Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 35.djvu/110

98 which, is easily made of the yolks of fowls' eggs. It is in general use among the peasants of southern Russia as a means of curing cuts, bruises, and scratches. When, as sometimes by accident, sulphate of copper, or corrosive poisons generally, are swallowed, the white of one or two eggs will neutralize the poison, and change the effect to that of a dose of calomel. Raw eggs have at all times been considered an excellent remedy for debility, on account of the phosphorus contained in them, as well as a preventive of jaundice in its more malignant form. The yolk is sometimes used as a convenient medium for forming an emulsion of the thick turpentines with water. These mixtures are used as enemata.

As a flesh-producer, one pound of eggs is equal to one pound of beef. About one third of the weight of an egg is solid nutriment, which is more than can be said of meat. Eggs, at average prices, are among the cheapest and most nutritious articles of diet. Like milk, an egg is a complete food in itself. It is also easily digested, if not damaged in cooking.

The celebrated Guinod de Reynière, who consecrated his life to studying the delicacies of the table, affirms, in his "Almanach des Gourmands," that eggs can be served in more than six hundred ways, and a book is published in London by a French cook, which gives one hundred and fifty recipes for cooking eggs. The feeble man, who has regained strength by boiled eggs for several days, will continue the same comforting food when presented in the form of an omelet, which is one of the principal food preparations made with eggs.

The flavor of eggs is much influenced by the nature of the package, for they imbibe foreign odors with the greatest readiness. Eggs brought in the same ship as oranges become impregnated with the scent and flavor of the fruit. If the cases in which they are packed are made of green wood, the eggs will be ruined. The straw in which they are packed should also be perfectly dry, or it will ferment and communicate a fusty smell to the eggs.

A raw egg beaten up in a glass of wine is recommended for vocalists for clearing their voice, and in cases of debility; and a spirit of eggs is sold which is said to be useful in impaired health or the infirmities of age, when vital energy is wanting, and as a specific for soreness of the throat. The white of eggs forms an albuminous solution, useful in diarrhœa of phlegmatic origin. To make this, beat up the white of four eggs and add a quart of water slowly, remove the froth formed, add sugar, a little orange-water, and, if necessary, a dozen drops of laudanum. This albumenized water is the best antidote to a great number of mineral poisons. The phosphorus in the egg is very good for all those who have