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Practical Hints and Suggestions

To Those Beginning Sulphurous Acid Medication.

How to Fumigate.—Put on a Kitchen Shovel a small piece of waste paper, on the paper half or a whole tea-spoonful of Sulphur, and ignite with a match. This process should be repeated every fifteen or twenty minutes, till the patient has had one hour or two hours of fumigation. It is a great mistake to hold one's head over the burning dish, or to make the fumes so disagreeably strong as to excite much coughing and sneezing. One's own bedroom, with a fire in it in an inclement season, is the best place for the evening fumigation; and exposure to cold should be avoided for some time afterwards. Instead of Sulphur, a succession of Pastilles may be used.

To Cure a Common Cold.—For stopping of the nostrils give a few whiffs of Spray first up one nostril and then the other. In Coughs and Hoarseness begin with a few whiffs into the chest, and follow up by an hour of fumes at bedtime; or, instead of spray and fumes, let fifteen minutes' use of an inhaler be adopted at bedtime.

Earache, Deafness, and Singing in the Ear.—When these arise from cold, the first Spraying generally gives great relief. In deafness from cold let the patient first try the hearing power by means of a watch, give a little spray into the ear, and in ten minutes apply the watch again : a manifest improvement may sometimes be noticed even in cases of some years' standing. The operation may be repeated every second day.

Chilblains and Aching Corns.—If the skin be unbroken, apply a piece of lint wet with the strong Acid, and cover it over with oiled silk all night. If the skin be broken, proceed in the same way with the Acid considerably diluted with water, to which a little Glycerine may be added. N.B.—Chilblains and Corns should be well soaked in warm water before applying the Acid.

Sore Nipples.—Simply soak the part well with strong acid for a few times, and don't wash off, as it cannot injure the child's mouth.

Hooping Cough.—While keeping up a mild taint of Sulphur fumes almost constantly in the sick-room seems to reduce the duration of the cough from months to weeks, other means should never be neglected: such as mustard blisters, laxative medicine, or a stimulating liniment to back and chest.

Sore-Throats.—Let a medical man, who doubts the value of Spray, try the following experiment. In any case of sore throat (even a suppurating one), where the power of swallowing is nearly gone, first ask the patient to swallow a little water, give eight or ten whiffs of Spray from good Acid, and try his power of swallowing again. The result, if unexpected, is likely to astonish. A few breaths from an inhaler are equally effective.

Asthma and Croup.—Having detailed cases of these in the Pamphlet, I only observe here that, in Asthma especially, the Spray should be administered very mildly and cautiously at first, as it never fails to aggravate the cough, and increase the breathlessness, before the patient finds relief.

Sulphurous Acid.—Glass stoppers to the bottles are of great use in keeping the Acid fresh and strong; or in lieu of them the bottles must be well corked, laid on their side, and kept in a cool place.

Recent Cuts and Wounds.—First soak the parts with strong Acid till bleeding ceases, then apply a piece of lint wet with the same. When oiled silk is used as a covering over the lint, the Acid may be diluted with two parts of water.