Mother's Remedies: Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and CanadaRitter, Thomas Jefferson
Science
Mother's Remedies: Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada
Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
Etiquette; Formulas, recipes, etc.; Medicine, Popular
Diet.--Give the supporting diet early. During the first stage give milk,
broths of different kinds, albumin water. Relieve the intense thirst by
water and lemonade. When the first (initial) fever subsides and the
patient feels improved, give milk, eggs, chops, steak, or rare roast meat,
bread or toast; vegetables, such as potato, spinach, celery, asparagus
tips, cauliflower tops. When the second fever returns go back to the
liquid diet again, and give regularly and as much as possible every two or
three hours during the day, and every three or four hours during the
night. Milk, plain or peptonized; milk punch, raw eggs, broths, beef
juice. If swallowing is difficult, give food cold and oftener, and in less
quantity. Increase the diet rapidly during convalescence.
Cold drinks should be freely given. Barley water and oatmeal water are
nutritious and palatable. Milk broths, and articles that give no trouble
to digest.
Nursing.--Nursing is the main thing. The bowels should be kept open with
salts. There is no special medicine we can claim will do good. Aconite may
be used for the fever at first, in drop doses every hour for twenty-four
hours. But the least medicine that is given the better it will generally
be.
There is, I believe, something in protecting the ripening papules from the
light. The constant application on the face and hands of lint soaked in
cold water, to which antiseptics such as carbolic acid or bichloride may
be added, is perhaps the most suitable treatment. It is very pleasant for
the patient at least, and for the face it is well to make a mask of lint
which can be covered with oiled silk. When the crusts begin to form, the
chief point is to keep them thoroughly moist, which may be done with oil
or glycerin; vaselin is particularly useful, and at this stage can be
freely used upon the face. It frequently relieves the itching also. For
the odor, which is sometimes so characteristic and disagreeable, the
diluted carbolic acid solutions are probably the best. If the eruption is
abundant on the scalp the hair should be cut short. During, convalescence
frequent bathing is advisable. It should be done daily, using carbolic
soap freely in order to get rid of the crusts and scabs. There is danger
to others as long as the skin is not smooth and clean, and not free from
any trace of scabs. As you must have a physician, I give but little
medical treatment. Nursing is the main thing in this disease.
[INFECTIOUS DISEASES 203]
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