Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/160

 knows of, burnt brandy, and other simple cures. But of all cures, I have seen the best results from dried pomegranate skin. It must be very dry. Then boil it gently in water till it is as dark as strong coffee, strain into a basin or jug, and take about two tablespoonsful in boiled milk several times daily. The effect is wonderful. Even in bad cases of dysentery I have seen it effect a cure. When dysentery sets in, a medical man should at once be sent for. There is another simple remedy for dysentery, the white of an egg well beaten, and taken three or four times a day. In young children, this is generally very successful; but only a teaspoonful should be given every quarter of an hour.

WHOOPING COUGH AND CONVULSIONS.

There is no actual cure for whooping cough. Like fever, measles, etc., it has to run its course, and the most one can do is to alleviate the violent paroxysms of coughing which are so terrible to witness, and so exhausting to the sufferer. For this purpose keep a small bottle of ammonia handy, and the moment the fit is approaching the worst, uncork your bottle and draw it quickly across beneath the nostrils, and it will arrest it at once, but the ammonia must only be entrusted to responsible hands. The mother or head nurse should be the only one to attempt this treatment. The ammonia must be in a stoppered bottle, and very strong, or it will be useless for the purpose. Just draw it quickly across—no more. It has the effect of making the patient catch his or her breath suddenly, and so arrest the cough. Chlorodyne is very useful in severe cases of whooping cough, where the sufferer is over five or six years of age. But I would never suggest its being given save at night, or when the cough has been troublesome at night, and the child is worn out and needs sleep. Then give a few drops of chlorodyne (according to age of patient) in water, and a good draught of water after it. When a child becomes black in the face, as the saying is, often a smart pat on the back will bring it to. If not, and the fit is really very bad, half a glass of cold water thrown in the face will be sure to have the desired effect. The use of the ammonia does away with all this, and there is not the least danger about it, provided you do not let the child get too strong a whiff. Salad oil and sugar mixed is a good thing to soften the cough; or, better than that, is powder and sugar mixed together, and given in a small pinch now and then, when the cough is troublesome. It must not be given too often, or the child will be sick. The best quantity to mix is about a teaspoonful of ipecacuanha to two of sugar, and keep it in a dry place. Whooping cough is very seldom dangerous—never, except in infants. Then, if they are very young or delicate, it is liable to produce convulsions or some other complication, and a medical man should always be called in. In many children a paroxysm of coughing brings on bleeding at the nose, and in some cases retching, but neither will do any harm. Very often the child who is sick with the cough gets over it quickest. As a rule whooping cough lasts three or four months; I have known it to continue for six. A change to the seaside will nearly always take it away. In fact, any change is beneficial, and will, in nine cases out of ten, cure it completely.

come from various causes, teething chiefly in young children, but very often it is almost impossible to find a cause. Infants are liable to so many indescribable and invisible ailments, that at most one can only guess a reason for these terrifying fits. First and foremost, I would recommend calmness and presence of mind in the mother or nurse. Nervous people are so apt to lose their heads when they see a child in a fit, and thus precious time is lost, whilst perhaps they faint, scream,