_Mustard Paste._--To make a mustard paste, mix dry mustard with flour, using for adults one part of mustard and six of flour to make a weak paste; increase the proportion of mustard up to equal parts of mustard and flour, according to the strength required. Use a smaller proportion of mustard for children; one part of mustard with from 6 to 10 parts of flour is generally enough. Add to the mustard and flour enough tepid water to make a paste, which must be absolutely free from lumps. Do not use hot water for this purpose, because it destroys some of the active properties of the mustard. Spread the paste on thin muslin, apply it to the skin, and remove it as soon as the skin is reddened so that its color resembles that of a strong sun-burn. If the skin is especially sensitive, mix a little sweet oil or vaseline with the paste. _Mustard leaves_ should be dipped in tepid water and may then be applied to the skin directly, but if specially sensitive, the skin should be protected by thin muslin or gauze. The leaf should remain until the skin is well reddened; a few minutes are generally sufficient. Care must be taken not to leave either a mustard leaf or a paste in place long enough to blister the skin. After the application has been removed; the part should be protected by a soft cloth until redness disappears. Vaseline or sweet oil should be applied to the skin if it is greatly irritated. Other counter-irritants in common use are iodine, turpentine, ammonia, kerosene, camphorated oil, capsicum vaseline, and various liniments. Tincture of iodine may be diluted with alcohol for especially sensitive skins; it sometimes causes blisters, and should not be applied more than once a day at most. Ammonia and turpentine cause blisters; they should not be used as counter-irritants except by a doctor's order, and then only after exact directions have been obtained. Turpentine and kerosene are inflammable and hence dangerous to use. It should be remembered that the action of all counter-irritants is physiologically the same, so that no advantage is obtained from the use of dangerous substances like kerosene and turpentine. EXERCISES 1. What are the causes and symptoms of inflammation? 2. Describe the process of inflammation. 3. What is the effect of heat on an inflamed area? of cold? 4. What are the dangers from hot applications, and how may they be guarded against? 5. How should you fill a hot water bag? How should you cover it? 6. Describe the method of preparing and applying a flaxseed poultice. 7. Tell how to prepare and apply fomentations. 8. How should you apply cold compresses to the head? to the eyes? 9. How should you make a mustard paste for a baby six months old? for a grown person only slightly ill? for a feeble old person with a sensitive skin? FOR FURTHER READING Essentials of Medicine--Emerson, Chapter I. The Human Mechanism--Hough and Sedgwick, Chapter IX. CHAPTER XII CARE OF PATIENTS WITH COMMUNICABLE DISEASES