Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/319

289&#93; WAll tlrpating them is by evulsion, or plucking them out ; but such prac- tice 4 by no means to be recom- roended ; as the warts speedily re- turn. A preferable mode of era- dicating them, is by the application of escharotics, or mild cauteries ; for instance, crude sal ammoniac, which must be moistened with water, and rubbed on the tumors, two or three times everyday; or wetting them with the liquid salt of tartar; spirit of hartsliorn, or tin6ture of Spanish flies ; either of which has been successfully era - ployed for this purpose. — Another mode of exterminating warts, as well as corns, has been recommend- ed by the following plaster : Dis- solve 1 oz. of gum galbanum in vi- negar; evaporate the solution to a proper consistence ; and add half an ounce of common tar, 2 drams of simple diachylon plaster, 20 grains of verdigrease, and an equal portion of sal ammoniac : let the two last ingredients be finely pul- verized, and the whole be duly in- corporated. Previously to its ap- plication, the warts ought to be well rubbed with moistened soap, again dried, and the plaster renew- ed every 12 hours. In obstinate cases, however, it will be necessary to resort to internal remedies, and to change the milk-diet of children, by allowing them a greater propor- tion of animal food. WART- WORT, Chorx-staff, Cat's-milk, or Sun-spurge; Eu- phorlia helioscopia, L. an indige- nous plant, growing in gardens. Corn-fields, and cultivated grounds ; flowering in July and August. — This vegetable, though eaten by cattle and sheep, imparts to the flesh of the latter animals a disa- greeable flavour, and is also dctri- . iJO, XV, VOL, IV, WA S [289 mental to their health. — ^The milky juice exuding from the stalk, tinges paper of a fine azure-blue colour, WASHING, in general, signi- fies the cleansing of bodies or sub-* stances with water, and other ab* stergent ingredients. Washing essentially contributes to cleanliness, and consequently to the preservation of health : hence, all person; ought to be habituated to this salutary pra6tice, from their earliest period of life. Great cau- tion, however, is requisite in wash- ing infants: for which purpose, the water ought at first to be tepid, or of a moderate warmth ; then gra- dually reduced to a cool tempera- ture; and at length, it may be used as cold as the common at- mosphere of the season.-^The head and neck must, farther, be rubbed during the whole process, with a wet sponge, and, together with tlie rest of the body, be immediately wiped dry with clean cloths; which in the winter should be previously warmed. Thus, children will be early inured to habits of cleanliness j and the attention of parents to thisi important objeft will be amply re-* warded, WASHING, in a domestic sense, expresses peculiarly the cleansing of family linen, by means of soap and alkaline solutions, — Although we have referred from p. 30, of our first volume, to this article, for an account of such vegetables as yield alkalies or pot-ash ; yet, as these have already been stated in the pro- gress of our work, we shall pro- ceed to describe a washing ma-» chine that has lately been invented in Germany; and which promises to be superior to any similar con- trivance hitherto suggested, U Descrip*