The attendants or nurse should not go near the rest of the household, and should constantly wash their hands with disinfectant soap ; and when they leave the room for rest should have a loose garment over them well dusted with a 64 THE housewife's REFEREE disinfectant powder. All soiled linen should be rinsed out in a disinfectant before it is sent to the wash, and put separately in a box ; and the laundress should be informed of the sickness, and the box destroyed each time. The china and glass in a sick-room should be different to that of the rest of the house, and be washed in Condy's fluid first, and then in cold water. They should be rinsed before they are sent out of the room. On recovery, the sick-room should be fumigated, and, in cases of scarlet fever or small-pox, the walls and ceilings must be re-papered and whitewashed, and all the old paper scraped off, the floors scoured with disinfectant soap, the paint washed with a disinfectant, the blinds re-calendered, and every scrap of paper, lining drawers and wardrobes, burned. Where there are books and toys they should go down to some of the sanitary fumigating establishments ; there is a very large one at Mitcham, but as a rule the Local Health Authorities take all this in hand. Another thing to be remembered in infectious diseases, is that it is best to use small pieces of fine linen or soft rag instead of pocket handkerchiefs, as they can be burnt in a furnace — not in the fire, as the smoke of a fire when burning anything infected is an aid to spread the infection. After an infectious illness it is best to have the room fumigated at once with sulphurous acid gas, and experts should be sent for to conduct fumigation, after which re- papering, etc., may take place. To Prevent Unpleasant Odours in the Sick-Room. — Thin rags soaked in aromatic vinegar and suspended near the door, so as to be agitated by the draught, will prevent unpleasant smells and purify the air. Antidotes to Poisons. — When a poison has been swallowed, send directly for the doctor, and in the mean- while administer a tablespoonful of ground mustard in a tumbler of warm water, followed by more warm water till vomiting occurs. Common salt will also answer. If an alkali, like washing soda, is taken, give vinegar and water and follow up in a short time with an emetic. Ivy Poisoning. — Boil wood ashes to make a strong lye, and wash the poisoned parts in this ; let it remain a few MEDICINAL HINTS 65 minutes and wash off in soft luke-warm water. When dry, anoint with vasehne. Kepeat this process as the poison develops itself ; two applications are generally enough. Hay Pever. — Warm some olive oil and a small lump of camphor gently together for several hours, and then apply it to the inside of the lower part of the nose. Sleeplessness. — Hot applications to the spine are ex- cellent for this. Long rubber bags can be obtained, which may be filled with very hot water and placed against the sp^ne, or long bags of salt heated in the oven are also very efficacious. Neuralgia. — Bruise horse-radish and apply as a poultice to the wrist.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The attendants or nurse should not go near the rest of the household, and should constantly wash their hands with disinfectant soap ; and when they leave the room for rest should have a loose garment over them well dusted with a THE housewife's REFEREE disinfectant powder. All soiled linen should be rinsed out in a disinfectant before it is sent to the wash, and put separately in a box ; and the laundress should be informed of the sickness, and the box destroyed each time. The china and glass in a sick-room should be different to that of the rest of the house, and be washed in Condy's fluid first, and then in cold water. They should be rinsed before they are sent out of the room. On recovery, the sick-room should be fumigated, and, in cases of scarlet fever or small-pox, the walls and ceilings must be re-papered and whitewashed, and all the old paper scraped off, the floors scoured with disinfectant soap, the paint washed with a disinfectant, the blinds re-calendered, and every scrap of paper, lining drawers and wardrobes, burned. Where there are books and toys they should go down to some of the sanitary fumigating establishments ; there is a very large one at Mitcham, but as a rule the Local Health Authorities take all this in hand. Another thing to be remembered in infectious diseases, is that it is best to use small pieces of fine linen or soft rag instead of pocket handkerchiefs, as they can be burnt in a furnace — not in the fire, as the smoke of a fire when burning anything infected is an aid to spread the infection. After an infectious illness it is best to have the room fumigated at once with sulphurous acid gas, and experts should be sent for to conduct fumigation, after which repapering, etc., may take place. To Prevent Unpleasant Odours in the Sick-Room. — Thin rags soaked in aromatic vinegar and suspended near the door, so as to be agitated by the draught, will prevent unpleasant smells and purify the air. Antidotes to Poisons. — When a poison has been swallowed, send directly for the doctor, and in the meanwhile administer a tablespoonful of ground mustard in a tumbler of warm water, followed by more warm water till vomiting occurs. Common salt will also answer. If an alkali, like washing soda, is taken, give vinegar and water and follow up in a short time with an emetic. Ivy Poisoning. — Boil wood ashes to make a strong lye, and wash the poisoned parts in this ; let it remain a few MEDICINAL HINTS minutes and wash off in soft luke-warm water. When dry, anoint with vaseline. Kepeat this process as the poison develops itself ; two applications are generally enough. Hay Pever. — Warm some olive oil and a small lump of camphor gently together for several hours, and then apply it to the inside of the lower part of the nose. Sleeplessness. — Hot applications to the spine are excellent for this. Long rubber bags can be obtained, which may be filled with very hot water and placed against the sp^ne, or long bags of salt heated in the oven are also very efficacious Neuralgia. — Bruise horse-radish and apply as a poultice to the wrist.

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