Part 27

The person ought to be immediately carried into the open air, and the temples should be rubbed with strong vinegar and brandy, and volatile salts or spirits held to the nose. The patient should then be laid on the back with the head low, and have a little wine or other cordial poured into the mouth. If subject to hysteric fits, castor or assafœtida should be applied to the nose, or burnt feathers, horn, or leather.

TO RELIEVE SUDDEN BLEEDING.

Dry lint put up the nostrils, pledgets of lint dipped in spirits, or weak solution of blue vitriol, or from ten to twenty drops of oil of turpentine taken in water, generally stop discharges of blood.

TO MAKE A WARM BATH.

Water for a warm bath should be rather more than a blood heat, or from 90 to 100 of the thermometer, and if a portable tin bath is not at command, and a warm bath is suddenly wanted, the quickest mode of making one, is to knock in the head of a beer or wine cask, according to the size of the patient, and every neighbourhood will supply these, as well as sufficient quantities of hot water, clean or dirty.

TO RESTORE SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

In cases of substances being stopt between the mouth and the stomach, where they cannot be extracted by the fingers or otherwise, the person should swallow a piece of meat or tow tied to a thread, which should be immediately drawn up again. Emetics are sometimes serviceable, and injections of warm milk and water frequently remove the obstructions. When animation is suspended by noxious vapours, the usual methods in fainting should be employed, and lemonade or vinegar and water given to the patient as soon as he can swallow.

When it proceeds from extreme cold, the part affected should be immersed in cold water, or rubbed with snow till they recover their natural warmth.

TO RELIEVE AN APOPLECTIC FIT.

Every method should be taken to lessen the circulation of blood towards the head; the patient should be kept easy and cool, the head raised high, and the feet suffered to hang down. The clothes should be loosened and fresh air admitted into the room, and medical assistance procured immediately for bleeding.

Apoplexy is preceded by giddiness, pain, and swimming of the head, loss of memory, &c. and on the symptoms appearing, bleeding, slender diet, and opening medicines are advisable, and often act as preventives.

TO EASE OR CURE HEAD-ACHES.

Most head-aches arise from imperfect digestion, either from acidity, or from accumulations of bile. The first cause may be removed by half a tea-spoonful of carbonate of soda, or by a dessert spoonful of magnesia, in a small tumbler of water. But if the cause is bilious, then two or three antibilious pills, or a pill of from two to five grains of calomel, is the best remedy, and this may be assisted in its operation by half an ounce of salts in a large tumbler of water, in the morning. Washing the head with cold water, is always salutary in habitual head-aches, particularly at rising in the mornings.

FOR CANCER.

One part of red lead, in fine powder, and two parts of hog’s-lard.—Spread on lint, and dress the sore twice a day.

FOR THE GRAVEL.

Three drams of prepared natron (which may be obtained for three-pence) in a quart of soft cold water, and take half of it in the course of the day; continue it for a few days, and the complaint will subside. It may be taken at any hour, but it is best after a meal.

FOR A COLD AND COUGH.

A large tea-cupful of linseed, two pennyworth of stick-liquorice, and a quarter of a pound of sun raisins, put to two quarts of soft water, and simmered over a slow fire, till reduced one-third or more; add thereto a quarter of a pound of sugar-candy pounded, a table-spoonful of old rum, and a table-spoonful of white wine vinegar, or lemon-juice. Note—the rum and vinegar should be added only to the quantity which is about to be taken immediately. Drink half a pint at going to bed, or a small quantity at any time when the cough is troublesome.

FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL OR WINTER COUGH, BY SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, BART.

Take of almond emulsion, 7½ ounces; syrup of white poppies, oxymel of squills, of each two drams; compound powder of gum tragacanth, one dram. Two table-spoonsful to be taken frequently.

FOR A SORE THROAT.

Inhale the steam of hot vinegar, through the spout of a tea-pot, or a funnel, for about half an hour just before you go to bed:—also two or three times in the course of the day, and keep at home. A piece of flannel dipped in hartshorn will be serviceable, applied when going to bed. In a relaxed sore throat, a few lumps of sugar dipped in brandy, and gradually dissolved in the mouth, will be very efficacious.

FOR A COLD.

Bathe the legs and feet in warm water at night, and take, going into bed, a drink of hot whey, with 4 grains of nitre.

If a sore throat, tie round it three or four folds of flannel sprinkled with spirits.

BATHING THE FEET AND LEGS IN WARM WATER AT NIGHT.

This is an excellent remedy in all cases of colds, coughs, hoarseness, pains and head-aches; for in the above-mentioned complaints, inflammation, or undue determination of blood to the part affected, is present. After this operation the patient should instantly go to bed.

TO CLEAN THE TEETH AND GUMS, AND MAKE THE FLESH GROW CLOSE TO THE ROOT OF THE ENAMEL.

One ounce of myrrh, in fine powder, two spoonsful of the best honey, and a little sage, in fine powder, mixed together, with which rub the teeth and gums night and morning.

A PRESERVATIVE FROM THE TOOTH-ACHE.

After having washed your mouth with water, rinse the mouth with a tea-spoonful of lavender water mixed with an equal quantity of warm or cold water, to diminish its activity.

_Another._

To a table-spoonful of any spirit, and the same quantity of vinegar, add a tea-spoonful of salt. When mixed, hold the liquid in your mouth, so as to enter the cavity of the tooth.

WARTS AND CORNS.

Red spurge destroys warts and corns.

WARTS.

Cut an apple, and rub it for a few minutes over the wart; the juice of the apple will loosen the wart, and in a few days it will drop off. Any strong acid, either vegetable or mineral, has the same tendency.

CORNS.

Mr. Cooper, in his Dictionary of Surgery, gives the following recipe as infallible for the cure of corns:—Take two ounces of gum ammoniac, two ounces of yellow wax, six drams of verdigris, melt them together, and spread the composition on a piece of soft leather or linen; cut away as much of the corn as you can with a knife before you apply the plaster, which must be renewed in a fortnight, if the corn is not by that time gone.

FOR BURNS OR SCALDS.

When the blisters are open, dress them with a simple white ointment spread thinly on the smooth side of lint, the first day, and every day after sprinkle a little powder of prepared chalk, and dress it as before. To alleviate the immediate pain, apply any quick evaporating fluid, as æther, spirits of wine, or brandy; or better than all, if at hand, spirits of turpentine, or rags dipped in vinegar and water, and often renewed.

_Another._

Rub the part burnt every two or three hours with spirits of turpentine, or with vinegar if the skin be not broken, or vinegar and cold water. Half a pound of alum dissolved in a quart of water, likewise makes an admirable wash for a burn or scald; bathe the part with a linen rag dipped in the mixture, then bind the rag upon it with a slip of linen, and keep it moist with the alum water for two or three days, without removing the bandage.

TO EXTINGUISH FIRE WHICH MAY HAVE CAUGHT THE CLOTHES.

The mischief which arises from this accident is owing to the party standing in an erect position, because flame ascends, and feeds and accumulates in intensity during its ascent. The first remedy is, therefore, to lay the child or other person on the floor, in which position the flames will not only make no progress, but will do little or no harm to the person. The fatal consequences of this accident arise from the ascent of the flame to the throat, head, and sensitive organs, an effect which cannot take place if the body is instantly placed in an horizontal position. Sir Richard Phillips, who first promulgated this treatment, proved its efficacy by taking two strips of muslin, a yard long, and one of them, which was set on fire at the end, and held perpendicularly, burnt out with an intense flame in less than half a minute; but the other piece, laid hollow and horizontally, on being set on fire at the end, burnt even with difficulty, and twenty minutes elapsed before it was entirely consumed; the flame at the same time being inconsiderable and harmless.

After the person on fire has been laid horizontally, the best method of extinguishing the fire, is an immediate covering of any kind, and when every spark has been extinguished, spirits and water, or vinegar and water, should be applied to affected parts till the pain is removed. Adult females, whose clothes take fire, should have the presence of mind instantly to throw themselves on the floor, and in that case, no serious injury can ever arise, and if this precaution were generally known, many families would have been relieved from the unavailing affliction of the loss of dear connexions, and from the heart-rending scenes which, under other circumstances, they have been fated to witness.

FOR A BRUISED EYE.

Take conserve of red roses and rotten apple in equal quantities, wrap them in a fold of thin cambric, or old linen, and apply it to the eye; it will relieve the bruise and remove the blackness.

FOR A SPRAINED ANCLE OR WRIST.

Foment it with warm vinegar for five minutes every four hours, wet it afterwards with rectified spirit of wine, and rub it gently. Sit with the foot on a low stool, and occasionally rest upon the ancle, and move it gently backwards and forwards.

OXALIC ACID.

A heaped table-spoonful of magnesia, mixed in a middling sized tumbler of water, and drank immediately after oxalic acid has been swallowed, will save life.

FOR THE BITE OF A MAD DOG.

Take a spoonful of common salt, add as much water as will make it damp; apply it like a poultice every six hours, and it will be sure to stop the hydrophobia.

REMEDY FOR A WASP’S STING.

Over the spot where the sting has entered, apply the pipe of a key, press it for a minute or two, and the pain and swelling will disappear.

TO AVOID INJURY FROM BEES.

A wasp or bee swallowed, may be killed before it can do harm, by taking a tea-spoonful of common salt dissolved in water. It kills the insect and cures the sting. Salt, at all times, is the best cure for external stings; sweet oil, pounded mallows, or onions, or powdered chalk made into a paste with water, are also efficacious.

If bees swarm upon the head, smoke tobacco, and hold a empty hive over the head, and they will go into it.

FOR THE POISON OF THE ADDER.

Olive oil is an absolute specific for the bite (or sting, as it is erroneously called,) of the adder; the oil should be well rubbed upon the part bitten: in case of violent symptoms a glass or two should be taken inwardly. If olive oil is not at hand, common sweet oil will answer the purpose.

METHOD OF RESTORING LIFE TO THE APPARENTLY DROWNED.

Avoid all rough usage. Do not hold up the body by the feet, or roll it on casks, or rub it with salt, or spirits, or apply tobacco. Lose not a moment, carry the body, the head and shoulders raised, to the nearest house. Place it in a warm room. Let it be instantly stripped, dried, and wrapped in hot blankets, which are to be renewed when necessary. Keep the mouth, nostrils, and the throat free and clean. Apply warm substances to the back, spine, pit of the stomach, arm pits, and soles of the feet. Rub the body with heated flannel, or warm hands.—Attempt to restore breathing, by gently blowing with bellows into one nostril closing the mouth and the other nostril. Keep up the application of heat. Press down the breast carefully with both hands, and then let it rise again, and thus imitate natural breathing. Continue the rubbing, and increase it when life appears, and then give a tea-spoonful of warm water, or of very weak wine or spirits and warm water. Persevere for six hours. Send quickly for medical assistance.

THE LAND STEWARD AND BAILIFF.

To form a complete LAND STEWARD, it is requisite that theory and practice should be combined. By consulting books we profit by the experience of other men, enlarge our own sphere of thinking, and add more, perhaps, to our stock of knowledge in a short space of time, than could be acquired by long and laborious practice. No land steward or even ordinary farmer should be without _Young’s Farmer’s Calendar_, the last edition of which, improved by Middleton, contains a body of valuable information; but Mr. Lawrence on this subject, with great propriety, recommends the reading of Tull and Miller, as the great originals on tillage; Ellis on sheep and other live stock; and the Surveys of the several Counties of the Kingdom, made, and published by the Board of Agriculture.

To these, for a further knowledge in the treatment of live stock, may be recommended a perusal of our best veterinary treatises. We must also recommend Sir John Sinclair’s Code of Agriculture, as a companion to Middleton’s edition of Young’s Calendar, and these, with Mackenzie’s Receipt Book, ought to be the standing literary furniture of every steward’s room.

The land steward should never undertake more business than he can faithfully and properly execute, and therefore should have no other occupation or profession to attend; the mere collecting of rents and giving discharges being the least considerable part of his duty.

On his first entering into office, he should make a general survey of all the estates and property entrusted to his care:—he should also form an inventory, and open a set of books on a clear and perspicuous plan, if not already done by his predecessor, taking care to enter in them a correct list of all the books, writings, deeds, schedules, court-rolls, &c. From this survey, whether left by his predecessor, or taken by himself, regular memorandums should be made in a book, of every thing necessary to be remarked or executed, of the places where deficiencies are found, or improvements may be made; of buildings and repairs necessary; insurances, dates of leases, rates, nuisances, trespasses, live and dead stock, game, timber, fencing, draining, paths, and roads, culture, commons, rivers, and sea coasts, and of every other specific article relative to his trust, which deserves attention, and therefore ought not to be committed to loose papers, or left to memory.

He should endeavour to gain a practical knowledge of the characters and conduct of inferior servants, taking nothing upon trust; but observing with his own eyes their performances early and late. A faithful steward will lose no time in detecting the peculations, and counteracting the combinations among those servants who are under his controul, which may be prejudicial to the estate of his principal; and of replacing them with servants of fair character, to whom ample wages should be allowed; and the job work, or more profitable kinds of labour, should be impartially dealt out to them, that so, all may be equally benefited, and equally satisfied.

Every farm, when surveyed, should be correctly described in a map, of which the tenant should have a copy. A Terrier should also be kept of the commonfield-lands, for the satisfaction of the tenant as well as the lord, and where the bounds of any parcel of land are dubious, they should be fixed, and properly marked out, by a jury impannelled at the manor court. The boundaries of the parish and precincts should also be ascertained, and the particular property of the lord kept entire, by the annual custom of perambulation on Holy Thursday, and its concomitant ceremonies. The steward should frequently ride round and make an eye survey of the estates, in order to obviate any disputes,—to prevent encroachments, and to afford timely advice and assistance if necessary. He should see that all repairs are duly and substantially performed according to covenant, ditches cast and scoured, water courses kept free, common rights fairly enjoyed, according to the custom of the manor, the commons not overstocked by one, in prejudice to others, observe that the underwood be cut at the stated periods, that the trees are properly lopped and topped without damage to the lord, that the wood-wards do watch and report all trespasses by cattle and otherwise, and to discourage poaching and the destruction of game, by all fair, moderate, and rational means.

The tenants should not be suffered to let their lands be over-run by moles—nor the commons and woodlands by swine unrung.

The strictest caution should be used to prevent all the produce of the estates, that is fit for manure or other useful purposes, from being alienated or carried off.

An eye ought always to be kept on the surveyor of the highways of the neighbouring parishes, to see that no nuisance exists, or bridge or highway be neglected.

Trespasses from stray cattle ought to be prevented, and if necessary punished, as well as the depredations of dogs, which often do much injury to the farmer.

It behoves the steward to support, and cause to be recognized, all the ancient manorial rights and privileges that are usually respected.

Heriots accruing from copyhold estates, ought not to be taken in kind, but a moderate fine should be levied in lieu thereof.

Encouragement should be given to improvements in cultivation. The best heads of cattle should be introduced, and any successful mode of culture recommended among the tenantry. They should also be stimulated to plant fruit-trees, as means of adding to the produce without encumbering the land.

The transactions of the steward should always be pure, incorruptible, and free even from suspicion. He ought not to sell preference, either for money or for any indirect consideration, such concession to him being in effect a robbery on the tenant, or on his employer, who is entitled to all the advantages which can accrue from his estate. If a sum of money is covertly given for preference in a lease, then the lease is worth so much more, and the proprietor is defrauded of the difference. Nothing can be more pernicious to an estate than such underhand transactions. Modest industry and merit are thereby subverted by the audacity of knaves, and the steward, from the moment he has thus sold himself becomes a dependent on the honour of the parties. Preference given to kin ought also to be avoided, and every nobleman and gentleman is justified in being jealous of the introduction of his steward’s kindred upon his estate, often to the great prejudice of his old and attached tenants.

Many stewards become the tyrants of their vicinity by an impertinent interference with the domestic economy of the families of the tenants, presuming to prescribe in regard to their dress, habits, and amusements, seeming thereby to consider them as vassals, instead of freemen, to whose industry their landlord is indebted for his ease and luxury. With these affairs the steward has no concern, and every farmer and his family should be left to their own discretion in such particulars, if they pay with regularity the average rent of their vicinity, and do not manifestly deteriorate the estate; they are, and ought to be, in all their domestic and personal concerns, and also in their opinions, religious and political, as independent of the steward, or of his employer, as these parties are of them. His interference has, in truth, tended to retard the civilization of the agricultural classes, and, in many districts, placed them one or two centuries behind the inhabitants of towns. The steward, therefore, who forbears to meddle with what does not properly concern him, will enjoy the love of tenantry, and that affection will always best promote the interest of his employers.

Whilst the steward is not unmindful of every possible improvement, he should keep in view every appearance of the existence of minerals or metals, that so the needful essays or experiments may be made under the superintendance of persons of experience and fidelity. Proximity to the sea coast, navigable rivers, canals, or great towns, will much enhance the value of such discoveries.

Every opportunity should be embraced of letting land on building leases, as a means of greatly improving the value of estates; the fitness by means of water and roads for the establishment of a manufactory, or a village, or, by being near the sea coast, for a fishery, are objects too important to be overlooked by a faithful and intelligent agent.

It has already been remarked, that the land steward should not be engaged in any business that would detract from that attention which is required in the faithful discharge of the duties of his office; and even in performing those engagements, he should occasionally be assisted, in cases of importance, where he may consider his own knowledge not sufficient, by an able professional adviser. He will most require this aid in the making of leases, deeds, agreements, and other legal instruments.

The balance of cash, which may often be considerable, ought not be allowed to lie idle in the house. All money is part of the vital blood of society, and should be kept in circulation. This may be effected either by lodging it at a country bank, where moderate interest will be allowed for it, or by discounting the notes of respectable tenants, who, at certain turns of the season, are often in want of ready money, and their notes will, in many cases, serve as cash payments for other purposes, or they may be made to fall due at periods when cash will be wanted, while it will thus be accumulating at five per cent. No risk need be incurred in such transactions, while the accommodation would add much to the prosperity of the estate. If the steward reside in London, spare cash may, in like manner, be employed at a full rate of interest, by discounting such good bills as are always to be met with at the principal brokers in and about Lombard Street; and these bills will be received by the bankers as they arrive at maturity. By this means 3 or 4 per cent may always be added to the income of a nobleman or gentleman, or sufficient to pay the wages of all the servants.