have the power of uniting with the
hydrogen which is supposed to form part of the infectious substances.
Nitric acid gas, formed by pouring oil of vitriol on nitre or saltpetre,
has been used; but though efficacious, it possesses several disadvantages,
being irritating to the lungs, corrosive to metal-work, and
also, when largely employed, very expensive.
The most powerful, easily controlled, and in every sense the best
disinfectant, is chlorine gas. This agent at once destroys every
trace of infection in all substances submitted to its action. Its
formation is perfectly under control, and goes on in a gentle manner
for days together, without requiring care or attendance. We consider
that the slow liberation of chlorine is far superior to the employment
of chloride of lime, which gives forth the gas in a modified form.
In our own experience, we have employed it to destroy various
infections, and always with complete success. In one case of a
school where scarlet fever had returned after several attempts at
purification, and in the last instance with a fatal effect, we used
chlorine, and effected the complete removal of every trace of the
disease. Various modes of liberating chlorine are known to chemists;
but, for such purposes as the present, where a slow, uniform, and
constant action is required, there are none equal to the following plan:—One
pound of common table-salt is to be intimately mixed by
stirring with an equal weight of a substance called manganese, which
may be readily obtained from any good chemist. Small portions
of this mixture should be placed in shallow pans (the saucers of
common flower-pots answer the purpose exceedingly well); and upon
them should be poured a mixture of oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid)
and water, the quantity required for the above weights, viz., for one
pound of each ingredient, being two pounds of oil of vitriol and one
of water, both by weight. These should have been previously mixed
in a wooden vessel, being stirred by a wooden lath, and allowed to
become cool before being poured on the salt and manganese, as the
mixing of the acid and water generates great heat. Too much care
cannot be taken with the acid, as it is excessively corrosive in its
nature, and destroys most substances with which it comes in contact.
When these materials are all mixed, chlorine is slowly evolved for a
period of three or four days, and in so gentle a manner, that not the
slightest irritating or unpleasant effect is produced. If it is wished
to cause the more rapid production of gas, the saucer may be placed
over a basin of boiling water, or upon a hot brick; but the slow
generation for a considerable length of time is what should be more
especially aimed at. It is needless to say, that all substances supposed
to have been contaminated, should be spread out so as to receive the
influence of the gas; the bed linen, and all woollen garments, being
exposed by being spread out on chairs, lines, &c.; the drawers and
cupboards opened; and whilst the disinfecting is in actual operation,
the windows and doors should be kept shut, to prevent the dissipation
of the chlorine. It is found that two ounces of manganese, with
a proportionate quantity of the other materials, is sufficient for a room
twenty feet wide, forty feet long, and twelve feet high, which contains
20 × 40 × 12 = 9600 cubic feet.
It may be mentioned, that breathing chlorine in this highly diluted
state is decidedly the reverse of injurious to the general health; although,
in a concentrated form, or even unless very much diluted with air,
it is irritating in the highest degree; but so very innoxious is it in the
very dilute state, that it is occasionally prescribed for the inhalation
of consumptive patients.
For the satisfaction of those who rely on the authority of a great
name, it may be stated, that chlorine used in the manner here recommended
was employed, with complete success, by one of the most illustrious
of our English chemists, in the case of the Millbank Penitentiary,
when a violent and fatal disease broke out there. The operator
in this case was Faraday, than whom there can be no higher
authority.
It may occasionally be found more convenient to use another
mixture for the liberation of chlorine gas, in which case the following
may be employed:—One part of manganese is to be drenched with
four parts, by weight, of muriatic acid (the spirits of salts of the
shops), mixed with one part of water. The gas is evolved slowly
in the cold, and rapidly if assisted by a gentle heat. This process
is rather more expensive, and possesses no advantage over the one
previously described.
In ordinary language, the term fermentation is employed to
signify the peculiar changes which take place when a solution of
sugar, or any vegetable substance containing saccharine matter, is
converted into spirit—this, however, is only one of many such kinds
of action, which are well known to chemists. The most important
fermentations are the saccharine fermentation, when sugar is formed
by a change taking place in starch: the vinous, when spirit is formed
from sugar; and the acetous, in which vinegar or acetic acid is formed
from spirit.
The saccharine fermentation, or the formation of sugar from starch,
is interesting, though it does not influence such operations as are
included in our Domestic Manipulations. If starch is dissolved in
water, a little wheat flour added, and the whole exposed to a moderately
warm temperature, it will be found that after a few days, varying in
number with the degree of warmth, the starch has disappeared, and
the liquid has become sweet, from the formation of sugar. The same
change takes place with much greater rapidity, if starch is boiled
with a solution of malt, which contains an active principle called
diastase, capable of bringing about this fermentation in a short time.
The formation of sugar from starch is an operation which constantly
occurs in all growing seeds, the effect being to change an insoluble
substance such as starch, into one which is capable of being dissolved
in the juices of the young plant, and nourishing it during the early
stages of its growth. In the operation of malting barley, the change
is induced artificially, for the purpose of producing sugar in the malt,
which is afterwards made to undergo the second kind of fermentation,
namely, the vinous, or that in which spirit is produced.
When sugar, either that which naturally exists in many plants,
or as formed from starch as just mentioned, is dissolved in water, so
as to form a moderately weak solution, and the whole exposed to a
degree of warmth varying from seventy to eighty degrees, it rapidly
undergoes a remarkable change, provided a small quantity of any
vegetable ferment is present—such as yeast, or the juice of the grape
or of many other fruits. The sugar wholly disappears, and is resolved
into two substances—one a gas, termed carbonic acid, which escapes
giving rise to a slow effervescence; and the other, a portion of spirit,
which remains in the liquid. This kind of fermentation is much more
difficult to prevent than to establish; in making syrups, it is found
specially annoying; for if the quantity of sugar used is too small, the
syrup is certain to ferment and spoil; and if too much is added, it
crystallizes out in the solid form; as a general rule, however, it is
found that two parts, by weight, of sugar, to one part, by weight, of
water or other liquid—such as the juice of fruits, made into a syrup
by boiling for a short time—neither ferments nor crystallizes.
In the act of fermentation the spirit produced by the process last
described is changed into acetic acid, or vinegar. Here, also, the
presence of some substance capable of commencing the fermentation
is requisite, for pure spirit and water will not undergo the change.
The ferment employed may be the vinegar-plant—or it may be a
little vinegar, which may have been previously formed.
For the rapid progress of the acetous fermentation, a high
temperature is requisite, even as great as about eighty-six degrees, and
free exposure to air is essential. The best vinegar is that made from
weak wine, at Orleans; the plan followed is to introduce a portion of
vinegar into the vessels, adding the wine at intervals, and never quite
emptying them. In this country, a weak beer is brewed, without hops,
for the purpose of making vinegar, and a small quantity of diluted oil of
vitriol is added, after the vinegar is formed, to destroy the mouldiness
that is otherwise apt to be present. Vinegar may be formed from any
weak spirituous liquid; but it should be borne in mind that two
circumstances are essential to success, namely, a high summer
temperature, either natural or artificial, and free exposure to air.
The process of distillation is one which is used for separating liquids
from each other which boil at different degrees of heat. In domestic
economy, it is most frequently employed to
obtain spirit, more or less flavoured, or
scented, with some volatile essential oil.
The apparatus commonly used is the still,
for boiling the liquid to generate the vapour,
and a long spirally-twisted tube termed the
worm, which is placed in a tub of cold water,
and through which the steam passes to be
condensed. The worm is the most objectionable
part of the modern still; its great
evil is the difficulty with which it is cleaned,
so as to prevent one strong-flavoured substance
spoiling those which are distilled
afterwards. If the coils of the worm are not
very numerous, a bullet, with a string attached,
may be passed through it, and a sponge or small bottle-brush,
fastened to the string, may be worked backwards and forwards; but if
there are several coils, it will be found impossible to do this, from the
resistance caused by friction. In this case, the only plan is to close
one end of the worm with a cork, and fill it with a solution of caustic
alkali, allowing it to remain for some hours, and repeating the
application with fresh liquid, if it be required.
Fig. 1.
In Germany, the worm is being superseded by an excellent condenser,
which is so superior that we are induced to give a sketch of it, hoping
that it may lead to its adoption in this country. The vapours from
the still pass into the tube A (Fig. 1), by which they are conducted
into B, a hollow globe, made to unscrew at its centre. The vapours,
passing along the tube C, are condensed, and the distilled liquid drops
from D. The pipe E should convey a constant stream of cold water to
the bottom of the tub, and this, rising as it is warmed by extracting
heat from the tubes and globe, should escape by F. All the tubes being
straight, it is obvious that they can be readily cleaned from their ends.
In the laboratory, distilling is most frequently performed with vessels
termed retorts, or even from flasks; but as these are not very
applicable to domestic purposes, we pass them over.
In domestic practice, the still is usually employed to obtain some
water or spirit flavoured with essential oil, or the oil itself, and the
process should be slightly modified so as to suit each case. The
vegetable substance should not be placed on the bottom of the still
itself, as in that case it might become burnt, and so give an unpleasant
flavour to the whole; but a bottom of wickerwork should be placed in
the still in the first instance for it to rest upon, or a perforated board.
The substance to be distilled should be placed in the still, covered with
water, for some hours before the fire is lighted; no more water being
added than sufficient to cover it, if the preparation of oil is the object.
Herbs, for distilling, should be collected on a dry day, and—unless
the oil resides in the seeds, as in the case of caraway, anise, &c., or in
the flowers, as in the rose, lavender, &c.—just before the flowers have
opened, as at that period there is the greatest quantity of essential oil
in the plant. All plants cultivated for distillation, should be grown in
a situation where they can receive a full amount of sun-light, as shade
or darkness very much tend to prevent the formation of essential oil.
Fig. 2.
The liquid which comes out of the worm, is a mixture of water
highly flavoured with the substance, and some undissolved oil;
this latter is sometimes heavier and sometimes lighter
than water, either sinking or floating; in the latter case,
the oil may be readily separated by filling a bottle with
the mixture, and when the oil has collected at the top,
carrying it off by a few threads of cotton placed as in
Fig. 2, taking care that they are moistened with oil
before arranging them. The cotton acts as a syphon, and
removes the whole of the oil. If the object of the operation
is to obtain the oil, and not the distilled water, the latter
should be preserved, and used again and again with fresh
herbs, because having in the first operation dissolved up as
much oil as it is capable of doing, it causes no loss to the subsequent
distillations.
It may, perhaps, be thought that our article is incomplete, from our
not giving any particular directions as to the manufacture of spirits,
both as regards the first fermentation and subsequent distillation; but
our readers should bear in mind that the manufacture of spirit is illegal,
and the result is most frequently a heavy fine and imprisonment, to
which we have no wish that our articles should be introductory.
Blacking to Preserve Leather.—Take spermaceti oil, four
ounces; molasses, twelve ounces; mix. Add by degrees twelve ounces
of ivory-black, mixing it in smoothly, and rubbing it well, so as to
leave no lumps; then add gradually a quart of the best white-wine
vinegar. If too thick, add more vinegar; stir it hard, and let it
stand in the jar three days, stirring frequently with a round stick.
Bottle it for use. If still too thick, even when warmed at the fire,
dilute with a little more vinegar.—A. S.
Blacking for Dress Boots and Shoes.—Gum arabic, eight ounces;
treacle, two ounces; ink, half a pint; vinegar and spirit of wine, of
each two ounces. Dissolve the gum and treacle in the ink and
vinegar; then strain and add the spirit.
French Polish for Boots, Shoes, and Harness.—Take two
pints of the best vinegar and one pint of soft water; stir into the
mixture a quarter of a pound of glue broken fine, half a pound of
logwood chips, a quarter of an ounce of finely powdered indigo, a
quarter of an ounce of the best soft soap, and a quarter of an ounce
of isinglass. Boil for ten minutes or longer; then strain the liquid,
bottle, and cork. When cold it is fit for use. Remove the dirt
from the boots, &c., with a sponge and water. Then lay on the
polish with a clean sponge. Should it prove too thick, hold it
near the fire to warm a little, and the heat will liquify it sufficiently.—J. M.
To detect Dampness in Beds.—First have the bed well warmed
with a warming-pan; then, the moment the pan is taken out, introduce
between the sheets an inverted glass tumbler. After it has
remained there a few minutes, withdraw it. If the glass is found
dry, you may go to bed without any apprehension of chill or rheumatism.
If the glass is covered with drops of wet or damp steam,
the safest plan is to take off the sheets and sleep between the
blankets, as a second pair would probably be no better than the
first.
Expelling Insects Generally.—All insects dislike penny-royal;
the odour of it destroys some and drives away others. At seasons
when fresh green bunches of penny-royal are not to be obtained,
get oil of penny-royal, pour some into a saucer, and steep in it small
bits of wadding or raw cotton; lay them about in corners, closet-shelves,
bureau-drawers, boxes, and all places where you have seen
cockroaches or ants, or wherever they are likely to be found. If
the insects do not speedily disappear, renew the cotton and penny-royal.
It is also well to place some of them about the bedsteads,
between the sacking and the mattress. Bunches of penny-royal are
excellent for brushing off that very annoying little insect, the seed
tick.—H. S. C.
To destroy Bed Bugs effectually.—Take two ounces of quicksilver,
and the whites of two eggs, and so on in this ratio for a
larger or smaller quantity. Beat the quicksilver and the whites
together until they unite and become a froth. With a feather then
apply the compound thus formed to the crevices and holes in your bedsteads.
This done once or twice in a year will prove effectual.—J. M.
Poison For Bugs.—Spirits of wine and spirits of turpentine, of
each four ounces; white mercury and camphor, of each half an ounce:
mix. A chemist will make it up; and it must be applied with a
brush to the bedstead or box infested by the insects.—J. D.
To make Bottles Air-tight.—This may be done without luting
or grinding, and consists in only having a groove round the neck,
into which the cap fits, so that the groove may be charged with
water or mercury.
To Bottle Porter.—To four gallons of porter take three-quarters
of a pound of coarse sugar, boil it in three quarts of water five
minutes, when cool, add a tea-cup of fresh yeast. Let it work till
it creams over, then put the porter to it, and bottle off.—Mrs. H.
To make Glue that will resist Moisture.—Dissolve gum
sandarac and mastic, of each two ounces, in a pint of spirit of wine,
adding about an ounce of clear turpentine. Then take equal parts
of isinglass and parchment glue, and having beaten the isinglass
into small bits, and reduced the glue to the same state, pour the
solution of the gums upon them, and melt the whole in a vessel
well covered, avoiding so great a heat as that of boiling water.
When melted, strain the glue through a coarse linen cloth, and
then put it again over the fire, adding about an ounce of powdered
glass. This preparation may be best managed by hanging the
vessel in boiling water, which will prevent the matter burning
the vessel, or the spirit of wine from taking fire; and, indeed, it
is better to use the same method for all the evaporations of nicer
glues and sizes; but in such cases, less water than the proportion
directed should be added to the materials.—J. M.
Cement for Iron Kitchen Utensils.—Take six parts of potter’s
clay, and one part of steel filings, mix them together with a sufficient
quantity of linseed oil to make a thick paste of the consistence of
glazier’s putty; then apply it to the cracked parts, on both sides, and
let it stand three or four weeks undisturbed.
Japanese Cement.—This cement is made by mixing rice flour
intimately with cold water, and then gently boiling it; it is beautifully
white, and dries almost transparent. Papers pasted together by means
of this cement, will sooner separate in their own substance than at
the joining.
Rice Glue.—Mix rice flour intimately with cold water, and gently
simmer over a fire, when it forms a delicate and durable cement,
answering all the purposes of common paste, and admirably adapted
for joining paper, card, &c., in forming the various ornaments which
afford employment and amusement to the ladies. When made of the
consistence of plaster or clay, models, busts, &c., may be formed; and
the articles, when dry, are susceptible of high polish, and are very
durable.—W. C. C.
To Mend Broken Glass.—Get some cloves of garlic, tie them in
a rag, and place them in a tin pan, pounding them with a hammer, to
get out the juice. Next take the broken glass, and wet and smear each
of the broken edges with the garlic-juice; then stick them firmly
together, stand the article on a plate, and let it remain undisturbed
for a fortnight. The broken lid of a pitcher can also be mended
in this manner.—J. W.
Another Method of Uniting Broken Glass or China.—T.
S. L. N. communicates the following, which he has tried with great
success:—Obtain some slaked lime, and put it in a small muslin bag;
next get the white of an egg; rub the pieces that require mending
with it, then dust some lime upon it, and hold together till it sticks;
let it dry, and it will not be liable to be softened by heat.
Cement for China, Glass, etc.—To a quarter of an ounce of gum
mastic, add as much spirits of wine as will dissolve it. Soak a quarter
of an ounce of isinglass in water till it is quite soft; then dissolve it
in rum or brandy till of the consistency of glue. To this add one
drachm of gum ammoniac, well rubbed and mixed. Put now the two
mixtures together in a vessel, over a gentle heat, till properly united,
and the cement is ready for use. It should be kept in a phial well
corked, and when about to be used, to be set in boiling water to soften.
Receipt for Joining Glass.—Melt a little isinglass in spirits of
wine, and add a small quantity of water; warm the mixture gently
over a moderate fire. When mixed by thoroughly melting, it will
form glue perfectly transparent, which will re-unite broken glass
so nicely and firmly, that the joining will scarcely be perceptible to
the most critical eye. Lime, mixed with the white of an egg, forms
a very strong cement for glass, porcelain, &c., but it must be done
neatly, as, when hard, the superfluous part cannot easily be smoothed
or taken off.—Scientific American.
How to Make Nice Candles.—Candlewick, if steeped in lime
and saltpetre, and dried in the sun, will give a clearer light, and be
less apt to run. Good candles may be made thus: Melt together ten
ounces of mutton tallow, a quarter of an ounce of camphor, four ounces
of bees’ wax, and two ounces of alum; then run it into moulds, or dip
the candles. These candles furnish a beautiful light.—T. L.
Plain Hints about Candles.—Candles improve by keeping a
few months. Those made in winter are the best. The most economical,
as well as the most convenient plan, is to purchase them by the
box, keeping them always in a cool dry place. If wax candles become
discoloured or soiled, they may be restored by rubbing them over with
a clean flannel slightly dipped in spirits of wine. Candles are sometimes
difficult to light. They will ignite instantly if, when preparing
them for the evening, you dip the top in spirits of wine, shortly before
they are wanted. Light them always with a match, and do not hold
them to the fire, as that will cause the tops to melt and drip. Always
hold the match to the side of the wick, and not over the top. If you
find the candles too small for the candlesticks, always wrap a small
piece of white paper round the bottom end, not allowing the paper to
appear above the socket. Cut the wicks to a convenient length for
lighting (nearly close); for if the wick is too long at the top, it will be
very difficult to ignite, and will also bend down, and set the candle
to running. Glass receivers, for the droppings of candles, are very
convenient, as well as ornamental. The pieces of candles that are left
each evening, should be placed in a tin box kept for that purpose,
and used for bed-lights.
Chimneys on Fire may be readily extinguished in several ways,
without having recourse to throwing water down them from the top,
by which much damage is frequently done to the furniture in the
rooms. One of the simplest methods is, to scatter a handful of flour
of sulphur over the dullest part of the burning coals, the mephitic
vapours arising from which will not support combustion, and consequently
extinguish the flames. Another method is to shut the doors
and windows, and to stop up the bottom of the chimney with a piece
of wet carpet or blanket, throwing a little water or flour of sulphur, or
salt, on the fire immediately before doing so. By this means the
draught is stopped, and the burning soot must be extinguished for want
of air. If the chimney be stopped at top, instead of the bottom, the
whole of the smoke must, of course, be driven into the apartment.
If every fire-place were provided with a damper or shutter, of sheet-iron
or tin-plate, sufficiently large to choke it thoroughly, fires in chimneys
would become of little consequence, as it would only be necessary to
apply this damper to put them out.
Cure for Smoky Chimneys.—“Some of your readers, Mr. Editor,
may probably like to know how I have cured, in my own house, that
worst of evils—a smoky chimney. The following is the plan I recommend:
Inflate a large ox bladder with air, and tie it by the neck
to the middle of a stick, which place across the inside of a chimney,
about two feet from the top, or at the foot of the chimney-pot. The
buoyancy of the air keeps the bladder continually in a circular motion,
and thus prevents the rush of air into the tunnel from descending so
low as the fire-place.”—S. W. T.
Excellent Dyes.—A decoction of oak-bark dyes wool a fast brown
of various shades, according to the quantity employed; an infusion
of walnut-peels will also dye brown. The wool should be previously
dipped in a solution of alum and water, which brightens the colour.—For
red dye: boil in a bath of madder, previously rinsing the goods
in alum; or, if you wish for purple, employ, instead of alum, a bath
of acetate of iron. Red dyes are also given by archil, cochineal, Brazil-wood,
&c.—For blue dye: boil in a bath of logwood, to which a small
quantity of blue vitriol has been added, using the alum bath as in
the other cases.—M. C.
To Dye Silk Lilac.—For every pound of silk, take a pound and
a half of archil, mix it well with the liquor; make it boil a quarter
of an hour, dip the silk quickly, then let it cool, and wash it in river
water, and a fine half violet, or lilac, more or less full, will be obtained.
Dyes for Ivory.—Black. Immerse the ivory in a boiling solution
of logwood, take it out and wash it in a solution of copperas. Blue.
Immerse the ivory in a mixture of sulphate of indigo and water, partly
neutralized with potash. Green. Steep blued ivory in a solution of
nitro-muriate of tin, and then in a decoction of fustic; or it may be
at once dyed green by steeping it in a solution of acetate of copper.
Yellow. Steep the ivory in a bath of neutral chromate of potash, and
afterwards in a boiling solution of acetate of lead. Red. Steep the
ivory for a short time in a solution of tin, then in a decoction of Brazil
or cochineal. Violet. Moisten the ivory with a solution of tin, as
before, then immerse it in a decoction of logwood.—T. S.
To Dye Hair and Feathers Green.—Take of verdigris or verditer
of each one ounce, gum water one pint; mix them well, and
dip the hair or feathers into the mixture, shaking them well about.
To Shrink new Flannel.—New flannel should always be shrunk
or washed before it is made up, that it may be cut out more accurately,
and that the grease which is used in manufacturing it may be extracted.
First, cut off the list along the selvage edges of the whole piece. Then
put it into warm (not boiling) water, without soap. Begin at one end
of the piece, and rub it with both hands till you come to the other
end; this is to get out the grease and the blue with which new white
flannel is always tinged. Then do the same through another water.
Rinse it through a clean lukewarm water; wring it lengthways, and
stretch it well. In hanging it out on a line do not suspend it in
festoons, but spread it along the line straight and lengthways. If dried
in festoons, the edges will be in great scollops, making it very difficult
to cut out. It must be dried in the sun. When dry let it be
stretched even, clapped with the hands, and rolled up tight and smoothly,
till wanted.—H. S. C.
To Pack Glass or China.—Procure some soft straw or hay to
pack them in, and if they are to be sent a long way, and are heavy,
the hay or straw should be a little damp, which will prevent them
slipping about. Let the largest and heaviest things be always put
undermost in the box or hamper. Let there be plenty of straw, and
pack the articles tight; but never attempt to pack up glass or china
which is of much consequence, till it has been seen done by some one
used to the job. The expense will be but trifling to have a person
to do it who understands it, and the loss may be great if articles of
such value are packed up in an improper manner.—S.
Ink.—H. W. begs to recommend the following ink—with which his
note is written: Logwood and galls, each four ounces; copperas, two
ounces; gum arabic, one ounce; pomegranate bark, half an ounce;
cloves, four ounces; cold soft water, two pints: stir frequently, for two
weeks or more, and strain.—[The ink is good.—Ed.]
Black Ink.—To one gallon of soft water, add ten ounces of Aleppo
galls, and four ounces each of gum arabic and green copperas. Well
bruise the galls, and allow the mixture to stand for a fortnight, being
well stirred every day. Then add two ounces of white sugar.
Blue Ink.—Prussiate of iron, half an ounce; oxalic acid, one ounce;
fine chalk, a quarter of a drachm. All to be powdered, and dissolved
with one pint of boiling water.—S.
To make Blue Ink.—Dissolve a small quantity of indigo in a little
oil of vitriol, and add a sufficient quantity of water, in which is dissolved
some gum arabic.
Indian Ink.—Indian ink, equal in quality to that imported from
China, may be made by holding a plate over the flame of a lamp or
candle so as to receive the fine soot, and mixing this with size made
from parchment or uncoloured leather. The Indian ink is made from
fine lamp-black and size, with the addition of a little perfume, which
latter is by no means essential to its quality as an ink.—J. W.
Indelible Marking Ink, without Preparation.—One drachm
and a half of nitrate of silver (lunar caustic), one ounce of distilled
water, half an ounce of strong mucilage of gum arabic, three-quarters
of a drachm of liquid ammonia; mix the above in a clean glass bottle,
cork tightly and keep in a dark place till dissolved, and ever afterwards.
Directions for use:—Shake the bottle, then dip a clean quill pen in
the ink, and write or draw what you require on the article; immediately
hold it close to the fire (without scorching), or pass a hot iron over
it, and it will become a deep and indelible black, indestructible by
either time or acids of any description.—R. S.
Incorrodible and Indelible Inks.—Genuine asphaltum, one part;
oil of turpentine, four parts; dissolve, and add lamp-black or black-lead
to bring it to a proper consistence. Or—Asphaltum, one part;
oil of turpentine, four parts; dissolve, and colour with printer’s ink,
which any printer will sell by way of favour. These inks supply a
cheap and excellent material for marking linen, &c. They are very
permanent. They should be employed with stamps or types, or with
the thin brass plates with letters cut therein. This method of marking
is neater and easier than with the brush or pen.
Sympathetic Inks.—These are preparations used for writing on
paper, the marks of which are invisible until acted upon by some
re-agent. They are frequently employed in secret or playful correspondence.
By heating the paper until it is nearly scorched, they may
be rendered visible.
1. Sulphate of copper and sal-ammoniac, equal parts, dissolved in
water—writes colourless, but turns yellow when heated.
2. Onion juice, like the last.
3. A weak infusion of galls—turns black when moistened with weak
copperas water.
4. A weak solution of sulphate of iron—turns blue when moistened
with a weak solution of prussiate of potash—black with infusion of galls.
5. The diluted solutions of nitrate of silver and terchloride of gold—darken
when exposed to the sun-light.
6. Aqua-fortis, spirits of salts, oil of vitriol, common salt, or saltpetre,
dissolved in a large quantity of water—turn yellow or brown when
heated.
7. Solution of nitro-muriate of cobalt—turns green when heated, and
disappears again on cooling.
8. Solution of acetate of cobalt, to which a little nitre has been
added—becomes rose-coloured when heated, and disappears when
cooling.
Stains of Wood.—The most effectual way of removing stains of
most descriptions from wood, is to mix a quarter of an ounce of oil
of vitriol with two ounces of water, and rub the stained surface with
a cork dipped in this liquid, until the stains disappear: then wash
with cold water. The colour of the wood is rendered pale for a
time by this method, but it is brought up again by rubbing with
furniture paste.
To take Oil and Grease out of Boards, Marble, etc.—Make
a paste with fuller’s earth and hot water; cover the spots
therewith, let it dry on, and the next day scour it off with soft or yellow
soap. Or—Make a paste with soft soap, fuller’s earth, and a little
pearlash, and use it as above.
For Cleaning Wainscots and other Painted Woods.—Four
ounces of potass, and four ounces of powdered quick-lime are to be
mixed together, and boiled for half an hour in three quarts of water;
this mixture is to stand until it is cold and quite clear; the clear
liquid is then poured off, and a painter’s brush dipped into it is to
be passed over the surface of the wood, in the same way as for
painting, immediately afterwards washing with cold water. This
mode of cleaning will frequently render a new coat of paint unnecessary,
and it has the advantage of being destructive to the eggs of
insects which may be deposited in the interstices of the wood; where
there is reason to suspect that there are bugs in the wood, it may
be well, as an additional precaution, to add to the mixture two
drachms of corrosive sublimate.
Chairs.—The black leather-work of chairs, settees, &c., may be
restored by first well washing off the dirt with a little warm water
and soap, and afterwards with clean water. The brown and faded
portions may now be re-stained by means of a little black ink, or
preferably black reviver, and when this has got thoroughly dry, they
may be touched over with white of egg, strained and mixed with a
little sugar-candy. When the latter is nearly dry, it should be polished
off with a clean dry brush.
Washing-Paint.—The best method to wash paint is to rub some
Bath brick fine, and when you have rubbed some soap on the flannel,
dip it in the brick. This will remove the grease and dirt speedily,
without injury.—Mrs. H.
To make Oak Wood Colour.—The basis of this colour is still
formed of ceruse. Three-fourths of this oxide, and a fourth of ochre
de rue, umber earth, and yellow de Berri; the last three ingredients
being employed in proportions which lead to the required tint, give
a matter equally proper for distemper, varnish, and oil.—A. S.
To give a fine Colour to Mahogany.—Into a pint of cold-drawn
linseed oil put one ounce of alkanet root, and one ounce of
rose-pink in an earthen vessel; let it remain all night; then stirring
it well, rub some of it over the tables with a linen rag; when it has
lain some time rub it with a linen cloth.—R. M.
Artificial Mahogany.—The following method of giving any species
of wood of a close grain the appearance of mahogany in texture,
density, and polish, is said to be practised in France with success.
The surface is planed smooth, and the wood is then rubbed with a
solution of nitrous acid; one ounce of dragon’s blood is dissolved in
nearly a pint of spirits of wine; this, and one-third of an ounce of
carbonate of soda, are then to be mixed together and filtered, and the
liquid in this thin state is to be laid on with a soft brush. This process
is to be repeated, and in a short interval afterwards the wood
possesses the external appearance of mahogany. When the polish
diminishes in brilliancy, it may be restored by the use of a little
cold-drawn linseed oil.—J. R. C.
To extract Ink from Mahogany.—Dilute half a tea-spoonful of
oil of vitriol with a large spoonful of water, and apply to the ink spot
with a feather; let it lie for a few minutes and rub it off
quickly; repeat if not quite removed. An excellent receipt.—F.
To restore the Colour to Mahogany.—Wash well with soap
and water, and then polish daily with the following oil:—Take half
an ounce of alkanet root, cut small, and add to a pint of linseed oil:
when this has stood for a week, add half an ounce of powdered gum
arabic, and an ounce of shell-lac varnish; let these stand in a bottle
by the fire for a week, then strain. Rub well in.
Wax for Polishing Furniture.—Melt bees’ wax in spirits of
turpentine, with a very small proportion of resin. When it is entirely
dissolved, dip in it a sponge, and wash the mahogany lightly over
with it. Immediately afterwards, rub it off with a clean soft cloth.
For carved furniture, spread the mixture on with a small soft brush,
and rub it off with another brush, a very little harder.
Cream Polish for Furniture.—Half an ounce of Castile soap,
dissolved in one gill of rain water, two ounces and a half of bees’
wax, one ounce of white wax, one gill of spirit of turpentine; shred
the wax, and place the whole by the fire to dissolve; whilst warm
add the soap and mix all well together.—J. H. D.
Method of giving a fine Black Colour to Wood.—Steep the
wood for two or three days in lukewarm water, in which a little
alum has been dissolved; then put a handful of logwood, cut small
into a pint of water, and boil it down to less than half a pint. If
you then add a little indigo, the colour will be more beautiful. Spread
a layer of this liquor quite hot on your wood, with a pencil, which
will give it a violet colour. When it is dry, spread on another layer;
dry it again, and give it a third; then boil verdigris at discretion,
in its own vinegar, and spread a layer of it on the wood; when it is
dry, rub it with a brush, and then with oiled chamois skin. This
gives a fine black, and imitates perfectly the colour of ebony. Having
tried this receipt successfully, I can recommend it to the notice
of your numerous readers.—E.
Black Dye for Woods, Veneers, etc.—Steep the wood for
two or three days, in water, if possible, keeping it warm all the
time, the water having had a little alum dissolved in it so that it
tastes rough; then put a handful of logwood, cut small, into a pint
of water and boil it down to less than half a pint; if a little indigo
is added the colour will be more beautiful. Spread a layer of this
liquor quite hot on the wood with a brush, which will give it a
violet colour. When dry spread on another layer, dry it again and
give it a third, then boil verdigris at discretion in vinegar, and
spread a layer of it on the wood; when it is dry, rub with a brush,
and then with oiled chamois skin. This forms a good imitation of
ebony wood.—W. C.
Hints on Scrubbing Floors.—After the white-washing, paint-cleaning,
and window-washing of each room has been completed, let
the floor be scrubbed; first seeing that it has been well swept. For
this purpose have a small tub or bucket of warm water: an old saucer
to hold a piece of brown soap, a large thick tow-linen floor-cloth, and a
long-handled scrubbing-brush. Dip the whole of the floor-cloth into
the water, and with it wet a portion of the floor. Next, rub some soap
on the bristles of the brush, and scrub hard all over the wet place. Then
dip your cloth into the water, and with it wash the suds off the floor.
Wring the cloth, wet it again, and wipe the floor with it a second time.
Lastly, wash the cloth about in the water, wring it as dry as possible,
and give the floor a last and hard wiping with it. Afterwards go on to
the next part of the floor, wet it, scrub it, wipe it three times, and
proceed in the same manner, a piece, at a time, till you have gone over
the whole; changing the dirty water for clean, whenever you find it
necessary. For a large room, fresh warm water will be required four
or five times in the course of the scrubbing. When the floor has been
scrubbed, leave the sashes raised while it is drying. For scouring
common floors that are very dirty, have by you an old tin pan with some
gray sand in it; and after soaping the brush, rub it on some sand
also.
Oil-Cloths.—In buying an oil-cloth for a floor, endeavour to obtain
one that was manufactured several years before; as the longer it has
been made previous to use, the better it will wear, from the paint
becoming hard and durable. An oil-cloth that has been made within
the year, is scarcely worth buying, as the paint will be defaced in a very
little time, it requiring a long while to season. An oil-cloth should
never be scrubbed with a brush; but, after being first swept, it should
be cleaned by washing with a large soft cloth and lukewarm or cold
water. On no account use soap, or take water that is hot; as either of
them will certainly bring off the paint. When it has dried, you may
sponge it over with milk, which will brighten and preserve the colours;
and then wipe it with a soft dry cloth.—J. R.
To Renovate Black Silk.—Slice some uncooked potatoes, pour
boiling water on them; when cold sponge the right side of the silk with
it, and iron on the wrong.—E. H.
To make Old Silk Gowns look like New.—The best method,
and one that is employed by milliners, is to sponge over the outside of
the dress with a strong and cold infusion of black tea. The dress should
afterwards be ironed on the wrong side.—K.
An excellent Yellow Dye for Silks, Ribbons, etc.—Take a
large handful of horse-radish leaves, boil them in two quarts of water
for half an hour; then drain it off from the leaves, and soak the articles
you have for dyeing in it; when you think the colour deep enough, take
it out, rinse it in cold water, and spread it to dry.—B. B.
To Iron Silk.—Silk cannot be ironed smoothly, so as to press out
all the creases, without first sprinkling it with water, and rolling it up
tightly in a towel, letting it rest for an hour or two. If the iron is in
the least too hot, it will injure the colour, and it should first be tried on
an old piece of the same silk.—C. C.
To Renovate Silks.—Sponge faded silks with warm water and
soap; then rub them with a dry cloth on a flat board; afterwards iron
them on the inside with a smoothing-iron. Old black silks may be
improved by sponging with spirits. In this case, the ironing may be
done on the right side, thin paper being spread over to prevent glazing.
To Dye Silk, etc., Crimson.—Take about a spoonful of cutbear,
put it into a small pan, pour boiling water upon it; stir and let it stand
a few minutes, then put in the silk, and turn it over in a short time, and
when the colour is full enough, take it out; but if it should require
more violet or crimson, add a spoonful or two of purple archil to some
warm water; steep, and dry it within doors. To finish it, it must be
mangled, and ought to be pressed.
Silks Stained by Corrosive or Sharp Liquors.—We often
find that lemon-juice, vinegar, oil of vitriol, and other sharp corrosives,
stain dyed garments; sometimes by adding a little pearlash to a soap
lather, and passing the silks through these, the faded colour will be
restored. Pearlash and warm water will sometimes do alone, but it is
the most efficacious method to use the soap lather and pearlash
together.
Chemical Renovating Balls—for taking out grease, paint, pitch
tar, from silks, stuffs, linen, woollen, carpets, hats, coats, &c., without
fading the colour or injuring the cloth:—Quarter ounce of fuller’s earth,
quarter ounce of pipe-clay, one ounce salt of tartar, one ounce beef gall,
one ounce spirits of wine. Pound the hard parts, and mix the ingredients
well together. Wet the stain with cold water, rub it well with this ball,
then sponge it with a wet sponge, and the stain will disappear.
To Clean Silks, Satins, Coloured Woollen Dresses, etc.—Quarter
pound of soft soap, a quarter of a pound of honey, the white of
an egg, and a wine-glassful of gin; mix well together, and the article to
be scoured with a rather hard brush thoroughly, afterwards rinse it in
cold water, leave to drain, and iron whilst quite damp.—Mrs. J. D. R.
remarks that she finds this receipt an excellent one, having used it for a
length of time, and recommended it to friends, with perfect success.
To Clean White Satin and Flowered Silks.—1. Mix sifted
stale bread crumbs with powder blue, and rub it thoroughly all over,
then shake it well, and dust it with clean soft cloths. Afterwards,
where there are any gold or silver flowers, take a piece of crimson
ingrain velvet, rub the flowers with it, which will restore them to their
original lustre.—2. Pass them through a solution of fine hard soap, at a
hand heat, drawing them through the hand. Rinse in lukewarm water,
dry and finish by pinning out. Brush the flossy or bright side with a
clean clothes-brush, the way of the nap. Finish them by dipping a
sponge into a size, made by boiling isinglass in water, and rub the
wrong side. Rinse out a second time, and brush, and dry near a fire,
or in a warm room. Silks may be treated in the same way, but not
brushed.—M.
To Smooth a Creased or Rumpled Ribbon.—Lay the ribbon
evenly on a clean table or board, and, with a very clean sponge, damp it
all over, missing no part. Next, roll it, smoothly and tightly, on a
ribbon-block that is wider than the ribbon, and let it remain till dry.
Afterwards, transfer it to a fresh block (which must be perfectly dry),
rolling it round that. Wrap it up closely in coarse brown paper, and
keep it thus till you want to use it. Ironing a ribbon is apt to discolour
it, and give it a faded look even when new. Ribbons, and other silks,
should always be put away in coarse brown paper; the chloride of lime
used in manufacturing white paper frequently produces spots and stains.
Coarse brown paper, being made of old ropes picked to pieces, the tar
still lingering about them, preserves the colours of the silks.—J. T.
To Clean Silk Stockings.—First wash the stockings in the usual
manner, to take out the rough dirt. After rinsing them in clean water,
wash them well in fresh soap liquor. Then make a third soap liquor,
which colour with a little stone-blue; then wash the stockings once
more, take them out, wring them, and particularly dry them. Now
stove them with brimstone, and draw on a wooden leg two stockings,
one upon the other, observing that the two fronts or outsides are face to
face. Polish with a glass bottle. The two first liquors should be only
lukewarm; but the third as hot as you can bear your hand in. Blondes
and gauzes may be whitened in the same manner; but there should be
a little gum put in the last liquor before they are stoved.—B. R.
To Keep Silk.—Silk articles should not be kept folded in white
paper, as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper will probably
impair the colour of the silk. Brown or blue paper is better—the
yellowish smooth India paper is best of all. Silk intended for a dress,
should not be kept in the house long before it is made up, as lying in
the folds will have a tendency to impair its durability by causing it to
cut or split, particularly if the silk has been thickened by gum. We
knew an instance of a very elegant and costly thread lace veil being
found, on its arrival from France, cut into squares (and, therefore,
destroyed) by being folded over a paste-board card. A white satin
dress should be pinned up in blue paper, with coarse brown paper
outside, sewn together at the edges.—A. F.
To Wash Silk Lace or Blonde.—Take a black bottle, covered
with clean linen or muslin, and wind the blonde round it (securing the
ends with a needle and thread), not leaving the edge outward, but
covering it as you proceed. Set the bottle upright in a strong cold
lather of white soap and very clear soft water, and place it in the sun,
having gently, with your hand, rubbed the suds up and down on the
lace. Keep it in the sun every day for a week, changing the lather
daily, and always rubbing it slightly when you renew the suds. At the
end of the week, take the blonde off the bottle, and (without rinsing)
pin it backward and forward on a large pillow covered with a clean
tight case. Every scallop must have a separate pin, or more, if the
scallops are not very small. The plain edge must be pinned down
also, so as to make it straight and even. The pins should be of the
smallest size. When quite dry, take it off; but do not starch, iron, or
press it. Lay it in long loose folds, and put it away in a paste-board
box. Thread lace may be washed in the same manner.—A. F.
To Wash Ribbons, Silk Handkerchiefs, etc.—None but ribbons
of excellent quality, of one entire colour, and of a plain unfigured
surface, will bear washing. A good satin ribbon may be made to look
very well by washing it carefully, first in cold water, to which add a
few drops of spirits of wine; then make a lather of white soap and
lukewarm water, and wash the ribbon through that; afterwards rinse it
in cold water, pull it even, and dry it gradually. When dry, stretch out
the ribbon on an ironing-table (securing it to the cloth by pins), and
sponge it evenly all over with a very weak solution of isinglass, that
has been boiled in clear water and strained; or, if you have no isinglass,
rice-water will be a tolerable substitute for restoring the stiffness and
gloss. To iron the ribbon, lay it within a sheet of clean smooth letter
paper (the paper being both under and over it), and press it with a
heated iron moved quickly. If the colour is lilac, add a little dissolved
pearlash to the rinsing water; if green, a little vinegar; if pink, or
blue, a few drops of oil of vitriol; if yellow, a little tincture of saffron.
Other colours may be set by stirring a tea-spoonful of ox-gall into the
first water. If white, a salt-spoonful of cream of tartar, mixed with the
soap-suds. It is seldom worth while to take the trouble of washing
ribbon, unless you have a tolerable quantity to do. Unfigured silk
handkerchiefs and scarfs may be washed and ironed in the above
manner. The proportion of spirits of wine is about a table-spoonful to
a gallon of water.—M. D.
To Clean Gold Lace.—Rub it with a soft brush, dipped in roche-alum,
burnt and sifted to a very fine powder. I have tried this several
times, and always found the lace brightened and improved by the
method.—W. J. J.
To Clean Black Lace Veils.—These are cleansed by passing
them through a warm liquor of bullock’s gall and water; after which,
they must be rinsed in cold water, then cleansed for stiffening, and
finished as follows:—Take a small piece of glue, about the size of a
bean, pour boiling water upon it, which will dissolve it, and when
dissolved, pass the veil through it, then clap it between your hands
and frame.
To Wash a White Lace Veil.—Put the veil into a strong
lather of white soap and very clear water, and let it simmer slowly for a
quarter of an hour. Take it out and squeeze it well, but be sure not to
rub it. Rinse it in two cold waters, with a drop or two of liquid blue in
the last. Have ready some very clear and weak gum arabic water, or
some thin starch, or rice-water. Pass the veil through it, and clear it
by clapping. Then stretch it out even, and pin it to dry on a linen
cloth, making the edge as straight as possible, opening out all the
scallops, and fastening each with pins. When dry, lay a piece of thin
muslin smoothly over it, and iron it on the wrong side.—M.
To Clean and Starch Point Lace.—Fix the lace in a prepared
tent, draw it straight, make a warm lather of Castile soap, and, with a
fine brush dipped in, rub over the point gently; and when it is clean on
one side, do the same to the other; then throw some clean water on it,
in which a little alum has been dissolved, to take off the suds, and,
having some thin starch, go over with the same on the wrong side, and
iron it on the same side when dry; then open it with a bodkin, and set
it in order. To clean point lace, if not very dirty, without washing, fix
it in a tent, as previously mentioned, and go over with fine bread,
the crust being pared off; and when it is done, dust out the
crumbs, &c.—J. H. M.
Washing Lace.—I have lately used the following method of washing
lace, collars, or crochet collars, and find that it not only makes them
look well, but saves much of the wear and tear of other washing:—Cover
a glass bottle with calico or linen, and then tack the lace or
collar smoothly upon it, rub it with soap, and cover it with calico.
Boil it for twenty minutes in soft water; let all dry together, and the
lace will be found to be ready for use. A long piece of lace must be
wound round and round the bottle, the edge of each round a little
above the last, and a few stitches to keep it firm at the beginning and
end will be found sufficient, but a collar will require more tacking to
keep it in its place.—G. N. L.
To Wash a Black Lace Veil.—Mix bullock’s gall with sufficient
hot water to make it as warm as you can bear your hand in. Then
pass the veil through it. It must be squeezed, and not rubbed. It
will be well to perfume the gall with a little musk. Next, rinse the
veil through two cold waters, tingeing the last with indigo. Then dry
it. Have ready in a pan some stiffening made by pouring boiling
water on a very small piece of glue. Put the veil into it, squeeze it
out, stretch it, and clap it. Afterwards, pin it out to dry on a linen
cloth, making it very straight and even, and taking care to open and
pin the edge very nicely. When dry, iron it on the wrong side, having
laid a linen cloth over the ironing-blanket. Any article of black lace
may be washed in this manner.
To Clean Embroidery and Gold Lace.—For this purpose no
alkaline liquors are to be used; for while they clean the gold, they
corrode the silk, and change its colour. Soap also alters the shade,
and even the species of certain colours. But spirit of wine may be
used without any danger of its injuring either colour or quality; and,
in many cases, proves as effectual for restoring the lustre of the gold
as the corrosive detergents. But, though spirit of wine is the most
innocent material employed for this purpose, it is not in all cases
proper. The golden covering may be in some parts worn off; or the
base metal with which it has been alloyed may be corroded by the air,
so as to leave the particles of the gold disunited; while the silver
underneath, tarnished to a yellow hue, may continue a tolerable colour
to the whole, so it is apparent that the removal of the tarnish would
be prejudicial, and make the lace or embroidery less like gold than it
was before. It is necessary that care should be taken.—W. J. E.
To Wash Thread Lace.—Rip off the lace, carefully pick out the
loose bits of thread, and roll the lace very smoothly and securely
round a clean black bottle, previously covered with old white linen,
sewn tightly on. Tack each end of the lace with a needle and thread,
to keep it smooth; and be careful in wrapping not to crumple or fold
in any of the scallops or pearlings. After it is on the bottle, take
some of the best sweet oil, and with a clean sponge wet the lace
thoroughly to the inmost folds. Have ready in a wash-kettle, a strong
cold lather of clear water and white Castile soap. Fill the bottle with
cold water, to prevent its bursting, cork it well, and stand it upright
in the suds, with a string round the neck secured to the ears or handle
of the kettle, to prevent its knocking about and breaking while over
the fire. Let it boil in the suds for an hour or more, till the lace is
clean and white all through. Drain off the suds, and dry it on the
bottle in the sun. When dry, remove the lace from the bottle and roll
it round a wide ribbon-block; or lay it in long folds, place it within
a sheet of smooth white paper, and press it in a large book for a few
days.—W. W. C.
Fruit Stains in Linen.—To remove them, rub the part on each
side with yellow soap, then tie up a piece of pearlash in the cloth, &c.,
and soak well in hot water, or boil; afterwards expose the stained part
to the sun and air until removed.—K.
To take the Mildew out of Linen.—Take soap, and rub it well;
then scrape some fine chalk, and rub it also on the linen. Lay it on
the grass. As it dries, wet it a little, and it will come out in twice
doing.—F. E. W.
To take out Iron-moulds from Linen.—Rub the iron-moulds
over with sulphuret of potash; then bathe them well in citric acid
(lemon acid), and afterwards wash them well in water, and they will
be completely restored.
To Bleach a Faded Dress.—Wash the dress in hot suds, and boil
it until the colour appears to be gone; then rinse it and dry it in the
sun. Should it not be rendered white by these means, lay the dress
in the open air, and bleach it for several days. If still not quite white,
repeat the boiling.
To Preserve the Colour of a Print Dress.—The body and train
to be separated and washed in cold rain water, into which a handful of
common salt has been thrown. Instead of spreading, it should be
tightly rolled in a coarse cloth, and allowed to remain until dry enough
to iron.—E.
To Restore Linen that has long been Stained.—Rub the stains
on each side with wet brown soap; mix some starch to a thick paste,
with cold water, and spread it over the soaped places; then expose the
linen to the air, and if the stains have not disappeared in three or four
days, rub off the mixture, and repeat the process with fresh soap and
starch. Afterwards dry it, wet it with cold water, and put it in the
wash.
To wash Mousseline-de-Laine.—Boil a pound of rice in five
quarts of water, and, when cool enough, wash in this, using the rice
for soap. Have another quantity ready, but strain the rice from this
and use it with warm water, keeping the rice strained off for a third
washing, which at the same time stiffens and also brightens the
colours.—W.
To prevent Coloured Things from Running.—Boil a quarter of a
pound of soap till nearly dissolved, then add a small piece of alum
and boil with it. Wash the things in this lather, but do not soap them.
If they require a second water, put alum to that also, as well as to the
swilling and blue-water. This will preserve them.
Stain Mixture.—Take an ounce of sal-ammoniac (or hartshorn),
and an ounce of salt of tartar—mix them well, put them into a pint
of soft water, and bottle it for use, keeping it very tightly corked.
Pour a little of this liquid into a saucer, and wash in it those parts
of a white article that have been stained with ink, mildew, fruit, or
red wine. When the stains have by this process been removed, wash
the article in the usual manner.—M. C.
To Restore Scorched Linen.—Take two onions, peel and slice
them, and extract the juice by squeezing or pounding. Then cut up
half an ounce of white soap, and two ounces of fuller’s earth; mix
with them the onion juice, and half a pint of vinegar. Boil this
composition well, and spread it when cool, over the scorched part
of the linen, leaving it to dry thereon. Afterwards wash out the
linen.
To Whiten Linen that has turned Yellow.—Cut up a pound
of fine white soap into a gallon of milk, and hang it over the fire in
a wash-kettle. When the soap has entirely melted, put in the linen,
and boil it half an hour. Then take it out; have ready a lather
of soap and warm water; wash the linen in it and then rinse it
through two cold waters, with a very little blue in the last.—J. W.
To take out Paint from a Dress.—After a paint-spot has dried,
it is extremely difficult to remove it. When fresh (having wiped
off as much as you can), it may be taken out by repeated applications
of spirits of turpentine or of spirits of wine, rubbed with a
soft rag or a flannel. Ether also will efface it, if applied immediately.
If the paint has been allowed to harden, nothing will take
it off but spirits of turpentine, rubbed on with perseverance.
To renew Scorched or Browned Linen.—This is an
accident attributable entirely to the ignorance of the laundress, in
not knowing how to regulate the heat of her irons. To remedy this:—Add
to a quart of vinegar, the juice of half a dozen large onions,
about an ounce of soap rasped down, a quarter of a pound of fuller’s
earth, one ounce of lime, and one ounce of pearlash, or any other
strong alkali. Boil the whole until it is pretty thick, and lay some
of it on the scorched part, suffering it to dry. It will be found that,
on repeating this process for one or two washings, the scorch will
be completely removed from the linen without any additional damage;
provided its texture has not been absolutely injured, as well as discoloured.—H. W.
To Remove Stains of Wine Or Fruit from Table-Linen.—A
wine stain may sometimes be removed by rubbing it, while wet,
with common salt. It is said, also, that sherry wine poured immediately
on a place where port wine has been spilled, will prevent its
leaving a stain. A certain way of extracting fruit or wine stains from
table-linen is to tie up some cream of tartar in the stained part (so
as to form a sort of bag), and then to put the linen into a lather
of soap and cold water, and boil it awhile. Then transfer it wet to
lukewarm suds, wash and rinse it well, and dry and iron it. The
stains will disappear during the process. Another way, is to mix, in
equal quantities, soft soap, slaked lime, and pearlash. Rub the
stain with this preparation, and expose the linen to the sun with the
mixture plastered on it. If necessary, repeat the application. As
soon as the stain has disappeared, wash out the linen immediately,
as it will be injured if the mixture is left in it.—E. D.
To Wash Chintz.—Many ladies will be glad to know how chintz
may be washed so as to preserve its gloss and beauty. The following
are the directions:—Take two pounds of rice, and boil it in two
gallons of water till soft; when done, pour the whole into a tub: let
it stand till about the warmth you in general use for coloured linens;
then put the chintz in, and use the rice instead of soap; wash it in
this till the dirt appears to be out; then boil the same quantity
as above, but strain the rice from the water, and mix it in warm
clear water. Wash in this till quite clean; afterwards rinse it in
the water you have boiled the rice in, and this will answer the end
of starch, and no dew will affect it, as it will be stiff as long as you
wear it. If a gown, it must be taken to pieces; and when dried,
be careful to hang it as smooth as possible; after it is dry, rub it
with a sleek stone, but use no iron.
To Preserve the Colour of Dresses.—The colours of merinos,
mousselines-de-laine, gingham, chintzes, printed lawns, &c., may be
preserved by using water that is only milk-warm; making a lather
with white soap, before you put in the dress, instead of rubbing it on
the material; and stirring into a first and second tub of water a
large table-spoonful of ox-gall. The gall can be obtained from the
butcher, and a bottle of it should always be kept in every house. No
coloured articles should be allowed to remain long in the water.
They must be washed fast, and then rinsed through two cold waters.
Into each rinsing water, stir a tea-spoonful of vinegar, which will
help to brighten the colours; and after rinsing, hang them out
immediately. When ironing-dry, (or still a little damp), bring them
in; have irons ready heated, and iron them at once, as it injures the
colours to allow them to remain damp too long, or to sprinkle and roll
them up in a covering for ironing next day. If they cannot be conveniently
ironed immediately, let them hang till they are quite dry;
and then damp and fold them on the following day, a quarter of an
hour before ironing. The best way is not to do coloured dresses on
the day of the general wash, but to give them a morning by themselves.
They should only be undertaken in clear bright weather.
If allowed to freeze, the colours will be irreparably injured. We
need scarcely say that no coloured articles should ever be boiled or
scalded. If you get from a shop a slip for testing the durability of
colours, give it a fair trial by washing it as above; afterwards pinning
it to the edge of a towel, and hanging it to dry. Some colours,
(especially pinks and light greens), though they may stand perfectly
well in washing, will change as soon as a warm iron is applied to
them; the pink turning purplish, and the green bluish. No coloured
article should be smoothed with a hot iron.—A. F. H.
To Preserve Furs.—When laying up muffs and tippets for the
summer, if a tallow candle be placed on or near them, all danger of
caterpillars will be obviated.
To Clean Ermine and Minivar Fur.—Take a piece of soft
flannel, and rub the fur well with it (but remember that the rubbing
must be always against the grain); then rub the fur with common
flour until clean. Shake it well, and rub again with the flannel till
all the flour is out of it. I have had a Minivar boa for four years.
It has never been cleaned with anything but flour, and is not in
the least injured by the rubbing. It was a school companion who
told me that her aunt (a Russian lady), always cleaned her white furs
with flour, and that they looked quite beautiful. It has one advantage—the
lining does not require to be taken out, and it only
requires a little trouble. Ermine takes longer than Minivar. The
latter is very easily done.—A. B.
On the Method of Making Muffs and Tippets, from the
Plumage and Skins of Birds.—We are indebted to a Frenchman
for having brought to perfection this useful and ornamental art.
Domestic animals of all the feathered kinds afford the materials of
which these articles may be made; but those with rich variegated
colours, for gay wear, as they are less liable to decay than the sable
coverings of birds of prey, would no doubt be preferred. Above all,
those animals should be selected whose plumage lies close and smooth
upon their backs, for obvious reasons. Diseased birds, or those killed
in moulting time, are to be rejected, as the feathers would drop off
at no distant period; the birds must therefore be killed in good health,
and the skin carefully stripped off soon after their death, especially
when the weather is hot; otherwise the same effects would be produced
from corruption as from disease. When the skin has been freed from
its impurities, it is spread upon a small table, the plumage downwards,
the feathers having been previously arranged over each other, according
to the natural order. To keep it well stretched, tacks or pins may be
driven in, or threads passed down underneath the table. Next clean
away the grease or fleshy parts that remain, and close up the rents,
if any; the skin is then covered with a size made of glue, in which
a small quantity of common salt and a glass of white wine have been
mixed up, to bring it to the proper consistency. The skin, thus
covered, being exposed to the direct action of the wind, the glue will
begin to scale off, and the whole must be scraped away. Should any
dampness still remain on the skin, apply the glue once more, dry, and
scrape it as before. When well dried, the skin is to be placed away in
a box, in which dried wormwood (absynthe), aloes, or some other bitter
vegetable is placed. The skins of large, or rank feeding birds, require
vinegar and salt to be dissolved in the glue, and the whole to be passed
over with a solution of alum. The women of Hudson’s Bay prepare
cloaks for their husbands in this way, which naturally resist all kinds
of weather, and are an admirable defence against sleet in particular.
They constantly boast that “the animals have all been killed by their
own hands,” and this is indeed necessary to the preservation of the
dress, as the feathers which come away in moulting, or through disease,
would decay. A coarse linen shape is stretched out, and the feathers,
having the quill part thrust through its meshes, are attached on the
wrong side by needle and thread, and then lined with baize. Some
sort of pattern, or patchwork, is generally attempted by arranging the
feathers, which may be improved upon by our fair countrywomen,
especially with the deeply-coloured and variegated tinted plumage
of South American or Brazilian birds.—E. A.
To Clean Kid Gloves.—First see that your hands are clean,
then put on the gloves, and wash them, as though you were washing
your hands, in a basin of spirits of turpentine, until quite clean; then
hang them up in a warm place, or where there is a good current of air,
which will carry off all smell of the turpentine. This method was
brought from Paris, and thousands of pounds have been made by it.
To Clean White Kid Gloves.—Stretch them on a board, and
rub the soiled spots with cream of tartar or magnesia. Let them rest
an hour. Take a mixture of alum and fuller’s earth, in powder, and
rub it all over the gloves with a clean brush, and let them rest for
an hour or two. Then sweep it all off, and go over with a flannel
dipped in a mixture of bran and finely powdered whiting. Let them
rest another hour; brush off the powder, and you will find them
clean.—A. F.
To Clean Coloured Kid Gloves.—Have ready on a table a clean
towel, folded three or four times, a saucer of new milk, and another
saucer with a piece of brown soap. Take one glove at a time, and
spread it smoothly on the folded towel. Then dip in the milk a piece
of clean flannel, rub it on the soap till you get off a tolerable quantity,
and then, with the wet flannel, commence rubbing the glove. Begin
at the wrist, and rub lengthways towards the end of the fingers, holding
the glove firmly in your right hand. Continue this process until the
glove is well cleaned all over with the milk and soap. When done,
spread them out, and pin them on a line to dry gradually. When nearly
dry, pull them out evenly, the cross-way of the leather. When quite
dry, stretch them on your hands. White kid gloves may also be
washed in this manner, provided they have never been cleaned with
India-rubber.
An excellent Paste for Gloves.—Liquor of ammonia half an
ounce, chloride of potash ten ounces, curd soap one pound, water half
a pint; dissolve the soap in the water, with a gentle heat, then as
the mixture cools, stir in the other ingredients. Use it, by rubbing
it over the gloves until the dirt is removed.
To clean White or Coloured Kid Gloves.—Put the glove on
your hand, then take a small piece of flannel, dip it in camphine, and
well but gently rub it over the glove, taking care not to make it too wet;
when the dirt is removed, dip the flannel (or another piece, if that is
become dirty) in the pipe-clay and rub it over the glove; take it off,
and hang it up in a room to dry, and in a day or two very little smell
will remain; and if done carefully they will be almost as good as new.
In coloured ones, if yellow, use gamboge after the pipe-clay, and for
other colours match it in dry paint. I have tried the other plans
recommended in many publications, and have not found them
answer at all. Turpentine may do as well, but I have not tried it.—A. S.
To Clean Wash-leather Gloves.—First take out the grease spots
with magnesia, or cream of tartar. Then wash and squeeze them
through a lather of white soap and lukewarm water; hot water will
shrink them. Squeeze them through second suds; rinse them first
in lukewarm and then in cold water, and stretch them to dry before
the fire or in the sun.
Another.—Having removed the grease spots, take the gloves, one
at a time, on your hands, and rub them with a clean sponge wet with
lukewarm soap-suds. Wash off the suds with a sponge and clear
water, and stretch the gloves to dry. When almost dry, put them
on your hands until finished, which will prevent them from shrinking.—A. F.
To Clean Buckskin Gloves.—First wash in warm water and soap,
until the dirt is removed; then pull them out into their proper shape,
or stretch them on wooden hands. Do not wring them, but place one
on the other, and press the water out. Mix a little pipe-clay, or
pipe-clay and yellow ochre, according to the colour required, with vinegar
or beer. Rub this over the outside of the gloves, and let them dry
gradually in the shade; or if in the house, not too near the fire. When
about half-dry, rub them well and stretch them on the hand or wooden
mould; after they are rubbed and dried, brush them with a soft brush
to get out the dust. Finally, iron the gloves with a smoothing-iron
moderately heated, taking the precaution to place a cloth or piece
of paper over them, and they will look like new. Tanned gloves,
commonly called Limerick, are genteel and economical in spring and
autumn, as they do not soil so soon as white. The tan colour is made
by infusing saffron in boiling water for about twelve hours, and
rubbing the stuff over the leather with a brush. The water should
be soft, and never applied to leather in any case at more than blood
heat.—M.
To Remove Stains from Morning Dresses.—Boil a handful of
fig leaves in two quarts of water until reduced to a pint. Squeeze the
leaves, and put the liquor into a bottle for use. Bombazines, crape,
cloth, &c., need only be rubbed with a sponge dipped in this liquor,
and the effect will be instantly produced. If any reason exists to
prevent the substance from being wetted, then apply French chalk,
which will absorb the grease from the finest texture without injury.
To Remove Water Stains from Black Crape.—When a drop
of water falls on a black crape veil or collar, it leaves a conspicuous
white mark. To obliterate this, spread the crape on a table (laying
on it a large book or a paper-weight to keep it steady), and place
underneath the stain a piece of old black silk. With a large camel’s
hair brush dipped in common ink, go over the stain; and then wipe
off the ink with a little bit of old soft silk. It will dry immediately,
and the white mark will be seen no more.—J. G.
To Raise the Pile of Velvet when Pressed Down.—Cover a
hot smoothing-iron with a wet cloth, and hold the velvet firmly over
it; the vapour arising will raise the pile of the velvet with the
assistance of a light whisk.
To Restore Velvet.—When velvet gets plushed from pressure,
holding the reverse side over a basin of boiling water will raise the
pile, and perhaps it may also succeed in the case of wet from rain.
To Iron Velvet.—Having ripped the velvet apart, damp each piece
separately, and holding it tightly in both hands, stretch it before the
fire, the wrong side of the velvet being towards the fire. This will
remove the creases, and give the surface of the material a fresh and
new appearance. Velvet cannot be ironed on a table, for when spread
out on a hard substance, the iron will not go smoothly over the
pile.
Scouring Balls to remove Grease, etc., from Cloth.—Soft
soap and fuller’s earth, of each half a pound; beat them well together
in a mortar, and form into cakes. The spot first moistened with water,
is rubbed with a cake, and allowed to dry, when it is well rubbed with
a little warm water, and afterwards rinsed or rubbed off clean.
To take Fresh Paint out of a Coat.—Take immediately a
piece of cloth, and rub the wrong side of it on the paint-spot. If no
other cloth is at hand, part of the inside of the coat-skirt will do.
This simple application will generally remove the paint when quite
fresh. Otherwise, rub some ether on the spot with your finger.
To Renovate a Black Coat.—Boil half a pound of logwood and
some copperas chips in three pints of water, until reduced to a quart.
When cold, strain it; and add a wine-glass full of gin, and half that
quantity of spirits of wine. Mix well; apply it to the cloth with a
nail-brush, and when dry, brush with a soft brush.—T. S.
To take care of Beaver Hats.—A hat should be brushed every
day with a hat-brush; and twice a day in dusty weather. When a hat
gets wet, wipe it as dry as you can with a clean handkerchief, and
then brush it with a soft brush, before you put it to dry. When nearly
dry, go over it with a harder brush. If it still looks rough, damp it
with a sponge dipped in vinegar or stale beer, and brush it with a
hard brush till dry.—J. C. H.
Wet Clothes.—Handle a wet hat as lightly as possible. Wipe it
as dry as you can with a silk handkerchief; and when nearly dry,
use a soft brush. If the fur stick together in any part, damp it
lightly with a sponge dipped in beer or vinegar, and then brush it till
dry. Put the stick or stretcher into a damp hat, to keep it in proper
shape. When a coat gets wet, wipe it down the way of the nap,
with a sponge or silk handkerchief. Do not put wet boots or shoes
near the fire.
To prevent Moths attacking Clothes.—1. Procure shavings of
cedar-wood, and enclose in muslin bags, which should be distributed
freely among the clothes.—2. Procure shavings of camphor wood, and
enclose in bags.—3. Sprinkle pimento (allspice) berries among the
clothes.—4. Sprinkle the clothes with the seeds of the musk plant.—5.
To destroy the eggs when deposited in woollen cloth, &c., use a
solution of acetate of potash in spirits of rosemary—fifteen grains to
the pint.—K.
Clothes Balls.—Take four ounces of fuller’s earth, dried so as to
crumble into powder, and mix with it half an ounce of pearlash. Wet
it with a sufficiency of lemon-juice to work it into a stiff paste. Then
form it into balls, and dry them in the sun, or on the top of a
moderately warm stove. When quite dry, put them away for use.
They will be found efficacious in removing grease spots and stains
from articles of clothing, first wetting the spot with cold water, and
then rubbing on the ball; afterwards drying the place in the sun or
by the fire, and then washing it off with a sponge and clean water.
To take out Mildew from Clothes.—Mix some soft soap with
powdered starch, half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon, lay it
on the part with a brush, let it be exposed in the air day and night,
until the stain disappears. Iron-moulds may be removed by the salt
of lemon. Many stains in linen may be taken out by dipping linen
in sour buttermilk, and then drying it in the sun; afterwards wash
it in cold water several times. Stains caused by acids may be removed
by tying some pearlash up in the stained part; scrape some soap
in cold soft water, and boil the linen till the stain is gone.—J. K.
To Renovate Black Cloth Clothes.—Clean the garments
well, then boil four ounces of logwood in a boiler or copper
containing two or three gallons of water for half an hour; dip the
clothes in warm water, and squeeze dry, then put them into the copper
and boil for half an hour. Take them out, and add three drachms of
sulphate of iron; boil for half an hour, then take them out, and hang
them up for an hour or two; take them down, rinse in three cold
waters, dry well, and rub with a soft brush which has had a few drops
of olive oil rubbed on its surface. If the clothes are threadbare about
the elbows, cuffs, &c., raise the nap with a teazle or half-worn hatter’s
card, filled with flocks, and when sufficiently raised, lay the nap the
right way with a hard brush.—K.
To fold a Coat for Packing.—Lay the coat at its full length
upon a table, with the collar towards the left hand; pull out the collar
so as to make it lie quite straight; turn up the coat towards the
collar, letting the crease be just at the elbow; let the lappel or breast
on one side be turned smoothly back on the arm and sleeves. Turn
the skirt over the lappel, so that the end of the skirt will reach to
the collar, and the crease or folding will be just where the skirts part
at the termination of the waist. When you have done on one side, do
the same on the other. Turn the collar towards the right hand, and
fold one skirt over the other, observing to let the fold be in the
middle of the collar.—J. S. C.
To Brush Clothes.—Have a wooden horse to put the clothes on,
and a small cane to beat the dust out of them; also a board or
table long enough for them to be put their whole length when brushing
them. Have two brushes, one a hard bristle, the other soft; use the
hardest for the great coats, and the other for the others when spotted with
dirt. Fine cloth coats should never be brushed with too hard a brush;
this will take off the nap, and make them look bare in a little time. Be
careful in the choice of the cane; do not have it too large, and be
particular not to hit it too hard; be careful also not to hit the buttons,
for it will scratch, if not break them; therefore a small hand-whip is
the best to beat with. If a coat be wet, and spotted with dirt,
let it be quite dry before brushing it; then rub out the spots with the
hands, taking care not to rumple it in so doing. If it want beating,
do it as before directed; then put the coat at its full length on a board;
let the collar be towards the left hand, and the brush in the right:
brush the back of the collar first, between the two shoulders next, and
then the sleeves, &c., observing to brush the cloth the same way that
the nap goes, which is towards the skirt of the coat. When both sides
are properly done, fold them together; then brush the inside, and last
of all the collar.—W. C.
To Wash Flannels.—Put the flannel into a pan and pour boiling
water upon it. Then make a lather as hot as the hands can bear,
take the flannel and wash it as quickly as possible. Done in this
way, flannel remains almost as soft as new, and is of a good colour.—W. R.
Flannels.—All flannels should be soaked before they are made
up; first in cold, then in hot water, in order to shrink them. Welsh
flannel is the softest, and should be preferred, if to be worn
next the skin; but Lancashire flannel looks finer, lasts longer, and
should, therefore, be selected when the above is not its destination.
Flannel under-garments should be frequently changed, because they
imbibe perspiration, which is liable to be absorbed again into the
system, and this is injurious. All flannel vestments that are made
full, should be gathered, not plaited; because, in the latter case, they
become thick and matted by washing; and in the event of their being
turned from top to bottom in order to alter the wear, the part that
had been plaited will be found to be so drawn and injured, that two
or three inches of it must be cut off.—W.
To Clean Cut-glass.—Having washed cut-glass articles, let them
thoroughly dry, and afterwards rub them with prepared chalk and
a soft brush, carefully going into all the flutings and cavities.
To Clean Decanters.—Rinse the bottles, and put a piece of
lighted coarse brown paper into each: then place the stoppers or
corks in, and when the smoke disappears wash the bottles clean.
This will remove all stains, but if the decanters are very dirty, this
process should be repeated until they are fit for use.—A.
Another.—Cut some raw potatoes in pieces, put them in the
bottle with a little cold water, rinse them, and they will look very
clean.—E. C.
To Clean Porcelain or Glass-ware.—The best material for this
purpose is fuller’s earth, but it must be beaten into a fine powder,
and carefully cleared from all rough and hard particles, which might
endanger the polish of the brilliant surface. In cleaning porcelain,
it must also be observed that some species require more care and
attention than others, as china-ware in common use frequently loses
some of its colours. The red, especially of vermilion, is the first to
go, because that colour, together with some others, is laid on by the
Chinese after burning.—W. J. J.
To Wash Phials.—In most families are gradually collected a number
of phials that have been used for medicine. It is well to have
a basket purposely to keep them in, and occasionally to wash
them all, that they may be ready to send to the druggist’s when new
medicine is wanted. Put into a wash-kettle some sifted ashes, and
pour into it a sufficiency of cold water. Then put in the phials (without
corks), place the kettle over the fire, and let it gradually come to a
boil. After it has boiled a while, take it off, and set it aside; letting
the phials remain in it till cold. Then take them out, rinse, drain
them, and wipe the outsides. You may wash black bottles in the
same manner. If you have occasion to wash a single phial or bottle,
pour into it through a small funnel either some lye, or some lukewarm
water in which a little pearlash has been dissolved; shake it,
and let it stand awhile to soak. Then rinse it well in cold water
two or three times. If it still smells of the former contents, soak
it in more pearlash water (with the addition of a little lime), or in
more lye.
To Clean Looking-Glasses, Mirrors, etc.—If they should be
hung so high that they cannot be conveniently reached, have a pair
of steps to stand upon; but mind that they stand steady. Then
take a piece of soft sponge, well washed and cleaned from everything
gritty, just dip it into water and squeeze it out again, and
then dip it into spirit of wine. Rub it over the glass; dust it over
with some powder blue, or whiting sifted through muslin: rub it
lightly and quickly off again, with a cloth; then take a clean cloth,
and rub it well again, and finish by rubbing it with a silk handkerchief.
If the glass be very large, clean one-half at a time, as
otherwise the spirit of wine will dry before it can be rubbed off.
If the frames are not varnished, the greatest care is necessary to
keep them quite dry, so as not to touch them with the sponge, as
this will discolour or take off the gilding. To clean the frames, take
a little raw cotton in the state of wool, and rub the frames with it;
this will take off all the dust and dirt without injuring the gilding.
If the frames are well varnished, rub them with spirits of wine,
which will take out all spots, and give them a fine polish. Varnished
doors may be done in the same manner. Never use any cloth to
frames or drawings, or unvarnished oil paintings, when cleaning and
dusting them.—J. G.
To Clean Tin Covers.—Boil some rotten-stone and a small quantity
of prepared whiting in some sweet oil for two hours, till it
acquires the consistency of cream.
Cloths for Cleaning and Polishing Silver Plate.—Take two
ounces of hartshorn powder, and boil in a pint of water, soak
small squares of damask cloth in the liquid, hang them up to dry,
and then they will be fit for use.—W. C. C.
To remove Black Spots from Plate.—Boil the articles in
three pints of water with an ounce of calcined hartshorn; drain, dry
by the fire, and polish with soft linen rags which have been boiled
in the same liquid and afterwards dried; using purified whiting as
the plate powder.—H.
Method of cleaning Brass Ornaments.—Brass ornaments, that
have not been gilt or lacquered, may be cleaned, and a very brilliant
colour given to them, by washing them with alum boiled in strong
lye, in the proportion of an ounce to a pint, and afterwards rubbing
them with strong tripoli.—J. J.
To Preserve Steel Goods.—Caoutchouc, one part; turpentine, sixteen
parts. Dissolve with a gentle heat, then add boiled oil, eight
parts. Mix by bringing them to the heat of boiling water; apply
it to the steel with a brush, in the way of varnish. It may
be removed, when dry, with turpentine. The oil may be wholly
omitted.—M.
To remove Ink Stains from Silver.—The tops and other portions
of silver inkstands frequently become deeply discoloured with
ink, which is difficult to remove by ordinary means. It may, however,
be completely eradicated by making a little chloride of lime
into a paste with water, and rubbing it upon the stains. Chloride of
lime has been misnamed “the general bleacher,” but it is a foul
enemy to all metallic surfaces.
To Clean German Silver.—After using, it should be placed
immediately in hot water, washed well, and wiped dry with a soft cloth.
Once a week, let it be washed in soap-suds, and then cleaned with fine
whiting, or prepared chalk, mixed with whisky or spirits of wine,
so as to make a paste, which should afterwards be brushed off.
Should this metal become discoloured, or spotted by vinegar or other
acids, wash it first, and then clean it with sweet oil and powdered
rotten-stone.
To Preserve Brass Ornaments.—Brass ornaments, when not gilt
or lacquered, may be cleaned in the same way, and a fine colour may be
given to them by two simple processes. The first is to beat sal-ammoniac
into a fine powder, then to moisten it with soft water, rubbing
it on the ornaments, which must be heated over charcoal, and rubbed
dry with bran and whiting. The second is to wash the brass-work with
roche-alum boiled in strong lye, in the proportion of an ounce to a pint;
when dry, it must be rubbed with fine tripoli. Either of these processes
will give to brass the brilliancy of gold.—J. R.
Cleaning Kettles and Saucepans.—The following is a useful
receipt for cleaning the inside of kettles or saucepans of the hard stony
substance, resulting from continually boiling hard water, which may
not be generally known:—In a kettle of boiling water, put about the
sixteenth part of an ounce of sal-ammoniac, or two-pennyworth, which
can be obtained from any chemist. Let it boil one hour, and then
the petrified substance will be dissolved, and is readily disengaged
from the metal. A great saving of time and trouble will be effected
in heating the water.—W. M.
To Clean Silver.—When silver has become much tarnished,
spotted, or discoloured, it may be restored by the following process.
Having dissolved two tea-spoonfuls of powdered alum in a quart of
moderately strong lye, stir in a gill of soft soap, and remove the scum
or dross that may rise to the surface. After washing the silver in hot
water, take a sponge and cover every article all over with this mixture.
Let the things rest about a quarter of an hour, frequently turning them.
Next wash them off in warm soap-suds, and wipe them dry with a soft
cloth. Afterwards brighten them with rouge-powder, or with whiting
and spirits of wine.—J. S. C.
To Clean the Rust from Iron or Steel.—Scrape off as much
of the rust as you can. Then grease the iron all over with lamp oil
(any other oil will do), rubbing it in well. Put the iron in a place
where it will be out of the way, and let it rest for two or three days, or
more. Then wipe off the oil, as thoroughly as possible, and rub the
iron with sand-paper till it is perfectly cleaned from the grease. Sand-paper
is to be had at any oil or Italian warehouse, its price is usually a
penny or three halfpence a sheet. For want of oil or sand-paper, rusty
iron may be cleaned tolerably well by greasing it with a bit of pork-fat,
and afterwards rubbing it with common sand.
To Preserve Polished Irons from Rust.—Polished iron-work
may be preserved from rust by a mixture not very expensive, consisting
of copal varnish intimately mixed with as much olive oil as will give it
a degree of greasiness, adding thereto nearly as much spirit of turpentine
as of varnish. The cast iron work is best preserved by rubbing it with
black-lead. But where rust has begun to make its appearance on grates
or fire-irons, apply a mixture of tripoli with half its quantity of sulphur,
intimately mingled on a marble slab, and laid on with a piece of soft
leather: or emery and oil may be applied with excellent effect; not
laid on in the usual slovenly way, but with a spongy piece of the fig-tree
fully saturated with the mixture. This will not only clean but
polish, and render the use of whiting unnecessary.—M. B.
To Clean Brass, Lacquered Work, etc.—For this purpose, some
persons employ a mixture of finely powdered glass and red lead.
Powdered charcoal substituted for the latter will be an improvement.
It will polish brass or copper in very little time, and would do well for
cleaning lacquered work.
To Clean Candlesticks, Snuffers, etc.—Silver, plated, and
japanned candlesticks, snuffers and snuffer-stands, should be cleaned by
first removing the drops of wax or tallow that may have fallen on them
by washing in boiling hot water, afterwards wiping them quite dry and
clean with a piece of soft wash-leather. If made of silver, or copper-plated,
they may be finished off with a little plate powder. On no
account place them before the fire to melt the grease off, as much heat
will melt off the solder or japan, or injure the face of the plate. In
placing the candles in the sockets fit them in tightly, either by means
of a strip of paper wound round them, or by the ordinary candle-springs;
they will thus be prevented from falling about and spilling the
melted portion of the tallow or other materials of which they may be
composed.
Stains of Metals.—When metals are rusty, or covered with
verdigris, which has entered the substance, they are to be rubbed with
sand or emery, or even filed, if the oxidation be deep; the polish is then
to be restored by an impalpable powder of emery, moistened with oil,
and cleaned off with a leather covered with whiting. Silver, gold, or
tin, which is stained by any sulphurous emanation, should first be
washed with water slightly acidulated with vinegar, and then rubbed
with fine tripoli or whiting. Almost all the powder which is sold for
cleaning plate is mixed with mercury, and is therefore in some degree
objectionable. The fine colcothar of vitriol used by painters, is,
however, a good plate powder. Another and very excellent mode of
cleaning plate, is to rub it, after having washed it clean, with a piece of
cloth prepared in the following manner:—Cut a yard of coarse calico
into four, and boil it in a quart of water with two ounces of calcined,
powdered, and sifted hartshorn, till all the liquid is absorbed.
To Remove Iron-Moulds.—Rub the spot with a little powdered
oxalic acid, or salts of lemon and warm water. Let it remain a few
minutes, and well rinse in clear water.
To Remove Ink-stains from Printed Books, etc.—Procure a
pennyworth of oxalic acid, which dissolve in a small quantity of warm
water, then slightly wet the stain with it, when it will disappear, leaving
the text uninjured.—A. L.
To Remove Ink or Fruit Stains from the Fingers.—Cream
of tartar, half an ounce; powdered salt of sorrel, half an ounce. Mix.
This is what is sold for salts of lemon.
To Remove Stains and Marks from Books.—A solution of
oxalic acid, citric acid, or tartaric acid, is attended with the least risk,
and may be applied upon the paper and prints without fear of damage.
These acids, taking out writing-ink and not touching the printing, can
be used for restoring books where the margins have been written upon,
without attacking the text.
To Remove Ink Stains.—Procure a two-ounce phial, put into it a
pennyworth of oxalic acid, and fill it up with warm water; place on the
stain a piece of white linen rag; shake the above solution, and then
pour a few drops of it on the linen rag stretched on the stain. This
should remove it entirely; but, very frequently, when logwood has been
used in manufacturing the ink, a reddish stain still remains. To remove
it, procure a solution of the chloride of lime, and apply it in the same
manner as directed for the oxalic acid. I can guarantee this, after
many trials.—W. J. G.
To Clean Leather Cases.—The following is a cheap and excellent
plan to clean hat-cases, writing-desks, and any other leather
materials:—Simply, oxalic acid dissolved in warm water, and the article
cleansed with a piece of sponge. When dry, they are nearly equal to
new.—H. K.
To Clean Marble.—Take two parts of common soda, one part of
pumice-stone, and one part of finely powdered chalk; sift it through a
fine sieve, and mix it with water; then rub it well all over the marble,
and the stains will be removed; then wash the marble over with soap
and water, and it will be as clean as it was at first.
To Clean Paper-Hangings.—Cut into eight half-quarters a stale
quartern loaf; with one of these pieces, after having blown off all the
dust from the paper to be cleaned, by means of a good pair of bellows,
begin at the top of the room, holding the crust in the hand, and wiping
lightly downward with the crumb about half a yard at each stroke, till
the upper part of the hangings is completely cleaned all round; then
go again round, with the like sweeping stroke downward, always commencing
each successive course a little higher than the upper stroke
had extended till the bottom be finished. This operation, if carefully
performed, will frequently make very old paper look almost equal to
new. Great caution must be used not by any means to rub the paper
hard, nor to attempt cleaning it the cross or horizontal way. The dirty
part of the bread, too, must be each time cut away, and the pieces
renewed as soon as at all necessary.
To Clean Beads.—Mix up a small quantity of soft soap, spirits of
turpentine, and powdered rotten-stone. Lay it on the beads with a rag,
and rub off with a bit of fine linen or leather.
To Restore Ivory.—To bleach a card case, expose it to the sun in
a close glass shade, previously washing it in spirits of wine and water,
with a small quantity of soda in it. Allow it to dry very slowly in a
cool place before exposing it to the sun. But, under any circumstances,
carving in ivory is apt to split, and become unglued. For an ink spot,
try a little salt of sorrel.—M. C.
To Whiten Ivory, even that which has turned a Brown
Yellow.—1. Slake some lime in water, put your ivory in that water,
after decanted from the ground, and boil it till it looks quite white.
2. To polish it afterwards, set it in the turner’s wheel, and, after having
worked it, take rushes and pumice-stones, subtile powder with water,
and rub it all till it looks perfectly smooth. Next to that, heat it by
turning it against a piece of linen, or sheepskin leather, and, when hot,
rub it over with a little whiting diluted in oil of olive; then with a
little dry whiting alone, and finally with a piece of soft white rag.
When all this is performed as directed, the ivory will look remarkably
white.—J. E. C.
To Clean Tea-trays.—Do not pour boiling water over them,
particularly on japanned ones, as it will make the varnish crack and
peel off; but have a sponge wetted with warm water and a little soap if
the tray be very dirty, then rub it with a cloth; if it looks smeary, dust
on a little flour, then rub it with a dry cloth. If the paper tray gets
marked, take a piece of woollen cloth, with a little sweet oil, and rub it
over the marks; if anything will take them out, this will. Let the
urn be emptied and the top wiped dry, particularly the outside, for if
any wet be suffered to dry on it, it will leave a mark.—S.
Wax for Polishing Furniture.—Melt bees’ wax in spirits of
turpentine, with a very small proportion of resin. When it is entirely
dissolved, dip in it a sponge, and wash the mahogany lightly over with
it. Immediately afterwards, rub it off with a clean soft cloth. For
carved furniture, spread the mixture on with a small soft brush, and rub
it off with another brush, a very little harder.—M. P.
A Hint for Housekeepers.—A few drops of carbonate of ammonia
in a small quantity of warm rain water, will prove a safe and easy anti-acid,
&c., and will change, if carefully applied, discoloured spots upon
carpets, and indeed all spots, whether produced by acids or alkalies. If
one has the misfortune to have a carpet injured by whitewash, this will
immediately restore it.
To Sweeten Casks.—When musty, it is best to unhead large casks
and whitewash them with quick-lime. Or they may be matched with
sulphur mixed with a little nitrate of potash, and afterwards well washed.
Small casks may be sweetened by washing them first with sulphuric
acid and then with clean water: afterwards let them be well swilled,
until the foul smell disappears.—J. W.
The Smell of New Paint.—A bundle of old dry hay, wetted and
spread about, presents a multifarious absorbing surface for this,
especially if not on the floor only, but over pieces of furniture which
allow circulation of air, as chairs laid upon their faces, &c. Large
vessels of water, as trays and pans, are not uncommonly used, with good
effect; but the multiplied surfaces of the loose hay give it great
advantage. It must be kept wet, however, or at least damp, for the
oily vapour does not seem to be readily absorbed unless the air is kept
moist by evaporation.—J. P.
To Remove Black Stains from the Skin.—Ladies that wear
mourning in warm weather are much incommoded by the blackness
it leaves on the arms and neck, and which cannot easily be removed,
even by soap and warm water. To have a remedy always
at hand, keep in the drawer of your wash-stand a box, containing a
mixture in equal portions of cream of tartar, and oxalic acid (poison).
Get at a druggist’s half an ounce of each of these articles, and have
them mixed and pounded together in a mortar. Put some of this
mixture into a cup that has a cover, and if, afterwards, it become hard,
you may keep it slightly moistened with water. See that it is always
closely covered. To use it, wet the black stains on your skin with
the corner of a towel, dipped in water (warm water is best, but is not
always at hand). Then, with your finger, rub on a little of the mixture.
Then immediately wash it off with water, and afterwards with soap
and water, and the black stains will be visible no longer. This mixture
will also remove ink and all other stains from the fingers, and from
white clothes. It is more speedy in its effects if applied with warm
water. No family should be without it, but care must be taken to
keep it out of the way of young children, as, if swallowed, it is
poisonous.—J. L.
Incombustible Varnish for Wood.—Equal parts of solutions of
alum and isinglass applied to where the flame acts, prevent its
burning, but do not hinder the transmission of heat. Liquids can
be boiled in a wooden vessel on a common fire, if this varnish be
applied to them.—X.—[The wood chars, though it does not flame.]
To Varnish Plaster Figures.—Take half an ounce of tin, half
an ounce of bismuth, melt in a crucible, then add half an ounce of
mercury. When perfectly combined, remove the mixture from the
fire and let it cool. Mix with the white of an egg, and it forms a
beautiful varnish. The figure to be dipped in it, and polished when
dry.
Varnish for Harness.—Take half a pound of India-rubber,
one gallon of spirits of turpentine, dissolve enough to make it into
a jelly by keeping almost new milk-warm: then take equal quantities
of good linseed oil (in a hot state) and the above mixture, incorporate
them well on a slow fire, and it is fit for use.—J. J.
A Varnish to Colour Baskets and old Straw Hats.—Take
either red or black sealing wax: to every two ounces of sealing wax
add one ounce of rectified spirits of wine; pound the wax fine, then
sift it through a fine lawn sieve, till you have made it extremely
fine; put it into a large phial with spirits of wine, shake it, let it
stand near the fire forty-eight hours, shaking it often; then with a
brush, a hog’s-bristle brush, lay it all over the baskets. Let it dry,
and repeat the application a second time.—J. T. T.
To Polish Varnish.—Take two ounces of tripoli powdered, put
it in an earthen pot, with water to cover it; then take a piece of
white flannel, lay it over a piece of cork or rubber, and proceed to
polish the varnish, always wetting it with the tripoli and water. It
will be known when the process is finished by wiping a part of the
work with a sponge, and observing whether there is a fair even gloss.
When this is the case, take a bit of mutton suet and fine flour, and
clean the work.—W. G.
To make White Varnish.—The white varnish used for toys
is made of sandarac, eight ounces; mastic, two ounces; Canada
balsam, four ounces; alcohol, one quart. This is white, drying, and
capable of being polished when hard. Another varnish, for objects
of the toilet, such as work-boxes, card-cases, &c., is made of gum
sandarac, six ounces; elemi (genuine), four ounces; animi, one ounce;
camphor, half an ounce; rectified spirit, one quart. Melt slowly.
These ingredients may, of course, be lessened in proportion.
A Varnish for Wood that will resist the action of
Boiling Water.—Our readers will find the following receipt
extremely useful:—Take a pound and a half of linseed oil, and
boil it in a copper vessel, not tinned, suspending in the oil a
small linen bag, containing five ounces of litharge and three ounces
of minium, both pulverised, taking care that the bag does not touch
the bottom of the vessel. Continue the ebullition till the oil acquires
a deep brown colour; then take out the bag, and substitute another
bag containing a clove of garlic. Continue the ebullition, and renew
the garlic seven or eight times, or else put the whole in at once. Then
throw into the vessel a pound of yellow amber, after having melted
it in the following manner. To a pound of well pulverised amber
add two ounces of linseed oil, and place the whole on a strong fire.
When the fusion is complete, pour it boiling hot into the prepared
linseed oil, and let it continue to boil for two or three minutes, stirring
it well. Let it rest, decant the composition, and preserve it, when
cold, in well-stopped bottles. After having polished the wood on
which this varnish is to be applied, the wood is to have the desired
colour given to it; for example, for walnut-tree, a slight coat of a
mixture of soot with oil of turpentine. When this colour is perfectly
dry, lay on a coat of varnish with a fine sponge, in order to distribute
it equally. Repeat these coats four times, always taking care to let
one coat dry before the next is applied.
Corrective of Bad Water.—Five drops of sulphuric acid put
into a full quart of bad water, will cause the noxious particles to fall
to the bottom. The water should stand two hours; pour off about
three parts for use, and throw the rest away.
Glue made Waterproof.—Soak glue in water till it is soft, then
melt it in linseed oil, assisted with a gentle heat. This glue is not
acted upon by water or damp.—X.
Waterproof Boots.—Boots and shoes may be rendered impervious
to water by the following composition: Take three ounces of spermaceti,
and melt it in a pipkin, or other earthen vessel, over a slow fire: add
thereto six drachms of India-rubber, cut into slices, and these will
presently dissolve. Then add of tallow eight ounces, hog’s lard two
ounces, amber varnish four ounces. Mix, and it will be fit for use
immediately; the boots or other material to be treated, are to receive
two or three coats with a common blacking brush, and a fine polish
is the result.
Waterproof Cloth.—Brush the cloth first with a solution of
isinglass, and when dry with a solution of nutgalls. This last solution
changes the gelatinous mass of isinglass into a true leather. Instead
of isinglass use common glue and afterwards a tincture or infusion
of catechu. These receipts will scarcely do with light colours. Rub
the cloth over on the wrong side with India-rubber varnish, or India-rubber
dissolved by heat in spirits of turpentine. Brush over the
wrong side of the cloth with a solution of isinglass, alum, and soap.
Brush over the wrong side with soap-suds, and afterwards with a
solution of alum.
A Fireproof and Waterproof Cement.—To half a pint of
milk put an equal quantity of vinegar, in order to curdle it; then
separate the curd from the whey, and mix the whey with the whites of
four or five eggs, beating the whole well together. When it is well
mixed, add a little quick-lime through a sieve, until it has acquired the
consistence of a thick paste. With this cement, broken vessels and
cracks of all kinds may be mended. It dries quickly, and resists the
action of fire and water. I have recommended this receipt to several
friends, who have found it very satisfactory.—H.
Chinese Method of Waterproofing Cloth.—By the following
very simple process it is said that the Chinese render not only the
strongest cloth, but even the finest muslin, waterproof, without injuring
the appearance or quality of the article. The composition is composed
of half an ounce of white wax in a pint of spirits of turpentine. In a
sufficient quantity of the mixture immerse the goods intended to be
rendered waterproof, and then hang them in the open air till they
become perfectly dry. This is all the process necessary for accomplishing
so desirable a purpose; against which, however, may be objected,
perhaps, the expense, and the unpleasant smell of the turpentine. But
this latter objection can be remedied by using equal parts of spirits of
wine and oil of wormwood, which is said to dissipate the smell of the
turpentine; but the former, it is not to be denied, must necessarily be
augmented.—[A. P. has favoured us with the above, but has not tried it.]
Rust.—The preservation of iron and steel from rust is a very
important consideration in domestic economy. The following plan of
doing this is very little known, and is far superior to any other:—Add
to a quart of cold water half a pound of quick-lime; let this stand until
the top is perfectly clear; pour off the clear liquid, and stir up with it a
quantity of olive oil, until the mixture becomes a thick cream, or rather
assumes the consistence of butter which has been melted for the table,
and has become cold. Rub the iron or steel which is to be put by with
this mixture, and then wrap it up in paper. Knives and other steel
articles treated in this way will not acquire the slightest rust. If the
nature of the articles will not admit of their being wrapped up in paper,
they will remain free from rust by covering them more thickly with the
mixture.
To preserve Steel Pens from Corrosion.—Dip them for a few
moments in ethereal solution of gold. This covers them with a film of
pure metallic gold, which prevents the ink acting upon the steel.
To soften Old Putty.—In removing old or broken panes from a
window, it is generally very difficult to get off the hard dry putty that
sticks round the glass and its frame. Dip a small brush in a little
nitric or muriatic acid (to be obtained at the druggist’s), and go over
the putty with it. Let it rest a while, and it will soon become so soft
that you can remove it with ease. I have found this plan very successful.—H. B.
To remove the Smell of Paint.—Take three or four broad tubs
(such, for instance, as hold about eight gallons), fill them with cold
water, and put into each an ounce of vitriolic acid, which you can
obtain from a druggist. Place these tubs near the wainscot, in a newly
painted room. This water will absorb and retain the effluvium of the
paint. Next day fill the tubs with fresh water, and add to each another
ounce of vitriolic acid. Repeat this a third day, and on the fourth the
smell of the paint will not be perceptible.
An excellent Pen Wiper.—Procure two-pennyworth of small
shot, (the smaller the better,) put them into a phial with the neck
broken off; every time you wish to clean your pen, rub it up and down
two or three times in the shot. This will clean it directly, and the shots
will last a lifetime. The simple plan here suggested cleans steel pens
ten times better than cloth wipers do: I have tested its utility very
frequently.—C.
The total number of persons who died in the United Kingdom from
burns and scalds during the year 1858, was three thousand one hundred
and twenty-five. Of these no small proportion consisted of ladies and
children, who met their deaths through their clothes catching fire.
Neither number nor rank is wanting to emphasise the precautions
suggested by sad calamities arising from the habitual employment of
light and combustible attire. One of the most recent victims was the
Countess St. Marsault, lady of honour to the Princess Clotilde, who died
at Paris from the effects of burns which she had received while endeavouring
to save another lady, whose dress had ignited at a ball. Even
royalty has not escaped these perils; and the severe burns some time
since suffered by the Princess Frederick William of Prussia, owing to
the ignition of her dress while she was in the act of sealing a letter,
led to the institution of the latest and most successful inquiries into
means for preventing the ignition of light textile fabrics. Her Majesty
has taken interest in the subject, and experiments have been made at
her express command.
Messrs. Kersmann & Oppenheim recommend the employment of a
solution of tungstate of soda; but this salt, in the state in which it is
ordinarily supplied to the public, produces a slight discoloration of the
fabric—a fatal objection to its use by ladies who are scrupulously
particular upon the appearance of their vestures. Messrs. Johnson &
Sons, of 18A, Basinghall Street, have experimented upon the tungstate
of soda, and succeeded in producing a refined preparation of it, which
may be employed without the slightest risk of injury to the whiteness,
texture, or colours of the fabric.
At a recent conversazione of the Medical Society of London, Messrs.
Johnson exhibited pieces of muslin which had been prepared with a
solution of the tungstate of soda, and other portions free from such
preparation. Strips of these were submitted to the action of fire, and
it was found that the prepared muslin merely charred slowly, while the
unprepared burst immediately into flame. Similar experiments were
recently exhibited at Guy’s Hospital, upon various materials, with the
most perfect success.
It is stated by Messrs. Johnson that one pennyworth of this preparation,
used with the starch employed in getting up a muslin dress,
will render it certainly uninflammable. An easy means of prevention of
a serious evil being thus placed within the reach of the humblest
persons, is it not the duty of ladies generally to command and recommend
its employment? We have no desire to restrict the exercise
of taste in matters of fashion; we seek not to curtail those ample
folds in which ladies may recognise the acme of grace and beauty:
but we must suggest that while they are allowed to exercise a reasonable
pride of dress, they cannot be released from the moral consideration
that the gratification of that pride should not be suffered to
endanger the lives of themselves and their associates, and to plunge
families into mourning perhaps at the very moment when social
happiness is most complete.
Johnson’s prepared tungstate of soda may, we believe, be obtained
at the chemist’s, with directions for its use. If not yet introduced,
it soon must be, as the result of general and frequent inquiry; and
we strongly recommend ladies to employ it, not only for those articles
of personal attire which are liable to come into contact with flame,
but for bed and window hangings, blinds, and other household
draperies that may accidentally ignite. The only caution that we
know of as necessary to be observed in connection with this preparation
is, that it should not be employed for those parts of clothing
which infants are liable to suck.
SUMMER AND WINTER BEVERAGES. — SUMMER BEVERAGES. — WINTER BEVERAGES.
Bottled Ginger Beer.—One gallon of boiling water; one pound
of loaf sugar; one ounce of best ginger, bruised; one ounce of cream
of tartar (or a lemon sliced). Stir them up until the sugar is dissolved,
let it rest until the heat falls to the warmth of new milk; then add
one table-spoonful of good yeast, poured on to a bit of bread, and set
in the middle of the pan floating in the mixture. Cover with a cloth,
and stand for twenty-four hours; then strain and put into bottles, filling
each only about three parts. Cork tightly, and tie down; in warm
weather it will be ready to drink in two days. The above will make
fifteen to eighteen bottles, and costs 8d. or 10d.
Another.—A Better Article, in larger quantity.—White
sugar, twenty pounds; lemon or lime juice, eighteen ounces; honey,
one pound; bruised ginger, twenty-two ounces; water, eighteen gallons.
Boil the ginger in three gallons of the water for half an hour;
then add the sugar, the juice, and the honey, with the remainder of
the water, and strain through a cloth. When cold, add the white of
one egg, and half an ounce of essence of lemon. Stand four days,
then bottle. This is first-rate, and will keep many months.
Another Receipt for Ginger Beer.—One ounce of ginger, well
bruised, and boiled in four quarts of water, with the skins of two
lemons; when boiled, add the juice of the lemons, with one ounce of
cream of tartar, and one pound and a half of lump sugar. Stir all well
together; then put four quarts of cold water to it, and when lukewarm,
add the whites of two eggs, beaten to a strong froth, with two table-spoonfuls
of fresh yeast; let it ferment two or three hours, then bottle,
and cork it tightly. It will be ready for use in twelve hours.—[The
above receipt may be relied upon.]
Ginger Beer Powders.—Powdered lump sugar, four ounces;
carbonate of soda, five drachms; powdered ginger, one drachm. Mix
these ingredients well together, divide into twelve equal parts—put
each into a blue paper. Tartaric acid, one ounce; divide into twelve
equal parts—put each into a white paper. Dissolve the contents of
one of the blue and one of the white papers, each in half a glass of
spring water. Pour one into the other, and drink while effervescing.
[I have used this for many years, and have given it to many of my
messmates.—T. J. L., Midshipman, R. N.] The tartaric acid may
(if preferred) be thrown into the glass of the other mixture, which
should then be nearly full. This plan prolongs the effervescence.
Cost, 7d.
Soda Powders.—Carbonate of soda, thirty grains in each blue
paper; tartaric acid, twenty-five grains in each white paper. Mix
as ginger beer powders.
Seidlitz Powders (Aperient).—Tartrate of soda, two drachms;
carbonate of soda, two scruples; mix and put it in a blue paper;
tartaric acid, thirty-five grains, to be put in white paper. Mix in half
a pint of water.
Another.—May be kept in one Bottle.—Tartrate of soda, three
ounces; carbonate of ditto, one ounce; tartaric acid, one ounce; white
sugar, four ounces; all in fine powder, well dried separately; mix
well, add five drops essence of lemon; pass through a sieve, and put
into a clean dry bottle. A dessert-spoonful to a glass of water.
Cost, 1s. 4d., if mixed at home.
Spruce Beer Powders.—Powdered white sugar, three ounces;
essence of spruce, forty drops; carbonate of soda, five drachms and
a scruple. Mix, and divide into two blue papers. Tartaric acid, six
drachms; wrap in twelve white papers. Mix as ginger beer powders.
Cost, 8d.
Portable Lemonade.—Tartaric or citric acid, one ounce; finely
powdered lump sugar, half a pound; essence of lemon, twenty drops.
Mix. Two or three tea-spoonfuls make a capital glass of lemonade.
Cost, 8d., with tartaric acid; 1s. with citric acid.
Orangeade.—Squeeze out the juice of an orange, pour boiling water
on a little of the peel, and cover it close. Boil water and sugar to a
thin syrup, and skim it. When all are cold, mix the juice, the infusion,
and the syrup, with as much more water as will make a rich drink.
Strain through a jelly-bag, and ice.
Ginger Lemonade.—Boil twelve pounds and a half of lump sugar
for twenty minutes in ten gallons of water; clear it with the whites
of six eggs. Bruise half a pound of common ginger, boil with the
liquor, and then pour it upon ten lemons pared. When quite cold,
put it in a cask, with two table-spoonfuls of yeast, the lemons sliced,
and add half an ounce of isinglass. Bung up the cask the next day.
It will be ready to bottle in three weeks, and to drink in another
three weeks.
Hippocras.—Digest for three days half a drachm of mace, ginger,
cloves, nutmegs, and galingale, in three quarts of Lisbon wine, and
also carraway; add an ounce of cinnamon. Strain, and mix twenty
ounces of white sugar with the liquor.
Imperial, Bottled.—Pour a pint of boiling water on a drachm of
cream of tartar, flavour with lemon-peel and sugar, and bottle.
Imperial Drink.—Put half an ounce of cream of tartar, four ounces
of white sugar, and three ounces of orange-peel, into a pan; pour three
pints of boiling water on, strain, and cool.
Imperial Pop.—Take three ounces of cream of tartar, an ounce of
bruised ginger, a pound and a half of white sugar, an ounce of lemon-juice,
and pour a gallon and a half of boiling water on them; add
two table-spoonfuls of yeast. Mix, bottle, and tie down the corks as
usual.
King Cup.—Take the rind and juice of a lemon, a lump of sugar,
a small piece of bruised ginger, and pour on them about one pint
and a half of boiling water; when cold, strain, add a wine-glassful of
sherry, and ice.
Lait Sucre.—Boil a pint of milk, sweeten with white sugar, and
flavour with lemon.
Lemonade.—Take sixteen lemons, pare thin, cut in halves, squeeze
well, and throw all into a pan; add a pound and a half of white sugar,
a gallon of boiling water, and five table-spoonfuls of white wine (four
if sherry); mix, strain, and cool.
Lemonade au Lait.—Take half a pint of lemon-juice, the same
of white wine, three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar, and a quart
of boiling water; mix, and when cold add a pint of boiling milk; let
it stand twelve hours, then pour through a jelly-bag. This makes two
quarts; and about seven lemons will produce half a pint of juice.
Appleade.—Cut two large apples in slices, and pour a quart of
boiling water on them, strain well and sweeten. To be drunk when
cold or iced.
Raspberry Vinegar.—Put a pound of fine fruit into a bowl, pour
upon it a quart of the best white-wine vinegar, next day, strain the
liquor on a pound of fresh raspberries; the following day do the
same, but do not squeeze the fruit, only drain the liquor as dry as
you can. Bottle, and cork well, then cover the corks with bottle
cement.
Apricot Effervescing Drink.—Take a pint of the juice of
bruised apricots, filter until clear, and make into a syrup with half a
pound of sugar, then add one ounce of tartaric acid, bottle, and cork
well. For a tumbler three parts full of water, add two table-spoonfuls
of the syrup, and a scruple of carbonate of soda, stir well, and
drink while effervescing.
Barley Water.—1. Pick clean, and wash well a handful of common
barley, then simmer gently in three pints of water with a bit
of lemon-peel. Prepared thus, it does not nauseate like pearl-barley
water. 2. Take two ounces and a half of pearl-barley: wash well,
then add half a pint of water, and boil for a little time, throw away
the liquor, pour four imperial pints of boiling water on the barley,
boil down to two pints, strain, flavour with sugar, and lemon-peel,
if wished.
Barley Water, Compound.—Boil two pints of barley water, and
a pint of water together, with two ounces and a half of sliced figs,
half an ounce of liquorice root sliced and bruised, and two ounces
and a half of raisins. Reduce to two pints, and strain.
Beer, Spruce, Powders.—See previous page.
Beer, Treacle.—Take a pound and a half of hops, and boil in
thirty-six gallons of water for an hour, then add fourteen pounds of
treacle, and a little yeast to work it; ferment and bottle.
Brown Spruce Beer.—Pour four gallons of cold water into a
nine-gallon barrel, then add four gallons more, quite boiling, and six
pounds of molasses, with about eight or nine table-spoonfuls of the
essence of spruce, and on its getting a little cooler, the same quantity
of good ale yeast. Shake the barrel well, then leave with bung
out for three days; bottle in stone bottles, cork well, wire carefully,
pack in sand, and it will be fit to drink in two weeks.
Capillaire, Mock.—1. Take three pounds and a half of loaf sugar,
three-quarters of a pound of coarse sugar, two whites of eggs well
beaten with the shells, boil together in a pint and a half of water,
and skim carefully. Then add an ounce of orange-flower water, strain
and put into perfectly dry bottles. When cold, mix a table-spoonful
or two of this syrup in a little warm or cold water. 2. Mix two
tea-spoonfuls of curaçoa with a pint of syrup. 3. Boil a quart of water
well, add three pounds of white sugar, the white of an egg; skim,
and boil to a syrup; then add, while warm, four table-spoonfuls of
orange-flower water, strain, and use the same as the others.
Capillaire, True.—Take forty-eight grains of Canadian maiden-hair
(adiantum pedatum), six drams of boiling water, and an ounce
and twenty grains of white sugar. Infuse two-thirds of the maiden-hair
in the water, strain, dissolve the sugar in the infusion. Clarify
with the white of egg, pour it over the remainder of the maiden-hair,
placed in a water-bath, digest for two hours, and strain the
syrup. For large quantities the proportions are:—Maiden-hair, 192
parts. Boiling water, 1500 parts. White sugar, 2000 parts.
Cherry Drink.—Prepare the same as apricot, substituting the
cherry juice for the other fruit.
Cobbler, Sherry.—Take some very fine and clean ice, break into
small pieces, fill a tumbler to within an inch of the top with it, put
a table-spoonful of plain syrup, capillaire, or any other flavour—some
prefer strawberry—add the quarter of the zest of a lemon, and
a few drops of the juice. Pill with sherry, stir it up, and let it stand
for five or six minutes. Sip it gently through a straw.
Cool Tankard.—Put into a quart of mild ale a wine-glassful of
white wine, the same of brandy and capillaire, the juice of a lemon,
and a little piece of the rind. Add a sprig of borage or balm, a
bit of toasted bread and nutmeg grated on the top.
Cranberry Drink.—Put a tea-cupful of cranberries into a cup of
water, and mash them. Boil, in the mean time, two quarts of water
with one large spoonful of oatmeal, and a bit of lemon-peel; add the
cranberries and sugar (but not too much, otherwise the fine sharpness
of the fruit will be destroyed), a quarter of a pint of white wine, or
less, according to taste; boil for half an hour, and strain.
Curds and Whey—Cheap Method.—Add six grains of citric acid
to a wine-glassful of milk, and the result will be a pleasant acidulous
whey, and a fine curd.
Curds and Whey—Italian Method.—Take several of the rough
coats that line the gizzards of turkeys and fowls, cleanse from the
dirt, rub well with salt, and hang them up to dry; when required
for use, break off some of the skin, pour boiling water on, digest
for eight or nine hours, and use the same as rennet.
Currant Water.—Take a pound of currants, and squeeze into a
quart of water; put in four or five ounces of pounded sugar. Mix
well, strain, and ice, or allow to get cold.
Drink Divine.—Mix a bottle of cider, half a bottle of perry,
and the same of sherry, with half a gill of brandy, then add a sliced
lemon, the rind pared as thin as possible, and a toasted biscuit, which
is to be added to the liquor as hot as possible. Drink iced, or
cooled.
Eau Sucre.—Dissolve sugar in boiling water, and drink cold.
Effervescing Lemonade.—Boil two pounds of white sugar with
a pint of lemon-juice, bottle and cork. Put a table-spoonful of the
syrup into a tumbler about three parts full of cold water, add twenty
grains of carbonate of soda, and drink quickly.
Flap.—Put a little brandy in a tumbler, and add a bottle of soda-water.
Ginger Beer, Bottled.—See previous page.
Ginger Beer, Indian.—To ten quarts of boiling water, add two
ounces of pounded ginger, one ounce of cream of tartar, two limes,
and two pounds of sugar. Stir until cold, then strain through flannel
until quite clear, adding a pint of beer, and four wine-glassfuls of
good toddy. Bottle, tie down the corks, shake each bottle well for
some time, place them upright, and they will be fit to drink the next
day. This does not keep long.
Supreme Nectar.—Put into a nine-gallon cask six pounds of
moist sugar, five ounces of bruised ginger, four ounces of cream of
tartar, four lemons, eight ounces of yeast, and seven gallons of boiling
water. Work two or three days, strain, add brandy one pint, bung
very close, and in fourteen days bottle, and wire down.
Tamarind Drink.—Boil three pints of water with an ounce and
a half of tamarinds, three ounces of currants, and two ounces of
stoned raisins, till about a third has evaporated. Strain, add a bit of
lemon-peel, which is to be removed in half an hour, then cool.
White Spruce Beer.—Take six pounds of white sugar, four ounces
of essence of spruce, ten gallons of boiling water, and an ounce of
yeast. Work the same as in making ginger beer, and bottle immediately
in half pints. Brown spruce beer is made with treacle instead
of sugar.
Aleberry.—Mix two large spoonfuls of fine oatmeal in sufficient
sweet small beer, two hours previous to using it; strain well, boil, and
sweeten according to taste. Pour into a warm jug, add wine, lemon-juice,
and nutmeg to taste, and serve hot with thin slips of toast or
rusks.
Ale, Mulled.—Boil a pint of good sound ale with a little grated
nutmeg and sugar. Beat up three eggs, and mix them with a little
cold ale; then add the hot ale to it gradually, and pour backwards
and forwards from one vessel to the other several times, to prevent its
curdling. Warm, and stir till it thickens, then add a table-spoonful of
brandy, and serve hot with toast.
Arrack, Mock.—Take a scruple (twenty grains) of benzoic acid,
and add to a quart of rum. Prepare punch with it.
Athol Brose.—Add two wine-glassfuls of Scotch whisky to a
wine-glassful of heather-honey; mix well, and then stir in a well-beaten
new-laid egg.
Bang.—Take a pint of cider, and add to a pint of warm ale;
sweeten with treacle or sugar to taste, grate in some nutmeg and
ginger, and add a wine-glassful of gin or whisky.
Bishop.—Take three smooth-skinned and large Seville oranges,
and grill them to a pale brown colour over a clear slow fire; then
place in a small punch-bowl that will about hold them, and pour over
them half a pint from a bottle of old Bordeaux wine, in which a pound
and a quarter of loaf sugar is dissolved; then cover with a plate, and
let it stand for two days. When it is to be served, cut and squeeze
the oranges into a small sieve placed above a jug containing the
remainder of the bottle of sweetened Bordeaux, previously made very
hot, and if when mixed it is not sweet enough, add more sugar. Serve
hot in tumblers. Some persons make Bishop with raisin or Lisbon
wine, and add mace, cloves, and nutmegs, but it is not the proper way.
Cardinal is made the same way as Bishop, substituting old Rhenish
wine for the Bordeaux.
Clary, Mock.—Warm a bottle of claret, sweeten with honey, and
add allspice and cloves to taste. Serve hot.
Crambambull.—Take two bottles of light porter or ale, and boil
them in a pan. Then put into the liquor half a pint of rum, and from
half a pound to a pound of loaf sugar. After this has been boiling
for a few minutes, take the whole from the fire, and put into the mixture
the whites and the yolks of from six to eight eggs, previously well
whisked; stir the whole for a minute or two, and pour it into a punch-bowl,
to be drunk out of tumblers. It tastes well hot or cold.
Caudle.—1. Make half a pint of fine gruel with “Robinson’s Patent
Groats,” add a piece of butter the size of a large nutmeg, a table-spoonful
of brandy, the same of white wine, a little grated nutmeg and lemon-peel,
and serve hot. 2. Put three quarts of water into a pot, set over
the fire to boil; mix smooth as much oatmeal as will thicken the whole
with a pint of cold water, and when the water boils, pour in the
thickening, and add about twenty peppercorns finely powdered. Boil
till pretty thick, then add sugar to taste, half a pint of good ale, and a
wine-glassful of gin, all warmed up together. Serve hot.
Caudle, Brown.—Take a quart of water, mix in three table-spoonfuls
of oatmeal, a blade of mace, and a small piece of lemon-peel; let it
boil about a quarter of an hour, skimming and stirring it well, but
taking care that it does not boil over. When done, strain through a
coarse sieve, sweeten to taste, add a little grated nutmeg, a pint of good
sweet ale, and half a pint of white wine; then serve hot.
Caudle, Cold.—Boil a quart of spring water, when cold, add the
yolk of an egg, the juice of a small lemon, six table-spoonfuls of raisin
wine, and sugar to taste.
Caudle, Flour.—Take a dessert-spoonful of fine flour, and rub it
into a smooth batter, with five table-spoonfuls of spring water. Put a
quarter of a pint of new milk into a saucepan, set over the fire, with
two lumps of sugar, and when it boils, stir the flour and water gradually
into it, and keep stirring for twenty minutes over a slow fire. Nutmeg
or ginger may be grated in, if thought proper.
Caudle, Flummery.—Put half a pint of fine oatmeal into a quart
of spring water, and let it stand all night. In the morning stir it well,
and strain through a coarse sieve into a skillet or saucepan, then add
two blades of mace and some grated nutmeg; set on the fire, keep
stirring, and let it boil for a quarter of an hour, when if too thick, add
a little more water, and let it boil a few minutes longer; then add
half a pint of white wine, a table-spoonful of orange-flower water, the
juice of a lemon, the same of an orange, sugar to taste, and a piece
of butter about the size of a walnut; warm the whole together, thicken
with the yolk of a well-beaten egg, and drink hot.
Caudle, Oatmeal.—Take a quart of ale, a pint of stale beer, and
a quart of water; mix all together, and add a handful of fine oatmeal,
six cloves, two blades of mace, some nutmeg, and eight allspice berries
bruised. Set over a slow fire, and let it boil for half an hour, stirring
it well all the time; then strain through a coarse sieve, add half a
pound of sugar, or to taste, a piece of lemon-peel. Pour into a pan,
cover close, and warm before serving.
Caudle, Tea.—Make a pint of strong green tea, pour it into a
saucepan, and set over a slow fire. Beat the yolks of two eggs
well, and mix with half a pint of white wine, some grated nutmeg,
and sugar to taste; then pour into the saucepan, stir well until
hot, and serve.
Caudle, Rice.—Make the same as flour caudle, using ground rice
instead of flour, and when done, add cinnamon and sugar to taste,
and a wine-glassful of brandy.
Caudle, White.—Mix two table-spoonfuls of fine oatmeal in a
quart of water, two hours before using it, strain through a sieve and
boil it, then sweeten with sugar, and season with lemon-juice and nutmeg.
Devilled Ale.—Cut a slice of bread about an inch thick, toast
and butter it, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and ginger, and
place in the bottom of a jug, add a pint of warm ale, and sugar to
taste.
Egg-Flip.—To make a quart of flip, put the ale on the fire to
warm, and beat up three or four eggs with four ounces of moist
sugar; remove the froth of the ale, while on the fire, until it begins
to boil, mix the froth with the sugar and eggs, add grated nutmeg
or ginger to taste, and a gill of rum. When the ale boils, stir it gradually
into the eggs and rum, until quite smooth, then serve.
Egg Wine.—Beat up an egg and mix it with a table-spoonful of
spring water. Put a wine-glassful of white wine, half a glass of
spring water, and sugar and nutmeg to taste, into a small saucepan,
place over a slow fire, and when it boils add it gradually to the egg,
stirring well; then return the whole to the saucepan, and place
over the fire again, stir for a minute, remove, and serve with toast.
If it boils when placed on the fire a second time, it will curdle.
Elder Wine, Mulled.—Put sufficient wine into a saucepan,
warm over the fire, and if requisite add sugar, spice or water. When
warmed, serve with thin slips of toast or rusks.
Hot Purl.—Put a quart of mild ale into a saucepan, add a table-spoonful
of grated nutmeg, and place over a slow fire until it nearly
boils. Mix a little cold ale with sugar to taste, and, gradually, two
eggs well beaten; then add the hot ale, stirring one way to prevent
curdling—and a quarter of a pint of whisky. Warm the whole again,
and then pour from one vessel into another till it becomes smooth.
Jingle.—Roast three apples, grate some nutmeg over them, add
sugar to taste, and place in a quart jug, with some slices of toasted
plumcake; make some ale hot, and fill up the jug, then serve.
Oxford Nightcap.—Take half a tumbler of tea, made as usual
with sugar and milk, add a slice of lemon, a wine-glass of new milk,
and the same of rum or brandy; beat up a new-laid egg, and add
to the whole while warm.
Poor Man’s Drink.—Take two quarts of water, and place in a
saucepan with four ounces of pearl-barley, two ounces of figs
split, two ounces of stoned raisins, and an ounce of root-liquorice
sliced; boil all together till only a quart remains; then strain, and
use as a drink.
Pope is made the same as Bishop, substituting “Tokay” for Bordeaux.
Posset, Ale.—Boil a pint of new milk with a slice of toasted bread,
sweeten a bottle of mild ale, and pour it into a basin with nutmeg
or other spice, add the boiling milk to it, and when the head rises,
serve.
Posset, Cold.—Take a pint of cream, half a pint of white wine,
the juice of half a lemon, and the peel rasped into it. Sweeten the
cream and wine, put the latter into a basin, and then pour the cream
from a height into the basin, stirring both well all the time; remove
the froth, let it remain for a day in lukewarm water if the weather is
cold, and then serve.
Posset, Jelly.—Take eight eggs, leave out the whites of four,
and beat all the remainder well together in a basin; then add half
a pint of white wine, a little strong ale (to taste), and sugar: put into
a saucepan, and set over a slow fire, stirring all the time. Boil a pint
of milk with a little nutmeg and cinnamon, just enough to flavour
it, and, when the eggs and wine are hot, add the boiling milk to it;
then remove from the fire, pour into a punch-bowl, cover with a
plate for half an hour, then sprinkle the top with pounded sugar
and serve.
Posset, Lemon.—Steep the rind of a lemon pared thin, in a pint of
sweet white wine two hours before required, add the juice of one lemon,
and sugar to taste; put it in a bowl with a quart of milk or cream,
and whisk one way till very thick. This will fill twenty glasses,
which may be filled the day before required.
Posset, Orange.—Take the crumb of a penny loaf grated fine,
and put it into a pint of water, with half the peel of a Seville orange
grated, or sugar rubbed upon it. Boil all together, till it looks thick
and clear: then take the juice of half a Seville orange, three ounces
of sweet, and one of bitter almonds, beat well with a table-spoonful
of brandy, add sugar to taste, and a pint of white or raisin wine;
mix well, add to the posset, and serve.
Posset, Pope’s.—Blanch and pound four ounces of sweet almonds,
and half an ounce of bitter ones; add boiling water, and strain,
sweeten, and make hot half a bottle of white wine; mix.
Punch, after the fashion of the West Indian Planters.—“He
made his appearance with a respectably sized bowl, an enormous
jug of boiling water, and a large paper bag filled with sugar. Our
punch-maker then commenced operations, and having extracted from
his secret store a bottle of his matchless rum, his limes, and a small
pot of Guava Jelly, he brewed about a pint of green tea (two ounces);
and, the infusion finished, two-thirds of the sugar was dissolved in it.
After the tea-leaves had been thrown aside, the remainder of the
sugar was rubbed on the rind of the limes, Mr. Hamilton observing
that the essential oil which conveyed the exquisite flavour was thus
more strongly diffused throughout the compound than when the skin
was peeled: then the delicious acid of the fruit was added to the
already impregnated sugar, and as soon as the several lumps had imbibed
the proportion required, the Guava Jelly (and without this
confection no punch can be pronounced perfect) was dissolved in a
pint or so of boiling water. This done, the tea, the sweets and acids
were commingled, and the foundation or sherbet tasted by the experienced
palate of the grand compounder; six glasses of cognac,
two of madeira, and the bottle of old rum were added, and over all
about a quart more of boiling water, and, as a finishing touch, the
slightest possible sprinkling of nutmeg. Here was the punch!
and oh! what punch! it out-nectared nectar! I have, in the West
Indies, since the period I am recording, drunk some very luscious
and fascinating mixtures nearly resembling it; but I never know it
surpassed, if equalled, even in the tropical regions.”—From Topley’s
Sportsman in Canada.
Posset, Royal.—Take half a pint of ale, mix a pint of cream with
it; then add the yolks of four eggs and the whites of two well beaten,
sweeten to taste and flavour with nutmeg. Pour into a saucepan, set
over the fire, stir well until thick, and before it boils, remove; pour
into a basin and serve hot.
Posset, Sack.—Put a quart of new milk into a saucepan, and place it
over a slow clear fire. When it boils, crumble four Damascus biscuits
(page 279) into it; give it one boil, remove from the fire, add grated
nutmeg and sugar to taste, stir in half a pint of sack (canary wine),
and serve. French roll will answer instead of the biscuits.
Posset, Snow.—Boil a stick of cinnamon, and a quarter of a nutmeg,
with a quart of new milk, and when it boils remove the spice. Beat
the yolks of ten eggs well, and mix gradually with the milk until thick;
then beat the whites of the eggs with sugar and canary wine into a
snow. Put a pint of canary (sack) into a saucepan, sweeten to taste,
set over a slow fire, and pour the milk and snow into the saucepan,
stirring all the time it is over the fire; when warm, remove from the
fire, cover close, and set aside for a little time before being used.
Posset, Treacle.—Boil a pint of milk, add sufficient treacle to
curdle it; allow the curd to settle, strain off the liquid, and drink
it as hot as possible.
Posset, Wine.—Boil some slices of white bread in a quart of milk;
when quite soft take it off the fire, add sugar and grated nutmeg to
taste. Pour it into a basin, add a pint of raisin or other sweet wine by
degrees, and serve with toasted bread.
Punch, Cold.—Pour half a pint of gin on the rind of a lemon;
add a table-spoonful of lemon-juice, a wine-glassful of maraschino, a
pint and a half of water, and two bottles of iced water.
Punch, Common.—Take two large fresh lemons with rough skins
and full of juice. Rub some large lumps of white sugar over the lemons
till they have acquired the oil from the rind, then put them into a bowl
with as much more as is necessary to sweeten the punch to taste; then
squeeze the lemon-juice upon the sugar, and bruise the sugar in the
juice, add a quart of boiling water and mix well; then strain through
a fine sieve, and add a quart of rum, or a pint of rum and brandy,
or a pint and a half of rum and half a pint of porter; then add three
quarts more water, and mix well. About half a pound of sugar is
usually required, but it is impossible to fix a limit to sugar, spirits,
or lemon-juice, as they depend upon taste.
Punch Milk—for Christmas-Day.—Add the peel and juice of
twenty-four lemons, and three pounds and a half of loaf sugar, to five
bottles of cold water, and four bottles of rum; when these are well
mixed, add two bottles of boiling milk, and mix the whole well. Let
it stand for twenty-four hours, strain well, bottle, and cork tight; it is
then ready for use. N.B. The finer the strainer is, the better the punch.
This is the best receipt we have ever seen or used.
Punch, Milk, Ordinary.—Pare six oranges and six lemons as
thin as you can; grate them over with sugar, to get the flavour. Steep
the peels in a bottle of rum or brandy stopped close twenty-four hours.
Squeeze the fruit on two pounds of sugar, add to it four quarts of
water and one of new milk boiling hot; stir the rum into the whole,
run through a jelly-bag till clear, bottle, and cork close immediately.
Punch, Regent’s.—Take a bottle of champagne, a quarter of a pint
of brandy, the juice of a lemon, a Seville orange, and a wine-glassful
of Martinique, with this mix a pint or more of a strong infusion of the
best green tea strained, and syrup or sugar to taste.
Punch à la Romaine.—Take a quart of lemon ice, add the whites
of three eggs well beaten, with rum and brandy, till the ice liquefies,
in the proportion of three parts of rum to one of brandy, and water
to taste. Then add a tea-cupful of strong green tea infusion, strained,
and a little champagne.
Punch, Tea.—Infuse two ounces of hyson tea, and an ounce of black
tea, in three quarts of boiling water; then add four pounds of loaf
sugar, citric acid and spirit of citron, of each six drachms, rum one
pint, and five pints of brandy; mix well, and serve.—See Punch
after the Fashion of the West Indian Planters, page 229.
Scotch Punch, or Whisky Toddy.—The Duke of Athol’s receipt:
Pour about a wine-glassful of boiling water into a half-pint tumbler,
and add sugar according to taste. Stir well up, then mix a wine-glassful
of whisky, and add a wine-glassful and a half more boiling
water. Be sure the water is boiling. Never put lemon into toddy.
The two in combination, in almost every instance, produce acidity on
the stomach. If possible, store your whisky in the wood, not in
bottles, as the keeping it in the barrel mellows it, and takes away the
coarser particles.
Toddy, Buttered.—Mix a glass of rum-grog pretty strong and hot,
sweeten to taste with honey, flavour with nutmeg and lemon-juice,
and add a piece of fresh butter about the size of a walnut.
Warm Drink.—Boil a quart of milk and the same quantity of water,
with the top crust of a penny loaf, a blade of mace, and sufficient sugar
to sweeten, for a quarter of an hour; pour off, and drink warm.
Whey, Lemon.—Pour into boiling milk as much lemon-juice as
will make a small quantity quite clear; dilute it with hot water to an
agreeable smart acid, and add a bit or two of sugar, or sweeten to taste.
Whey, Mustard.—Boil four drachms of the bruised seeds of mustard
in a pint of milk, then strain and separate the curd; a fourth
part should be taken three times a day.
Whey, Vinegar, is made the same as lemon whey, only using vinegar
instead of lemon-juice.
Wine, Mulled.—1. Boil some cloves, mace, cinnamon, and nutmeg,
in about a quarter of a pint of water till well flavoured with spice,
then add to a pint of port or home-made wine; sweeten to taste, and
serve hot with thin toast or rusks. 2. Boil a small stick of cinnamon,
a blade of mace, and three cloves, in a breakfast-cupful of water for a
few minutes; add some grated nutmeg, and a pint of home-made or
port wine, sweeten to taste, boil for one minute, and serve hot. 3. Put
a bottle of port wine, half a bottle of water, and sugar to taste, into
a saucepan, then add allspice, cloves, and a blade of mace; boil all
together, serve in a jug with grated nutmeg, and rusks or slips of thin
toast. Some persons add lemon-juice to the mull, but it does not
generally please.
Wine Whey.—Put half a pint of new milk in a saucepan, set on
the fire, and when it boils add as much raisin wine as will turn it;
let it boil up, then set the saucepan aside till the curd subsides, but
do not stir it. Pour off the whey, then add half a pint of boiling water,
and white sugar to taste.
THE RUDIMENTS OF COOKERY. — HOW TO TOAST WELL. — SUGGESTIONS TO HOUSEKEEPERS. — HOW TO COOK POTATOES. — DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING PASTRY. — TO MAKE BARLEY WATER PROPERLY. — SCOTCH PORRIDGE. — ECONOMY IN THE USE OF BUTCHER’S MEAT. — HINTS ABOUT SALADS.
The commonly received idea, that what goes under the denomination
of “good plain living”—that is, joints of meat, roast or boiled—is best
adapted to all constitutions, has been proved to be a fallacy. Many
persons can bear testimony to the truth of Dr. Kitchener’s remark,
that “elaborate culinary processes are frequently necessary in order
to prepare food for the digestive organs.” It may be truly said, that
many persons ruin their health by over-indulgence in food rendered
indigestible by being badly cooked.
It is our intention to endeavour to correct the prejudice in favour of
a family joint—by showing, that it is not only very often improperly
cooked, but that the same quantity of meat, if dressed in different ways,
still retaining a certain degree of simplicity, will be more pleasant to
the palate, more healthful, and quite as economical, if brought to the
table, as two or three dishes instead of one.
In French cookery, those substances which are not intended to be
broiled or roasted, are usually stewed for several hours at a temperature
below the broiling point; by which means the most refractory
articles, whether of animal or vegetable origin, are more or less
reduced to a state of pulp, and admirably adapted for the further
action of the stomach. In the common cookery of this country, on
the contrary, articles are usually put at once into a large quantity
of water, and submitted, without care or attention, to the boiling
temperature; the consequence of which is, that most animal substances,
when taken out, are harder and more indigestible than in
the natural state.
Diet and Digestion.—From Dr. Beaumont’s Tables it appears that
the following articles are digested in the times indicated:
H.
M.
Rice, boiled soft
1
0
Apples, sweet and ripe
1
30
Sago, boiled
1
45
Tapioca, Barley, stale Bread, Cabbage with Vinegar,
raw, boiled Milk and Bread, and Bread and Milk, cold
2
0
Potatoes, roasted, and Parsnips, boiled
2
30
Baked Custard
2
45
Apple Dumpling
3
0
Bread, Corn, baked, and Carrots, boiled
3
15
Potatoes and Turnips, boiled; Butter and Cheese
3
30
Tripe and Pigs’ Feet
1
0
Venison
1
35
Oysters, undressed, and Eggs, raw
2
3
Turkey and Goose
2
30
Eggs, soft boiled; Beef and Mutton, roasted or broiled
3
0
Boiled Pork, stewed Oysters, Eggs, hard boiled or fried
3
30
Domestic Fowls
4
0
Wild Fowls; Pork, salted and boiled; Suet
4
30
Veal, roasted; Pork, and salted Beef
5
30
When the powers of the stomach are weak, a hard and crude diet
is sure to produce discomfort by promoting acidity; while the very
same article when divided, and well cooked upon French principles, or
rather the principles of common sense, can be taken with impunity,
and easily digested.
There are only a few persons—with the exception, perhaps, of those
who take violent exercise, or work hard in the open air—who can
dine heartily upon solid food without suffering from its effects; yet
in order to escape indigestion, plain roast or boiled meat should be
very sparingly consumed.
The foundation of all good cookery consists in preparing the meat
so as to render it tender in substance, without extracting from it those
juices which constitute its true flavour; in doing which, the main
point in the art of making those soups, sauces, and made-dishes of every
sort, which should form so large a portion of every well-ordered dinner,
as well, also, as in cooking many of the plain family joints—is boiling,
or rather stewing, which ought always to be performed over a slow
fire. There is, in fact, no error so common among English cooks as
that of boiling meat over a strong fire, which renders large joints hard
and partly tasteless; while, if simmered during nearly double the time,
with less than half the quantity of fuel and water, and never allowed
to “boil up,” the meat, without being too much done, will be found
both pliant to the tooth and savoury to the palate.
For instance. The most common and almost universal dish throughout
France, is a large piece of plainly-boiled fresh beef, from which
the soup—or “potage,” as it is there called—has been partly made, and
which is separately served up as “bouilli,” accompanied by strong
gravy and minced vegetables, or stewed cabbage. Now this, as constantly
dressed in the French mode, is ever delicate both in fibre and
flavour; while, in the English manner of boiling it, it is almost always
hard and insipid. The reason of which, as explained by that celebrated
cook, Carême, who superintended the kitchen of His Majesty George IV.,
is this:—“The meat, instead of being put down to boil, as in the
English method, is in France put in the pot with the usual quantity
of cold water, and placed at the corner of the fire-place, where, slowly
becoming hot, the heat gradually swells the muscular fibres of the beef,
dissolving the gelatinous substances therein contained, and disengaging
that portion which chemists term ‘osmazome,’ and which imparts
savour to the flesh—thus both rendering the meat tender and palatable,
and the broth relishing and nutritive; whilst, on the contrary, if the
pot be inconsiderately put upon too quick a fire, the boiling is precipitated,
the fibre coagulates and hardens, the osmazome is hindered
from disengaging itself, and thus nothing is obtained but a piece of
tough meat, and a broth without taste or succulence.”
Meat loses, by cooking, from one-fifth to one-third of its whole
weight. More is lost by roasting than by boiling meat. In calculating
for a family, one pound per day for each individual is a general
allowance for dinner.
Meat that is not to be cut till cold must be well done, particularly in
summer.
The use of skewers in joints should be avoided as much as possible,
as they let out the gravy; twine will answer better.
In every branch of cookery much must be left to the discretion of
the cook and knowledge of the family’s taste; particularly in force-meats
and seasonings.
Suet.—When sirloins of beef, or loins of veal or mutton, are brought
in, part of the suet may be cut off for puddings, or to clarify.
Chopped fine and mixed with flour, if tied down in a jar, it will keep ten
days or a fortnight. If there be more suet than will be used while
fresh, throw it into pickle, made in the proportion of one quarter pound
of salt to a quart of cold water, and it will be as good afterwards for any
use, when soaked a little.
To remove the taint of meat, wash it several times in cold water;
then put it into plenty of cold water, into which throw several pieces of
red-hot charcoal. If you fear meat will not keep till the time it is
wanted, par-roast or par-boil it, that is, partly cook it; it will then
keep two days longer, when it may be dressed as usual, but in rather
less time.
When meat is frozen it should be brought into the kitchen and laid at
some distance from the fire, early in the morning; or soak the meat in
cold water two or three hours before it is used; putting it near the fire,
or into warm water, till thawed, should be avoided.
Meats become tenderer and more digestible, as well as better flavoured
by hanging. In summer two days is enough for lamb and veal, and
from three to four for beef and mutton. In cold weather, the latter
may be kept for double that time.
Legs and shoulders should be hung knuckle downwards.
An effectual way of excluding the fly is by using a wire meat-safe,
or by covering the joints with a long loose gauze or some thin cloth, and
hanging them from the ceiling of an airy room. Pepper and ginger
should be sprinkled on the parts likely to be attacked by the fly, but
should be washed off before the joint is put to the fire.
A larder should always be placed on the north side of the house; the
window may be closed with canvas, but wire is preferable. There
should be a thorough draft of air through the room.
Articles that are likely to spoil should not be kept in or laid
upon wood.
Warm, moist weather is the worse for keeping meat; the south wind
is very unfavourable, and lightning very destructive; so that after their
occurrence meat should be especially examined.
Boiling.—This is the most simple of all processes of cooking.
Regularity and attention to time are the main secrets.
Much less heat is requisite to keep liquids boiling in copper and iron
saucepans than in those made of tin.
There is frequently a great waste of fuel in cooking, which arises
from boiling liquids fast, when they only require to boil slowly.
Count Rumford (the inventor of the Rumford stove) states, that more
than half the fuel used in kitchens is wasted in the above manner.
It is a sad waste to put fuel under a boiling pot. There is a degree
of heat in water called the boiling point; and all the coals or wood in
the world cannot make water hotter in an open vessel; it can but boil.
By this waste, the cook not only loses time but spoils the cookery.
The average time for boiling fresh meat is from eighteen to twenty
minutes for every pound: thus, a joint weighing six pounds will require
from one hour and three-quarters to two hours boiling. Salted meat
requires rather more boiling, and water; fresh killed meat longer
time: and all meats longer in cold than warm weather. It is, however,
better to be guided, for time, by the thickness of the joint than by its
weight.
Dried or salted fish and meats require soaking in cold water before
boiling.
Meat and poultry will lose their flavour and firmness, if left in the
water after they are done; as will also fish, which will break to pieces.
The water in which fish, meat, or poultry has been boiled, should be
saved; this pot-liquor, as it is called, may be made into soup.
Slow boiling is very important for all meats, to ensure their tenderness;
fast boiling always makes them hard and tough, less plump, and of
darker colour, than when they are boiled gradually.
Skimming the pot will alone ensure the good colour and sweetness of
the meat; a little cold water and salt will aid in throwing up the scum:
milk put into the pot does good in few cases only; and wrapping in a
cloth is unnecessary, if the scum be carefully removed.
The lid of the saucepan should only be removed for skimming; and,
before taking off the lid, be careful to blow from it any dust or blacks
from the fire or chimney.
The joint should always be covered with water; above this quantity,
the less water the more savoury will be the meat.
In some few instances, however, it may be necessary to boil the
articles in a much larger quantity of water; a quart of water is mostly
a good proportion to a pound of meat.
If meat be put into cold water, it should be heated gradually, so as
not to cause it to boil in less than forty minutes; if it boil much
sooner, the meat will shrink and be hardened, and not so freely throw
up the scum.
Four skewers, or a plate, inside downwards, should be laid on the
bottom of the saucepan, especially for large joints and puddings; so
that they may be equally done, and escape burning or adhering to the
saucepan.
When a pot boils, remove it nearly off the fire, but let the lid remain
on; a very little heat will then keep up the boiling.
The time of boiling should be reckoned from the time bubbles begin to
rise on the surface of the liquid; as the boiling continues, the water will
evaporate, and in some cases it may be requisite to fill up the saucepan
with boiling water.
Vegetables and meat are sometimes steamed: that is, they are put
into vessels resembling cullenders, and being placed over boiling
water, the steam from it rises through the holes of the vessel, and
then through the vegetables and meat, which are thus as effectually
boiled as if they were put into the boiling water.
Roasting.—The success of every branch of cookery depends upon
the good management of the kitchen fire: roasting, especially, requires
a brisk, clear, and steady fire; if made up close to the bars of
the grate.
The spit being wiped clean, the joint to be roasted should be carefully
spitted even, and tied tight; and if it will not turn round well,
balance skewers, with leaden heads, should be used; for, if the meat
be not evenly spitted, it will probably be burned on one side, and not
done on the other. Avoid running the spit through the prime parts
of joints. Cradle spits answer best.
A leg of mutton should never be spitted, as the spit lets out the
gravy, and leaves an unsightly perforation just as you are cutting into
the pope’s eye.
Make up the roasting-fire three or four inches longer than the joint,
else the ends of the meat will not be done.
In stirring the fire, be careful to remove the dripping-pan, else dust
and ashes may fall in. On no account let the fire get dull and low, as
a strong heat is requisite to brown the meat.
A thin joint requires a brisk fire; a large joint, a strong, sound, and
even fire. When steam rises from the meat, it is done.
Large joints should be put at a moderate distance from the fire, and
gradually brought nearer; else the meat will be over-done half-way
through the joint, and be nearly raw at the bone.
Such meat as is not very fat should have paper placed over it, to
prevent it from being scorched.
Do not sprinkle the meat with salt when first put down, as the salt
draws out the gravy.
Old meats require more cooking than young. The longer the meat
has been killed, the less time it requires to roast it. Very fat meat
requires more time than usual.
The general rule is to allow fifteen minutes to a pound for roasting
with a good fire, and ten or twenty minutes over, as the family like it
well done or not.
Baste the meat first with fresh dripping, and then with its own fat
or dripping: and within the last hour of roasting, take off the paper,
and sprinkle the meat with salt and flour, to brown and froth it; but
some cooks dredge the meat with flour earlier, so that it may imbibe
the gravy, a practice which should be specially avoided.
The spit should be wiped dry immediately after it is drawn from
the meat, and washed and scoured every time it is used.
Perfection in roasting is very difficult, and no certain rules can be
given for it, as success depends on many circumstances which are
continually changing: the age and size (especially the thickness) of
the pieces, the quality of the coals, the weather, the currents of air
in the kitchen, the more or less attention of the cook, and the time of
serving, are all to be considered. Hence, epicures say of a well-roasted
joint, “It is done to a turn.”
Roast meats should be sent to table the moment they are ready, if
they are to be eaten in perfection.
Broiling.—Broiling requires a brisk and clear fire, proportioned
to the article to be broiled; for example, mutton chops require a clear
rather than a brisk fire, else the fat will be wasted before the lean is
warmed through; but for a beef-steak, the fire can neither be too brisk
nor clear, if the gridiron be placed at the proper distance. Fish requires
a steady fire; as also does under-done meat.
Much, however, depends on the substance of the article to be broiled;
if it be thick, it must be placed at a greater distance, at first, to warm
it through; if thin, the fire must be brisk, else the meat will not be
of a good colour.
The gridiron should be wiped clean after it has been used, so that
the bars may be kept bright on top; they should be allowed to get
hot before the article is laid on them, but not too hot, else they will
burn the meat or fish; the latter, especially. To prevent this, the bars
should be rubbed with fat.
A charcoal fire is best for broiling.
To prevent the fat dripping into the fire, set the gridiron aslant.
For turning the broiling article, use tongs, as a fork will let out the
gravy. When the article is done, it will feel firm if touched with the
tongs; by no means cut the meat to ascertain if it be done, as that
will let out the gravy.
Frying—is “to scorch something solid in fat, or oil,” or butter.
Lard, clarified suet, or dripping, are well adapted for fish, eggs, potatoes,
and meat generally. Olive oil is much used for fish; and the same
oil will serve for more than one frying. Butter is used, but it is not
as well adapted for frying as either of the other articles.
Be careful that the fat or oil is fresh, clean, and free from salt, else
what you fry in it will be of a bad colour and flavour; salt will prevent
it from browning.
Fat or oil, to be used again, should be strained through a sieve before
it is set aside.
Fat becomes richer from having meat fried into it, and may be used
repeatedly; but the fat that has been used for fish cannot be used
again for meat.
The fat must have left off bubbling and be quite still before you put
in the articles.
To prepare crumbs for frying, dry thoroughly in a warm oven, or
before the fire, any waste pieces of bread; then pound them in a mortar
and sift them, and put them away till wanted. This is much better
than grating bread as it is needed, or using oatmeal, &c.
When you wish fried things to look as well as possible, do them
twice over with egg and crumbs.
If eggs be very dear, a little flour and water may be substituted for
them in preparing fish to fry.
In frying, use a slice to lift the articles in and out of the pan,
and drain them.
To make batter for frying: melt two ounces of butter in a little
warm water, and pour it upon half a pound of flour; stir it and add
water enough to form a batter, thick enough to adhere to whatever
is put into it; but it should run freely: add some salt and the beaten
whites of two eggs.
A small shallow frying-pan, or sauté pan, as it is called, is very useful
to fry articles to be stewed: this method differs from common frying,
as it only requires butter enough to keep the article from sticking
to the pan and burning.
The fire for frying should be free from smoky coals, sharp, and
even. Charcoal makes the best frying fire.
The fat should be carefully drained from all fried articles; indeed,
they should be so dry as scarcely to soil a cloth. Fish is best
drained by wrapping it in soft white-brown paper, by which it will
so dry as not to soil the napkin upon which it is served.
Stewing.—All articles to be stewed should first be boiled gently,
then skimmed and set aside in an even heat: on this account, charcoal
makes the best fire for stewing.
All stews, or meat dressed a second time should be only simmered,
as the meat should only be made hot through.
A stewpan is the most advantageous vessel in which stews, hashes,
soups, or gravies, can be made; indeed, for all purposes of boiling,
a stewpan is preferable to a deep saucepan, as, in the former, the
articles are exposed to more even heat than when they are placed
one upon another in the saucepan, and are likely to be broken in
stirring.
The best stewpans are made of copper or iron; they should be
kept covered as much as possible, unless you wish to reduce the
gravy.
Be careful not to fry in a stewpan; or, if so, with great care, and
sufficient butter to save the tinning from melting.
Most of the directions for making soups and gravies apply also to
this branch of cookery.
Baking.—Baking is the least advantageous mode of cookery; for
by it meat loses about one-third of its weight.
Iron ovens are ill-adapted for baking meat or meat-pies; fruit-pies,
pastry, and puddings, may, however, be baked in them.
Larding.—Have ready larding-pins of different sizes, according to
the article to be done; cut slices of bacon into bits of proper length,
quite smooth, and put on a larding-needle to suit it, with which
pierce the skin and a very little of the meat, leaving the bacon in,
and the two ends of equal length outwards. Lard in rows the size
you think fit.
The same effect with regard to flavour, may be produced by raising
the skin and laying a slice of fat bacon beneath it.
Doubing consists in passing bacon through meat, while larding is
on the surface only.
Braising.—Put the meat you would braise into a stewpan, and
cover it with thick slices of fat bacon: then lay round it six or
eight onions, a faggot of sweet herbs, some celery, and if to be
brown, some thick slices of carrots, and trimmings of any fresh meat-bones
you have, with a pint and a half of water, or the same
quantity of stock, according to what the meat is, and add seasoning.
Cover the pan close, and set it over a slow stove; it will require
two or three hours, as its size and quality may direct. Then strain
the gravy; keep the meat quite hot; take the fat off by plunging
the basin into cold water, which will cause the fat to coagulate;
and boil it as quickly as you can till it thickens. If, however, you
wish the gravy to adhere to the meat; it must be still further
thickened; then with a brush kept for the purpose do over the meat,
and if that has been larded, put it into the oven for a few minutes.
This is called “glazing,” and is much in use for made-dishes.
Glazing is done by brushing melted glaze or jelly over the article,
and letting it cool; in some cases it is requisite to cover the articles
with two or three coats of glaze, allowing each to cool as it is laid
on. The glaze should be of a clear yellow brown, and as thick as
good treacle.
If you have not the glaze ready, sift a little sugar over the article
to be glazed, and finish in the oven, with a salamander, or red-hot
shovel.
Boning.—In disengaging the flesh from the bones, work the knife
always close to the bone, and take care not to pierce the outer skin.
Minute directions are given in other parts of the work for boning
fowls, &c.
Blanching makes the article plump and white, and consists in
putting it into cold water over the fire, allowing it to boil up, and
then plunging it into cold water, where the article should remain
until cold.
Danger from Copper Saucepans.—The precise danger from the
use of copper saucepans, or stewpans, imperfectly tinned, is far from
rightly understood. It appears that the acid contained in stews and
other made-dishes, as lemon-juice, though it does not dissolve
copper by being merely boiled in it a few minutes, nevertheless, if
allowed to cool and stand in it for some time, will acquire poisonous
matter, as verdigris, in the form of a green band, or crust,
inside the vessel. It has likewise been proved that weak solutions
of common salt, such as are daily made by adding a little salt to
boiling vegetables, fish, or meat, act powerfully on copper vessels,
although strong solutions or brine would not affect them.
It is, however, in vain to hope that cooks will attend to the nice
distinctions by which copper stewpans may be rendered safe; the
general advice given by prudent physicians is, therefore, against their
use at all.
The kettles in which the soups are made should be well tinned,
and kept particularly clean, by being washed in hot water and rubbed
dry before they are put away. If they are not kept well tinned, the
taste as well as the colour of the soup will be liable to be affected
by the iron; and if the soup-kettle be made of copper, and the
tinning not quite perfect, everything cooked in it will be more or
less poisonous, as everything which is sweet, salt, or sour, extracts
verdigris from copper.
In toasting bread, we wish to get out the water that remains, and
which makes the bread cold, waxy, and heavy of digestion. Perhaps
we shall be best understood if we first explain what makes bad toast
of a piece of bread, or rather no toast at all, but merely a piece of
bread with two burned surfaces, more wet and waxy in the heart than
ever; and which not a particle of butter will enter, and if put by for
an hour or two and allowed to cool, will get as tough as possible. If
the slice of bread is brought into close contact with a strong fire, the
surface becomes covered with, or rather converted into charcoal, before
the heat produces any effect on the interior of the slice. This being done,
the other side is turned, and has its surface converted into charcoal in
the same manner. The consequence of this will be, that not a particle
of butter will enter such a piece of toast, but only remain upon the
surface, and if vexed with additional fire, turns to a rancid oil of the
most unwholesome description. Charcoal, as every one knows, is a
very bad conductor of heat, and as such is used between the cylinders
and casings of steam engines; it is no consequence whether the said
charcoal be formed of wood, of flour, or any other substance, for its
qualities are in every case the same. Now, when the surfaces of the
slice of bread are over-charred in this manner, there is an end to all
toasting, as no heat can be communicated to the interior, and not one drop
can be evaporated or drawn away. In this state the slice of
bread may be wholly burned to charcoal; but until it is altogether
so burned, the unburned part will become more and more wet and
unwholesome. Hence, if you would have a slice of bread so toasted
as to be pleasant to the palate, and wholesome and easily digested,
never let one particle of the surface be charred. Chesnut brown is
even far too deep for a good toast; and the colour of a fox is rather
too deep. The nearer it can be kept to a straw colour, the more
delicious to the taste, and the more wholesome it will be. The method
of obtaining this is very obvious. It consists in keeping the bread
at the proper distance from the fire, and exposing it to a proper heat,
for a due length of time; or it may be done, placed on edge the same
way as dry toast is brought to table, in a rack, in an iron or brick
oven of a proper heat. For those who “make the toast,” especially
if a large quantity be required, it is generally a tedious process, and
for this reason it is commonly hurried. But if the toasting fork was
discarded, and its place supplied by a small apparatus made of wire,
long enough to hold three or four pieces at a time, and so contrived as
to slide in or out to any required distance from the fire, the bread might
be placed in it, and the process of toasting carried on, while the servant
was at liberty to do her other work. Of course, the “Toast Holder”
would require to be made differently, to suit particular shaped grates
and fire-places.
If not cut too thin, if placed at the proper distance from the fire, and
continued long enough, care being taken that not a single black, or
even dark brown spot, makes its appearance on the surface, the slice of
bread may be toasted through and through; and it is this operation
which makes properly toasted bread so much more wholesome than bread
which is not toasted, and still more preferable to bread burned on the
surface and sodden in the interior. By this means the whole of the
water may be drawn out of it, and it may be changed from dough,
which has always a tendency to undergo the acetous fermentation in the
stomach, to the pure farina of wheat, which is in itself one of the most
wholesome species of food we have, not only for the strong and healthy,
but more particularly so for the delicate and diseased. As it is turned
to pure farina, the tough and gluey nature is gone, every part can be
penetrated, all parts are equally warm, and no part is so warm as
to turn the butter into oil, which, even in the case of the best butter
is invariably turning a wholesome substance into an injurious substance.
There is another circumstance regarding the buttering of a rightly
toasted slice. The dough, being a compound of water, repels the butter,
which is an oil; but the dried farina allows the butter to penetrate the
whole slice equally through. There is more advantage in this than
some may suppose. Butter in masses (whatever may be its quality)
is too heavy for the stomach; though butter divided with sufficient
minuteness, and not suffered to pass into an oil, makes a most valuable
addition to many kinds of food. The properly toasted bread absorbs
the butter, but does not convert it to oil: and both butter and farina are
in a state of very minute division, the one serving to expose the other
to the free action of gastric fluid in the stomach; and that this fluid
shall be able to penetrate the whole mass of the food, and act upon it
in small portions, is the grand secret of healthful digestion; so that
when a slice of toast is rightly prepared, there is, perhaps, not a
lighter article in the whole vocabulary of cookery. Unfermented brown
bread, treated in this way, forms an excellent substitute for biscuits,
and is in some respects superior, as it may be eaten with impunity
by those persons with whom biscuits may disagree.
The housewife should always, where it is possible, do her marketing
herself, and pay ready-money for everything she purchases. This is
the only way in which she can be sure of getting the best goods at the
lowest price. We repeat, that this is the only way compatible with
strict economy; because, if a servant be entrusted with the buying,
she will, if she is not a good judge of the quality of articles, bring
home those she can get for the least money (and these are seldom the
cheapest), and even if she is a good judge, it is ten to one against
her taking the trouble to make a careful selection. When the ready-money
system is found inconvenient, and an account is run with a
tradesman, the mistress of the house ought to have a pass-book, in
which she should write down all the orders herself, leaving the tradesman
to fill in only the prices. Where this is not done, and the mistress
neglects to compare the pass-book with the goods ordered every time
they are brought in, it sometimes happens, either by mistake, or the
dishonesty of the tradesman or his shopman, or the servant, that goods
are entered which were never ordered, and that those which were
ordered are overcharged; and if these errors are not detected at the
time, they are sure to be difficult of adjustment afterwards. Let the
housewife, therefore, by all means avoid running accounts, and pay
ready-money. By so doing she will escape a great deal of trouble and
anxiety, besides saving the extra price which the tradesman charges
upon all goods sold on credit, and to which he is justly entitled, both
as interest for his money and to cover the losses to which the system
sometimes subjects him.
In purchasing perishable goods, care should be taken to get everything
as fresh and new as possible. This is absolutely necessary in
the case of vegetables, ripe fruits, eggs, butter, and fish generally, as
these cannot be used in too fresh a condition; but, as butcher’s meat
requires to be kept some time, it may, where the butcher’s word can
be trusted as to the day on which it was killed, be purchased ready
for cooking. Indeed this must often be done when a small supply of
cut meat, such as steaks or chops, is required. As, however, it is the
butcher’s interest to sell off his meat while it is fresh, in order to avoid
the loss arising from its spoiling on his hands, he will seldom have
any prime pieces which have been kept long enough for immediate use,
so that it is much safer, as a general rule, to ask for it fresh, and keep
it at home. Perhaps the best plan is to ascertain which day of the week
is the butcher’s regular “killing day,” and to buy upon that day only, a
quantity sufficient to last some time,—which quantity must be determined
by the season of the year; for, since meat keeps much longer in
winter than in summer, a larger stock may be laid in then. Many a good
dinner has been spoiled, and many a fine piece of meat wasted, and
this not from ignorance of the time it ought to be kept, but from
inattention to the above rule.
When it is ascertained where the best and cheapest articles are
sold, it is as well to lay in as large a stock as can be afforded at one
time, of those provisions which do not spoil by keeping. By so doing,
the housewife will not only have a good supply of the best always at
hand, but will also be allowed certain discounts from the price, which
she would not otherwise obtain, besides saving much time and trouble
in shopping. Not only will she have to go oftener to the shop for small
supplies, but it may frequently happen that, when she applies for a
second small quantity of an article that has been approved of, she may
find the dealer’s stock of that particular commodity renewed, and the
new supply not so good; and then she will either have to purchase an
inferior article, or to wander from shop to shop in search of a better.
Of course this rule must be disregarded when, at the time of purchase,
there is reason to expect an immediate fall in the price. For instance,
it would be absurd to buy a three months’ supply of tea at 4s., with
the knowledge that within a month there might be such a reduction
of duty upon it as would lower its price to 2s. Such cases, however,
occur very rarely.
The goodness of a potato materially depends upon the skill of the
cook. We here introduce a few modes of preparing it for the table,
not commonly in use:—
Potatoes Mashed with Onions.—Prepare some boiled onions, by
putting them through a sieve, and mix them with potatoes.
Potato Snow.—Pick out the whitest potatoes, put them on in cold
water; when they begin to crack, strain, and put them in a clean stewpan
before the fire till they are quite dry and fall to pieces; rub them
through a wire sieve or the dish they are to be sent up in, and do
not disturb them afterwards.
Potato Scones.—Mash boiled potatoes till they are quite smooth,
adding a little salt; then knead out with flour, or barley-meal, to the
thickness required; toast on the girdle, pricking them with a fork to
prevent them blistering. When eaten with fresh or salt butter, they
are equal to crumpets—even superior, and very nutritious.
Potatoes Fried Whole.—When nearly boiled enough, put them
into a stewpan with a bit of butter; or some clean beef dripping; shake
them about often, to prevent burning, till they are brown and crisp;
drain them from the fat. It will be an improvement if they are
floured and dipped into the yolk of an egg, and then rolled in finely
sifted bread crumbs.
Potatoes Escalloped.—Mash potatoes in the usual way; then
butter some nice clean scallop shells, patty-pans, or tea-cups or saucers;
put in the potatoes; make them smooth at the top; cross a knife over
them; strew a few fine bread crumbs on them; sprinkle them with a
paste-brush with a few drops of melted butter, and set them in a Dutch
oven. When nicely browned on the top, take them carefully out of
the shells, and brown on the other side. Cold potatoes may be warmed
up this way.
Potatoes Fried in Slices.—Peel large potatoes, slice them about
a quarter of an inch thick, or cut them into shavings, as you would peel
a lemon; dry them well in a clean cloth, and fry them in lard or dripping.
Take care that the fat and frying-pan are quite clean; put it
on a quick fire, and as soon as the lard boils, and is still, put in the
slices of potato, and keep moving them until they are crisp; take them
up, and lay them to drain on a sieve. Send to table with a little salt
sprinkled over them.
Potato Pie.—Peel and slice the potatoes very thin into a pie-dish;
between each layer of potatoes put some chopped onions; between
each layer, sprinkle a little pepper and salt; put in a little water, and
cut about two ounces of fresh butter into bits, and lay them on the
top; cover it close with paste. The yolks of four eggs may be added;
and when baked, a table-spoonful of good mushroom ketchup poured
in through a funnel.—Another method is to put between the layers
small bits of mutton, beef, or pork. In Cornwall, turnips are added.
This constitutes (on the Cornish method) a cheap and satisfactory dish
for families.
IN making pastry or cakes, it is best to begin by weighing out the
ingredients, sifting the flour, pounding and sifting the sugar and spice,
washing the butter, and preparing the fruit. Sugar can be powdered
by pounding it in a large mortar, or by rolling it on a paste-board
with a rolling-pin. It should be made very fine and always sifted.
All sorts of spice should be pounded in a mortar, except nutmeg, which
it is better to grate. If spice is wanted in large quantities, it may
be ground in a mill. The butter should always be fresh and very good.
Wash it in cold water before you use it, and then make it up with
your hands into hard lumps, squeezing the water well out. If the butter
and sugar are to be stirred together, always do that before the eggs
are beaten, as (unless they are kept too warm) the butter and sugar
will not be injured by standing awhile. For stirring them, nothing
is so convenient as a round hard stick, about a foot and a half long,
and somewhat flattened at one end. The eggs should not be beaten
till after the other ingredients are ready, as they will fall very soon.
If the whites and yolks are to be beaten separately, do the whites
first, as they will stand longer. Eggs should be beaten in a broad
shallow pan, spreading wide at the top. Butter and sugar should be
stirred in a deep pan with straight sides. Break every egg by itself,
in a saucer, before you put it into the pan, that in case there should be
any bad ones, they may not spoil the others. Eggs are beaten most
expeditiously with whisks. A small quantity of white of egg may
be beaten with a knife, or a three-pronged fork.—I have found the
above directions of great use in my housekeeping, and I can confidently
recommend them.—J. M.
Either Scotch or pearl-barley may be used. The former is much
less expensive, and answers equally well. Soak an ounce in several
waters; put it, with some lemon-peel, into a quart of boiling water
and infuse it for an hour. Then strain. This will be of a sufficient
thickness; but, if it be desired thicker, it is but varying the quantity
of barley. This is a cooling drink, and admits of additions either for
flavour or medicinal use. The juice and rind of lemons, with loaf sugar,
are most agreeable.
Figs, raisins, liquorice root, honey, and gum arabic, are often used
either for coughs, cold on the chest, confined bowels, strangury, &c.
Powdered nitre is often used in feverish complaints, and given in
barley water; a drachm to a quart is a good proportion.
The method of mixing either nitre or powdered gum arabic, is to rub
the powder smooth with sugar or honey; then mix it with a spoonful
or two of the barley water, and stir it in the whole while in a boiling
state. As a nourishing drink, boil the barley in water till it thickens.
When reduced, and quite thick, strain, and mix with an equal quantity
of new milk; sweeten it to your taste. A bit of cinnamon, or two
laurel leaves, may be boiled in it for flavour.
Thick barley water, with milk and a little salt and sugar, is a suitable
food for infants, when they begin to take what is at all thickened.
Barley may be used in broth or stew, or to make a pudding.
The valuable sanatory qualities of barley have long been known
and appreciated. Providence designed it as an especial boon to
mankind; for, of all the cultivated grains, it is perhaps that which
comes to perfection in the greatest variety of climates, and is found
over the greatest extent of the habitable world.
For four persons. Boil three pints of water in a clean saucepan, add
a tea-spoonful of salt, mix, very gradually, one pound of fine oatmeal,
stirring round constantly while you put in the meal with a round
stick about twelve inches long, called a “spirtle.” Continue the stirring
for fifteen minutes, then pour into soup-plates. Allow them to cool
for about ten minutes, then serve with half a pint of sweet milk to
each person.
Scotch porridge is one of the most nutritive diets that can be given,
especially to young persons. They are sometimes made with milk
instead of water, but the mixture is rather rich for delicate stomachs.
Of beef, the round is, in large families, one of the most profitable
parts: it is usually boiled, and like most of the boiling parts of beef,
is generally sold in London at a penny per pound less than the roasting
joints.
The brisket is also a penny a pound less in price than the roasting
parts: it is not so economical a part as the round, having more bone
to be weighed with it, and more fat. Where there are children, very
fat joints are not desirable, being often disagreeable to them, and
sometimes prejudicial, especially if they have a dislike to it. This
joint also requires more cooking than many others; that is to say,
it requires a double allowance of time to be given for boiling it: it
will, when served, be hard and scarcely digestible if no more time be
allowed to boil it than that which is sufficient for other joints and
meats. When stewed it is excellent; and when cooked fresh (i. e.
unsalted), an excellent stock for soup may be extracted from it, and
yet the meat will serve as well for dinner.
The edgebone, or aitch-bone, is not considered to be a very economical
joint, the bone being large in proportion to the meat; but the greater
part of it, at least, is as good as that of any prime part. It sells at
a penny a pound less than roasting joints.
The rump is the part of which the London butcher makes great
profit, by selling it in the form of steaks. In the country, as there is
not an equal demand for steaks, the whole of it may be purchased as
a joint, and at the price of other prime parts. It may be turned to
good account in producing many excellent dishes. If salted, it is
simply boiled; if used unsalted, it is usually stewed.
The veiny piece is sold at a low price per pound; but if hung for
a day or two, it is very good and very profitable. Where there are
a number of servants and children to have an early dinner, this part
of beef will be found desirable.
From the leg and shin excellent stock for soup may be drawn; and
if not reduced too much, the meat taken from the bones may be served
as a stew with vegetables; or it may be seasoned, pounded with butter,
and potted; or chopped very fine, and seasoned with herbs, and bound
together by egg and bread crumbs; it may be fried in balls, or in the
form of large eggs, and served with a gravy made with a few spoonfuls
of the soup.
Of half an ox cheek excellent soup may be made; the meat, when
taken from the bones, may be served as a stew.
Roasting parts of beef are the sirloin and the ribs, and these bear
in all places the highest price. The most profitable of these two joints
at a family table is the ribs. The bones, if removed from the beef
before it is roasted, will assist in forming the basis of a soup. When
boned, the meat of the ribs is often rolled up, tied with strings, and
roasted: and this is the best way of using it, as it enables the carver
to distribute equally the upper part of the meat with the more skinny
and fatter parts at the lower ends of the bones.
Of Mutton, the leg and haunch are the most profitable joints,
although in price higher than the shoulder or neck. But these last
joints are sold at a less price per pound than others.
The loin and saddle (the two loins not separated) are expensive
joints, not in price only, but in the great proportion of fat and bone
belonging to them. They are considered to be prime parts.
Of Lamb, the hind quarter is more advantageous in use than the
fore, but can scarcely be regarded as an economical part. In hot
weather, and in a small family, the joints which the quarters form,
when divided, are of so convenient a size as to render them much in
request.
Of Veal, the leg, from which the fillet is taken, the shoulder, the
neck, and the loin, are all in turn serviceable in a family. When the
leg is purchased altogether, without dividing the knuckle from it, the
butcher usually considerably remits the price. In summer, he is often
willing to sell the leg altogether at twopence per pound less than he
would sell the fillet alone.
This is a point of proficiency which, with care, it is easy to attain.
The main point is, to incorporate the several articles required for the
sauce, and to serve up at table as fresh as possible. The herbs should
be “morning gathered,” and they will be much refreshed by lying an
hour or two in spring water. Careful picking, and washing, and drying
in a cloth, in the kitchen, are also very important, and the due proportion
of each herb requires attention. The sauce may be thus prepared:—Boil
two eggs for ten or twelve minutes, and then put them in
cold water for a few minutes, so that the yolks may become cold and
hard. Rub them through a coarse sieve with a wooden spoon, and mix
them with a table-spoonful of water or cream, and then add two
table-spoonfuls of fine flask oil, or melted butter; mix, and add by
degrees, a tea-spoonful of salt, and the same quantity of mustard; mix
till smooth, when incorporate with the other ingredients about three
table-spoonfuls of vinegar; then pour this sauce down the side of the
salad-bowl, but do not stir up the salad till wanted to be eaten. Garnish
the top of the salad with the white of the eggs cut in slices; or these
may be arranged in such manner as to be ornamental on the table.
Some may fancy they are able to prepare a salad without previous
instruction, but like everything else, a little knowledge in this case may
not be thrown away.
FOOD AND COOKERY FOR THE MONTHS. — FOOD FOR JANUARY. — COOKERY FOR JANUARY. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, GAME, ETC. — MEAT. — VEGETABLES. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR FEBRUARY. — COOKERY FOR FEBRUARY. — SOUP. — FISH. — POULTRY, GAME, ETC. — MEAT. — PASTRY, ETC. — FOOD FOR MARCH. — COOKERY FOR MARCH. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, GAME, ETC. — MEAT. — VEGETABLES. — PASTRY, ETC. — FOOD FOR APRIL. — COOKERY FOR APRIL. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY. — MEAT. — PASTRY, ETC. — MISCELLANEOUS. — FOOD FOR MAY. — COOKERY FOR MAY. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — SEA COOKERY. — FOOD FOR JUNE. — COOKERY FOR JUNE. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR JULY. — COOKERY FOR JULY. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR AUGUST. — COOKERY FOR AUGUST. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR SEPTEMBER. — COOKERY FOR SEPTEMBER. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR OCTOBER. — COOKERY FOR OCTOBER. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR NOVEMBER. — COOKERY FOR NOVEMBER. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY, GAME, ETC. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY. — FOOD FOR DECEMBER. — COOKERY FOR DECEMBER. — SOUPS. — FISH. — POULTRY. — VEGETABLES. — MEAT. — PASTRY.
Those Fish, Poultry, etc., distinguished by Italics, are to be had in greater perfection.
Meat.—Beef, house-lamb, mutton, pork, veal, and doe-venison.
Forced Vegetables.—Asparagus, cucumbers, Jerusalem artichokes,
and mushrooms.
Fruit.—Almonds, Apples—French pippin, golden pippin, golden
russet, Kentish pippin, nonpareil, winter pearmain. Pears—Bergamot,
d’Hollande, Bon Chrétien, Charmontelle, Colmar, winter beurré. Grapes—English
and Foreign. Chestnuts, medlars, nuts, oranges, walnuts.
Pea Soup.—The cheapest and most wholesome way, is to make it
by “A. Braden’s Prepared Peas,” a sixpenny packet of which will
make six or eight quarts of good soup; or, take a third of the packet,
mix with enough soup to form a thick batter, add two or three quarts
of the common soup given below, and boil fifteen minutes.
Common Soup.—Take the bones of beef, (ribs, sirloin, &c.) break
small, put into a digester or a large pan, cover with water, boil,
and keep covered; then add a crust of bread toasted, a pound of pearl-barley,
two onions in slices, a faggot of sweet herbs, a bay-leaf, two
carrots cut small, and other vegetables; fill up to a gallon with the
liquor that corned beef, bacon, pork, or any other meat has been boiled
in, and season with pepper and salt to taste.
Hare Soup.—Take a hare and cut in pieces, put into an earthen
jar, with two onions cut small, three blades of mace, a pinch of salt,
two anchovies, or three-quarters of a red herring, three quarts of
water, and wine to flavour, perhaps a pint of red wine. Bake in a
quick oven for three hours, then strain the liquor into a stewpan.
Have ready boiled four ounces of fine pearl-barley, add this, scald
the liver, and rub it through a sieve with a wooden spoon, put this
into the soup, set over the fire, and keep it stirring till near boiling—but
it must not boil—then remove. Put some toasted bread into
the tureen, pour the soup on, and serve hot.
Fish.—In cleaning cod-fish, haddock, whiting, whiting-polluck, hake,
ling, &c., they should be cut open for some distance below the vent; the
sound of one side being carefully cut up with a sharp knife, as close
to the back-bone as possible, and the blood must be scraped out
with a knife, or scrubbed with a brush. The back-bone of a hake
is extracted entire by separating it with the fore-finger and thumb
of the right hand, from behind the poll, and tearing it out. Fish that
are dressed with the scales on, should be dipped in water, and rubbed
with a coarse towel from the head downwards.
Salt Fish should be properly soaked in water previous to being
dressed, for at least twelve hours, then taken out, scrubbed with a
coarse cloth, and laid on a stone or table to drain for six or eight
hours, when it should be again put into water, just lukewarm, to
remain there ten or twelve hours.
Hake Cutlets.—Cut a moderate sized hake into cutlets length-wise,
about the size of ordinary veal cutlets, dry well with a cloth,
egg well, dip in bread crumbs, and fry light brown; then serve hot
on a napkin, with fried parsley garnish.
Barbel, to Fry.—Split the barbel, if large; pepper and salt it
well, fry a light brown, and serve with melted butter.
Dace, to Fry.—Open the belly, cut the fins close off, scale them
well, dry in flour, and fry a light brown; serve with melted butter.
Dace, to Marinade.—Clean well, cut off the heads, and rub plenty
of pepper, salt, and allspice, into the inside; place them in layers
in a baking-dish, with bay between the layers; and add three parts
vinegar and one of water, sufficient to fill the dish; add a little
whole pepper, and a blade or two of mace. Bake slowly for about
five hours. When cold, shift the fish and marinade into another dish,
taking care not to bruise or break them.
Haddock, to Boil.—Boil entire, if not very large; and throw a
little salt, vinegar, and horse-radish into the water, which improve
the look of the fish, and prevent the skin breaking. Serve hot, with
oyster sauce.
Perch and Tench as Water Souchy.—Take a dozen fish, place
in a stewpan, with about two quarts of water, some parsley roots and
leaves chopped, but not fine. Boil until nearly the whole of the
flesh of the fish will run through a coarse sieve with the gravy;
place another dozen in the stewpan, with finely chopped parsley, and
add the gravy to them, season with pepper and salt, and stew until
done; then turn gravy and all into a soup tureen. Some add onions,
but in our opinion it spoils the flavour of the souchy.
Curry.—Cut up a rabbit or chicken as for a fricassee; fry them
a light brown, and stew in gravy. Add a table-spoonful of curry
powder, and, if necessary, cayenne pepper and salt. When stewed
sufficiently, thicken with butter rolled in flour, and add lemon-juice,
shalots or garlic; then serve with rice, and garnish with lemon.
To Broil a Pigeon.—Split it down the back, spread it open,
season with pepper and salt, and broil over a quick clear fire. Serve
with mushroom and salt.
Rabbits, to Stew.—Divide the rabbit into quarters, lard them
with large slips of bacon, and fry them; then put into a stewpan,
with a quart of good broth, a glass of white wine, a bunch of sweet
herbs, a little pepper and salt, and a piece of butter rolled in flour.
When done, dish up, and pour the gravy sauce on them, garnishing
with sliced lemon.
Larks, to Roast.—Spit them on a little bird-spit, and roast; when
done enough, sprinkle with fried bread crumbs, and serve on toast,
with thick brown gravy.
Turkey Patties.—Mince part of the breast fine, season with salt,
nutmeg, grated lemon, white pepper, and a little butter warmed.
Fill the patties, and bake as usual.
Beef.—We have already given receipts for cooking cold beef,
among which will be found those for minced beef, cold roast beef
and mashed potatoes, bubble and squeak, lobscous, and beef rissoles.
We shall therefore enter on new ground.
To Dress the Inside of a Cold Sirloin of Beef.—Cut out all
the inside (free from fat) of the sirloin, in pieces about two inches
long; flour it well, and fry it a light brown; drain, and toss it up in a
rich gravy, well seasoned with pepper, salt, and shalots. Before
sending it up, add two tea-spoonfuls of caper vinegar, and garnish
with fried potatoes, horse-radish, or boiled spinach.
Fricassee of Cold Roast Beef.—Cut some thin slices of under-done
beef, an onion in quarters, chop some parsley very small; put
these into a stewpan, with some strong broth, a small piece of butter,
and a little salt and pepper. Simmer gently a quarter of an hour,
then add a table-spoonful of white wine and vinegar, and the yolks
of two eggs; stir quickly over a brisk fire for a few minutes, and
then serve in a deep hot dish.
Mutton Ham.—Take a leg of mutton of about seven pounds,
shape like a ham, and hang two days. Take six ounces of coarse
sugar, an ounce of saltpetre, four ounces of bay, and three ounces
of common salt. Mix, and rub them well into the ham, lay it in a
tub, with the skin downwards, and rub every day for a fortnight; then
have it smoked, or hung in wood smoke for a week. It is excellent
cut in rashers and broiled.
To Cook a Loin of Pork Portuguese Way.—Cut the skin of
the loin across with a sharp knife, at distances of half an inch; roast
as usual. Cut two onions small, and put them into the dripping-pan,
with a pint of vinegar; baste well with this, and serve hot.
Spare-rib of Pork should be basted with very little butter, well
floured, and then sprinkled with dried sage, powdered. Serve hot,
and have apple-sauce.
Veal Sausages.—Chop half a pound of lean veal and fat bacon
very fine; add sage, salt, pepper, and allspice to taste; beat well in
a mortar, roll into balls, flatten and fry them.
Liver Pudding.—Boil a lamb’s liver well, grate it down; add an
equal quantity of grated bread; cut some onions small with plenty
of suet, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste, and fill them in the
white end of the pudding.
Lamb’s Brain Cakes.—Take the brains, and remove any veins, &c.,
that may be among them, chop well with a knife, and add salt, nutmeg,
or pepper, a little raw egg, and flour enough to make them stick
together; mix well, make into cakes about the size of the top of a
wine-glass, and fry them brown on both sides with lard.
Venison, to Broil.—Cut thin slices; mix stale crumbs of bread,
with salt, pepper, and spices; egg the slices, dip into the seasoned
bread, broil over a clear fire, serve with a gravy sauce.
Potatoes.—Several ways of cooking potatoes are given at p. 243,
viz.: potato mashed with onions; potato snow; potato scones; potatoes
fried whole, escalloped, fried in slices; and potato pie.
Elegant Bread Pudding.—Take light white bread, and cut in
thin slices. Put into a pudding shape a layer of any sort of preserve,
then a slice of bread, and repeat until the mould is almost full. Pour
over all a pint of warm milk, in which four well-beaten eggs have been
mixed; cover the mould with a piece of linen, place in a saucepan
with a little boiling water, let it boil twenty minutes, and serve with
pudding sauce.
Mince Pies.—Take a piece of puff-paste, roll to the thickness of
a penny-piece; butter the pans lightly; line the pans with the puff-paste,
place in the mincemeat made as under:—trim and wet the
edges of the paste with milk, cover with the paste, trim, press the
edges closely and crimp, prick a hole in the centre of the top, egg,
and dust some fine white sugar over. Bake for twenty minutes in a
moderate oven.
Mince Meat.—Take seven pounds of currants well picked and
cleaned; of finely chopped beef suet, the lean of a sirloin of beef
minced raw, and finely chopped apples (Kentish or Golden Pippins),
each three and a half pounds; citron, lemon-peel, and orange-peel
cut small, each half a pound; fine moist sugar, two pounds; mixed
spice, an ounce; the rind of four lemons and four Seville oranges;
mix well, and put in a deep pan. Mix a bottle of brandy and white
wine, the juice of the lemons and oranges that have been grated
together in a basin; pour half over, and press down tight with the
hand, then add the other half, and cover closely. Some families make
one year, to use the next.
Malcolm Puddings.—Take any number of eggs, which are to be
used first as weights, and then mixed with the ingredients. Place
the eggs in one scale and weigh their equal balance successively in
flour, brown sugar, and butter. Make into a mass by means of the
eggs, work well, and bake in small moulds, with or without currants.
Serve hot with wine sauce, or cold without.
Oatmeal Gingerbread.—Mix one pound of Scotch meal into a
stiff paste with sour buttermilk, let it stay all night, and then add
one pound prepared Lentil Powder (Butler and McCulloch’s), into
which has been rubbed half an ounce of bi-carbonate of soda, and
one pound of brown flour. Add treacle enough to bring it to the
requisite consistence, roll any thickness, and bake in a moderate
oven. A little sugar may be added.
Unfermented Oat-Cakes.—Soak one pound of meal all night in
a pint of sour buttermilk. The next day, rub a quarter of an ounce
of carbonate of soda and a little salt into one pound of flour, and
mix with the oatmeal. Roll out any thickness required, and bake in
a moderate oven.
Oatmeal Pudding.—Soak four ounces of brown bread and two
ounces of meal, in one pint of boiling milk; when cold stir in two
eggs well beaten, and a little nutmeg and sugar; pour into a buttered
basin, and steam or boil one hour.
Flummery, or Sowins.—To three spoonfuls of meal, add one pint
of water, let it stand in a warm place until it is sourish. Boil it the
same as for porridge, and eat with salt only. This gruel is excellent
for hot seasons and climates; taken for breakfast, it assists digestion,
and prevents constipation, cools the body, and creates an active and
cheerful disposition.
Poultry and Game.—Capons, chickens, ducklings, fowl (wild),
green geese, hares, partridges, pheasants, pigeons, tame and wild,
pullets with egg, rabbits (tame), snipes, turkeys, turkey-poults, woodcocks.
Forced Vegetables.—Asparagus, cucumbers, and Jerusalem
artichokes.
Fruit.—Apples—French pippin, golden pippin, golden russet,
Holland pippin, Kentish pippin, nonpareil, Wheeler’s russet, winter
pearmain; chestnuts, oranges. Pears.—Bergamot, d’Pasque, winter
Bon Chrétien, winter russelet.
Observations on Soups.—Soups, in general, are better if made the
day before they are wanted; because they have the advantage of being
longer boiled. They should always be made from the freshest meat—if
practicable—and should not be put away for any length of time if there
are many vegetables in them, as they will speedily ferment, or turn sour.
When fat remains on soup, mix a tea-cupful of flour and water, quite
intimately, and boil in it: if deficient in richness, boil a pound of butter
mixed with flour in it; if too weak, remove the cover whilst boiling.
In general, a pound of meat is required for every quart of water. Clear
soups must be perfectly transparent; thickened soups about the
consistence of cream.
Beef Stock.—Take five pounds of coarse lean beef, cut into small
pieces, put into a pot or a digester, with sufficient water to cover it.
As it simmers, be careful to skim well; add a faggot of herbs, and
season with salt and ground pepper. When the meat is tender, the pot
may be removed, the stock skimmed well, the liquor strained through a
fine hair sieve, and put aside in a covered pan for use.
Veal Stock.—Take five or six pounds of the neck, leg, &c. of veal, and
add half to three-quarters of a pound of ham. Cut the meat into small
pieces, break the bones, and put the whole with a faggot of herbs into
rather more than a quart of water. Let all simmer until the meat is
nearly tender; then add as much of the beef stock as will cover the
veal, which must afterwards be kept simmering half an hour longer.
Skim it free from fat, strain through a sieve, and keep the same as beef
stock.
Browning for Soups.—1. Take two ounces of coarse brown sugar,
and pour upon it some thyme water; place it on the fire till it becomes
burnt.—2. Take two ounces of powdered lump sugar, and half an ounce
of fresh butter; put them together in a frying-pan, and keep on the fire
till the mixture becomes a chocolate brown, then add three table-spoonfuls
of port wine, and two wine-glassfuls of elder wine, six shalots,
half a drachm of mace, a drachm of allspice, a drachm of black pepper,
half an ounce of salt, two ounces of ketchup, and an ounce of fresh lemon-juice.
Boil all together, let the liquor stand to settle, pour off the clear
liquor, bottle, and cork tight.—3. Take some sugar, white or brown,
place it in an iron spoon, heat until liquid, and then drop into half a pint
of water; repeat until sufficiently brown.
Pigeon Soup.—Take eight good pigeons, cut up two of the worst,
and put them on with as much water as will make a large tureen of soup,
adding the pinions, necks, gizzards, and livers of the others; boil well,
and strain. Season the whole pigeons within, with mixed spices, and
salt, and truss them with their legs into their belly. Take a large
handful of parsley, young onions, and spinach, pick and wash them clean
and shred small; then take a handful of grated bread, put a lump of
butter about the size of a hen’s egg in a frying-pan, and when it boils
throw in the bread, stirring well until it becomes a fine brown colour.
Put on the stock to boil, add the whole pigeons, herbs, and fried bread,
and when the pigeons are done enough, dish up with the soup.
Soup à la Sap.—Boil a pound of beef cut in pieces an inch square,
a pint of gray peas, half a pound of scraped potatoes, an onion, and
three ounces of rice, in six pints of water until reduced to five. Strain
through a sieve, pulp the peas into it, and return to the saucepan with a
head of celery cut small, and a carrot. Stew well, season with pepper
and salt. Put toasted bread into the tureen, pour the soup on, and
serve hot.
Beef Broth.—Take a leg of beef, crack the bone in two or three
parts, wash clean, put it into a gallon of water, let it simmer; skim well,
add three blades of mace, a bundle of parsley, and a crust of bread.
Boil well, and serve hot with toasted bread.
Carrot Soup.—Slice up eight or nine large carrots, and stew them
in three quarts of common soup, until quite tender; then rub through a
sieve, mix well, season with salt and pepper, and add sufficient browning
to make it look well. It should be made the day before it is used.
Carp, to Stew.—Clean and cut them in two; place in a stewpan,
with some broken bread crusts, pepper, salt, and mace, a small onion
shred fine, and a few chopped capers. Then add a gill of white wine,
the same of red wine, and water enough to cover them; cover the pan
close, and let them stew until the liquor is thick, then serve with lemon
and horse-radish for garnish.
Oysters Stewed.—Take a pint of oysters, gently simmer them in
their own strained liquor. Beard them, and add a quarter of a pint
of cream; season with pounded mace, cayenne, and salt; add two
ounces of butter and a dessert-spoonful of flour, then simmer for a
short time. Lay the oysters in the dish upon a piece of toast, and
pour the sauce over. The cream may be omitted, if thought proper.
Prawns, to Curry, Malay Fashion.—Procure sufficient prawns
to weigh when picked about a pound. Mince an onion or two very
small, put the prawns and onion in a stewpan with a little salt, and a
stick of cinnamon; add a pint of cold water, veal or mutton broth,
and stew it for half an hour, then add a table-spoonful of curry powder,
and let it stew ten minutes longer. Take the stewpan off the fire,
strain the sauce through a sieve, wipe the stewpan dry, add the prawns
and sauce together, and let them simmer ten minutes longer. Scrape
some cocoa-nut into a basin with a gill and a half of warm water,
press it well with the back of a spoon, strain through a sieve, and mix
a table-spoonful of flour well in the milk, and five minutes before you
serve the curry, add the milk to it, shake the pan once or twice, squeeze
half a lemon in, and serve it up hot; rice separate. Shrimps or any
other fish may be curried in the same manner.
Ducks, to Roast.—After plucking and singeing carefully, let them
be well washed and dried. Make a seasoning of onion, sage, pepper, and
salt. Fasten it tight at the neck and rump. Paper the breast-bone,
baste well, and when the breast is rising take off the paper, and serve
before the breast falls, with plenty of good gravy. Be sure to have
apple-sauce ready.
Wild Ducks are to be dressed in the same manner.
Goose, to Roast.—Prepare it the same as the ducks, and when
done, cut off the apron, and pour a glass of port wine and two tea-spoonfuls
of mustard among the seasoning. Apple-sauce must be ready,
and plenty of good gravy, in separate tureens.
Hare Pie.—Cut up a hare and season it; bake it with eggs and
sausage meat, as usual; or in a raised crust, and when cold, cover
with savoury jelly.
Rabbit, Fricassee of.—Wash and cut a young rabbit into joints,
put them in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of streaky bacon
cut small, an onion stuck with cloves, a faggot of herbs, a blade of
mace, and some salt; cover the whole with water, and let it simmer
twenty minutes, keeping it well skimmed; pass the liquor through a
sieve. Into another stewpan put two ounces of butter, a table-spoonful
of flour, and a little of the liquor; set on the fire; stir well until it boils;
add the rabbit and bacon, with a dozen and a half of small onions; let
the whole simmer until the onions are done; skim well; then pour in a
wine-glassful of white wine, mixed with the yolks of two eggs, and a
little grated nutmeg; leave it to thicken, remove the rabbit, pile it on
sippets, sauce over, garnish with sliced lemon, and serve hot.
Curried Beef, Madras Way.—Take about two ounces of butter,
and place it in a saucepan, with two small onions cut up into slices,
and let them fry until they are of a light brown; then add a table-spoonful
and a half of curry powder, and mix it up well. Now put in
the beef cut into pieces about an inch square; pour in from a quarter
to a third of a pint of milk, and let it simmer for thirty minutes; then
take it off, and place in a dish, with a little lemon-juice. Whilst
cooking stir constantly, to prevent it burning. Send to table with
a wall of mashed potatoes, or boiled rice round it. It greatly improves
any curry to add with the milk a quarter of a cocoa-nut, scraped
very small, and squeezed through muslin with a little water; this
softens the taste of the curry, and, indeed, no curry should be made
without it.
Bath Buns.—Take a pound of flour, the rinds of three lemons
grated fine, half a pound of butter melted in a coffee cup of cream, a
tea-spoonful of yeast, and three eggs. Mix; add half a pound of finely
powdered white sugar; work well, let it stand to rise well, and it
will make thirty-nine buns.
Tea Cakes.—Take a pound of flour, half a pound of butter, and the
same of sugar; the peel of a lemon finely grated, a little of the juice,
an egg, a little brandy to flavour, and a tea-spoonful of bruised coriander
seed. Roll it out thin, make into cakes, and bake them in a quick
oven.
Short-Bread.—Rub one pound of butter, and twelve ounces of
finely powdered loaf sugar, into two pounds of flour, with the hand;
make it into a stiff paste with four eggs, roll out to double the thickness
of a penny-piece, cut it into round or square cakes, pinch the edges,
stick slices of candied peel and some carraway comfits on the top,
and bake them on iron plates in a warm oven.
French Pastry.—Take half a pound of flour, half a pound of butter;
put the flour on the board, and the butter in it, just as it is; roll
it out once; then roll the butter up, and put it on one side. Mix the
flour to about the stiffness of the butter, with a little milk, then let
it stand for an hour in a cool place before you roll it out; and before
using it roll it out five times.
Gingerbread.—Take one pound of flour, half a pound of butter,
sugar, and treacle, an ounce of powdered ginger, and a tea-spoonful
of beaten cloves. Mix well, and bake in a slow oven.
To Make a Simnel.—One pound of flour, quarter of a pound of
butter, quarter of a pound of lump sugar, one pound of currants, two
ounces of candied lemon, a quarter of an ounce of carbonate of soda
mixed with an egg, and a little milk; to be put in a tin mould, and
baked till enough. [Very good.]—L. B.
Ginger Cakes.—To two pounds of flour add three-quarters of a
pound of good moist sugar, one ounce of best Jamaica ginger well
mixed in the flour; have ready three-quarters of a pound of lard, melted,
and four eggs well beaten; mix the lard and eggs together, and stir
into the flour, which will form a paste; roll out in thin cakes, and
bake in a moderately heated oven.—Lemon biscuits may be made the
same way, substituting essence of lemon for ginger. This is an
excellent receipt.
Damson or other Plum Cheese.—Take damsons that have been
preserved without sugar; pass them through a sieve, to take out the
skins and stones. To every pound of pulp of the fruit, put half a pound
of loaf sugar, broken small; boil them together until quite stiff; pour
it into four common-sized dinner-plates, rubbed with a little sweet
oil; put into a warm place to dry, and when quite firm, take it from
the plate, and cut to any chosen shape.—Used in desserts.
Forced Vegetables.—Asparagus, beans, cucumbers, and rhubarb.
Fruit.—Apples—French pippins, golden russet, Holland pippin,
John apple, Kentish pippin, nonpareil, Norfolk beaufin, Wheeler’s
russet. Chestnuts; oranges. Pears—Bergamot, Bugi, Charmontelle,
St. Martial, winter Bon Chrétien. Strawberries (forced).
Eel Soup.—Take two pounds of eels, a crust of bread, six blades
of mace, two onions, a few whole peppercorns, a faggot of herbs, and
two quarts of water; boil till half the liquor is wasted, strain, and
serve with toasted bread.
Giblet Soup.—Take three sets of giblets, stew them with two
pounds of gravy beef, a faggot of herbs, two onions, and pepper and
salt to season; add six pints of water, and let it simmer till the gizzards
(which must be divided) are perfectly tender. Skim it clean, add mushroom
ketchup to flavour, and three-quarters of an ounce of butter
rolled in flour; let it boil ten minutes, strain, and serve with the giblets.
Veal Broth.—Stew a knuckle of veal in a gallon of water, add salt,
two blades of mace, and three ounces of rice, and let it stew till reduced
to two quarts. Serve with toasted bread.
Crab, Minced.—Remove the meat, mince small and place in a
saucepan with a wine-glassful of white wine, pepper and salt, nutmeg,
cayenne pepper, and two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Let it stew for
ten minutes; melt a piece of butter the size of a hen’s egg, with an
anchovy and the yolks of two eggs; beat up and mix well, stir in with
the crab, and add sufficient stale bread crumbs to thicken. Garnish
with thin toast cut with a pastry leaf-cutter, or with the claws, and
parsley. Lobster may be dressed in the same manner.
Lobster Cutlets.—Choose a large lobster and two small ones,
reserve a piece of the coral, pick and pound the remainder with a little
fresh butter, a little salt, red and white pepper, a blade or two of mace,
a little nutmeg, and a dessert-spoonful of anchovy sauce: when well
pounded, add the yolks of two eggs and the white of one; lay the
mixture on a paste-board, roll it out with a little flour until an inch
thick, cut into small squares, do them over with egg, dip in bread
crumbs, and fry a light brown in lard. Mix the coral remaining with a
little melted butter and anchovy sauce, pour it into the middle of the
dish with the cutlets arranged round, cut the horns of the lobster into
pieces an inch and a half long, place them between each cutlet and
serve hot. A very pretty way to dress them is to form into the shape
of lamb cutlets, placing a piece of the horn in the centre of the extremity
to resemble the bone.
Oysters, to Fry.—Take a quarter of a hundred of large oysters;
beat the yolks of two eggs, a blade of mace pounded, a little nutmeg,
a table-spoonful of flour, and a little salt, mix well; dip the oysters in
the mixture, and fry a light brown in lard.
Pike, to Stew.—Take stale bread crumbs, finely chopped sweet
herbs and parsley, a little lemon-peel, three ounces of butter, mixed
up with the yolks of two eggs, and seasoned with nutmeg, cayenne,
common pepper, and salt, and form into a pudding to stuff the fish
with. A few pickled or fresh oysters chopped fine and mixed with it
improve the flavour considerably. Clean and wash the fish, stuff
with the pudding, fix the tail in the mouth, and stew gently in the
same manner as for carp (p. 268), and garnish with sliced lemon.
Salmon, to Broil.—Cut the fish in slices an inch thick, season
with cayenne and common pepper, a little nutmeg and salt, roll well
in buttered white paper, and broil over a slow fire; serve in the paper
with plain melted butter, anchovy, lobster, or shrimp sauce.
Soles, to Boil.—Skin them, wash well and boil in common spring
water, with a little salt, and three table-spoonfuls of vinegar, taking
care to remove the scum as it rises. Serve with lobster, shrimp, or
anchovy sauce, or strew scraped horse-radish over them.
Fowls, to Roast.—Singe, dust with flour, put down before a good
fire, and baste well. Make a gravy of the necks and gizzards, and
when strained add a tea-spoonful of browning (page 254). Take up
the fowls, pour the gravy into a dish, frost them and send to table hot.
Pigeons Compote.—Truss six pigeons as if for boiling; grate the
crumb of a penny loaf; scrape a pound of fat bacon; chop parsley,
thyme, an onion or two shalots, and some lemon-peel, fine; grate some
nutmeg, season with pepper and salt, and mix up with two eggs. Put
this forcemeat into the craws of the pigeons, lard the breasts, and fry
them brown. Place in a stewpan with some beef stock (page 253), stew
three-quarters of an hour, thicken with a piece of butter rolled in flour,
and dish up with forcemeat balls round the dish; strain the gravy over
the pigeons and serve hot.
Snipes, to Roast.—Do not draw them; spit on a small bird-spit,
flour, and baste them well with butter; have ready a slice of toasted
bread, which lay in a dish and set under the birds while cooking.
When done, take them up, place on the toast, put some good gravy in
the dish, and garnish with lemon.
Snipe Ragout.—Slit the birds down the back, but do not remove
the insides; toss them up with a little melted bacon fat, season with
pepper and salt, and a little mushroom ketchup. When done, add
some lemon-juice and serve up. Garnish with toast and lemon sliced.
Beef Collops.—Cut the fillet from the under part of a rump of
beef into thin slices, and fry until three parts done; add slices of pickled
cucumbers, a few oysters, two table-spoonfuls of mushroom ketchup,
and stew till tender in beef stock, then serve.
Bologna Sausages.—Take equal quantities of bacon, fat and lean,
beef, veal, pork, and beef suet; chop them small, season with pepper,
salt, &c., sweet herbs, and sage rubbed fine. Have a well-washed
intestine, fill, and prick it; boil gently for an hour, and lay on straw
to dry. They may be smoked the same as hams.
Fricadel (a Dutch dish).—Take two and a half pounds of veal, and
a quarter of a pound of suet, chop both fine, as if for sausage meat;
three eggs beaten well, half a nutmeg, and pepper and salt to taste.
Soak a slice of bread in boiling milk, and mix the whole well together
with a little flour. Bake for two hours and a half in a moderate oven,
or until it is a pale brown, but it should not have a hard crust on the top.
Hams, Tongues, etc., Glazing for.—Boil a shin of beef twelve
hours in eight or ten quarts of water; draw the gravy from a knuckle
of veal in the same manner; put the same herbs and spices as if for
soup, and add the whole to the shin of beef. It must be boiled till
reduced to a quart. It will keep good for a year; and when wanted
for use, warm a little, and spread over the ham, tongue, &c., with a
feather.
Liver, To Roast.—Take a calf’s or lamb’s liver, lard it, and fasten
on a spit; baste with butter. Make some melted butter, add a table-spoonful
of mushroom or walnut ketchup, and a little vinegar, and
serve hot over the liver. Garnish with curled bacon.
Oxford Hash.—Cut thin slices of cold mutton, fat and lean, in pieces
about the size of a penny; flour well. Boil an onion in a little water,
add a tea-cupful of beef stock or gravy, season with pepper, salt, and
mace; make it hot, but do not let it boil, then add four or five table-spoonfuls
of piccalilli, and a little red wine, and serve hot with toasted
bread.
Strasburg Potted Meat.—Take a pound and a half of the rump
of beef, cut into dice, and put it in an earthen jar, with a quarter of a
pound of butter at the bottom, tie the jar close up with paper, and
set over a pot to boil; when nearly done, add cloves, mace, allspice,
nutmeg, salt, and cayenne pepper to taste; then boil till tender, and
let it get cold. Pound the meat, with four anchovies washed and boned,
add a quarter of a pound of oiled butter, work it well together with
the gravy, warm a little, and add cochineal to colour. Then press into
small pots, and pour melted mutton suet over the top of each.
Veal Olives.—Take a dozen veal collops cut thin, and longer than
broad, egg them, and cover with forcemeat; roll up tight and bake.
Make a ragout of oysters and sweetbreads cut in dice, with mushroom
ketchup to flavour. Lay the olives in the dish, pour the ragout over,
and serve hot with forcemeat balls round.
Observations on the Dressing of Vegetables.—The great art
in boiling greens is to preserve their green colour and sweetness. This
can only be done by obtaining those that are quite fresh, picking and
washing them carefully in salt and water, to free them from insects,
and boiling them in a considerable quantity of water, in a tin or copper
pan, by themselves. When they are dressed with meat, or in an iron
pot, the colour is generally spoiled, except carrots, which should be
boiled with the meat.
All vegetables should be drained as soon as they are boiled enough,
otherwise, from neglect of that precaution, and over-boiling, they lose
their crispness.
If the water is hard in which they are to be dressed, add a tea-spoonful
of potash; and any scum which may arise during the process
should be carefully removed, and the lid of the saucepan taken off when
they boil, observing that when they sink to the bottom, they are done
enough.
Celery, with Cream.—Take the white part of celery, wash clean,
cut three inches long, boil it tender, and strain it off; then beat up the
yolks of four eggs, strain them into half a pint of cream, add a little
salt and nutmeg. Put all into a tossing-pan, set it over a stove until
it boils, and is of a proper thickness, then send to table with toasted
bread underneath.
Parsnips, to Boil.—1. When they are soft, take them up, scrape
the dust off carefully; then scrape them all fine, lay in a saucepan, with
milk, and let them simmer till thick; then add a piece of butter, and
salt, and serve. 2. When boiled and scraped, serve whole in a dish,
with melted butter in a sauce tureen.
Potato Fritters.—Boil and beat half a dozen potatoes, mix with
four beaten eggs, about a gill of cream, some salt and nutmeg, a little
sugar, some fresh butter oiled, and a table-spoonful of spirit; beat well
together, drop in the boiling dripping, fry a light brown, dish hot, and
strew sugar over them.
Vegetable Pudding.—Take six ounces each of raw scraped carrot,
finely mashed potatoes, currants, flour, and beef suet; mix well without
any liquid if for boiling, but add an egg and a little milk if for baking.
Shrewsbury Cakes.—Take half a pound of flour, a quarter of a
pound of sugar, the same of butter, and enough of an egg well beaten
to wet it; grate in some nutmeg, mix well, roll thin, cut with a pastry-cutter
or a wine-glass, and bake on buttered paper.
Norfolk Biscuits.—Take three-quarters of a pound of butter, three
pounds and a half of flour, and a quarter of a pint of yeast. Melt the
butter with water, knead well till stiff, and bake on buttered paper for
twenty minutes. An ounce for each biscuit.
Ramakins.—Scrape a quarter of a pound of Cheshire and the same
of Gloucester cheese, add a quarter of a pound of butter, then beat all
in a mortar with the yolks of four eggs and the inside of a small French
roll boiled in cream or milk.
Poultry and Game.—Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese,
leverets, pigeons, pullets, rabbits, turkey-poults, wood-pigeons.
Vegetables.—Asparagus, beans, brocoli, chervil, coleworts, cucumbers,
endive, fennel, herbs of all sorts, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips,
peas, purslane, radishes, sea-kale, sorrel, spinach, small salad, tarragon,
turnip-radishes, turnip-tops, and rhubarb.
Fruit.—Apples—Golden russet, John apple, nonpareil, Wheeler’s
russet; nuts; oranges. Pears—Bergamot, Bon Chrétien, Bugi;
Carmelite, francreal, St. Martial. A few strawberries; walnuts. Forced—Apricots,
cherries, and strawberries.
Italian Paste.—Put on a quart of stock (p. 253), and when it boils
add two ounces of Italian paste in small stars, rings, &c.; boil for
twenty minutes, or rather longer, and serve hot.
Oyster Sauce.—Open the oysters carefully, so as to preserve their
liquor; beard and remove the tough parts, which stew in the liquor,
adding sufficient water or veal broth to make the proper quantity of
sauce, and allow for evaporation of about one-half; when done, strain
it off, and put it in a saucepan with the oysters, a tea-spoonful of
anchovy sauce, and a good-sized piece of butter rolled in flour; keep
turning it round to prevent the butter from curdling.
Rice.—Wash two ounces of the best Patna rice, strain off the water,
put the rice with a quart of stock into a stewpan, simmer for half an
hour, or until the rice is tender, and serve.
Spanish Pea.—Lay a quart of Spanish peas in water all night; then
add them to a gallon of water, with a clove of garlic, a quart of fine
sweet oil, and pepper and salt to season; cover the pan close, boil until
the peas are soft, and then beat in the yolk of an egg mixed with vinegar
to taste; poach some eggs, lay them on the dish with sippets, pour
the soup on, and serve hot.
Vermicelli.—Put on a quart of veal stock (p. 253), and when it boils
add two ounces of vermicelli; simmer gently for half an hour, stirring
frequently.
Eel Pie.—Clean a pound or more of eels, cut them in lengths of
two and three inches, season with pepper and salt, and put them in a
dish with some lumps of butter, and a wine-glassful of water; cover
with a light paste, and bake. Some add a couple of bay-leaves and
a faggot of herbs, with a few cloves and an onion, and veal stock thickened
with flour, instead of water. Cream added after the pie is done,
instead of butter before, also improves it vastly.
Eels, Spitchcock.—Take two large eels, split and clean well, but
leave the skin on; cut in pieces three inches long, wipe them very
dry, egg over both sides, and dip in a mixture of chopped parsley,
pepper, salt, sage, and mace. Broil a light brown, and serve with
anchovy and butter sauce.
Prawn Jelly.—Put some savoury fish-jelly into the bottom of a
deep mould; when cold, lay pickled prawns on it, and all round the
sides; pour in a little more jelly, and when cold, put on a second layer,
repeating until the mould is filled. Turn the jelly out when cold, and
it will look beautiful, especially for a supper. Garnish with parsley.
Savoury Fish-jelly.—Put four pounds of skate into three quarts
of water, with a calf’s foot, or cow heel, a stick of horse-radish cut fine,
an onion, three blades of mace, some white pepper, a piece of lemon-peel,
and a slice of lean bacon. Stew it to a jelly, and strain. When
cold, remove every particle of fat, take it up from the sediment, and
boil with a wine-glassful of white wine, the whites of four or five eggs,
and a slice of lemon. Boil without stirring; after a short time set
aside for half an hour, strain through a jelly-bag, and use as required.
Salmon, Collared.—Split enough of the fish to make a handsome
roll, wash, and wipe it well; rub the inside and outside well with
powdered white pepper, mace, salt, and Jamaica pepper, carefully
mixed; roll it tight, and bind it up; put as much water, and one-third
of vinegar, as will cover it, add salt, long pepper, allspice, and two
bay-leaves; cover it close, and simmer till done enough. Drain and
boil the liquid quickly, and pour it over the fish when cold; serve
with fennel.
Skate, to Boil.—The fish having been previously skinned, the
flesh cut into slips about an inch wide, and then immersed in salt
and water for four or five hours, the pieces should be rolled, tied
with a piece of string, and boiled for about twenty minutes. The
thinner parts not requiring so long should not be put in until a short
time after the water boils. Anchovy, and butter sauce, or crab sauce,
should be served with it.
Tench, to Fry.—Open them by the belly, cut off the fins close;
scale well, dry in flour, and fry a light brown. Serve with parsley
and butter, or any fish-sauce and butter.
Ducklings, to Roast.—Proceed the same as for ducks (p. 255), they
must not, however, be too much done, otherwise the flesh will have
a rank taste; twenty minutes is generally sufficient. Serve hot, with
a good gravy and mustard.
Green Goose, to Roast.—Put a lump of butter the size of an
orange into the goose, spit, and lay it down to roast; singe, dredge
with flour, and baste well with butter, and when done enough dredge
again, and baste till a fine froth rises on it, and it becomes a nice
brown. Gooseberry sauce is the correct one; but apple, with a little
ginger and sorrel juice, answers very well.
Beef Sanders.—Mince cold beef small with onion; add pepper,
salt, and a little gravy; put it into a pie-dish, or scallop shells, until
about three parts full, then fill up with mashed potatoes, baked in an
oven or before the fire until done a light brown. Mutton may be
cooked the same way.
Beef Marrow-bones.—Cover the ends with a piece of flour-and-water
paste, and boil. Serve the bones hot in dry toast.
Calf’s Head Fricasseed.—Clean and half-boil part of a head; cut
the meat into small bits, put into a stewpan, with a little gravy
made of the bones, some of the water it was boiled in, a faggot of sweet
herbs, an onion, and a blade of mace. Take a sweetbread, boil tender,
and cut small; season with pepper, nutmeg, and salt, rub down some
flour and butter, and boil all together with the head. Remove the
herbs and onion; just before dishing stir in two or three table-spoonfuls
of cream, and serve hot, garnishing with forcemeat balls and
rolled bacon.
Mutton Steaks, à la Maintenon.—Half-fry, then strew stale
bread crumbs, sweet herbs, and pepper and salt over them; fold while
hot in buttered papers, and finish on a gridiron.
Veal Cake.—Boil six eggs hard, cut in halves, and lay some of
the pieces at the bottom of an earthen pot, then shake in chopped
parsley, some slices of veal and ham about two inches square, and
then eggs again, repeating the parsley and seasoning after each layer
until the pot is full. Pour in sufficient water to cover it, lay about
an ounce of butter on the top, tie it over with thick paper doubled,
and bake about an hour. Then press close together with a spoon,
and let it stand till cold. If put into a mould instead of the pot, it
forms a handsome supper-dish.
Asparagus, to Boil.—Scrape the stalks carefully till they look
white, cut the ends even, tie them in separate bundles, and lay in
boiling water, with a little salt; boil briskly, and when they are tender,
take them up, for if boiled too much they lose both flavour and colour.
Dip a round of toasted bread in the liquor the asparagus was boiled
in, and lay it on the dish. Then pour melted butter over the toast,
and lay the asparagus round the dish, the tops inward. Serve with
melted butter in a sauce tureen.
Peas, to Boil.—Shell, but do not wash them, boil in plenty of
water, and skim well as soon as they boil. Put in some salt and
mint tops, and do not overboil them, or they will be tasteless and
of a bad colour. When done, put in a dish with a lump or two of cold
butter, and serve hot.
Sea-Kale.—Boil till very white, and serve on toast like asparagus.
Spinach, to Boil.—Carefully pick, wash, and put into a saucepan
that will just hold it; sprinkle with salt, and cover close. Set
the pan on the fire, and shake frequently; when done, beat it well
with a bit of butter, squeeze quite dry between two plates, or press
into a mould, and serve with plain melted butter in a tureen.
Spinach, to Stew.—Squeeze quite dry, put into a stewpan without
water, with a spoonful of gravy, a lump of butter, salt, and pepper,
and simmer till ready. If a table-spoonful of cream is added, the
flavour is greatly improved.
Apple Fool.—Stew a dozen apples in a stone jar on a stove, or
a saucepan of water over the fire, adding in the former case two
table-spoonfuls of water to the fruit. When soft, peel, and pulp through
a cullender; boil some new milk, add a well-beaten egg, and let it
cool, then mix gradually with the pulp, and sweeten with fine moist
sugar.
Devonshire Junket.—To one quart of new milk, made lukewarm,
add a table-spoonful or more of sugar, a wine-glassful of French brandy,
four drops of essence of bitter almonds or lemon-peel, a little nutmeg,
and four tea-spoonfuls of essence of rennet. Mix well, put into a
glass dish, lay aside until set, and cover the surface with clotted
cream.
Hampshire Cheese Snaps.—Take a new loaf, steaming hot, pull
in halves, dig out pieces about the size of a walnut with a fork, put
them on a dish, and set in a quick oven to brown lightly. Stale bread
can be used, but does not answer so well. This forms a pretty supper-dish,
when heaped in a cake basket, and can be eaten with wine.
Marrow Pudding.—Grate a penny loaf into crumbs, pour on it
a pint of boiling cream. Cut very thin a pound of beef marrow,
beat four eggs well, add a wine-glassful of brandy, with sugar and
nutmeg to taste. Mix all well together, and either boil or bake it
for three-quarters of an hour. Cut two ounces of candied citron very
thin, and when served up, stick the pieces all over it.
If baked, place a puff-paste round the edge of a shallow dish, and
pour the pudding in.
Somersetshire Firmity.—Boil a quart of fine wheat, and add by
degrees two quarts of new milk. Carefully pick and wash four ounces
of currants, stir them in the jelly, and boil till done. Beat the yolks
of three eggs and a little nutmeg, with three table-spoonfuls of milk,
add to the wheat, and stir well while over the fire. Sweeten and serve
in a deep dish, either warm or cold.
Staffordshire Syllabub.—Put a pint of cider into a bowl, with
a wine-glassful of brandy, some sugar and nutmeg. Pour a quart of
new warm milk into it from a jug held up high, and moved in a circular
direction. Grate nutmeg on the top, or strew with nonpareil
comfits.
Lobster Salad.—Take three yolks of hard eggs, two yolks of raw
eggs, two tea-spoonfuls of mustard, a little salt and cayenne pepper,
four table-spoonfuls of salad oil, one and a half table-spoonful of tarragon
vinegar, and one of essence of anchovies; mix well, and add
three table-spoonfuls of cream. Cut two large lobsters up small,
and mix with finely cut salad, cucumber, hot pickles, and beet-root.
Pour the mixture given above over the salad, put in a dish, not a bowl,
and garnish with hard boiled eggs cut in thin slices.
Maccaroni.—Put as much of the pipe to soak in cold water as you
think proper; then boil it in milk and water till quite tender, with
a small onion; when done, strain off the milk, and add a piece of butter
the size of a walnut, a little cream, and some nutmeg; some persons,
however, prefer cayenne and a little salt to the nutmeg. Mix well
together, and put it into a dish, then cover with grated cheese—Parmesan
or Cheshire; put it in the oven or before the fire to be
lightly browned, and serve hot with mustard.
Mock Brawns.—Put four feet, two ears, and two chaps of a pig
into two quarts of water, and let it boil for several hours, till the bones
can be picked from the meat, then pour it into a basin, skim off the
fat, and take away all the bones; put it again into a saucepan with
a little chopped parsley and sweet herbs dried and rubbed small,
cayenne pepper, salt, and pounded mace, and let it boil for ten
minutes; dip a mould into cold water, pour in the mixture, let it
get cool, turn out, and garnish with parsley and barberries, or slices
of lemon.
Potted Fish.
Get herrings enough to fill up your dish,
And into the stomach of each little fish
A peppercorn put; this will give it a flavour,
Which, in epicure’s taste, is sure to find favour.
Asparagus.—Cut half a pound of fat bacon into thin slices, place
at the bottom of a stewpan, then add five pounds of lean beef cut
into dice, and rolled in flour; cover the pan close, stirring occasionally
until the gravy is drawn, then add two quarts of water, and
half a pint of ale. Cover, stew gently for an hour, with some whole
pepper and salt. Strain off the liquor, and skim off the fat. Add
some spinach, cabbage-lettuce, white beet leaves, sorrel, a little mint,
and powdered sweet marjoram; let these boil up in the liquor, then
put in the green tops of asparagus cut small, boil till all is tender,
and serve hot.
Green Pea.—Cut a knuckle of veal, and a pound of lean ham into
thin slices; lay the ham at the bottom of a stewpan; then the veal;
cut six small onions into slices, and put in two turnips, two carrots,
a head of celery cut small, a faggot of sweet herbs, four cloves, and
four blades of mace. Put a little water at the bottom, cover the pot
close, stirring occasionally till the gravy is drawn; then add six quarts
of boiling water, stew gently for four hours, and skim well. Take two
quarts of green peas, stew in some of the broth till tender, strain,
put in a marble mortar, and beat well, or mash with the spoon against
the sides of the stewpan. Rub the peas through a hair sieve, or
tamis, till thoroughly pulped, then put the soup into a clean pot,
with a tea-cupful of spinach juice, and boil for fifteen minutes; season
with pepper, salt, and a table-spoonful of brown sugar. If the soup
is not thick enough, boil the crumb of a French roll in a little of
the soup, and rub through the tamis; then put in the soup and
boil. Serve hot in the tureen, with dice of bread toasted very hard.
(The celery must be omitted, until July, using a table-spoonful of the
seeds instead.)
Italian Turnip.—Cut turnips in different shapes, colour them
with butter in a stewpan, and two table-spoonfuls of sweet oil; add
slices of chervil, and sea-kale; mix two table-spoonfuls of flour with
two quarts of the savoury fish-jelly, (p. 263), and the vegetables, then
boil, and serve hot, with dice of bread fried in butter, and dried on
a cloth.
Crabs, Dressed.—Choose a good heavy crab, boil for about half
an hour in salt and water, remove the pot, let the crab get cold;
take off the great shell without breaking it, extract the fish from
the body and claws, and mince it well. Put some floured butter in
a stewpan with six or eight small mushrooms, parsley, and green
asparagus tops shred fine, fry a little, and put in the minced fish
with half a wine-glass of white wine and pepper, salt and sweet herbs
to season; stew gently for fifteen minutes, thicken with flour, and
flavour with lemon-juice. Fill the shell with this mixture, having
previously removed the herbs, set in a baking-pan, or dish, strew
stale bread crumbs over the top, set in an oven to brown, and then
serve hot. Garnish with lemon, and parsley.
John Dory Cutlets, to Fry.—Cut the flesh off from the bones
in cutlets about three inches broad, egg and dip in bread crumbs,
then fry a light brown in plenty of dripping, or lard. Garnish with
fried parsley, and serve with anchovy butter sauce.
Trout, Boiled.—Clean, scale well, and boil whole in cold water,
allowing it to boil gradually; vinegar and horse-radish put in the
water improve the flavour. When done, carefully drain off the water
so as not to break the skin, and serve with lobster, shrimp, or anchovy
butter sauce.
Carp, to Stew.—Clean well, and cut off the fins; then flour, and
fry over a brisk fire until about three parts dressed; remove, and
place in a stewpan, with equal parts of beef gravy and water, a table-spoonful
of mushroom ketchup, a slice of lemon, a few pickled
mushrooms, a faggot of sweet herbs, and a glass of red wine; season
with nutmeg, pepper, or cayenne, and mace. Fry a few onions brown
in the fat the fish was fried in, add these, butter and all, to the
fish; cover and stew gently for about an hour. Take out the fish,
pour the gravy over, and garnish with slices of lemon, and fried
bread cut with pastry-cutters. If the fish is suspected to have a
muddy flavour, sew up a piece of bread in its belly.
Whiting, to Boil.—Proceed the same as for haddock.
Whiting, to Fry.—Fix the tail in the mouth by means of a small
skewer, or by winding a piece of string round the head of the fish;
dry well with a cloth, egg, and sprinkle with bread crumbs; then
place it on its belly in the frying-pan, with plenty of lard or dripping,
fry a light brown, and garnish with fried parsley; place on a napkin,
and serve with melted butter.
Fowl, Cold, to Dress.—Take the remains of a cold fowl, remove
the skin, then the bones, leaving the flesh in as large pieces as
possible; dredge with flour, and fry a light brown in butter: toss
it up in a good gravy well seasoned, thicken with butter rolled in
flour, flavour with lemon, and serve hot with sippets.
Pigeon in Savoury Jelly.—Bone a pigeon, remove the head
and feet, stuff with sausage meat, and roast. Take a pound of scrag
of veal, a slice of ham, three cloves, a little nutmeg, a faggot of
sweet herbs, a carrot, two shalots, two bay-leaves, a pint of beef
broth, (p. 254), and an ounce of “Nelson’s Gelatine;” stew gently till
it will jelly, pass through a fine sieve, then through a bag, add lemon-juice,
and pour a little into a mould previously dipped in cold water.
When it is set, lay in the pigeon with the breast down, fill up the
mould with the jelly, and when cold, turn out. Garnish with parsley.
Rabbits, Pulled.—Half-boil the rabbits, with an onion, some
whole pepper, a faggot of sweet herbs, and a piece of lemon-peel;
pull the flesh into flakes, add a little of the liquor to it, a piece
of butter rolled in flour, pepper, salt, nutmeg, chopped parsley, and
the liver boiled and bruised; boil well, stirring occasionally, add a
table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup, and serve hot.
Artichokes, to Fricassee.—Take artichoke bottoms, put into a
mixture of fresh butter and cream, melted, shake over the fire till quite
hot, and dish up.
Cauliflowers, to Boil.—Cut off the green leaves, wash in salt
and water to remove caterpillars, &c., then soak for an hour in cold
water, and boil in milk and water, skimming the pot frequently to
prevent the flower getting dirty. When the stalks are tender, remove
carefully, and put into a cullender to drain. They should be served
very white, and not boiled too much.
Potatoes, New, to Dress.—Wash well, rub off the skin with a
cloth, and dry. Boil until done, then put into a vegetable dish with
a lump of salt butter; stir them up, and send to table.
Salads should be very fresh, carefully washed, picked, and dried
in a clean cloth, cut up separately, well mixed, and put into a bowl
just before using. The salad mixture should be placed at the bottom
of the bowl, and the salad on top, for if mixed, the vegetables lose
that crispness which is so delicious. Slices of beet, eggs, or boiled
potatoes, are placed on top to garnish.
Turnip-tops, to Boil.—Wash well, boil in three waters with salt,
drain in a cullender, and chop up fine with pepper, salt, and butter.
Put in a jelly-mould, turn out, and send hot to table.
Potato Salad.—Take some cold potatoes, and cut into slices a
quarter of an inch thick; cut these into various shapes with tin
pastry-cutters, mix with some flakes of boiled cod, in a basin, and
pour over them a thick salad mixture; let this remain for an hour
or two, then form into a heap, pour over the sauce, and garnish
with slices of beef cut in shapes.
Calf’s Head Cheese.—Boil the head until the bones will come
out, then put the head, tongue, and brains into a mould with spices
and parsley chopped fine, until the mould is quite full, put a plate
and a weight over it, and when cold, turn out. Serve with parsley,
and slices of rolled ham, placed round the dish.
Spiced Beef.—Sprinkle a piece of beef with common salt, and
let it hang a day. Take a pound of bay salt, half a pound of brown
sugar, a quarter of a pound of mace, of cloves, allspice, and saltpetre,
each half an ounce, and an ounce of pepper, pound all together, and
rub well into the beef every day, and turning it as well for four
days. When cooking, boil very slowly.
Apple Jelly—Mould.—Pare, core, and stew six or eight apples
with lemon-peel, sugar, and sufficient water to cover them, add half an
ounce of “Nelson’s Gelatine,” dip a mould in cold water, pour in, and
when cold, turn it out.
Gooseberry Fool.—Scald a quart of berries, and pass them through
a sieve, make the pulp sweet, and let it stand to cool; beat up the
yolks of three eggs, strain them to a quart of milk, set it over a clear
fire, and keep stirring till it boils; remove, stir till cold, and then add
the fruit to it gradually.
Gooseberry Pudding with the Wood in it.—Make a paste of
flour, chopped beef suet, salt, and water; knead, roll it out thin, sheet a
basin with it, and fill with young gooseberries, cover with paste, and
boil. When done, cut a piece out of the top, mix sifted sugar, and a
lump of butter, or some cream with the fruit, and a little grated nutmeg.
The name is derived from the gooseberries tasting a little woody; the
consequence of being too young.
Rhubarb Fool.—Scald a quart or more of rhubarb, nicely peeled,
and cut into pieces an inch long, pulp through a sieve, sweeten, and let
it stand to cool. Put a pint of cream, or new milk, into a stewpan
with a stick of cinnamon, a small piece of lemon-peel, a few cloves,
coriander seeds, and sugar to taste; boil ten minutes. Beat up the
yolks of four eggs, and a little flour, stir into the cream, set over the
fire till it boils, stirring all the time; remove, and let it stand till cold.
Mix the fruit and cream together, and add a little grated nutmeg.
Soda Cake.—Take a pound of flour, of butter and brown sugar, each
a quarter of a pound, half a pound of currants, two ounces of candied
lemon-peel, a tea-spoonful of carbonate of soda, and a pint and a half of
milk. Mix well, and bake for an hour in a mould. It is better when
kept for a few days.
Spanish Fritters.—Cut the crumb of a French roll into square
lengths, half an inch thick; mix nutmeg, powdered cinnamon, sugar,
and an egg, together. Soak the roll in the mixture, and fry a nice
brown. Serve with wine sauce.
Victoria Sandwiches.—Cut sponge-cake into slices a quarter of an
inch thick, spread some apricot jam, or other preserve, on the top of one
slice, cover with another, dress down gently, and cut into large
diamonds; cover with pink icing, and put in an oven to set.
Plain Pudding.—Weigh three-quarters of a pound of any old
scraps of bread, either crust or crumb, cut them small, and pour on
them a pint and a half of boiling water to soak them well. Let it
stand until the water is cool, then press it out, and mash the bread
smooth with the back of a spoon. Add to it a tea-spoonful of powdered
ginger, moist sugar to sweeten, three-quarters of a pound of picked and
cleaned currants. Mix well, and lay in a pan well buttered; flatten it
down with a spoon, lay some pieces of butter on the top, and bake in a
moderate oven. Serve hot.
Cabinet Pudding.—Over six sponge cakes pour sufficient sherry, or
white wine, to soak them thoroughly. Beat up six new-laid eggs with a
quart of new milk, and a little nutmeg, and sweeten with white sugar.
Put the cakes into the custard without beating them together, and
turn the whole into a mould previously buttered; tie a paper over the
top, and steam the pudding for an hour. For Sauce to the Pudding.—Beat
up the yolks of two eggs, two table-spoonfuls of pounded white
sugar, and two wine-glassfuls of white wine; mix well together, simmer
gently, stirring all the time, and serve hot. This, also, makes a
delicious sweet, which may be eaten when cold, like custard.
A Boiled Batter Pudding.—Take two eggs, beat well, two
table-spoonfuls of flour, and enough milk to make a batter. Serve hot,
with wine sauce.
First-watch Stew.—Cut pieces of salt beef and pork into dice, put
them into a stewpan with six whole peppercorns, two blades of mace,
a few cloves, a tea-spoonful of celery seeds, and a faggot of dried sweet
herbs; cover with water, and stew gently for an hour; then add
fragments of carrots, turnips, parsley, or any other vegetables at hand,
with two sliced onions, and some vinegar to flavour; thicken with
flour, or rice, remove the herbs, and pour into the dish with toasted
bread, or freshly baked biscuit broken small, and serve hot. When they
can be procured, a few potatoes improve it very much.
Sea Pie.—Make a thick pudding crust, line a dish with it, or, what
is better, a cake tin; put a layer of sliced onions, then a layer of salt
beef cut in slices, a layer of sliced potatoes, a layer of pork, and
another of onions, strew pepper over all, cover with a crust, and tie
down tightly with a cloth previously dipped in boiling water and
floured. Boil for two hours, and serve hot in a dish.
Poultry and Game.—Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese,
leverets, pigeons, plovers, pullets, rabbits, turkey-poults, wheat-ears,
wood-pigeons.
Vegetables.—Angelica, artichoke, asparagus, beans (French,
kidney, and Windsor), white beet, cabbage, carrots, cauliflowers,
chervil, cucumbers, endive, herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuce, onions,
parsley, peas, potatoes, purslane, radishes, salad of all sorts, spinach,
turnips, vegetable marrow.
For Drying.—Burnet, mint, tarragon, orange-thyme.
For Pickling.—Garlic.
Fruit.—Apples—John apple, stone pippin, golden russet. Apricots.
Cherries—Duke, bigaroon, black-heart. Currants; gooseberries;
melons. Pears—Winter green. Strawberries. Forced—Grapes,
nectarines, peaches, pines.
Julienne is made the same as soup santé, omitting the lettuce and
chervil.
Soup Sante, or Gravy Soup.—Shred carrots and turnips small,
with celery heads about two inches long; wash and steam them
separately in a little water till nearly done; when ready, cut the white
of the celery small, and a small quantity of cabbage, chervil, Cos
lettuces, endive, and leeks; put all to boil till quite tender in three
quarts of beef stock; add, if at hand, asparagus tops, green peas, small
onions, &c.; and, when done, serve hot.
Spinach.—Shred two handfuls of spinach, a turnip, two onions, a
head of celery, two carrots, a little thyme and parsley; put all into a
stewpan, with an ounce of butter, and a pint of veal stock, or the liquor
in which meat has been boiled; stew till tender, pulp through a coarse
sieve, add a quart of fresh water, salt and pepper, and boil all together.
Make some small suet dumplings the size of a walnut, put them into the
tureen, and pour the soup on hot.
À la Musquetaire.—Take a pint of green peas, and a handful of
sorrel, boil in a pint of beef stock, on a slow fire; add a quart of water,
and boil a neck of mutton in it, which, when done, glaze as a fricandeau,
and serve all together.
Lobster Balls.—Take the meat of a lobster, with the coral and
spawn, pound in a mortar, add bread crumbs, about a quarter the
proportion of the lobster, and season with cayenne, white pepper, mace,
and salt. Mix sufficient melted butter with the whole to form into a
mass, make into balls the size of small apples, egg well, dip in bread
crumbs, and fry a pale brown.
Prawns and Shrimps, to Boil.—Let the water be boiling briskly,
with a handful of salt in it, throw in the prawns or shrimps, and, when
they are done enough, they will float to the surface; remove, place in a
cullender to drain, then throw them into a dry towel, and rub a good
quantity of salt among them whilst hot, then wrap them up in the towel,
and keep until quite cold.
Salmon Dressed, to Pot.—Take the remains of a dressed salmon,
remove the bones, mash it upon a board, season with a little allspice,
pepper, and salt; then add some thick melted butter, sufficient to form
into a paste; but do not make it too moist; then press into a pot, and
pour clarified butter over the top. If at hand, the coral and spawn of a
lobster, or a few shrimps or prawns, improve it, both in flavour and
appearance.
Skate, to Fry.—Prepare the fish as directed at p. 263, egg well,
dip in bread crumbs, and fry carefully in plenty of dripping. Garnish
with fried parsley, and serve with crab sauce, anchovy and butter
sauce, soy or ketchup.
Whitebait, to Fry.—Dry thoroughly, dip in egg, flour well, and
dredge with flour all the time they are frying, until they have a
complete coating over them, taking care to keep them moving, or else
they will stick to each other or adhere to the pan. Serve with a lemon
cut in half. Brown bread and butter rolled, and cold punch, should
be partaken of at the same time.
Fowl, Curried Malabar Fashion.—Cut a fowl into small joints,
and wash it well in cold water. Mince an onion or two, put three
ounces of butter in a stewpan, fry the onion a nice brown, then add the
meat, a table-spoonful of flour, the same of curry powder, and simmer
for ten minutes; then add a pint of veal broth or water, and stew for
half an hour, with a stick of cinnamon. Scrape some cocoa-nut into a
basin, with a gill and a half of warm water, press it well with the back
of a spoon, strain through a sieve, and add with two or three bay-leaves
five minutes before serving. Shake the pan once or twice, squeeze half
a lemon in, or add a table-spoonful of vinegar, and serve hot, with the
rice separate, having previously removed the bay-leaves.
Beef, Mutton, or Veal, may be Dressed the same.—If a
cocoa-nut cannot be procured, blanch four ounces of sweet almonds,
pounded to a paste, add a gill of water, and rub through a sieve; this
is to be added to the curry in the same manner as the cocoa-nut liquor.
A gill of cream or milk, will answer very well, or a table-spoonful of
flour, mixed with two ounces of butter, may be substituted when the
others cannot be obtained.
Turkey, Dutch Way.—Boil, season with salt, pepper, and cloves;
add a quarter of a pound of rice or vermicelli to every quart of broth,
and serve hot, garnishing with toasted bread cut with a pastry-cutter.
Beans, French, à la Crême.—String them, cut into slips, and
boil in plenty of water, with salt in it. When done, drain them. Put
into a stewpan with two ounces of fresh butter, the yolks of three eggs,
beaten up in a gill of cream, and set over a slow fire. When hot, add
a table-spoonful of vinegar, and the beans; simmer for five minutes,
stir with a wooden spoon, to prevent burning or curdling, and serve
hot.
Beans, Kidney, to Boil.—String, slit down the middle, and cut
them across; cover with salt and water, let them remain some time,
boil till tender, and then serve with melted butter.
Beans, Windsor, to Boil.—Boil in salt and water till tender, then
serve with parsley and butter.
Chervil, Boiled.—Wash, and pick very clean; put a tea-spoonful
of salt into half a pint of boiling water, boil the chervil about ten
minutes, drain on a sieve, and serve with good melted butter.
Cucumbers to Stew.—Slice an equal quantity of cucumbers and
onions, and fry them together in butter, strain on a sieve, put them
with a gill of gravy, two table-spoonfuls of white wine, and a blade of
mace, into a saucepan. Stew five or six minutes, add a piece of butter
rolled in flour, salt, and cayenne pepper. Shake well together until
thick enough, then dish and serve hot.
Onions, to Roast.—Roast with the skins on; when tender, peel
carefully, and serve with cold butter, and salt.
Turnips, to Boil and Mash.—Boil until tender, drain on a sieve,
and mash well, with butter, pepper, and salt. Observe that there are
not any lumps. Serve hot in a vegetable dish, either plain, or previously
pressed into a pudding-mould.
Vegetable Marrow, to Dress.—1. Peel the same as apples, cut
in halves, and scrape the seeds out of the inside; then boil for about
twenty minutes, with a little salt in the water, and when soft, take
them up, drain on a sieve, and mash up with pepper, salt, and butter
or cream. 2. Peel, cut in halves, remove the seeds, and put into a
stewpan with water, salt, lemon-juice, and a small piece of fat bacon.
Stew gently till quite tender, and serve up with Dutch sauce.
Mutton, Breast of, Grilled.—Par-boil, score, pepper and salt it
well, rub with the yolk of egg, dip in bread crumbs and chopped
parsley, and broil, or roast it in a Dutch oven. Serve with caper sauce.
Sausages, Oxford.—Chop a pound and a half of pork, the same
of veal, deprived of skin and tendons, add three-quarters of a pound
of beef suet. Mince and mix well. Steep the crumb of a penny loaf
in water, then mix it with the meat; add sage, salt, pepper, and allspice
to taste, roll into balls, flatten, and fry a light brown.
Tripe Stewed.—Cut some nice white tripe into slips, put the pieces
into some rich gravy, with a lump of butter the size of a hen’s egg,
rolled in flour; shake until the butter is melted, then add a table-spoonful
of white wine, some chopped parsley, pepper, salt, a few
pickled mushrooms, and a squeeze of lemon; shake all well together,
and stew gently till tender.
Sweetbreads, Larded.—Par-boil two sweetbreads; when cold, lard
them down the middle with little bits of bacon, then with small slices
of lemon-peel on either side, and then with little pieces of pickled
cucumber cut very small; stew gently in rich gravy, thickened with
flour; add mushroom ketchup to taste, and a squeeze of lemon.
Apricot Pudding.—Split a dozen large apricots, remove the stones,
and scald till quite soft. Pour a pint of boiling cream upon the grated
crumbs of a penny loaf; when nearly cold, add four ounces of sifted
sugar, the yolks of four well-beaten eggs, and a wine-glassful of white
wine. Pound the fruit in a mortar, with half of their kernels; mix the
fruit and the other ingredients together. Line your dish with paste,
put a layer round the edge, pour in the mixture, and bake for half
an hour.
Brentford Rolls.—Mix with two pounds of flour a little salt,
two ounces of sifted sugar, four ounces of butter, and two eggs beaten
with two table-spoonfuls of yeast, and about a pint of milk. Knead
the dough well, and set it to rise before the fire. Make a dozen rolls,
butter tin plates, and set them before the fire to rise, till they are
of a proper size, then bake for half an hour.
Cheshire Puffs.—Strain some cheese curd from the whey, and
beat half a pint of it fine in a mortar, with a table-spoonful and a half
of flour, the white of one egg, and the yolks of three; add a table-spoonful
of orange-flower water, a quarter of a nutmeg, and sugar to
make it pretty sweet. Lay a little of this paste in small round cakes,
on a tin plate. If the oven be hot, a quarter of an hour will bake
them. Serve with pudding sauce.
Cumberland Pudding.—Mix six ounces of grated bread, the same
quantity of well picked and cleaned currants, beef suet finely shred,
finely chopped apples, and lump sugar; add six eggs, half a grated
nutmeg, a pinch of salt, the rind of a lemon minced as fine as possible,
a large table-spoonful of citron, orange, and lemon-peel, cut thin. Mix
thoroughly together, put the whole into a mould, cover close with a
floured cloth, and boil for three hours. Add the juice of half a lemon
to pudding sauce, boil and serve with the pudding.
German Puffs.—Mix two table-spoonfuls of fine flour with two
well-beaten eggs, half a pint of cream, or milk, and two ounces of melted
butter; stir all well together, add a little salt and nutmeg, put into
tea-cups, or small tin moulds, half full, and bake for a quarter of an hour
in a quick oven, hot enough to colour them at the top and bottom.
Turn them into a dish, and strew pounded sugar over them. Some
like wine sauce with them.
Almond.—Take a quart of almonds, scald, remove the skins, and
pound in a mortar with the hard yolks of six eggs, until they become
a fine paste. Mix with them gradually two quarts of new milk, a
quart of cream, and a quarter of a pound of double refined sugar; beat
the whole very fine, and stir it well together. When properly mixed,
set it over a slow fire, and stir quickly till it becomes pretty thick, then
remove and pour into the tureen.
Calf’s Head.—Scald and wash the head clean with salt and water,
then place in a stewpan with sufficient water to cover it; add a faggot
of sweet herbs, an onion stuck with cloves, six blades of mace, and
a table-spoonful and a half of pearl-barley. Stew till tender, and add
a head of stewed celery. Season with pepper, pour the soup into the
tureen, place the head in the centre, and serve.
Fish Stock.—Take a pound of skate, five flounders, and two pounds
of eels, clean them well, cut into small pieces, cover with water when
placed in a stewpan, and season with mace, pepper, salt, an onion stuck
with cloves, a head of celery, a faggot of sweet herbs, and a tea-spoonful
of parsley-seed. Simmer for an hour and a half, closely covered, then
strain off for use. As this stock will not keep more than two days, it
should only be made as required.
Prawn.—Boil a hundred prawns in a little water, vinegar, salt, and
a few sweet herbs, and save the liquor. Pick the prawns, and pound
the shells and a small roll. Pour the liquor over the shells in a sieve,
and then pour two quarts of fish stock (see p. 276) over them. Tear
a lobster into small pieces, and add this with a quart of good beef
stock (see p. 253) to the whole. Simmer gently, season with pepper
and salt, and thicken with floured butter, then serve.
Lobster, to Pot Cold.—Choose a hen lobster. Remove the
spawn, coral, flesh, and pickings about the head, and mix with the
meat from the claws; pound well in a mortar, seasoning with white
pepper, cayenne, and pounded mace; then add some thick melted
butter, until it forms a good thick paste. Remove the meat from the
tail, pound and season the same, then put half of it in the bottom of the
pot, and cover with the other paste. Pour clarified butter over the top
of each pot, and keep in a cool place.
Prawns, to Pot.—Boil and pick a sufficient quantity of prawns,
then pound them in a mortar, and mix them up into a paste with a
little butter; season with white pepper, salt, and a little allspice, then
press into the pots, and cover with clarified butter.
Mackerel, to Broil.—Clean, split down the belly, spread open,
cut off the heads, and pepper well inside: then flour them lightly to
prevent their sticking to the bars of the gridiron, and put over a clear
fire, until done a light brown, then serve, spread open with the insides
uppermost, with a lump of butter the size of a walnut rubbed over each,
or with plain melted butter.
Mackerel, to Marinade.—Prepare the same as dace.
Salmon, to Pickle Cold.—Boil some of the liquor in which the
fish was dressed with an equal part of vinegar, and add some whole
peppercorns; when it bubbles, remove from the fire, and pour over
any cold salmon you have at hand. If the salmon is not well done,
boil it up in the pickle until well dressed.
Salmon, to Pickle Undressed.—Scale the fish, rub well with a
cloth, and scrape away all the blood about the back-bone, but do not
wash it; cut off the head, and divide the fish into pieces about six
inches long, then boil the pieces in a pickle made of equal parts of
vinegar and water, with a few cloves, and two or three blades of mace,
until done; skim carefully all the time the fish is boiling, and when
done remove the fish, and pour the liquor into a jar or tub, so that
both may become cold; when cold, put the fish into the liquor, with
one-third more vinegar, and some whole pepper.
Trout, to Pickle.—Prepare the same as salmon.
Chicken, Roasted.—Clean, singe, and truss them, then put down
before a good fire. Dust well with flour, and baste well. Make a gravy of
the necks and gizzards, which should be strained and poured into the dish.
Plovers, Roasted.—They are trussed, dressed, and sent to table in
the same way as snipes (see page 259).
Rabbits, Mumbled.—Boil well, but not too much, remove the flesh
and chop fine, then add nutmeg, salt, lemon-peel, and the juice of a
lemon. Put it into a stewpan with twelve eggs, and three-quarters of
a pound of butter; stir well, and serve in a dish with carved sippets.
Green Peas, Stewed.—Put a quart of good peas into a stewpan,
with a lettuce and small onion sliced small, but not any water; add a
piece of butter the size of an orange, pepper and salt to taste, and stew
gently for two hours. Beat up an egg, and stir into them (or a lump
of butter will do as well). Mint should be stewed (if it can be procured)
with them, and ought to be chopped fine, and stirred in with some good
gravy.
Herb Pie.—Pick two handfuls of parsley from the stems, half the
quantity of spinach, two lettuces, some mustard and cress, a few leaves
of borage, and a little mint. Wash and boil them a little, then drain,
press out the water and chop small; mix a batter of flour, two eggs well
beaten, half a pint of milk and a pint of cream, and pour it upon the
herbs. Cover in with a good crust, and bake.
Mushrooms, to Dress.—Take very white button mushrooms, remove
the stalks, wash well, put into a stewpan, with the juice of two lemons,
a little white pepper, half a glass of white wine, a faggot of sweet
herbs, and a table-spoonful of sweet oil. Put all over the fire, and after
two boilings take it off, let it cool, and serve hot.
Beef, Pressed.—Salt a piece of the thin part of the flank, the tops
of the ribs, or a piece of the brisket, with salt and saltpetre for five
days. Boil until very tender, then place between two boards, with a
heavy weight upon the top one, and let it remain until cold. Serve as
it is, and garnish with parsley.
Devonshire Squab Pie.—Prepare apples as for other pies, and lay
them in rows, with mutton chops. Shred some onion, mix with brown
sugar, and sprinkle among them, then add a little pepper and salt, pour
in a tea-cupful of water, and cover in your pie, having previously lined
the dish as usual. Bake it well.
Heart—Beef, Roasted.—Wash it carefully, stuff with the following
stuffing, roast well, and serve with rich gravy and currant jelly sauce:—Chop
two ounces of beef suet very fine and mix with three ounces
of bread crumbs, a little parsley, marjoram, lemon thyme, pepper, salt,
half a drachm of nutmeg, a drachm of grated lemon-peel, and one shalot
shred fine. When well mixed, add an egg beaten up, and mix well
again until of a good consistence.
Veal Cutlets à la Maintenon.—Cut slices of veal into pieces
three-quarters of an inch thick, and of a moderate size, beat well with
a rolling-pin, and egg over both sides, then dip them into a mixture of
bread crumbs, pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, thyme, and parsley, and
put into white papers folded down at the sides. Broil, and serve
with melted butter and mushroom ketchup in a sauce-boat.
Damascus Biscuits.—Take the whites of three eggs beaten to a
froth, a quarter of a pound of good beef suet chopped very fine, and
half an ounce of bitter almonds blanched, chopped fine, and beaten
well with the froth of the eggs. Then take the yolks of the eggs, and
mix with six ounces of sifted loaf sugar; beat well, pour into the
mixture of almonds and whites of eggs; mix well and shake in two
ounces of flour, with sufficient lemon to flavour them. Pour into small
tins, or moulded papers, and bake in a quick oven.
Derbyshire Bread.—Rub four ounces of butter into four pounds
of flour, add four eggs well beaten, a pint of milk, and a table-spoonful
of yeast. Mix them into a paste, make into rolls, and let them stand
half an hour before the fire to rise; then put them into the oven to bake.
Dip them in milk the next day, and let them stand before the fire in a
Dutch oven for about twenty minutes.
Devonshire Syllabub.—Make the same as London syllabub, and
then put clouted cream on the top, with powdered cinnamon, and
sugar.
Housewife’s Cream.—Take half a pint of good cream, a quarter of
a pint of white wine, a tea-cupful of powdered white sugar, and the
rind and juice of one lemon. Put all into a large basin, and whisk till
it becomes quite thick, then put into glasses, and let them remain in a
cool place till required. [This cream is better if made the day before
it is wanted, and it will keep good for several days, if the weather is
not too warm.]
London Syllabub.—Put a pint and a half of white wine into a
bowl, sweeten with sugar, and add grated nutmeg to taste. Then milk
into it about two quarts of milk, frothed up, but the quantity must
depend upon the taste, for it will require more milk if too acid.
Newcastle Pudding.—Butter a basin or mould, stick it all round
with sultanas or dried cherries, then put in a slice of bread crumb
soaked in milk, and over that layers of thin bread crumb buttered,
until three parts filled; fill up with custard, and boil for an hour and a
half.
Nourmahal Cake.—Cut four slices of sponge-cake about an inch
thick and of an oval shape, but each slice smaller than the others.
Spread a thick layer of apricot jam upon the first and largest slice, and
then lay the next sized slice upon it; spread the second slice with
apple marmalade, and cover with the third size, which is to be spread
in like manner with strawberry jam, and covered with the smallest size.
Press the top lightly with the hand, and with a sharp knife cut away
the central part, so as to leave a wall about two inches and a half thick,
which is to be trimmed outside. Mash up the part removed from the
centre, with equal parts of white wine and brandy, sufficient to flavour,
and stir in some good thick custard, then pour into the centre of the
cake. Whip the whites of two eggs into a stiff froth, pour over the
whole, heaping it well up in the centre, and shake sifted sugar thickly
on, then place in a quick oven until the frosting is set. A few pieces of
strawberry jam or any other preserve placed round the bottom of the
dish, gives a finish to the whole.
À la Chartre.—Clean three or four sweetbreads in warm water,
then scald in boiling water, and put them into a saucepan with a faggot
of parsley, three cloves, four shalots, a few mushrooms, and a quart
of good giblet soup (see page 258); stew all gently over a slow fire,
and when done, if requisite, season with pepper and salt, and serve hot
with the sweetbread and mushrooms in the tureen, the rest being passed
through a sieve.
Ox Cheek.—Break the bones of the cheek, and well wash and clean
it. Put two ounces of butter in a large stewpan, and lay the cheek
in with the fleshy side downwards; then add about half a pound of
lean ham sliced, with three large onions, two carrots, three or four
heads of celery, and one parsnip, all sliced small; set over a moderate
fire for a quarter of an hour, then add three blades of mace, and four
quarts of water, and simmer gently till it is reduced to two quarts.
Strain off the soup, and add the white part of a head of celery cut in
small pieces, with a little browning to colour it. Scald two ounces
of vermicelli, and put into the soup; boil for ten minutes, then pour
into the tureen, and serve hot. (This soup is seldom made until the
latter part of this month, as parsnips do not come in until then, or
early in September, but in case it is desired earlier, two potatoes may
be substituted for the parsnip. The cheek must be saved for stewing,
for which see page 283).
Scotch Leek.—Take the water that has boiled a leg of mutton, put
it into a stewpan, with as many pea-shells (washed clean) as you can
get; simmer gently for a quarter of an hour, strain off the liquor,
throw away the pea-shells, and return the liquor to the stewpan; then
add two leeks, chopped fine, to every quart of liquor, and pepper and
salt to taste; simmer gently for an hour, then mix some oatmeal, quite
smooth, with a little of the soup, set it over a slow fire and simmer
again, but take care that it does not burn. When done, pour into the
tureen, and serve hot.
Eels, Broiled.—Skin and clean them, cut into pieces about three
inches long, and boil slowly over a good fire: then serve with melted
butter.
Eels, to Pot.—Skin and clean the eels, split them, and remove the
back-bone, then cut into pieces two or three inches long, and season
with pepper, salt, dried sage rubbed fine, and powdered allspice and
nutmeg. Place the pieces in a baking-dish in layers, pour in clarified
butter until full; cover with paper, and bake in a moderately quick
oven for an hour and a half. When cold, remove them, press into pots,
and cover with clarified butter.
Perch, to Fry.—Clean, cut all the fins close off, open by the belly,
dry well, dust with flour, and fry a light brown, in plenty of lard or
olive oil. Serve with melted butter, anchovy, soy, or ketchup.
Pike, to Bake.—Scale and clean the fish, cut off its fins, and stuff
the belly with the pudding-meat given in the volume; then place the
tail in the mouth, as recommended for stewing, and put it upon its
belly in a baking-dish. Flour the fish well all over, cover with a few
lumps of butter, and place in an oven, or a Dutch oven before the fire,
taking care to baste it occasionally with some of the fat. When done,
remove the pike, place on a clean dish, add a squeeze of lemon, a little
soy and melted butter together, mix, and pour into the dish; garnish
with sliced lemon, and serve as hot as possible.
Turbot, to Boil.—Choose a sufficiently large kettle, pour in sufficient
water to cover the fish, add a handful of salt, a table-spoonful of
shred horse-radish, and two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Boil until the
water has acquired some flavour, and then allow it to become cool.
Score the fish just through the skin on the dark side, so as to prevent
it cracking on the other, and then place it in the kettle with the dark
side downwards, and check the boiling as soon as ebullition takes
place; observe also that the scum is removed frequently, and that no
blacks fall into the kettle. When done, remove, sprinkle the surface
with the dried spawn of a hen lobster, or if it cannot be procured, a
little scraped horse-radish. Serve with lobster, shrimp, or crab sauce.
(A moderate sized turbot requires about half an hour to cook it well,
a large one from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, and a thick slice
from twenty to twenty-five minutes.) When the fish is done, it should
be well drained, and placed upon a napkin or serviette laid over a fish
drainer.
Grouse, to Roast.—Twist the head under the wing, and roast them
like fowls, but they must not be too much done. Serve with a rich
gravy in the dish, and bread sauce.
Leveret, Roasted.—Skin, and truss nicely, then roast on a spit;
rub the back over with butter, flour well, and keep before a brisk fire
for half an hour at the most, but generally from twenty to twenty-five
minutes is sufficient. Serve with hare sauce. They do not require
stuffing like hare.
Wheat-ears, to Roast.—These are dressed the same as snipes.
Carrots, to Boil.—Scrape them clean, put into a saucepan, and if
young, boil for half an hour, if old, they will require more. When
done, rub them in a clean cloth, and serve whole, or sliced into the
dish with melted butter over them.
Endive, to Stew.—Boil in four different salt waters, to extract the
bitter taste, and when tender throw it into cold water, squeeze well,
and chop fine, then put into a stewpan with a lump of butter, and a
few young onions chopped fine; let it dry, dredge with a dessert-spoonful
of flour, add some pepper and salt, a little gravy, two tea-spoonfuls
of sifted sugar, and stew gently a quarter of an hour.
Ham, to Boil.—Soak the ham in cold water the night before it is
to be dressed, scrape it clean, and put it into the boiler with cold water.
Skim the liquor while boiling, do not let it boil fast, but simmer only,
and add a little cold water to check it occasionally. When done, take
it up, pull off the skin carefully, and dust with bread raspings; set before
the fire for a few minutes, then garnish with turnips and carrots cut
to resemble flowers, or stick with cloves, or garnish with boiled carrots.
A ham of twenty pounds weight requires six hours and a half boiling.
The established rule, as regards the boiling of meat, is to allow a quarter
of an hour to each pound; but for ham and pork you will allow from
twenty to twenty-five minutes.
Ox Cheek, Stewed.—After having prepared the soup as previously
directed, remove the cheek as whole as possible, and have ready a boiled
turnip, and carrot, cut in square pieces, and some toasted bread cut into
dice; add cayenne, and some of the soup, then serve hot, with carved
sippets round the dish.
Batter Pudding.—Take a quart of milk, mix with six table-spoonfuls
of flour, six well-beaten eggs, a table-spoonful of powdered
ginger, and a tea-spoonful of salt; flour a cloth that has been wet, or
butter a basin and put the batter into it, tie tight, and plunge it into
boiling water, the bottom upwards. Boil for an hour and a quarter,
and serve with plain melted butter, or sweet sauce. If according to
taste, half a pound of well-washed currants may be added.
Good Common Cake.—Take six ounces of good ground rice, and
the same quantity of flour, the yolks and whites of nine eggs, half a pound
of sugar, and half an ounce of carraway seeds. Mix well together, and
bake for an hour in a quick oven.
Custard Pudding, Baked.—Boil a pint of cream with three blades
of mace or a stick of cinnamon; when cold, take four yolks and two
whites of eggs, nutmeg and sugar to taste, beat them well, and stir
into the cream, pour into cups, and bake in a quick oven.
Gingerbread, Spiced.—Take three-quarters of a pound of treacle,
one egg, four ounces of moist sugar, an ounce of powdered ginger, and
a quarter of an ounce each of mace, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg powdered,
a pound of oiled butter, and sufficient flour to make a stiff paste;
mix well, and make into thick pieces, which should be brushed over
the top with white of egg, and then baked for an hour in a moderate
oven.
Pancakes.—Take one pound of flour, two eggs, two drachms of
bi-carbonate of soda, one ounce of sugar, two drachms of muriatic acid,
half a drachm of nutmegs, ten ounces of ale, ten ounces of water, and
twenty ounces of milk.
Naples Cheese.—The Neapolitans are celebrated for a kind of
cheese, which they make in the following manner:—They put ten or
twelve pints of milk into a metal pot with a cover, capable of holding
about ten times the quantity. The milk must be new, and from a young
cow. No yeast, or acid of any kind, is employed; but sufficient pressure
must be used to curdle it. When curdled, place it over a quick fire,
stirring it rapidly with a stick to prevent its burning, and to separate
the caseous matter from the dregs. The heat must be tried by the
hand, and when it is getting too warm to be borne, take off the pot,
plunge both hands gently in to take the cheese out, which is easily
raised at once and in a single piece. The pan in which it is to be
placed should have a raised edge, so that, in drying, the paste may not
be too thin: the whey is then got rid of by pressing it carefully, and
some time afterwards it is turned and pressed again; the next day salt
it moderately, and put it in a place of cool, dry, and even temperature.
It is fit to cut as soon as it is cool, but is best when four or five months
old, at which time it is very delicate, with a pleasant smell and flavour.
Vegetables.—Artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, beans (French and
scarlet), cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cucumbers, endive,
finochio, herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, parsnips,
peas, potatoes, radishes, salad of all sorts, shalots, turnips.
Fruit.—Apples—White caville, pearmain, golden rennet. Morella
cherries; damsons; figs; filberts. Grapes—Muscadine, Frontignac,
red and black Hamburg, Malmsey. Hazel-nuts; medlars; peaches.
Pears—bergamot, brown beurré. Pine-apples; plums; quinces; strawberries;
walnuts.
Hessian.—Clean the root of a neat’s tongue very nicely, and half
an ox’s head, with salt and water, and soak them afterwards in water
only. Then stew them in five or six quarts of water till pretty tender,
and let the soup stand till cold, then remove the fat and add a quart
of whole, or a pint of split peas, six potatoes, six large onions, twelve
carrots, six turnips, a faggot of herbs, and two heads of celery, all cut
fine; season with pepper, salt, mace, and a little cayenne; simmer
gently, without the meat, till the vegetables are done enough to pulp
with the peas through a sieve; cut up some of the meat into small
pieces, and place in a saucepan with the pulped soup, which should
be pretty thick; simmer for five minutes, and then serve hot.
Mock Turtle.—Take a calf’s head, scald and wash it very clean,
boil it for half an hour, then cut all the skin off by itself, and remove
the tongue. Put a pint of veal stock (see p. 253), and the tongue into
a saucepan with three large onions, half an ounce of cloves and mace,
and sufficient nutmeg to flavour, beat fine in a mortar, add a faggot
of sweet herbs, and a little salt. Stew all together, and when tender,
remove the meat, cut into pieces about two inches square, and the
tongue (which must be skinned) into pieces the same size. Strain off
the liquor, put half a pound of fresh butter into the stewpan, melt
it, and add a quarter of a pound of flour, which must be kept stirring
till smooth, then add the liquor, stirring till all is in; if lumpy, it must
be strained again through a sieve; season pretty well, add a pint of
white wine, and some lemon-juice to flavour, and forcemeat, and egg-balls
broiled, and stew gently for an hour. If too thick, add some veal
stock before stewing for the last time, and serve hot in the tureen.
Shin of Beef.—Take a shin of beef weighing about six pounds,
chop the bone in two or three places, and lay in a soup-kettle with
half a pound of bacon at the bottom, cut in slices about half an inch
thick; add two carrots, two turnips, a head of celery, two large onions,
with a dozen peppercorns, the same of allspice, four cloves, a sprig
of lemon thyme, winter savory, and parsley. Cover the meat with
cold water, set over a quick fire to boil, skim well, and let it stew
gently for four hours; then remove the meat, strain off the soup, and
take the fat off the surface when it is cold. Cut the meat into small
pieces, and put them into the soup; warm up, and serve hot in a tureen.
Brill, to Fry.—Cut off the fins close to the sides of the fish, scrape
off the slime, and dry them well; then egg them over, dip in bread crumbs,
and fry a pale brown in plenty of dripping, or lard. Garnish
with fried parsley, and serve them up with melted butter and soy,
ketchup, or anchovy sauce. Some persons remove the dark skin from
the one side.
Cockles, to Pickle.—1. Boil the cockles with a little salt, remove
from the shells, and save the liquor; then add about a third of vinegar
to the liquor, and boil up with cayenne, white pepper, and a blade of
mace; let this get cold, and then add to the cockles.—2. Prepare the
same, only add three parts vinegar to one part liquor. (The first
method is for present use, the second will keep a much longer time.)
Flounders as Water Souchy.—Prepare the same as perch and
tench.
Mussels, to Pickle.—Prepare the same as cockles, given above.
Oyster Sausages.—Chop and pound some veal well in a mortar,
then chop up an equal proportion of oysters, mix well and add some
bread crumbs, and a little beef suet shred fine; moisten with some of
the liquor of the oysters, season with pepper, salt, and a little mace,
bind together with a well-beaten egg, form into sausages, or flat cakes,
and fry a pale brown in good dripping.
Oysters, Scalloped.—Butter the bottoms of your scallop shells,
then sprinkle with bread crumbs, and lay a sufficient number of bearded
oysters to cover the bread, season with pepper and salt, and place
some pieces of butter over them; place another layer of bread crumbs,
oysters, and butter, until the shell is full, then cover the whole with
bread crumbs, add a few pieces of butter on the top, and place in a
Dutch oven before the fire; when done, brown with a salamander, or
a red-hot shovel held over the top, and serve in the scallop shells.
Chicken Fricassee.—Half-boil a chicken in a little water, let it
cool, then cut it up, and simmer in a gravy made of some of the water
in which it was boiled, and the neck, head, feet, liver, and gizzard
stewed well together. Add an onion, a faggot of herbs, pepper and
salt, and thicken with butter rolled in flour added to the strained
liquor, with a little nutmeg, then give it a boil, and add a pint of
cream, stir over the fire, but do not let it boil. Put the hot chicken
into a dish, pour the sauce over it, add some fried forcemeat balls,
and garnish it with slices of lemon.
Grouse, to Pot.—Clean them nicely, and season with allspice,
salt, mace, and white pepper, finely powdered. Rub each part well,
then lay the breasts downwards in a pan, and pack the birds as close
as possible. Put plenty of butter on them; then cover the pan with
a coarse flour-paste, and a paper over; tie it close, and bake. When
cold, cut it into proper pieces for helping; pack them close into
a large potting-jar, press down and cover with butter, then tie
close.
Hare Collops.—Cut off all the flesh from an undressed hare, remove
any tendons or skin, mince small, and season with salt, allspice,
pepper, and a little mace. If agreeable to taste, shred a small onion
fine, and add to the mince. Dust them well with flour; and having
browned some dripping in a frying-pan, add the collops, and keep
stirring until they become a light brown. Put the skin, bones, &c.
into a saucepan with a little beef broth, and simmer well for half
an hour, then strain into a saucepan, add the collops and a little port
wine or claret to flavour, and simmer until done enough, taking
care to remove any grease that may rise to the surface during the
time the collops simmer. Serve hot in a dish, with carved sippets,
and slices of lemon for a garnish.
Hare, to Roast—A new Way.—Skin it, and soak in plenty of
cold water for two hours, then lay it in vinegar for two hours, and
afterwards wash it well in cold water. Put the stuffing into the paunch,
sew it up, and truss; then put down before a clear fire, and baste well
with ale for a quarter of an hour, then with milk for half an hour,
and afterwards with butter. Notch the neck in two or three places
with a knife. Dredge well with flour, baste to a nice froth; serve with
plain gravy in the dish, and currant jelly separate, or poivrade sauce.
Partridge Pie.—Pick, singe, and clean four partridges, cut off the
legs at the knee, season with pepper, salt, thyme, chopped parsley,
and two mushrooms of moderate size chopped fine. Put the partridges
at the bottom of the dish, and lay over them some veal steak
and ham, cut into pieces about two inches square; add half a pint of
good veal broth (see page 258), cover with a good puff-paste in the
usual way, brush over with egg, and bake for an hour.—The general
way of laying the meat at the bottom of the dish is wrong, because by
the method given above, the partridges receive the flavour of the
meat, which is in a measure prevented by adopting the old method.
In some pies—pigeons for instance—some of the meat should be
placed at the bottom as well as the top.
Teal, to Roast.—Dress the same as wild ducks (see page 255);
but it is well, unless ordered otherwise, to dress one well and the
other rather less, as some epicures prefer wild-fowl under-done, as it
is said to be finer flavoured. Epicures eat wild-fowl without sauce,
but a good brown gravy, flavoured with shalot, cayenne, salt, and
port or claret, is usually served over the birds.
Artichokes, to Boil.—Strip off the coarse outer leaves, cut off the
stalks, and steep and wash them freely in cold water; put them in the
pot tops downwards, and keep up to the boil for two or three hours,
taking care to keep them below the water, by floating a plate over
them. If the water evaporates too quickly, add boiling water from
time to time, as required. Remove the plate, take out one of the
vegetables, try a leaf, and if it draws out easily, it is done; if not,
return again to the pot, and keep up the boil until done. Drain
them, place, tops uppermost, in a vegetable dish, and serve with
melted butter in a sauce-boat.
Carrots, Flemish Way.—Prepare (after boiling) in the form of
dice, balls, stars, crescents, &c., and stew with chopped parsley, young
onions, salt and pepper, in plain melted butter, or good brown
gravy.
Mushrooms, Grilled.—Procure some sound large fresh-gathered
flaps, peel them, score the under part, put into an earthen dish,
baste well with melted butter, and strew with pepper and salt.
After they have remained thus prepared for an hour and a half, broil
on both sides over a clear fire, and serve with a lump of butter rubbed
over the top, and a dust of pepper, or with melted butter, and the
juice of a lemon poured over them.
Mushrooms à la Maintenon.—Prepare the same as the last, but
cook in an oven, and serve with a sauce prepared from the stalks
and trimmings combined with a little good beef gravy, well seasoned,
and strained.
Beef Hams.—Prepare, trim, and shape a leg of beef like a ham,
then put on a dish, and baste with the following pickle morning and
evening for a month, then remove from the pickle, drain, roll in bran,
and smoke it. Cover with a piece of canvas, give it a coat of lime-wash,
and hang it in a dry place until wanted:—
For a piece of meat weighing fourteen pounds, mix a pound of salt,
the same of coarse brown sugar, an ounce of saltpetre, the same of
bay salt, half an ounce of coarse black pepper, and three ounces
of treacle, adding sufficient beer to form into a thick pickle.
Cheshire Pork Pie.—Take the skin off a loin of pork, and cut
the loin into steaks, season with salt, pepper, and dried sage. Make
a good crust, line the dish with it, and put in a layer of pork,
then a layer of sliced pippins dipped in sugar, then another layer of
pork, and add half a pint of white wine; put some pieces of butter
on the top, cover in the pie, and bake in a moderate oven.
Staffordshire Beef Steaks.—Beat them a little with a rolling-pin,
then flour and season with salt and pepper, and fry a light brown
with sliced onions. Lay the steaks in a stewpan, pour over them as
much boiling water as will serve for sauce, and stew gently for half
an hour, then add mushroom or walnut ketchup to flavour, and serve
as usual.
Tripe, Soused.—1. Boil the tripe, and put it into salt and water,
which must be changed every day until the tripe is used; then remove,
dip in batter made of flour and eggs, and fry a light brown.—2.
Boil in salt and water with an onion shred fine, and a little
parsley; serve both with melted butter in a sauce-boat.
Tripe Stuffed and Roasted.—Make a good stuffing, lay it on
the slices of tripe, roll them up so as to have the stuffing between
the folds, tie each tightly round with a piece of string the same
as a fillet of veal, and attach to a spit. Roast a light brown, baste
with dripping, and serve with a good brown gravy. This is considered
to be the most delicious method of dressing tripe, and is
generally used in the midland counties of England.
Derby Short Cakes.—Rub half a pound of butter down into a
pound of flour, and mix one egg, a quarter of a pound of sifted
sugar, and as much milk as will make a paste. Roll this out thin,
and cut out the cakes with any fancy shapes, or the top of a wine-glass;
place on tin plates, strew over with sugar, or cover the top
of each with icing, and bake for ten minutes.
Marathon Biscuits for Wine.—Rub three ounces of butter down
into a pound of dry sifted fine flour, add a pinch of salt, and sugar to
taste; then make into a dough with warm good milk and a table-spoonful
of yeast. Knead it up quickly, let it stand for an hour,
then roll it out thin, cut into lozenge shapes, prick with a fork, and
bake in a quick oven.
Northumberland Pudding.—Make a hasty pudding with a pint
of milk and flour, put it into a basin, and let it stand until the next
day; then mash it with a spoon, and add a quarter of a pound of
clarified butter, as many currants picked and washed, sugar and
brandy to flavour, and two ounces of candied lemon-peel cut fine.
Pour into buttered tea-cups, bake in a moderate oven, and turn out
on a dish. Serve with wine sauce over them.
Nottingham Pudding.—Peel six large apples, and remove the
core in such a manner as to leave the fruit whole, then fill up
the centre with sugar, place the fruit in a pie-dish, and pour
over a nice light batter, such as is used for pudding. Bake in a
moderate oven for an hour.
Oxford Dumplings.—Mix together two ounces of grated bread,
four ounces of currants washed and picked, the same of shred suet,
a table-spoonful of sifted sugar, a little powdered allspice, and plenty
of grated lemon-peel. Add two eggs and a little milk; then divide
the whole into five dumplings, and fry them a light brown. Serve
with sweet sauce.
Fruits.—Almonds. Apples—pearmain, golden pippin, golden rennet,
royal russet. Black and white bullace; damsons; late figs;
filberts; hazel-nuts; grapes; medlars. Peaches—Old Newington,
October. Pears—Bergamot, beurré, Charmontelle, Bon Chrétien, cresan,
swan’s-egg. Quinces, services, walnuts.
Flemish.—Slice six onions, six heads of celery, and a dozen potatoes,
into small pieces; then put them into a stewpan with a quarter
of a pound of butter and half a pint of water, and set on a stove,
or the side of the fire to simmer for an hour, and when done sufficiently,
add good beef or veal stock (see page 253), so as to fill the
stewpan, or enough to give a good flavour. Boil gently until the
potatoes become quite soft, then rub through a sieve, add half a
pint of boiled cream, or some good thick white sauce to it, and
serve hot.
Ox Tail.—Take two large, or three small tails, divide them completely
at the joints, rub them with salt, and soak well in warm
water. Remove after they have soaked for an hour and a half, and
place in a stewpan with a faggot of parsley, four or five onions, a
dozen peppercorns, a blade of mace, a turnip, and two carrots sliced,
and three quarts of water. Stew gently for two hours and a half, or
until the meat is tender, then remove, cut into small pieces, which
place in a fresh stewpan. Thicken the soup with a little browned
flour rubbed up with a ladleful of the top fat, and then strain it
into the stewpan containing the tails. Boil up, skim well, add mushroom-catsup,
and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
Tomato.—Choose a dozen ripe tomatos, or if large, only ten, put
them into a stewpan with a pint of good beef stock (see page 253),
and stew gently until they are quite soft, then pulp through a tamis-cloth,
or fine sieve, and after mixing the pulp with a little ginger,
cayenne, and salt, according to taste, add it to two quarts of good
beef stock, and boil up. When it boils, add two ounces of Italian
paste, in small stars, rings, &c., or the same quantity of vermicelli;
boil for twenty minutes, and serve hot. Some persons like the soup
flavoured with garlic, in which case, half a clove may be added to
the tomatos when first put on to stew, and the soup may generally
be improved by adding a very little vinegar, and a sprig of thyme.
Dory, to Boil.—Boil the same as a turbot (see p. 282), and serve
with lobster sauce. Garnish with plenty of parsley.
Herrings, to Fry.—Scale, wash, and dry them in a cloth, but do
not cut off their heads. Dredge them with flour, and fry them with
clean dripping or lard, over a brisk fire, and when done, serve hot,
garnished with fried parsley round the dish, and parsley and butter
for sauce.
Herrings, to Smoke.—Clean the fish as directed above, then lay
in salt, mixed with a little saltpetre, for one night; remove from
the salt, run a stick through the eyes so that you have a dozen or
more in a row. Knock one end out of a cask, and fasten the sticks,
with the herrings attached, to the other end, by means of wedges
or staples, and string. Place a small brazier, with red-hot charcoal
in it, in a convenient place, and heap saw-dust and walnut shells
upon it; then place the inverted cask, prepared as directed above,
over it, and let it remain for twenty-four hours. When sufficiently
smoked, remove, and lay in a dry place, or run a string through
the eyes, and hang up.
Salmon-Trout Pie.—A Plain Way.—Clean and neatly trim, then
cut into handsome fillets, as many trout as may be required; season
each fillet with pepper, salt, mace, and cayenne, which should be
well rubbed into the inside, and each fillet afterwards rolled up
and well packed into the pie-dish. Put bits of butter above and
among the fillets, and add six or eight oysters. Take a pint of
fish stock (see page 276), or the same quantity made of the head and
trimmings, thicken and strain this over the fish; then cover in the
dish with a good paste, and bake as usual, but remember that it will
not require so long a time to bake as a meat-pie.
Soles, to Stew.—Half-fry them in lard or clean dripping, then
remove from the pan, and put into it a quart of water, two table-spoonfuls
of anchovy sauce, and an onion sliced thin; let this boil
slowly for a quarter of an hour, then put the fish in again, and stew
gently for rather more than twenty minutes, but this will of course
depend upon the size of the fish. When done, remove the fish,
thicken the liquor with floured butter, boil up, and having laid the
fish in a dish, strain the thickened liquor over them, and serve hot
with shrimp sauce in a sauce-boat.
Pheasant, Larded and Roasted, Sportsman’s Fashion.—When
the pheasant gives off a peculiar odour, and the skin of the breast
changes colour a little, it should be plucked carefully, but not sooner.
When plucked, lard it with some good fresh bacon very carefully,
and then stuff with the following:—Take two woodcocks, and divide
the flesh into one portion, and the tail and liver into another; mince
and mix the meat with some good beef marrow, a little scraped
bacon, salt, pepper, and lemon thyme, or other herbs; add truffles
sufficient to fill up the rest of the inside of the bird, then stuff it
in and secure well, so that none of it may escape, which may be
effectually done by placing a crust of bread over the opening, and
sewing it up. Make a paste of the livers of the woodcocks, some
truffles, grated bacon, an anchovy boned, and some fresh butter;
cover the bird with this, put down to roast, and when done, serve
upon a slice of toasted bread, surrounded with slices of orange, and
some of the gravy round the bird. [This receipt was obtained from
an old epicurean sportsman, who vouched for its being a first-rate
way of cooking the bird, and further recommended that a table-spoonful
of good champagne or burgundy should be poured over
the bird, in addition to a good libation of the same wine during
the time it is being partaken of.]
Woodcock, to Roast.—Prepare and cook the same as snipe.
Onions, to Ragout.—Peel a pint of onions, as young as they can
be procured, then peel four large ones and cut them very small;
put some good dripping or butter into a stewpan, and when melted,
add the onions and fry until a light brown; then thicken with flour,
and give them a shake until thick. Add a quarter of a pint of
gravy, a little powdered pepper, salt, and a tea-spoonful of mustard;
stir all together, and when tolerably thick, pour into the dish and
garnish with fried crumbs of bread.
Tomatos, to Stuff.—Take some fine tomatos and scoop the inside
out, which should be set aside until required. Chop or mince fine
some beef, mutton, or other fresh under-done meat, mix with a little
pepper, salt, and a little sweet herbs; or make a forcemeat; and
mix with the scoopings of the tomatos; form into a good consistence,
and stuff the inside of the vegetable with the mixture. Set the
prepared vegetables in a dish with a little lard in a slow oven, and
bake until tender; then serve with the liquor that exudes during the
process; but if not brown enough, colour by means of a salamander
held over the top of each.
A good rich beef gravy poured over all, improves the flavour very
much. This is the best way to dress these vegetables, and serves
also to make cold meat more palatable, in addition to forming a pretty
and economical side dish.
Calf’s Heart, Baked.—Clean, and stuff as directed at p. 278 for
roasted beef heart, then bake instead of roasting, and afterwards serve
with rich gravy or liver sauce.
Ham, to Boil in a superior way.—Par-boil the ham according to
the receipt given by us at p. 282, then allow it to remain in the water all
night, and finish boiling the next day, so as to be in time for dishing up;
skin, and dust with raspings, the same as directed before, and you will
have a more tender ham than one dressed otherwise.
Kidney Pudding.—Split and soak the kidney, season each well,
make a paste of suet, flour, and milk; roll well, line a basin with it,
place the kidney in, cover with the paste, and pinch up the sides. Tie
the basin up in a cloth, and boil well; then turn out and serve with a
good gravy, if there is not sufficient in the dish.
Some persons add a little beef-steak cut into small pieces, in order
that the flavour and gravy may be improved.
Venison, Fried.—Cut the meat into slices, fry a light brown, and
keep hot before the fire. Make gravy of the bones and any trimmings,
add a little floured butter, and stir until it is thick and brown, then add
lemon-juice and port wine to taste, with pepper or cayenne. Warm
the venison in the gravy, place in a dish, and strain the gravy over it.
Serve with currant jelly in a glass.
Black Caps.—Divide and core some large apples, put them in a
shallow pan, add some powdered white sugar, and bake them. Mix a
wine-glassful of white wine, the same of water, one clove, a little grated
lemon-peel, and sugar to taste; boil gently, and strain over them when
in the dish. Black the tops of each with a salamander.
Bullace Tart.—Place a small cup in the centre of the dish, and
place the fruit, picked and washed, round it, heaped up in the centre;
add enough sugar, and cover with a light paste, which should be rather
rich.
Exeter Pudding, à la Soyer.—Put in a proper sized basin ten
ounces of fine boiled crumbs, four ounces of sago, seven ounces of suet
chopped fine, six ounces of moist sugar, the peel of half a lemon grated,
a quarter-pint of rum, and four eggs; stir for a few minutes with a
spoon, add three more eggs, four table-spoonfuls of clouted cream, mix
well: it is then ready to fill the mould. Butter the mould well, put in
a handful of bread crumbs, shake the mould well till the greater part
stick to the butter, then throw out the remainder, and have ready six
penny sponge cakes, two ounces of ratafia, and half a pound of either
raspberry or strawberry jam: cover the bottom of the mould with a
layer of ratafias, and just cover them with a layer of the mixture. Cut
the sponge-cake lengthways, spread each piece pretty thick with jam,
put a layer in the mould, then a few ratafias, afterwards some of the
mixture, and so on till the mould is full, taking care that a layer of the
mixture is on the top of the pudding. It will take about forty minutes
baking.
For the sauce, put in a small stewpan three table-spoonfuls of currant
jelly, and two wine-glassfuls of sherry; warm on the fire, and pour over
the pudding, and serve hot.
Ratafia Pudding.—Blanch, and pound in a mortar until they
become a good paste, four ounces of sweet, and a quarter of an ounce
of bitter almonds, with a dessert-spoonful of water; then add one ounce
and a half of fresh butter, melted with a little cream, two well-beaten
eggs, a little nutmeg, and sugar, and brandy or curaçoa to taste.
Butter a small cup or a mould (earthenware), pour in the pudding, and
bake. When done, turn out, and serve with the following sauce:—Take
a wine-glassful of white wine, half a glass of rum, a little grated
lemon-peel, sugar to taste, and a pinch of powdered cinnamon; stir
into some good thick melted butter, and serve part in a sauce-boat, and
pour some over the pudding.
Trafalgar Cakes.—Mix a pound of well-dried flour with six ounces
of finely pounded sugar; beat six ounces of butter to a cream, and stir
in half a pound of currants well cleaned and dried, and three eggs well
beaten, then add the flour and sugar, and beat for some time. Flour
some tins, and drop a table-spoonful upon them, then bake as usual.
Cock-a-leekie, or Leek Soup.—Boil from four to six pounds of
good shin-beef, well broken and sliced, until the liquor is very good.
Strain it, and add a capon or large fowl, trussed as if for boiling.
When it boils (which should be gently), add half the quantity of leeks
intended to be used, well cleaned, and cut in inch lengths; skim
carefully, and in half an hour add the remaining part of the leeks, and
a seasoning of pepper and salt.
The great art in making this soup, consists in boiling down the first
portion of leeks so as to extract, together with the meat, all their
flavour; and having the soup as thick of leeks as possible. The coarse
green part of the leeks should be rejected.
Some persons thicken the soup with fine oatmeal; and when the
flavour of the leeks is not required to be too potent, a little spinach
and parsley are substituted for the second portion.
Sometimes the capon is served in the tureen, whole or divided, with
the cock-a-leekie.
Calf’s Head.—Wash the head clean with salt and water, put into
a stewpan, cover with water, add a faggot of sweet herbs, an onion
stuck with cloves, four or five blades of mace, and a tea-cupful of pearl-barley.
Stew until tender, and then add a stick of celery, previously
cut small, and stewed plainly until tender. Season with pepper and
salt to taste, place the head in the middle of the tureen, pour the soup
over, and serve hot.
Some persons cut the calf’s head into small pieces previous to
serving up the soup.
Maccaroni.—Boil a pound of good maccaroni in enough veal stock
(see p. 253) to cover it, until quite tender, and put about half of it
into a small stewpan; and two quarts more stock to the portion in the
large pan, boil for an hour, and then rub through a tamis-cloth or fine
sieve. When it becomes thick, add boiled cream, and rub through the
tamis again until quite smooth; then add the liquid to the maccaroni
that remains in the small pan, and shake in half a pound of grated
Parmesan cheese to the whole; heat, but do not allow it to boil, then
serve with a French roll in the tureen.
Carp, to Fry.—These fish are not so good when done this way as
stewed (see p. 254); but when required to be thus cooked, they should
be done precisely the same as perch.
Cod, to Cure.—Split the fish down the back: clean well, and
immerse in a strong pickle for about ten days or a fortnight; then
remove, rub well with dry salt, and hang up to dry, having previously
thrust a stick into each, to keep the two sides of the fish apart. If
desirable, smoke as directed for herrings.
Eels, to Collar.—Skin, gut, remove the back-bone, and cut off the
heads of as many eels as you want; then dip into a mixture of salt,
common pepper, cayenne, grated nutmeg, pounded cloves, lemon-peel
grated, and some finely rubbed sage. Roll up in fillets, tie with string
as usual, boil in salt and water, with an equal portion of vinegar, until
tender, and then remove; add some whole pepper to the pickle, which
should be placed in a deep dish, and when cold, plunge the eel fillets
into it.
Gudgeon, to Fry.—Proceed the same as directed for dace.
Hake Pie.—Cut into cutlets as directed at page 249; then lay in a
pie-dish, and sprinkle with a seasoning composed of pepper, salt, and
cayenne; then bake the same as directed for eel pie (see p. 262).
Lobster Sauce.—Break the shell of the lobster, extract the meat
from the claws and body, cut small; boil the shells in half a pint of
water, with a little ground allspice and scraped horse-radish, until all
the strength is extracted; strain the liquor into a stewpan; add the
lobster, half a pound of cream or thick melted butter, a tea-spoonful
or two of anchovy sauce, and a squeeze of lemon. If you have a hen
lobster, remove the coral and spawn, and pound it up fine in a mortar:
mix this with a little of the sauce, return it to the stewpan, stir well,
and let the whole simmer gently for about five minutes, but do not
let it boil; season with cayenne and salt while stewing.
Scalloped Oysters.—Put a dozen of bearded oysters, previously
dipped in bread crumbs, into a scallop shell. Mix pepper, salt, a little
nutmeg, butter, and bread crumbs well together, and put layers of this
and oysters alternately. Egg the last layer over, and brown in a Dutch
oven.
Tench, to Stew Brown.—See receipt given for carp.
Ducks, Nottingham Fashion.—Choose a pair of fine fat ducks,
lard as usual, and then half-roast them. Remove from before the fire,
place in a clean stewpan, and stew gently for half an hour with a pint
of good gravy; then add half a pint of oysters nicely bearded, a dozen
roasted and bruised chestnuts, a pint of red wine, and two small onions
minced fine; three or four sprigs of thyme, a blade of mace, six
peppercorns, the crumb of a French roll rubbed fine, and a pinch of
cayenne pepper. When well flavoured, remove, and serve hot. It is
necessary to cover the stewpan well during the time the ducks are
cooking.
Woodcocks, to Ragout.—Prepare and cook the same as snipes.
Cardoons Fried and Buttered.—Cut them about ten inches long,
string, and then tie them in bundles like asparagus, and cut them into
dice; boil like peas; add some butter, pepper, and salt, and serve hot.
Cardoons à la Fromage.—String, then cut them an inch long,
place in a saucepan, and stew in some port or red wine, enough to cover
them, until tender: then season with pepper and salt, and thicken with
floured butter; then pour into the dish; add the juice of an orange,
and scrape some Cheshire cheese all over it, then brown with a salamander,
and serve hot.
Celery Fried.—Take three heads of celery, cut off the green tops,
remove the outside stalks, wash clean and pare the roots clean; then
have ready four ounces of white wine, the yolks of two eggs beat fine,
and a little salt and nutmeg; mix all well together with flour, so as
to form a good batter; then dip each head into the batter, and fry a
nice light brown in lard. When done, lay in the dish, pour melted
butter over them, and serve hot.
Turnip Pie.—Season some mutton chops with salt and pepper,
reserving the ends of the neck-bones to lay over the turnips, which
must be cut into small dice, and strewed over the steaks. Add two or
three table-spoonfuls of milk, and cover with a crust.
Mutton Hashed.—Cut the remains of a cold leg or shoulder of
mutton into thin slices, whether fat or lean; flour and pepper well, and
leave on the dish. Boil the bones, well broken up, with a few onions
minced well, add some salt, a little mushroom ketchup and the hashed
meat; warm over a slow fire, but do not let it boil; then add port wine
and currant jelly, or omit, as you please. If the former, it will impart
a venison flavour, if the latter method is adopted it will be plain.
Veal Larded.—Remove the under bone of a neck of veal, and
leave only a part of the long bones on; then trim it neatly, lard, and
roast it gently with the caul over it. When nearly done, remove the
caul, in order that the meat may be just tinged a brown. Serve with
mushroom, celery, or other sauce. At another season, sorrel, asparagus,
green pea, or lemon sauces are correct, but at this period such cannot
be obtained.
American Biscuits.—Take a quarter of a pound of butter and mix
with a pound of flour; add a quarter of a pound of sugar to half a pint
of new milk, warm, and pour gradually into the butter paste. Make
a solution of about half a tea-spoonful of salt of tartar in half a tea-cupful
of cold water; add to the mixture, and work up the paste to
a good consistence; then roll it out, and cut with the top of a wine-glass.
These cakes should be baked in a quick oven as soon as possible after
they are made.
Bread-and-Butter Pudding.—Grease a dish well with butter,
then sprinkle in a good thick layer of currants, well washed and picked;
add some brown sugar, and cover with thin slices of light white bread
until the dish is filled by alternate layers of currants, sugar, and bread.
Boil a pint of new milk, add four well-beaten yolks of eggs, a little
nutmeg and grated lemon-peel; pour into the dish containing the
bread, &c., and let it stand for an hour, then bake in a moderate oven.
A paste may be put round the edge of the dish, but it is not necessary.
Somersetshire Syllabub.—Put into a large china bowl a pint of
port, the same quantity of sherry, and sugar to taste; then milk the
bowl full, and after letting it stand for twenty minutes, cover well with
clouted cream; grate nutmeg over all, add pounded cinnamon, and
strew thickly with nonpareil comfits.
Vegetables.—Jerusalem artichokes, beets, borecole, white and
purple brocoli, cabbages, cardoons, carrots, celery, endive, herbs of
all sorts, leeks, lettuces, onions, parsnips, potatoes, salad, savoys, scorzonera,
skirrets, shalots, spinach, truffles, turnips, forced asparagus.
Fruit.—Almonds. Apples—Golden pippin, nonpareil, winter pearmain,
golden russet. Chestnuts; hazel-nuts; a few grapes; medlars;
oranges. Pears—Bergamot, Beurré d’Hiver, Colmar, Holland, St.
Germains. Walnuts.
Baked.—Take a pound of any lean meat and cut into dice, place in
an earthen jar, or pot, that will hold five quarts of liquid. Slice, and
add to it, two onions, two carrots, two ounces of rice, washed and
previously soaked, a pint of whole or split peas, and some pepper and
salt to taste; cover all with a gallon of water, tie a cloth over the top
of the jar, or close the lid of the pot down very close, and bake. This
is a cheap and useful soup for poor people, and may be much improved
by using the liquor that salt beef, or, indeed, any meat has been boiled
in, instead of water.
Cheap—for the Poor.—Soak a quart of split peas for a day
in cold water, and then put them into a boiler with two gallons and a
half of water, and two pounds of cold boiled potatoes, well bruised,
a faggot of herbs, salt, pepper, and two onions sliced. Cover it very
close, and boil very gently for five hours, or until only two gallons of
soup remain.
Another.—Take two pounds of shin of beef, a quarter of a pound
of barley, a halfpenny-worth of parsley, two onions sliced, salt and
pepper to taste, and having cut the meat into dice, and broken the bone,
place in a gallon pot and fill up with water; boil very gently for five
hours. Potatoes, celery tops, cabbage, or any vegetable left from the
day before may be added.
Rich Gravy.—Take a pound of beef, the same quantity of veal and
mutton, cut into dice, and place in a boiler with two gallons of water,
half a carrot sliced, a faggot of sweet herbs, an onion sliced, an old
fowl beaten to pieces, the upper crust of a small loaf toasted very crisp,
four blades of mace, a little pepper, and four cloves; cover well, and
let it simmer on the side of the fire until reduced one-half, then strain
through a coarse sieve into a stewpan. Add half an ounce of truffles,
two heads of fine celery sliced small, four table-spoonfuls of finely sifted
raspings, the palate of an ox boiled tender and cut small, and two cocks’
combs; cover very close, and simmer gently over a slow fire for two
hours. Make some forcemeat balls, and place in the tureen, then pour
the soup over, and serve.
Plum Porridge.—Boil eight pounds of shin of beef for five hours
in a gallon of water, skimming carefully throughout, and finally straining
off the liquor; add two pounds of meat cut small. Soften the crumb
of a penny loaf in some of the liquor, beat it smooth, thicken the soup
with it, add half a pound of stoned raisins, the same quantity of stoned
prunes, a pound of well washed currants, and grated nutmeg, pepper,
and mace to taste, and boil until the fruit is soft, then serve.
Brill, to Fry in Batter.—Cut off the fish from the bones, in
cutlets of about three inches or more; remove the skin from the dark
side, but let the pale side remain. Dip each cutlet into batter, and
fry in plenty of dripping. Garnish with fried parsley, and serve up
with anchovy and melted butter.
Cod Sounds, Boiled.—Soak the sounds in warm water for half an
hour, then scrape and clean well. Boil in milk and water, and when
tender, serve in a napkin, with egg sauce.
Cod Sounds Ragout.—Scald, clean, and rub the sounds well with
salt; then stew in some good highly-seasoned gravy, and when tender
add a little cream and floured butter to thicken; give a boil, and season
with grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, and a little allspice.
Dory, to Fry.—Clean and dry the fish well, egg over, dip in bread
crumbs, and fry a light brown. Garnish with fried parsley, and serve
with plain melted butter.
Hake, to Bake.—Dress the same as pike (see p. 281).
Ling, to Broil.—Cut into convenient sized pieces after the fish is
cleaned, flour well, and set on a gridiron over a clear fire. Shake a
little pepper and salt over each piece while broiling, and when done,
rub in some butter before the fire, then serve with plain melted butter.
Plaice, to Fry.—Clean, cut into cutlets, but do not remove the
skin, and fry as previously directed for brill.
Tench, to Stew Brown.—Dress the same as carp (pp. 254, 268).
Turbot, to Pickle.—Prepare the same as directed for cold salmon
(p. 277).
Fowls, Forced.—Cut a large fowl down the back, remove the skin
from the whole of the body very carefully; cut the flesh from the bones,
and chop it up finely with half a pint of oysters, and an ounce of beef
marrow, then season with pepper and salt. Add sufficient cream to
mix it well, lay the meat on the bones, draw the skin over, and sew
up the back. Lay thin slices of bacon on the breast, tie them on in
diamonds, and roast it an hour by a moderate fire. Pour a good brown
gravy sauce into the dish. Remove the bacon from the fowl, and then
place the fowl in the dish. Garnish with oysters or mushrooms, and
serve hot.
Guinea-Fowl, to Roast.—Lard, prepare, and then dress the same
as a pheasant (see p. 291), and it will be most delicious.
Artichoke Bottoms, to Ragout.—Soak them in warm water two
or three hours, changing the water; then put them into a stewpan
with some good gravy, a table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup, or
enough to flavour, a little salt, and cayenne pepper. Boil, thicken with
flour, place in a dish, and pour the gravy sauce over, then serve hot.
Spinach Stewed, and Eggs.—Pick and wash the spinach very
clean, put it into the saucepan with a little salt, cover it close, shake
the pan often, and when tender and green, toss it into a sieve to
drain, and then lay it on the dish. Have ready a stewpan of boiling
water, break as many eggs into cups as you wish to poach, drop them
quietly into the water, remove with an egg slice when done, lay them
on the spinach, and garnish the dish with slices of quartered lemon.
Serve hot with melted butter in a sauce-boat.
Calf’s Head Pie.—Stew a knuckle of veal till tender, with two
onions, a faggot of herbs, a blade of mace, and six peppercorns, in
three pints of water, and when done, set aside, with the bones in it,
to simmer, removing sufficient meat to form into balls. Half-boil a
calf’s head, and cut the flesh into square bits; put a layer of ham
in slices at the bottom of a dish, then some pieces of the head well
seasoned with pepper and salt, first fat and then lean, with balls, and
hard eggs cut in half, alternating until the dish is full, but not too
closely packed. Put a little water and gravy into the dish, cover with
a tolerably thick crust, and bake in a slow oven. When done, fill up
with gravy, but do not cut till it is quite cold. Some persons add oysters
and mushrooms, and eat the pie warmed instead of cold.
Durham Pie.—Take seven pounds of flour, a pound and a quarter of
suet, and two pounds of butter; form into a paste, mould it to fancy,
so as to make a handsome ornamental crust, and bake in a slow oven.
Then take a goose, a turkey, a grouse, a woodcock, a snipe, a pheasant,
part of a hare; a partridge, a pound and a half of bullock’s tongue, and
cut into small pieces; stew gently, and then place in the centre of the
crust, with the gravy, and some grated ham or beef; season to taste,
and bake in a slow oven. Of course the top is covered in with paste,
ornamented with the feet of the birds as a central crown, and foliage,
&c., around them.
Practical Housewife’s Christmas Ham.—Soak the ham, be the
weight whatever it may, half the usual time in water; remove, wash
well with cold water, place in a pan large and deep enough to contain
it, cover with beer or good ale, and let it remain until the required
time for soaking a ham of the size used has expired. Boil as usual
until the skin can be readily removed; then place the ham in a tin
or an earthenware dish, and cover with a common flour-and-water
paste, or surround with butter. Bake in a moderately heated oven
until done, remove the paste or batter, cover with bread raspings, and
serve hot.
Cooked in this manner, a ham acquires the most delicious flavour,
especially if cured by a method we shall hereafter point out.
Hamburg Beef.—Rub a rump of beef with brown sugar, and let
it lie three days, turning frequently during the time. Remove from the
dish, wipe it, and salt it with four ounces of bay, and the same quantity
of common salt, and an ounce of saltpetre, well mixed. Cover with
what remains after rubbing in, and let it remain for a fortnight, turning
it occasionally. Remove the superfluous salt, roll tight in a cloth,
and press well with weights. Smoke the meat in the cloth, by hanging
it in a chimney where wood smoke ascends, or by adopting the
same method as that recommended for herrings.
It may be boiled, and pressed with heavy weights until cold; or
fried with bacon in slices, as required.
Antwerp Cream.—Make a housewife’s cream, as directed by us at
p. 279, and whisk until it curdles, then set the curd carefully upon a
fine sieve, and let it drain over a basin all night. Take thirty ratafia
biscuits, bruise them, and add to the whey, with a twopenny sponge-cake
broken up fine, two table-spoonfuls of raspberry and currant jam,
and two table-spoonfuls of brandy; mix well together, pour into a
small glass dish, heap the curd over the top with a fork, and ornament
the edge with ratafia biscuits.
Bon-bon Crackers.—Procure various coloured papers, and cut them
into pieces measuring three inches wide and four inches long; then
cut the end of each into a narrow fringe an inch long, and gum or paste
a blue paper and a red one together, so that the fringe may be at both
ends. Buy some Waterloo crackers at a toy shop, and paste each end
of one to the inside of the coloured papers, so that the centre of the
cracker shall be over the joining. Put a burnt almond or some bon-bon
in the centre, roll it up neatly, screw the two ends, and spread the
fringe.
Any coloured paper will do, and the greater contrast displayed
the better the effect.
The Housewife’s Christmas Cake.—Take two pounds of pounded
sugar-candy, two pounds of flour, two pounds of butter, thirty-six eggs,
four pounds of currants, a pound of raisins stoned and chopped, half
a pound of almonds blanched and chopped, half a pound of citron, a
pound of candied orange-peel, the same of candied lemon-peel, a large
nutmeg pounded, half an ounce of powdered allspice, half an ounce of
powdered mace, ginger, cinnamon, and coriander, and half a pint of
brandy.
All the ingredients should be well dried, the white of the eggs well
beaten up separately from the yolks, the butter stirred and beaten
almost to a cream, then add the rest gradually, taking care they are
well beaten and mixed. Have ready a large tin, well lined with buttered
paper, pour in the cake, and bake in a slow oven for at least four
hours. Smaller proportions may be adopted.
Gingerbread Snaps.—Take a pound and a half of flour, half a
pound of butter, the same of sugar and treacle, and an ounce of powdered
ginger. Mix well before the fire, add five table-spoonfuls of thick
cream, work into a stiff paste, roll out thin, dip a wine-glass into flour,
cut out the snaps with it, and bake in a quick oven.
Good Gingerbread Nuts.—Take three pounds of flour, a pound
of sugar, three and a half pounds of treacle, half an ounce of carraway
seeds, half an ounce of allspice, two ounces of butter, half an ounce
of candied lemon-peel, three ounces of ground ginger, half an ounce
of coriander, the yolks of two eggs, and a wine-glassful of brandy.
Work the butter to a cream, then the eggs, spice, and brandy, then
flour, sugar, and then hot treacle; if not stiff enough, a little more flour
must be added in rolling out, but the less the better.
Mincemeat.—Take four cups of suet, two of currants, four of
stoned raisins, half a cup of preserved ginger, half a cup of dried citron,
a cup of pounded sugar-candy, a grated nutmeg, a dessert-spoonful of
pounded mace, another of pounded cloves, six wine-glassfuls of brandy,
and three of noyeau. Mix well.
Mincemeat, à la Soyer.—Take four pounds and a half of kidney
beef suet, which skin and chop very finely; have also a quarter of a
pound of candied lemon and orange-peel, the same of citron, a pound
and a half of lean cooked beef, and three pounds and a half of apples, the
whole separately chopped very fine, and put into a large pan with
four pounds and a half of currants well washed and picked, two ounces
of mixed spice, and two pounds of sugar. Mix the whole well together
with the juice of eight lemons and a pint of brandy, place it in jars,
and tie down until ready for use; a pound and a half of Malaga raisins,
well stoned and chopped, may likewise be added to the above. It is
ready for use in a few days.
Plum Pudding, Moderate.—Take a pound and a half of raisins
stoned, a pound of currants, well washed and picked; the same quantity
of flour and suet; a quarter of a pound of fine white bread, rubbed
well; two pounds of orange and lemon-peel, a quarter of a pound of
citron-peel cut into square pieces; brown sugar, four ounces; one
nutmeg, grated fine; half an ounce of mixed spice; a wine-glassful
of brandy, four table-spoonfuls of white wine, two eggs well beaten,
and a little salt. Mix as usual, and boil for eight hours.
COOKERY FOR CHILDREN.
Some preparations of food proper for the young have already been
given in these pages; nevertheless, we are sure a chapter on this
important subject, so generally neglected in cookery books, will be
welcomed by the judicious.
It is of great consequence to fix the times of taking food, as well
as to regulate the quantity given to a child. The mother should,
personally, attend to these arrangements; it is her province.
There is great danger that an infant, under three years of age,
will be over-fed, if it be left to the discretion of the nurse. These
persons, generally, to stop the screaming of a child, whether it proceed
from pain or crossness, or repletion (as it often does)—they
give it something to eat—often that which is very injurious, to tempt
the appetite; if it will only eat and stop crying, they do not care
for the future inconvenience which this habit of indulgence may bring
on the child and its mother.
Arrange, as early as possible, the regular times of giving food to
your children, according to their age and constitution. Young infants
require food every two hours when awake; after three months old,
they may go three hours—then cautiously lengthen the time, as the
child can bear it. But remember that all temperaments are not alike.
Some of the same age may require more food than others. One rule,
however, will apply to all—never give a child food to amuse and
keep it quiet when it is not hungry, or to reward it for being good.
You may as rationally hope to extinguish a fire by pouring on oil,
as to cure a peevish temper, or curb a violent one, by pampering the
appetite for luxuries in diet; and all the traits of goodness you thus
seek to foster, will, in the end, prove as deceptive as the mirage of
green fields and cool lakes to the traveller in the hot sands of the
desert.
“My children have very peculiar constitutions,” said an anxious
mother—“they are so subject to fevers! If they take the least cold,
or even have a fall, they are sure to be attacked by fever.” The
family lived high, and those young children had a seat at the table,
and were helped to the best and richest of everything. And their
luncheon was cake and confectionery.
It was suggested to the mother that if she would adopt a different
diet for those children, give them bread and milk morning and evening,
and a plain dinner of bread, meat, and vegetables, their liability to
fevers would be much lessened.
“My children do not love milk, and won’t touch plain food”—was
the answer, with a sort of triumphant smile, as though this cramming
of her children with good things till the blood of the poor little
creatures was almost in a state of inflammation, was a high credit to
her good housekeeping.
But do not err on the other hand; and for fear your child should
be over-fed, allow it insufficient nourishment. There is not in our
country much reason to fear that such will be the case; the danger
is, usually, on the side of excess; still we must not forget that the
effect of a system of slow starvation is, if not so suddenly fatal
as that of repletion, more terrible, because it reduces the intellectual
as well as the physical nature of man, till he is hardly equal to the
brutes.
In many parts of civilized and Christian Europe, the mass of the
people suffer from being over-worked and under-fed; few may die of
absolute starvation, but their term of life is much shortened, and their
moral and intellectual powers dwarfed or prostrated.
“Under an impoverished diet,” says Dr. Combe, “the moral and
intellectual capacity is deteriorated as certainly as the bodily”—and
he adverts to the workhouse and charitable institution system of
weak soups and low vegetable diet, and to the known facts that children
brought up on such fare are usually feeble, puny, and diseased
in body, and are at best but moderate in capacity.
The rational course seems to be, to feed infants till about three
years old, chiefly with milk and mild farinaceous vegetable preparations;
a large portion of good bread, light, well baked, and cold, should
be given them; after that period, to proportion their solid food to
the amount of exercise they are able to take. Children who play
abroad in the open air, will require more hearty nourishment, more
meat, than those who are kept confined in the house or schoolroom.
From the age of ten or twelve, to sixteen or eighteen, when
the growth is most rapid and the exercises (of boys especially) most
violent, a sufficiency of plain nourishing food should be given; there
is little danger of their taking too much, if it be of the right kind
and properly cooked. But do not allow them to eat hot bread, or
use any kind of stimulating drinks.
Food for a Young Infant.—Take of fresh cow’s milk, one table-spoonful,
and mix with two table-spoonfuls of hot water; sweeten
with loaf sugar as much as may be agreeable. This quantity is sufficient
for once feeding a new-born infant; and the same quantity
may be given every two or three hours—not oftener—till the mother’s
breast affords the natural nourishment.
Thickened Milk for Infants when Six Months Old.—Take
one pint of milk, one pint of water; boil it, and add one table-spoonful
of flour. Dissolve the flour first in half a tea-cupful of water;
it must be strained in gradually, and boiled hard twenty minutes.
As the child grows older, one-third water. If properly made, it is
the most nutritious, at the same time the most delicate food that
can be given to young children.
Broth.—Made of lamb or chicken, with stale bread toasted, and
broken in, is safe and healthy for the dinners of children, when first
weaned.
Milk.—Fresh from the cow, with a very little loaf sugar, is good
and safe food for young children. From three years old to seven,
pure milk, into which is crumbled stale bread, is the best breakfast
and supper for a child.
For a Child’s Luncheon.—Good sweet butter, with stale bread,
is one of the most nutritious, at the same time the most wholesome
articles of food that can be given children after they are weaned.
Milk Porridge.—Stir four table-spoonfuls of oatmeal smoothly,
into a quart of milk, then stir it quickly into a quart of boiling water,
and boil up a few minutes till it is thickened; sweeten with sugar.
Oatmeal, where it is found to agree with the stomach, is much
better for children, being a good opener as well as cleanser; fine flour
in every shape is the reverse. Where biscuit powder is in use, let
it be made at home; this, at all events, will prevent them getting
the sweepings of the baker’s counters, boxes, and baskets. All the
left bread in the nursery, hard ends of stale loaves, &c., ought to be
dried in the oven or screen, and reduced to powder in the mortar.
Meats for Children.—Mutton, lamb, and poultry, are the best.
Birds and the white meat of fowls, are the most delicate food of this
kind that can be given. These meats should be slowly cooked, and
no gravy, if made rich with butter, should be eaten by a young
child. Never give children hard, tough, half-cooked meats, of any
kind.
Vegetables for Children, Eggs, etc.—Their rice ought to be
cooked in no more water than is necessary to swell it; their apples
roasted, or stewed with no more water than is necessary to steam them;
their vegetables so well cooked as to make them require little butter,
and less digestion; their eggs boiled slow and soft. The boiling of
their milk ought to be directed by the state of their bowels; if flatulent
or bilious, a very little curry powder may be given in their vegetables
with good effect; such as turmeric and the warm seeds (not hot peppers)
are particularly useful in such cases.
Potatoes and Peas.—Potatoes, particularly some kinds, are not
easily digested by children; but this is easily remedied by mashing
them very fine, and seasoning them with sugar and a little milk. When
peas are dressed for children, let them be seasoned with mint and sugar,
which will take off the flatulency. If they are old, let them be pulped,
as the skins are perfectly indigestible by children’s or weak stomachs.
Never give them vegetables less stewed than would pulp through a
cullender.
Puddings and Pancakes for Children.—Sugar and egg, browned
before the fire, or dropped as fritters into a hot frying-pan, without fat,
will make them a nourishing meal.
Rice Pudding with Fruit.—In a pint of new milk put two large
spoonfuls of rice well washed; then add two apples, pared and quartered,
or a few currants or raisins. Simmer slowly till the rice is very
soft, then add one egg, beaten, to bind it. Serve with cream and sugar.
To Prepare Fruit for Children.—A far more wholesome way
than in pies or puddings, is to put apples sliced, or plums, currants,
gooseberries, &c., into a stone jar; and sprinkle among them as much
sugar as necessary. Set the jar in an oven or on a hearth, with a tea-cupful
of water to prevent the fruit from burning; or put the jar into
a saucepan of water till its contents be perfectly done. Slices of bread
or some rice may be put into the jar, to eat with the fruit.
Rice and Apples.—Core as many nice apples as will fill the dish;
boil them in light syrup; prepare a quarter of a pound of rice in milk,
with sugar, and salt; put some of the rice in the dish, and put in the
apples, and fill up the intervals with rice, and bake it in the oven till
it is a fine colour.
A Nice Apple Cake for Children.—Grate some stale bread, and
slice about double the quantity of apples; butter a mould, and line it
with sugar paste, and strew in some crumbs, mixed with a little sugar;
then lay in apples, with a few bits of butter over them, and so continue
till the dish is full; cover it with crumbs, or prepared rice; season
with cinnamon and sugar. Bake it well.
Fruits for Children.—That fruits are naturally healthy in their
season, if rightly taken, no one, who believes that the Creator is a kind
and beneficent Being, can doubt. And yet the use of summer fruits
appears often to cause most fatal diseases, especially in children. Why
is this? Because we do not conform to the natural laws in using this
kind of diet. These laws are very simple and easy to understand. Let
the fruit be ripe when you eat it; and eat when you require food.
Fruits that have seeds are much healthier than the stone fruits. But
all fruits are better, for very young children, if baked or cooked in some
manner, and eaten with bread. The French always eat bread with raw
fruit.
Apples and winter pears are very excellent food for children, indeed,
for almost any person in health; but best when eaten at breakfast or
dinner. If taken late in the evening, fruit often proves injurious. The
old saying that apples are gold in the morning, silver at noon, and lead
at night, is pretty near the truth. Both apples and pears are often good
and nutritious when baked or stewed, for those delicate constitutions
that cannot bear raw fruit. Much of the fruit gathered when unripe,
might be rendered fit for food by preserving in sugar.
Ripe Currants are excellent food for children. Mash the fruit,
sprinkle with sugar, and with good bread let them eat of this fruit
freely.
Blackberry Jam.—Gather the fruit in dry weather; allow half a
pound of good brown sugar to every pound of fruit; boil the whole
together gently for an hour, or till the blackberries are soft, stirring
and mashing them well. Preserve it like any other jam, and it will be
found very useful in families, particularly for children—regulating their
bowels, and enabling you to dispense with cathartics. It may be spread
on bread, or on puddings, instead of butter: and even when the blackberries
are bought, it is cheaper than butter. In the country, every
family should preserve, at least, half a peck of blackberries.
To make Senna and Manna Palatable.—Take half an ounce,
when mixed, senna and manna; put it in half a pint of boiling water;
when the strength is abstracted, pour into the liquid from a quarter to
half a pound of prunes, and two large table-spoonfuls of W. I. molasses.
Stew slowly until the liquid is nearly absorbed. When cold, it can be
eaten with bread and butter, without detecting the senna, and is excellent
for costive children.
LAYING OUT TABLES. — I. BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND FOLDING NAPKINS. — II. DINNERS. — III. DESSERTS, TEAS, AND SUPPERS.
The art of laying out a table, whether for breakfast, luncheon,
dinner, tea, or supper, consists in arranging the various dishes, plate,
glass, &c., methodically, and adhering to the rules we are about to
make known.
Much trouble, irregularity, and confusion will be avoided in a house
when there is company, if servants are instructed to prepare the table,
sideboard, or dinner-waggon, in a similar manner and order daily.
All tables are usually laid out according to the following rules
throughout the United Kingdom: yet there are local peculiarities
which will necessarily present themselves, and should be adopted or
rejected, as may appear proper to the good housewife:—
Breakfasts.—The table should be covered with a clean white cloth:
the cups and saucers arranged at one end, if for tea; and at both
ends, if for tea and coffee; or the coffee-cups and saucers may be
arranged at the right hand side of one end of the table, and the tea-cups
and saucers on the left; the tea-pot and coffee-pot occupying
the space between in front, and the urn that at the back. Some
persons substitute cocoa or chocolate for coffee, in which case they
are to be placed the same. The slop-basin and milk-jug should be
placed to the left; and the cream, and hot milk jugs, with the sugar
basin, to the right.
The remainder of the table should be occupied in the centre by the
various dishes to be partaken of; while at the sides must be ranged
a large plate for meat, eggs, &c., and a small one for toast, rolls, &c.,
with a small knife and fork for each person; the carving knife and
fork being placed point to handle; the butter and bread knives to
the right of their respective dishes, which occupy the centre part,
and spoons in front of the hot dishes with gravy. Salt-cellars should
occupy the four corners, and, if required, the cruets should be placed
in the centre of the table.
Dry toast should never be prepared longer than five minutes before
serving, as it becomes tough, and the butter, soppy and greasy,
if too long prepared. Hot rolls should be brought to table covered
with a napkin.
Every dish should be garnished appropriately, either with sippets,
ornamental butter, water cresses, parsley, or some one of the garnishes
we shall point out in a future page.
The dishes usually set upon the table are selected from hot, cold,
and cured meats; hot, cold, cured, and potted fish; game, poultry,
cold or devilled; fruit, ripe, preserved, or candied; dressed and undressed
vegetables; meat-pies and patties, cold; eggs; honey-comb;
entrées; and savoury morsels—as grilled kidneys, ham-toast, devils,
&c.
Dejeuners à la Fourchette are laid the same as suppers, except
that tea and coffee are introduced; but in sporting circles not
until the solids are removed.
When laid for a marriage or christening breakfast, a bride’s or
christening cake should occupy the centre instead of the épergne or
plateau.
Luncheons or Noonings.—The luncheon is laid in two ways;
one way is to bring in a butler’s tray with let-down sides, on which
it is previously arranged upon a tray cloth, and letting down the
sides and spreading the cloth upon the dining-table to distribute
the things as required. The other is to lay the cloth as for dinner,
with the pickle-stand and cruet, opposite each other; and, if in season,
a small vase of flowers in the centre; if not, a water-jug and tumblers,
which may be placed on a side-table at other times. The sides of
the table are occupied by the requisites for each guest, viz., two
plates, a large and small fork and knives, and dessert-spoon. A
folded napkin, and the bread under, is placed upon the plate of each
guest.
Carafes, with the tumblers belonging to and placed over them,
are laid at the four corners, with the salt-cellars in front of them,
between two table-spoons laid bowl to handle.
If French or light wines are served, they may be placed in the
original bottles in ornamental wine vases, between the top and bottom
dishes and the vase of flowers, with the corks drawn and partially
replaced.
The dishes generally served for luncheons are the remains of cold
meat neatly trimmed and garnished; cold game, hashed or plain;
hashes of all descriptions; curries; minced meats; cold pies, savoury,
fruit, or plain; plainly cooked cutlets, steaks, and chops; omelets;
bacon; eggs; devils and grilled bones; potatoes; sweetmeats; butter;
cheese; salad and pickles. In fruit, almost anything does for lunch,
whether of fish, flesh, fowl, pastry, vegetables, or fruit.
Ale and porter are generally served, but occasionally sherry, marsala,
port, or home-made wines, are introduced, with biscuits and
ripe fruit.
A good housewife should always have something in the house ready
to convert into a neat little luncheon, in case a few friends drop in,
to what some are pleased to call a “tiffin;” and it is astonishing how
a really handsome-looking affair may be made out of the remains of the
dinner served the day before, some handsome glass, a sprinkle of good
plate, a few flowers, some good ale, or a little wine, and, above all, a
hearty welcome.
Napkins.—Dinner napkins should be about twenty-eight inches
broad, and thirty inches long. They may be folded in a variety
of ways, which impart a style to a table, without adding much to the
expense, and may be readily accomplished with a little practice and
attention to the following directions and diagrams.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the right hand
corner, and turn up the left hand one, as in Fig. 2, A and B.
Turn back the point A towards the right, so that it shall lie behind C;
and B to the left, so as to be behind D. Double the napkin back at
the line E, then turn up F from before and G from behind, when they
will appear as in Fig. 3. Bend the corner H towards the right, and
tuck it behind I; turn back the corner K towards the left, at the
dotted line, and tuck it into a corresponding part at the back. The
bread is placed under the mitre, or in the centre at the top.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then fold down two-fifths
of the length from each side, as in Fig. 5, at A; roll up the part B
towards the back, repeat on the other side, then turn up the corner
towards the corner A, and it will appear as D. The centre part E is
now to be turned up at the bottom, and down at the top, and the two
rolls brought under the centre-piece as in Fig. 4. The bread is placed
under the centre band, K, Fig. 4.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the two
sides towards you, so that they shall appear as in Fig. 7; then roll up
the part A underneath until it looks like B, Fig. 8. Now take the
corner B and turn it up towards C, so that the edge of the rolled part
shall be even with the central line; repeat the same on the other side,
and turn the whole over, when it will appear as in Fig. 6. The bread
is placed underneath the part K.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the two
sides as in Fig. 7; turn the napkin over, and roll up the lower part as in
Fig. 10, A, B. Now turn the corner B upwards towards C, so that it
shall appear as in D; repeat on the other side, and then bring the two
parts E together so that they shall bend at the dotted line; and the
appearance will now be as Fig. 9. The bread is placed under the
apron part, K, Fig. 9.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then fold across the
breadth, commencing at one extremity, and continuing to fold from and
to yourself in folds about two inches broad, until the whole is done:
then place in a tumbler, and it will appear as in the illustration.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then fold one of the upper
parts upon itself from you; turn over the cloth with the part having
four folds from you, and fold down the two sides so as to appear as in
Fig. 7; then roll up the part A underneath, until it appears as in the
dotted lines in Fig. 15, at B. Now turn up the corner B towards C, so
that the edge of the rolled part shall be even with the central line:
repeat the same upon the opposite side, and turn the whole over, when
it will appear as in Fig. 14; the bread being placed underneath the
part K, as represented in the illustration.
Fold the napkin into three parts longways, then turn down the two
sides as in Fig. 7, and roll up the part A on both sides, until as
represented on the right hand side in Fig. 14; then turn it backwards
(as A B) on both sides; now fold down the point C towards you, turn
over the napkin, and fold the two other parts from you so that they
shall appear as in Fig. 15. Turn the napkin over, thus folded, and
raising the centre part with the two thumbs, draw the two ends (A and
B) together, and pull out the parts (C and D) until they appear as in
Fig. 13. The bread is to be placed as represented in K, Fig. 13.
Dinners.—The appearance a dinner-table presents does not depend
so much upon a profuseness of viands, as upon the neatness, cleanliness
and well-studied arrangement of the whole. Taste, if well directed,
may produce a handsome dinner; whereas three times the amount of
money may be expended upon another, and yet not make even a
respectable appearance.
We cannot too strongly urge the necessity of having things done in
the same manner every day as when there is company. The servants
become accustomed to waiting properly, things are always at hand, and
they do not appear awkward when visitors drop in; then everything is
regular, and goes on smoothly.
To lay the Cloth.—The table should be well polished, and then
covered with a green baize cloth, over which a fine white damask one
should be spread. If the white cloth is to be kept on after dinner, it is
customary to spread a small cloth at either end of the table where the
large dishes are placed, to protect the long cloth from accidental spots
arising from gravy, &c.; these slips are removed after dinner, and the
cloth cleaned with crumb brushes. In some houses an entire upper
cloth is placed upon the table instead of slips, and this being removed
after dinner, does not require the tedious process of brushing the
table-cloth.
When the cloth has been spread, place carafes, with the tumblers
belonging to and placed over them, between every four persons, a
salt-cellar between every three persons, and a large and small knife,
fork, and spoon, to each guest, with two wine-glasses, a champagne
glass, and a tumbler, to the right of each, and the bread placed in or
under folded napkins, between the knives, forks, and spoons; and at
grand entertainments or public dinners, the name and rank of each
guest neatly written on a card in front of the napkin, so as to prevent
confusion and jealousy. The centre ornament, usually a candelabrum,
plateau, an épergne, or a vase of artificial flowers, must now be set on,
and the mats for the various dishes arranged; then the wine-coolers
or ornamental vases placed between the centre-piece and the top and
bottom dishes, with the wines in the original bottles, loosely corked;
the spoons for assisting the various dishes, asparagus tongs, fish-knife
and fork or slice, and carving knives and forks, are placed in front
of the respective dishes to which they belong; and knife-rests opposite
to those who have to carve; with a bill of fare, and a pile of soup-plates
before those that have to assist the soup.
In arranging or laying out a table, several things require particular
attention, and especially the following:—
Plate should be well cleaned, and have a bright polish; few
things look worse than a greasy-looking épergne and streaky spoons.
Glass should be well rubbed with a wash-leather, dipped in a
solution of fine whiting and stone-blue, and then dried; afterwards
it should be polished with an old silk handkerchief. Plates and dishes
should be hot, otherwise the guests will be disgusted by seeing flakes
of fat floating about in the gravy. Bread should be cut in pieces about
an inch thick, and each round of a loaf into six parts; or if for a
dinner party, dinner rolls should be ordered. The bread is placed
under the napkins, or on the left of each guest; if dinner napkins
are not used, some of the bread being placed in a bread-tray, covered
with a crochet cloth, upon the sideboard. Lights, either at or after the
dinner, should be subdued, and above the guests, if possible, so as to
be shed upon the table, without intercepting the view. Sauces, either
bottle, sweet, or boat; vegetables, and sliced cucumber, or glazed onions
for stubble goose, should be placed upon the sideboard; a plate basket,
for removing the soiled plates, is usually placed under the sideboard,
or some other convenient part of the room; and two knife-trays,
covered with napkins, are placed upon a butler’s tray; these are used
for removing soiled carvers and forks, and the soiled silver. It is
useful to have a large-sized bradawl, a corkscrew, and funnel, with
strainer; the former to break the wire of the champagne bottles, and
the latter to strain port wine, if required to be opened during dinner.
Fig. 1 & 2.
Fig. 3 & 4.
To lay out the Sideboard or Tray.—Little requires to be
done, except to arrange the silver, knives, cruets, and various dishes to
be placed there. The silver should be arranged on one end of the
sideboard, as in figs. 1 and 2, the gravy-spoons being placed bowl
to handle, and the cheese-scoop, marrow-spoon, and salad-spoons or
scissors, where most convenient. The knives are placed, as in fig. 3,
for the convenience of removal, because by this means a single knife
can be abstracted without disturbing the others; carving knives and
forks should be placed above the others, point to handle. The wine-glasses,
tumblers, and finger-glasses, for dessert, are placed where most
convenient, but usually in the centre, at the back, with ice-plates near
to them, and the wine-glasses placed in the finger-glasses, as in fig. 4;
but when only one glass is used, that is placed in the centre, mouth
downwards. At very large or fashionable dinners, the finger-glasses
are sometimes placed on the dinner-table with the plain and coloured
wine-glasses in them, and the same, refilled, are placed on again at
dessert. The cruets, sauces, &c., are placed at one end, and the
vegetables, &c., in the centre front of the sideboard.
To place the Dishes on the Table.—Each servant should be
provided, at large dinners, with a bill of fare, and instructed, at small
ones, where the dishes are to be placed. No two dishes resembling
each other should be near the same part of the table. Soups or broth
should always be placed at the head of the table; if there are two, top
and bottom; if four, top, bottom, and two sides, opposite each other,
or alternately with fish. Fish should be placed at the head of the table;
if there are two sorts, have fried at the bottom and boiled at the top;
if four, arrange the same as the soup. We may observe, that a white
and a brown, or a mild and high-seasoned soup, should occupy either
side of the centre-piece, and that it looks handsomer to have fried
and boiled fish opposite each other, but they should never be placed
upon the same dish. Fish is generally served upon a napkin, the
corners of which are either turned in or thrown over the fish, or upon
a piece of simple netting, which is turned in all round; but we
recommend our readers to use the elegant serviette, as being more
stylish.
The first course generally consists of soups and fish, which are
removed by the roasts, stews, &c., of the second course.
The second course, when there are three, consists of roasts and stews
for the top and bottom; turkey or fowls, ham garnished, tongue, or
fricandeau, for the sides; with small made-dishes for corners, served in
covered dishes, as curries, ragouts, fricassees, stews, palates, &c.
When there are two roasts, one should be white, and the other brown.
Removes are generally placed upon large dishes, for, as they supply the
place of the fish and soups, they constitute the principal part of the
dinner. What are termed flancs, are not so large as the removes, nor
so small as the entrées, or made-dishes, and are generally served in a
differently formed dish. They are seldom used except when there are
eighteen or twenty persons.
Entrées, or made-dishes, require great care in placing them upon the
table, otherwise the gravy slops over and soils the dish; they are,
therefore, usually served with a wall of mashed potatoes, rice, or
other vegetables, to keep them in their proper place. They should also
be served as hot as possible.
When there is but one principal dish, it should be placed at the head
of the table. If three dishes, the principal to the head, and the others
opposite each other, near the bottom; if four, the largest to the head,
the next size to the foot, and the other two at the sides; if five, place
the same as for four, with the smallest in the centre; if six, place the
same as for four, with two small dishes on each side; if seven, put
three dishes down the centre of the table, and two on each side; if
eight, four dishes down the middle, and two on each side, at equal
distances; if nine, place them in three equal lines, but with the proper
dishes at the top and bottom of the table; if ten, put four down the
centre, one at each corner, and one on each side, opposite the vacancy
between the two central dishes; or four down the middle, and three on
each side, opposite the vacancies of the centre dishes; if twelve, place
them in three rows of four each, or six down the middle, and three at
equal distances on each side. If more than twelve, they must be
arranged on the same principles, but varying according to number.
Oval or circular dining-tables require to have the dishes arranged in
a shape corresponding to the table.
The third course consists of game, confectionery, delicate vegetables
dressed in the French style, puddings, creams, jellies, &c.
When there are only two courses, the first generally consists of soups
and fish, removed by boiled poultry, ham, tongue, stews, roasts, ragouts,
curries, or made-dishes generally, with vegetables. The second consists
of roasted poultry or game at the top and bottom, with dressed
vegetables, maccaroni, jellies, creams, preserved fruit, pastry and general
confectionery, salads, &c. It is generally contrived to give as great a
variety as possible in these dinners: thus—a jelly, a cream, a compôte,
an ornamental cake, a dish of preserved fruit, fritters, a blancmange, a
pudding, &c.
After the third course has been removed, cheese, ornamented butter,
salad, radishes, celery in a glass bowl or on a dish, sliced cucumber (and
at small parties, marrow-bones) are usually served. A marrow-spoon,
cheese-scoop, and butter-knife, being required upon the table, are to be
placed near to the dishes; a knife and fork near the celery, and a pair
of salad-scissors or a fork and spoon in the bowl with the salad.
The cheese may be served in a glass bowl, and handed round from
right to left; or if a Stilton, surrounded with the elegant serviette, and
placed upon the cheese-cloth. The bread may be served as usual, or
the cheese snaps, piled up on a crochet cloth, in a plated bread-basket
placed in the centre.
Waiting at Table.—Much confusion is avoided by having an
attendant upon each side of the table; or, if the party is large, more
than one, according to the number. The usual number required for
parties is given below; and if the income admit of it, the scale may be
increased according to the second column, which will materially add to
the comfort of the guests.
Guests.
Servants.
6
1
2
12
2
3
15
3
4
20
4
6
30
6
8
40
9
12
50
12
20,
&c.
Every attendant should be neatly attired, have a white neckcloth and
white gloves on, should know where all the articles required are, where
the dishes are to be placed, and, in fact, be acquainted with the whole
routine of the party; and, therefore, it is better to provide each one
with a bill of fare.
When every guest is seated, a servant appointed for that purpose
should stand by the side of each dish, with the right hand upon the
cover; and as soon as grace is said, the cover is to be removed and
placed in some convenient part of the room. The plates for soup
should then be taken singly from the pile opposite the person assisting
it, and carried to those guests that desire that particular soup, observing
that ladies are to be assisted before gentlemen, and that these should
commence from the head of the table, continuing to assist each until
both sides are helped.
Soon after the soup has been served, the servants may pass down
each side of the table, and ask each guest what they will take, assisting
them to the dish desired as soon as it can be procured. When
champagne is given, it is handed round upon a waiter or salver at small
parties, commencing at the right hand side of the table from the top
and bottom simultaneously, without any distinction as regards ladies or
gentlemen. In large parties—and we prefer the arrangement ourselves
even in small ones—the bottle being enveloped as far as the neck with
a clean dinner-napkin, the wine is assisted in the same order as before;
but instead of being handed round on a salver, the servants pour the
wine into the glass, at the right hand side of each guest. By these
means, there is less danger of the glasses being broken by any awkward
collision. The champagne is generally iced in summer, and cool in
winter, and is assisted as soon as the soup is finished, or just after the
guests have been helped to the second course or removes.
Liqueurs are handed round when sweets are on the table. Sauces are
handed round in the sauce-boat, and, when served, placed on the
sideboard or dinner-waggon; if only a family party, they are returned
to the table. Sweet sauces are handed round in glass dishes, and bottle
sauces in a stand or basket made for that purpose.
In removing the dinner-things, one servant goes round the table with a
butler’s tray, and the other removes and places the things upon it. The
cloth is then brushed with a crumb-brush; or the two sides are turned
in, and then the cloth dexterously jerked off the table, the lights
replaced, and the dessert set on.
When knives, forks, and spoons, are removed from dishes or plates,
they should be placed in proper trays covered with napkins; one being
used for the silver, the other for the steel articles.
When plates or dishes are removed from the table, great care is to be
observed with respect to holding them horizontally, otherwise the gravy,
syrup, or liquid, may injure the dresses of the guests. We remember
well to have seen a clumsy servant let some soup fall over the whole of
the back of an officer’s new red coat, which was, of course, completely
spoiled!
In some circles, the fashion prevails of placing finger-glasses on table
immediately preceding dessert; but in others, especially of the highest
fashion, cut-glass bowls, partially filled with rose or orange-flower
water, iced in summer and lukewarm in winter, are handed down each
side of the table, upon salvers: into these each guest dips the corner of
the dinner-napkin, and just touches the lips and the tips of the fingers,
to afford a refreshing feeling.
The Dessert.—The dessert may consist of merely two dishes of
fruit for the top and bottom; dried fruits, biscuits, filberts, &c., for the
sides and corners; and a cake for the centre.
When the party is large, and ices are served, the ice-plates are
placed round the table, the ice-pails at both ends of the table, and
dishes with wafer-biscuits at the sides. Some persons have the ices
served in glass dishes, which, together with the wafer-biscuits, are
handed round before the usual dessert.
When there is preserved ginger, it follows the ices, as it serves to
stimulate the palate, so that the delicious coolness of the wines may be
better appreciated.
The side and corner dishes usually put on for dessert, consist of:—Compôtes
in glass dishes; frosted fruit served on lace-paper, in small
glass dishes; preserved and dried fruits, in glass dishes; biscuits, plain
and fancy; fresh fruit, served in dishes surrounded with leaves or
with moss; olives, wafer-biscuits, brandy-scrolls, &c.
The centre dishes may consist either of a savoy or an ornamental
cake, on an elevated stand—a group of waxen fruit, surrounded with
moss—a melon, a pine-apple, grapes, or a vase of flowers.
Fig. 5.
Each plate should contain a knife, fork, and spoon, with two wine-glasses,
arranged upon a d’oyley, as in Fig. 5. These are to be placed
before each guest; and a finger-glass, with cold water in summer,
and lukewarm water in winter, on the right of each plate; and grape
scissors, and melon knife and fork, before their respective dishes.
Glass bowls containing sifted
sugar, with pierced ladles, or
others filled with cream, are to
be placed near to the centre dish,
if they are required. A cut-glass
jug, with a tumbler on either side,
should be placed in a convenient
part of the centre of the table.
The wine, either cooled or not,
should be placed at both ends of
the table, or at the bottom, if
only a small party, the decanters
being placed in casters, though
this fashion is now much abolished.
Zests are put down after the
dessert is removed, and consist
chiefly of anchovy toasts, devilled
poultry and game, and biscuits, gravy, toast, grills, &c.
Coffee is the last thing served, and is generally handed round upon
a salver; after this, the gentlemen withdraw to the drawing-room.
Tea.—If after a dinner party, the tea is generally handed round
by two servants, the one having tea and coffee, with hot milk, cream,
and sugar, upon one tray; the other having thinly-cut and rolled
bread and butter, biscuits, and cake, upon another tray.
If served at an evening party or dance, a servant assists the guests,
as they arrive, to tea or coffee, which is ranged upon a side-table
in a small room. The tea and coffee occupy the two ends of the
table, on either side of the urn, which is placed in the centre and
back. In front of the urn are ranged the sugar-candy for coffee,
sugar, hot milk, cream, bread and butter, cake, and biscuits. When
the guests have been assisted, they are ushered into the presence
of the host and hostess.
Tea, when only for a small party, may be brought in upon a
tray, the tea and coffee pots occupying the centre of the tray; the
cups and saucers the front; and the hot milk, cream, slop-basin, and
sugar, the ends. The urn is placed at the back of the tray; and the
bread and butter, cut or not, with cake, biscuits, muffins, crumpets,
or toast, at the sides.
Suppers.—The great secret of laying out a supper consists in
arranging the china, glass, silver, linen, lights, confectionery, substantials,
trifles, flowers, and other articles, with a due regard to form,
colour, size, and material.
A supper table should neither be too much crowded, nor too scanty,
nor scattered and broken up with small dishes. Two dishes of the
same description should not be placed near to each other: dishes
should not be heaped up as if for a ploughman’s repast, but contain
sufficient to make them look well, without being over or under-done
as regards quantity.
Hot suppers are now seldom served; for people dine later than
they did formerly; and besides being more expensive than cold ones,
they also give more trouble.
The centre of the table is generally occupied by an épergne, vase
of flowers, globe of fish upon an elevated stand, a plateau, or small
fountain; around which are arranged:—Dried, preserved, frosted,
or candied fruits; custards, jellies, and trifles, in glasses; and small
biscuits. The top and bottom of the table are furnished with game,
fowls, or meat; the sides have dishes of ham sliced; tongue, collared,
potted, hung, and grated; brawn, mock or real; savoury pies; lobsters;
oysters; dressed crab or cray-fish; prawn pyramids; sandwiches of
ham, beef, tongue, anchovy, or other savoury morsels; tarts, tartlets;
cake, biscuits; whipped and other creams; jellies, blancmange; caramel
baskets; patties, &c.
TRUSSING AND CARVING. — POULTRY AND GAME. — A GOOSE. — GREEN GOOSE — TURKEY. — TURKEY-POULTS. — FOWLS. — CHICKEN. — PHEASANT. — PARTRIDGE. — DUCK. — WILD-FOWL. — PIGEON. — WOODCOCK, PLOVER, AND SNIPE. — LARKS, WHEAT-EARS, AND ALL SMALL BIRDS. — HARE. — RABBITS. — DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING FISH. — NAMES OF THE VARIOUS JOINTS IN ANIMALS. — DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING JOINTS.
Observations on Trussing.—Although in London the various
articles are trussed by the poulterer from whom they are purchased,
yet it happens that presents from the country are sometimes spoiled
for want of a knowledge of the following rules, both on the part of
the mistress and cook.
All poultry should be well picked, every plug, or stub, removed, and
the bird carefully and nicely singed with white paper. In drawing
poultry or game, care should be taken not to break the gall-bladder—as
it would spoil the flavour of the bird by imparting a bitter taste to it,
that no washing or any process could remove—nor the gut joining the
gizzard, otherwise the inside would be gritty.
Observations on Carving.—The carving knife for poultry and
game is smaller and lighter than that for meat; the point is more
peaked, and the handle longer.
In cutting up wild-fowl, duck, goose, or turkey, more prime pieces
may be obtained by carving slices from pinion to pinion without making
wings, which is a material advantage in distributing the bird when the
party is large.
Trussing.—Pick and stub it clean, cut the feet off at the joint, and
the pinion off at the first joint. Then cut off the neck close to the
back, leaving the skin of the neck long enough to turn over the back.
Pull out the throat, and tie a knot at the end. Loosen the liver and
other matters at the breast end with the middle finger, and cut it open
between the vent and the rump. Draw out all the entrails except the
soul, wipe the body clean out with a cloth, beat the breast-bone flat with
a rolling-pin, put a skewer into the wing, and draw the legs up close;
put the skewer through the middle of the leg, and through the body,
and the same on the other side. Put another skewer in the small of
the leg, tuck it close down to the sidesman, run it through, and do the
same on the other side. Cut off the end of the vent, and make a hole
large enough for the passage of the rump, as by that means it will keep
in the seasoning much better.
Carving.—Turn the neck towards you, and cut two or three long
slices on each side of the breast, in the lines 1–2, quite to the bone.
Then remove the leg by turning
the goose on one side, putting
the fork through the small end
of the leg-bone, and pressing it
close to the body, which, when
the knife has entered at 4, raises
the joint; the knife is then to be
passed under the leg, in the direction
4–5. If the leg hangs to the carcass at the joint 5, turn it back
with the fork, and it will readily separate if young, but will require
some strength if old. Take the wing off by putting the fork into the
small end of the pinion, and press it close to the body; divide the
joint at 3 with the knife, carrying it along as far as 4. When the
leg and wing on one side are taken off, remove those on the other
side.
To get at the stuffing, the apron must be removed by cutting in the
line, 6, 5, 7, and then take off the merry-thought in the line, 8, 9.
The neck-bones are next to be separated as in a fowl, and all other
parts divided the same.
The best parts are the breast slices; the fleshy part of the wing,
which may be divided from the pinion; the thigh-bone, which may be
easily divided in the joint from the leg-bone; the pinion; and next,
the side-bones. The rump is a nice piece to those who like it; and
the carcass is preferred by some to other parts.
When assisting the stuffing, extract it with a spoon from the body
through the aperture caused by removing the apron; mix it with the
gravy, which should first be poured from the boat into the body of
the goose, before any one is helped.
Is trussed and carved in the same way, but the most delicate parts are
the breast, and the gristle at the lower part of it.
Trussing.—When the bird is picked carefully, break the leg-bone
close to the foot, hang on a hook, and draw out the strings from the
thigh; cut the neck close off to the back, taking care to leave the
crop-skin long enough to turn over the back. Remove the crop, and
loosen the liver and gut at the throat end with the middle finger. Cut
off the vent, remove the gut, pull out the gizzard with a crooked wire,
and the liver will soon follow; but be careful not to break the gall.
Wipe the inside perfectly clean with a wet cloth, then cut the breast-bone
through on each side close to the back, and draw the legs close
to the crop, then put a cloth on the breast, beat the thigh-bone down
with a rolling-pin till it lies flat.
If the turkey is to be trussed for boiling, cut the first joint of the
legs off; pass the middle finger into the inside, raise the skin of the
legs, and put them under the apron of the bird. Put a skewer into the
joint of the wing and the middle joint of the leg, and run it through
the body and the other leg and wing. The liver and gizzard must be
put in the pinions, care being taken to open and previously remove
the contents of the latter; the gall-bladder must also be detached
from the liver. Then turn the small end of the pinion on the back,
and tie a packthread over the ends of the legs, to keep them in their
places.
If the turkey is to be roasted, leave the legs on, put a skewer in the
joint of the wing, tuck the legs close up, and put the skewer through
the middle of the legs and body; on the other side put another skewer
in at the small part of the leg. Put it close on the outside of the sidesman,
and push the skewer through, and the same on the other side.
Put the liver and gizzard between the pinions, and turn the point of the
pinion on the back. Then put, close above the pinions, another skewer
through the body of the bird.
Carving.—The finest parts of a turkey are the breast, neck-bones,
and wings; the latter will bear some delicate slices being removed.
After the four quarters are
severed, the thighs must be
divided from the drum-sticks,
which, being tough, should be
reserved till the last. It is customary
not to cut up more than
the breast, but if any more is
required, to take off one of the
wings; a thin slice of the forcemeat,
which is under the breast, should be given to each person, cutting
in the direction from the rump to the neck. A turkey is generally
carved the same as a pheasant; it has no merry-thought.
Trussing.—Separate the neck from the head and body, but not the
neck-skin. Draw the same as a turkey. Put a skewer through the
joint of the pinion, tuck the legs close up, run the skewer through the
middle of the leg, through the body, and so on the other side. Cut off
the under part of the bill, twist the skin of the neck round and round,
and skewer the head with the bill end forward; another skewer must
then be put into the sidesman, and the legs placed between the sidesman
and apron on each side. Pass the skewer through all, and cut off the
toe-nails. Some lard them on the breast. It is optional whether the
liver and gizzard be used or not.
Carving.—They are to be carved the same as a turkey.
Trussing.—Fowls must be picked very clean, and the neck cut
off close to the back. Take out the crop, and, with the middle finger,
loosen the liver and other parts. Cut off the vent, draw it clean, and
beat the breast-bone flat with a rolling-pin.
If the fowl is to be boiled, cut off the nails of the feet, and tuck them
down close to the legs. Put your finger into the inside, and raise the
skin of the legs; then cut a hole in the
top of the skin, and put the legs under.
Put a skewer in the first joint of the
pinion, and bring the middle of the leg
close to it; put the skewer through the
middle of the leg, and through the body,
and then do the same on the other side.
Open the gizzard, remove the contents,
and wash well; remove the gall-bladder
from the liver. Put the gizzard and the
liver in the pinions, turn the points on
the back, and tie a string over the tops
of the legs, to keep them in their proper places.
Boiled Fowl.
If the fowl is to be roasted, put a skewer in the first joint of the
pinion, and bring the middle of the leg close to it. Put the skewer
through the middle of the leg, and through the body, and do the same
on the other side. Put another skewer in the small of the leg, and
through the sidesman; do the same on the other side, and then put
another through the skin of the feet, which should have the nails
cut off.
Roast Fowl.
Carving.—A fowl is cut up in the same way, whether roasted or
boiled. We have illustrated the method of carving upon the boiled
fowl. Fix the fork in the middle of the breast at 5, take off the wing
in the direction 1–2, dividing the joint at 1. Lift up the pinion with
your fork, and draw the wing towards the leg, which will separate the
fleshy part better than by the knife; and between the leg and the
body at 3 to the bone as far as the joint;
then give the knife a sudden twist, and the
joint will yield if the bird is young; repeat
this on the other side, and then take off the
merry-thought in the line 2–5–4, by passing
the knife under it towards the neck; now
remove the neck-bones by passing the knife
in at 7 under the long broad part of the bone
in the line 7–6; then lifting it up, and breaking off the end of the
shorter part of the bone, which cleaves to the breast-bone. Divide the
breast from the back, by cutting through the tender ribs on each side,
from the neck quite down to the vent; turn up the back, press the
point of the knife about half-way between the neck and rump, and on
raising the lower end it will separate easily. Turn the rump from you,
take off the sidesman by forcing the knife through the rump-bone, in the
lines 5–8, and when this is done the whole fowl is completely carved.
The prime parts of a fowl, whether roasted or boiled, are the wings,
breast, and merry-thought; and next to these, the neck-bones and side-bones;
the legs are rather coarse; of a boiled fowl, however, the legs
are rather more tender than a roasted one; of the leg of a fowl the
thigh is the better part, and therefore when given to any one should
be separated from the drum-stick, which is done by passing the knife
underneath, in the hollow, and turning the thigh-bone back from the
leg-bone.
Trussing.—Pick and draw them in the same manner as you would
fowls; but, as their skins are very tender, plunge them into scalding
water, and remove when the feathers will come off readily.
If they are to be boiled, cut off the nails, notch the sinews on each
side of the joint, put the feet in at the vent, and then peel the rump.
Draw the skin tight over the legs, put a skewer in the first joint of the
pinion, and bring the middle of the legs close. Put the skewer through
the middle of the legs, and through the body; and do the same on the
other side. Clean the gizzard, and remove the gall from the liver;
put them into the pinions, and turn the points on the back.
If for roasting, cut off the feet, put a skewer in the first joint of the
pinions, and bring the middle of the leg close. Run the skewer through
the middle of the leg and body, and do the same on the other side.
Put another skewer into the sidesman, put the legs between the apron
and the sidesman, and run the skewer through. Having cleaned the
liver and gizzard, put them under the pinions, turn the points on the
back, and pull the breast-skin over the neck.
Carving.—They are to be cut up the same as a fowl.
Trussing.—Pick them clean, cut a slit at the back of the neck, take
out the crop, loosen the liver, and gut the breast with the fore-finger;
then cut off the vent, and draw them. Cut off the pinion at the first
joint, and wipe out the inside with the pinion. Beat the breast-bone
flat with a rolling-pin, put a skewer in the pinion, and bring the middle
of the legs close. Then run the skewer through the legs, body, and the
other pinion, twist the head, and put it on the end of the skewer, with
the bill fronting the breast. Put another skewer into the sidesman,
and put the legs close on each side of the apron, and then run the
skewer through all. If you wish the cock-pheasant to look well, leave
the beautiful feathers on the head, and cover with paper to protect them
from the fire. Save the long feathers from the tail; and when cooked,
stick them into the rump before sending to table.
If the pheasants are for boiling, put the legs in the same manner as
in trussing a fowl.
Carving.—Fix the fork in the centre of the breast, just below the
cross line 6–7, you will then be enabled to hold the bird firmly. Slice
down the breast in the lines 1–2, and then proceed to take off the leg
on one side, in the direction 4–5, and the wing on the same side, in the
line 3–4. Turn the bird over, remove the leg and wing of the other
side, and separate the slices previously divided on the breast. In removing
the wing, be careful to
cut it in the notch 1, for if cut
too near the neck, as at 1–6, the
neck-bone will interfere, from
which, of course, the wing must
be separated. The merry-thought
is now to be removed in the line
6–7, by passing the knife under
it toward the neck. The remaining
parts are to be cut up in the
same manner as a roast fowl.
The best parts are the breast,
the wings, and merry-thought.
Some give preference to the
brains, but the leg is the highest flavoured.
Trussing.—Partridges, and all kinds of moor-game, are to be trussed
in the same manner as pheasants.
Carving.—This bird is cut up in the same
manner as a fowl, only, on account of the
smallness, the merry-thought is seldom divided
from the breast. The wings must be taken
off in the lines 1–2, and the merry-thought,
if wished, in the lines 3–4. The prime
parts are the wings, breast, and merry-thought.
The wing is considered best, and the tip of it
is esteemed the most delicate piece of the
whole.
Trussing.—Ducks are trussed in the same manner
as geese, except that the feet must be left on,
and turned close to the legs.
Back of a Duck, trussed.
Carving.—Remove the legs and wings as directed
before for a goose, and cut some slices from
each side of the breast. The seasoning will be
found under the apron, as in the other bird. If it
is necessary, the merry-thought, &c., can be detached
in the same manner as when carving a
fowl.
Trussing.—Pick clean, cut off the neck close to the back, and, with
the middle finger, loosen the liver and other parts. Cut off the pinions
at the first joint; then cut a slit between the vent and the rump, and
draw them clean. Clean them properly with the long feathers on the
wing, cut off the nails, and turn the feet close to the legs. Put a skewer
in the pinion, pull the legs close to the breast, and run the skewer
through the legs, body, and the other pinion. Cut off the end of the
vent, and put the rump through it.
All kinds of wild-fowl are to be trussed thus.
Carving.—Every kind of wild-fowl must be carved the same as a
duck.
Trussing.—Pick clean, take off the neck close to the back; then
remove the crop, cut off the vent, and draw out the
entrails and gizzard, but leave the liver, as a pigeon
has no gall-bladder.
If for roasting, cut off the toes, cut a slit in one of
the legs, and put the other through it. Draw the leg
tight to the pinion, put a skewer through the pinion,
legs, and body, and with the handle of the knife break
the breast flat. Clean the gizzard, put it under one of
the pinions, and turn the points on the back.
If for boiling or stewing, cut the feet off at the joints,
turn the legs, and stick them in the sides, close to the pinions. If for
a pie, they must be done in the same manner.
Carving.—There are three methods of carving them:—1st, as a
chicken; 2nd, by dividing them down the middle; and 3rd, dividing
them across, which is done by fixing the fork at 1, and entering the
knife just before it, then cutting in the lines 1–2 and 1–3. The lower
part is considered the better half.
Trussing.—If these birds are not very fresh, great care must be
taken in picking them, as they are very tender to pick at any time;
for even the heat of the hand will sometimes take off the skin, which
will destroy the beauty of the bird. When picked clean, cut the
pinions in the first joint, and with the handle of a knife
beat the breast-bone flat. Turn the legs close to the
thighs, and tie them together at the joints. Put the
thighs close to the pinions, put a skewer into the pinions,
and run it through the thighs, body, and other pinion. Skin the head,
turn it, take out the eyes, and put the head on the point of the skewer,
with the bill close to the breast. These birds must never be drawn.
Carving.—Woodcocks and plovers are carved the same as a fowl,
if large; but cut in quarters if small. Snipes are cut in halves. The
head is generally opened in all.
Trussing.—Pick well, cut off their heads, and the pinions of the
first joint. Beat the breast-bone flat, and turn the feet close to the
legs, and put one into the other. Draw out the gizzard, and run a
skewer through the middle of the bodies. Tie the skewer fast to the
spit when you put them down to roast.
Carving.—These birds may be divided down the middle, or given
whole, especially when small.
Trussing.—Run a skewer through the two shoulders, at 2; another
through the head at 1, or pass
it into the mouth and through
the body, to keep the head in its
place; two others should be
passed through the roots of the
ears, to keep them erect; and
another through the legs at 3.
The inside of the ears should be
singed out with a hot poker before roasting, and the eyes extracted with
a fork. Many people let a hare soak in cold water all night before
trussing, but a few hours is quite sufficient to extract the blood.
Carving.—Insert the point of the knife inside the shoulder at 6,
and divide all the way down to the rump, on both sides, in the line
6, 7, 8, which will separate the hare into three pieces. Sever the
shoulders in the direction 5, 6, 7, and the legs in a similar manner; as
the latter is too large for one person in a large hare, it should be
divided from the thigh. Now behead it, cut off the ears close to the
roots, and divide the upper from the lower jaw; then place the former
on a plate, put the point of the knife into the forehead, and divide it
through the centre down to the nose. Cut the back into several small
pieces in the lines 9–10, and proceed to assist, giving some stuffing
(which is found below 10), and, gravy to each person. This can only
be done easily when the animal is young; if old, it must be cut up as
follows:—Cut off the legs and shoulders first, and then cut out long
narrow slices on each side of the back-bone in the direction 7–8;
then divide the back-bone into three or more parts, and behead the hare
as usual.
The prime parts are the back and legs; the ears are considered a
luxury by some, and so are the head, brains, and bloody part of the
neck. The best part of the leg is the fleshy part of the thigh at 8.
Rabbits, whether for roasting or boiling, are trussed and cut up the
same as a hare, except that the back is divided into two or three parts,
without separating it from the belly. The best parts are the shoulders
and back; the head should not be given unless asked for.
All printed directions must fail without constant practice; yet with
practice, and due attention to the rules we have laid down, we doubt
not that many of our readers will speedily become good carvers.
As the manner in which joints, and other provisions are carved,
makes a material difference in the consumption and comfort of a
family, it becomes highly important to those who study economy and
good order in their domestic arrangements, to practise the art. We
therefore recommend them to study the rules we purpose laying down,
and which we commence with directions for carving fish. Our papers
upon this subject will be accompanied by excellent illustrations. It
must be remembered that, in carving, more depends upon skill
than on strength; that the carving knife should be light, and of
moderate size, with a keen edge; and that the dish should be so
placed as to give the operator complete command over the joint.
Fish is served with a fish-slice, or the new fish-knife and fork,
and requires very little carving, care being required, however, not
to break the flakes, which, from their size, add much to the beauty
of cod and salmon. Serve part of the roe, milt, or liver, to each
person. The heads of carp, part of those of cod and salmon, sounds
of cod, and fins of turbot, are likewise considered delicacies.
Mackerel.
Mackerel.—Take off the head and tail by passing the slice across
in the direction of lines 1 and 2;
they should then be divided down
the back, so as to assist each person
to a side; but if less is required,
the thicker end should be given, as
it is more esteemed. If the roe is
asked for, it will be found between
1 and 2.
Barbel, Carp, Haddock, Herring,
Perch, Whiting, &c., should be assisted
the same as Mackerel; remembering that the head of the
Carp is esteemed a delicacy.
Cod’s Head and Shoulders.
Cod’s Head and Shoulders.—Pass the fish-slice or knife from 1
to 6 down to the bone; then help pieces from between 1–2, and
3–4, and with each slice give a
piece of the sound, which lies
under the back-bone, and is procured
by passing the knife in
the direction 4–5. There are
many delicate parts about the
head, particularly the oyster,
which is the cheek, below the
eye; and a great deal of the
jelly kind, which lies about the
jaws. The tongue and palate are considered delicacies, and are obtained
by passing the slice or a spoon into the mouth.
Salmon.
Salmon.—Give part of the back and belly to each person, or as desired.
If a whole salmon is served, remember
that the choice parts are
next the head, the thin part is
the next best, and the tail the
least esteemed. Make an incision
along the back 9 to 10, and
another from 1 to 2, and 3 to
4; cut the thickest part, between
5–6, 10–2, for the lean; and
7–8 for the fat. When the fish is very thick, do not help too near
the bone, as the flavour and colour are not so good.
Turbot.
Turbot.—Place the fish with the under part uppermost on the dish,
so that this may be assisted in
preference. Make an incision
from 1 to 2, and another from
3 to 4; then cut from between
as 5, 6, which is the primest part.
When the whole of this side is
finished, assist the upper part,
raising the back-bone with the
fork, while you use the fish-knife
for the flesh: this is more solid
and less delicate. The fins are much esteemed.
Brill, Plaice, and flat fish generally are assisted in the same manner
as turbot.
Soles may be assisted the same as turbot, or cut across the middle,
bone and all, so as to divide the fish into three or four parts; one
portion being given to each person.
Eels are usually cut into pieces about three inches long; and the
thickest part being most esteemed, should be given first.
1.—Beef.
Hind Quarter.
Fore Quarter.
1. Sirloin.
2. Rump.
3. Aitch-Bone.
4. Buttock.
5. Mouse-Buttock.
6. Veiny Piece.
7. Thick Flank.
8. Thin Flank.
9. Leg.
10. Fore-ribs; 5 ribs.
11. Middle-rib; 4 ribs.
12. Chuck; 3 ribs.
13. Shoulder, or Leg of Mutton Piece.
14. Brisket.
15. Clod.
16. Neck, or Sticking Piece.
17. Shin.
18. Cheek.
2.—Mutton or Lamb.
1. Leg.
2. Loin, best end.
3. Loin, chump end.
4. Neck, best end.
5. Neck, scrag end.
6. Shoulder.
7. Breast.
8. Head.
A Chine is two Necks. A Saddle is two Loins.
3.—Pork.
1. The Spare-rib.
2. The Hand.
3. The Belly or Spring.
4. Fore-loin.
5. Hind-loin.
6. Leg.
7. Head.
4.—Veal.
1. Loin, best end.
2. Loin, chump end.
3. Fillet.
4. Hind-knuckle.
5. Fore-knuckle.
6. Neck, best end.
7. Neck, scrag end.
8. Blade-Bone.
9. Breast, best end.
10. Breast, Brisket end.
11. Head.
5.—Venison.
1. Haunch.
2. Neck.
3. Shoulder.
4. Breast.
In assisting the more fleshy joints—such as beef, leg, or saddle of
mutton, and fillet of veal—cut thin, smooth, and neat slices; taking
care to pass the knife through to the bones of beef and mutton.
The carver would be saved much trouble, if the joints of carcass
pieces of mutton, lamb, and veal, were divided by the butcher previous
to cooking. If the whole of the meat belonging to each bone
should be too thick, a slice may be taken off from between every
two bones.
In assisting some boiled joints, as aitch-bone or round of beef,
remove and lay aside a thick slice from the top, before you begin to
serve.
Edge or Aitch-bone of Beef.
Edge or Aitch-bone of
Beef.—Cut off a slice three-quarters
of an inch thick, from
the upper part, from 1 to 2; help
in long thin slices. The soft marrow
fat lies below 3, at the back;
the firm fat is to be cut in thin
horizontal slices at 4. Before
sending to table, remove the
wooden skewers and insert atelets,
which may be withdrawn
when you cut them down.
Part of a Sirloin of Beef.
Sirloin of Beef.—There are
two modes of helping this joint;
either by carving long thin slices
from 3 to 4, and assisting a portion
of the marrowy fat, which is
found underneath the ribs, to
each person; or by cutting thicker,
slices in the direction 1 to 2.
When sent to table the joint
should be laid down on the dish
with the surface 2 uppermost.
Ribs of Beef are carved similarly to the sirloin, commencing at
the thin end of the joint, and cutting long slices, so as to assist fat
and lean at the same time.
Round, or Buttock of Beef.—Remove the upper surface in the
same manner as for an aitch-bone of beef, carve thin horizontal
slices of fat and lean, as evenly as possible. It requires a sharp
knife and steady hand to carve it well.
Brisket of Beef.
Brisket of Beef must be
carved in the direction 1–2, quite
down to the bone, after cutting
off the outside, which should
be about three-quarters of an inch
thick.
Shoulder of Mutton.
Shoulder of Mutton.—First
cut down to the bone, in the
direction of the line 1, assist thin
slices of lean from each side of
the incision. The best fat is
found at 2, and should be cut in thin slices in the direction of that
line. Several delicate slices may
be cut on either side of the line 3,
and there are some nice bits on
the under-side, especially near
the shank and the flap. Some
carve this joint by cutting long
slices from the knuckle to the
broad end, which is in fact, an
extension of line 3; it is not an
economical way. When sent to
the table, the knuckle should be
bound round with writing-paper, or a knitted ornament, as for ham.
Leg of Mutton.
Leg of Mutton.—Wether mutton
is esteemed most, and is known
by a lump of fat at the edge of
the broadest part, 7. The finest
slices are to be obtained from
the centre, by cutting in the
direction 1–2; and some very
good cuts may be got off the broad
end from 5 to 6. Some persons
prefer the knuckle, which, though
tender, is dry; the question should
therefore be asked. By turning over the leg, some excellent slices
may be procured, especially when it is cold, by cutting lengthways,
the same as carving venison. The cramp-bone is another delicacy,
and is obtained by cutting down to the thigh-bone at 4, and passing
the knife under it in a semicircular direction to 3. The fat lies chiefly
on the ridge 5. When sent to table, it should have a frill of paper,
or a knitted ornament round the knuckle; and if boiled, should lie
on the dish as represented above, but should be turned over if
roasted.
Haunch of Mutton consists of the leg and part of the loin, cut
so as to resemble a haunch of venison, and is to be carved in the
same manner.
Saddle, or Chine of Mutton.—This is an excellent and elegant
joint, and should be carved in long, thin, smooth slices from the tail
to the end, commencing close to the back-bone—a portion of fat being
assisted with each slice, which must be taken from the sides. It is
carved on both sides of the back-bone. Some carvers make an incision
close to the back-bone through its length, and cut slices cross-ways
from thence. If sent to table with the tail on, it may be
removed by cutting between the joint.
Loin of Mutton is easily carved, as the bones are divided at the
joints. Begin at the narrow end, and take off the chops; some
slices of meat may be obtained between the bones, when the joints
are cut through.
Fore Quarter of Lamb.
Fore Quarter of Lamb.—First
separate the shoulder
from the breast by passing the
knife in the direction 3, 4, and 5,
then holding the shoulder up with
the carving-fork, sprinkle some
salt and cayenne pepper on both
surfaces, and squeeze a lemon or
Seville orange over them; add a
small piece of fresh butter, and
replace the shoulder for a short
time; then remove it to another dish. The body should be divided
by an incision, as in 1, 2, so as to separate the ribs from the gristly
part, and either may be assisted, by cutting in the direction 6, 7. The
shoulder is to be carved the same as mutton.
Loin of Lamb, Leg of Lamb, and Shoulder of Lamb, must
be carved in the same manner as mutton, for which see directions.
Haunch of Venison.
Haunch of Venison.—First
cut it across down to the bone in
the line 1–3–2, then turn the
dish with the end, 4, towards you,
put in the point of the knife at
3, and cut it down as deep as
possible in the direction 3–4,
after which, continue to cut slices
parallel to 3–4, on the right and
left of the line. The best slices are on the left of the line 3–4, supposing
4 to be towards you; and the fattest slices are to be found between 4 and 2.
Loin of Veal should be jointed previous to being sent to table,
when the divisions should be separated with the carving knife, and a
portion of the kidney, and the fat which surrounds it, given with
each division.
A Breast of Veal Roasted.
Breast of Veal, Roasted,
should be divided into two parts
by an incision in the direction
1–2; then divide the brisket,
or gristly part, into convenient
pieces, as 3–4, 5–6, and the ribs
also, as 7–8. The sweetbread,
9, may be divided into portions,
or assisted whole; it is more
economical, however, to make a
side dish of it, if you have a few
friends.
A Fillet of Veal.
Fillet of Veal is carved similarly to round of beef, in thin smooth
slices, off the top; some persons like the outside, therefore ask the
question. For the stuffing, cut deep into the flap between 1–2, and
help a portion of it to each person. The atelets may be removed when
you cut down to them.
Knuckle of Veal.
Knuckle of Veal is to be carved in the direction 1–9. The most
delicate fat lies about the part 4, and if cut in the line 3–4, the two
bones, between which the marrowy fat lies, will be divided.
A Roasted Pig.
Roasted Pig.—The pig is seldom sent to table whole, but is divided
by the cook, and served up as represented in the accompanying
illustration. First divide the shoulder from the body on one side, and
then the leg in the same manner; separate the ribs into convenient
portions, and assist a little stuffing and gravy with each. If the
head has not been divided, it must be done, and the brains taken out
and mixed with the gravy and stuffing. The triangular piece of the
neck is the most delicate part of the pig, the ribs the next best, and
the ear is also regarded as a delicacy.
Leg of Pork.
Leg of Pork, whether boiled or roasted, is carved the same. Commence
about midway, between the knuckle and the thick end, and cut
thin deep slices from either side of the line 1 to 2. For the seasoning
in the roast leg, look under the skin at the thick end.
Hand of Pork.—Cut thin slices either across near the knuckle
or from the blade-bone, the same as for a shoulder of mutton.
Loin of Pork is to be carved in the same manner as a loin of mutton.
A Spare-Rib of Pork is carved by cutting slices from the fleshy
part, after which the bones should be disjointed and separated.
Ham.
Ham may be carved in three ways; firstly, by cutting long delicate
slices through the thick fat in the direction 1–2, down to the bone;
secondly, by inserting the point
of the carving knife in the circle
in the middle, taking out a piece
as 3, and by cutting thin circular
slices, thus enlarge the
hole gradually, which keeps
the meat moist; and thirdly,
which is the most economical
way, by commencing at the
hock end 4–5, and proceeding
onwards. When used for pies,
the meat should be cut from the under-side, after taking off a thick
slice. It should be sent to table with a frill of white paper or a knitted
ornament on the knuckle.
Half a Calf’s Head Boiled.
Half a Calf’s Head Boiled should be cut in thin slices from 1 to
2, the knife passing down to the bone. The best part in the head
is the throat sweetbread, which
is situated at the thick part of
the neck 3, and should be
carved in slices from 3 to 4, and
helped with the other parts. If
the eye is wished for, force the
point of the carving knife down
on one side to the bottom of the
socket, and cut it quite round.
The palate or roof of the mouth
is esteemed a great delicacy,
and some fine lean will be found
on the lower jaw, and nice gristly fat about the ear. The brains and
tongue are generally sent to table on a separate dish; the centre slice
of the tongue is considered the best.
A Tongue.
Tongue should be cut across nearly through the middle, at the
line 1, and thin slices taken from each side; a portion of the fat,
which is situated at the root of the tongue, being assisted with each.
THE END.
Sumfield & Jones, Printers, West Harding Street, Fetter Lane.
