Advice to a wife and mother in two parts

by Pye Henry Chavasse

There is nothing more efficacious than flour. It ought to be thickly applied, over the part affected, and should be kept in its place either with a rag and a bandage, or with strips of old linen. If this be done, almost instantaneous relief will be experienced, and the burn or the scald, if superficial, will soon be well. The advantage of flour as a remedy is this, that it is always at hand. I have seen some extensive burns and scalds cured by the above simple plan. Another excellent remedy is cotton wool. The burn or the scald ought to be enveloped in it; layer after layer should be applied until it be several inches thick. The cotton wool must not be removed for several days.[^[269]] These two remedies, flour and cotton wool, may be used in conjunction; that is to say, the flour may be thickly applied to the scald or to the burn, and the cotton wool over all.

Prepared lard—that is to say, lard without salt[^[270]]—is an admirable remedy for burns and for scalds. The advantages of lard are: (1) It is almost always at hand; (2) It is very cooling, soothing, and unirritating to the part, and it gives almost immediate freedom from pain; (3) It effectually protects and sheathes the burn or the scald from the air; (4) It is readily and easily applied: all that has to be done is to spread the lard either on pieces of old linen rag, or on lint, and then to apply them smoothly to the parts affected, keeping them in their places by means of bandages—which bandages may be readily made from either old linen or calico shirts. Dr. John Packard, of Philadelphia, was the first to bring this remedy for burns and scalds before the public—he having tried it in numerous instances, and with the happiest results. I myself have, for many years, been in the habit of prescribing lard as a dressing for blisters, and with the best effects. I generally advise equal parts of prepared lard and of spermaceti cerate to be blended together to make an ointment. The spermaceti cerate gives a little more consistence to the lard, which, in warm weather, especially, is a great advantage.

Another valuable remedy for burns is, “carron oil;” which is made by mixing equal parts of linseed oil and lime-water together in a bottle, and shaking it up before using it.

Cold applications, such as cold water, cold vinegar and water, and cold lotions, are most injurious, and, in many cases, even dangerous.

Scraped potatoes, sliced cucumber, salt, and spirits of turpentine, have all been recommended; but, in my practice, nothing has been so efficacious as the remedies above enumerated.

Do not wash the wound, and do not dress it more frequently than every other day. If there be much discharge, let it be gently sopped up with soft old linen rag; but do not, on any account, let the burn be rubbed or roughly handled. I am convinced that, in the majority of cases, wounds are too frequently dressed, and that the washing of wounds prevents the healing of them. “It is a great mistake,” said Ambrose Paré, “to dress ulcers too often, and to wipe their surfaces clean, for thereby we not only remove the useless excrement, which is the mud or sanies of ulcers, but also the matter which forms the flesh. Consequently, for these reasons, ulcers should not be dressed too often.”

The burn or the scald may, after the first two days, if severe, require different dressings; but, if it be severe, the child ought of course to be immediately placed under the care of a surgeon.

If the scald be either on the leg or on the foot, a common practice is to take the shoe and the stocking off; in this operation, the skin is also at the same time very apt to be removed. Now, both the shoe and the stocking ought to be slit up, and thus be taken off, so that neither unnecessary pain nor mischief may be caused.

287. If a bit of quicklime should accidentally enter the eye of my child, what ought to be done?

Instantly, but tenderly remove, either by means of a camel’s-hair brush or by a small spill of paper, any bit of lime that may adhere to the ball of the eye, or that may be within the eye or on the eyelashes; then well bathe the eye (allowing a portion to enter it) with vinegar and water—one part of vinegar to three parts of water, that is to say, a quarter fill a clean half-pint medicine bottle with vinegar and then fill it up with spring water, and it will be ready for use. Let the eye be bathed for at least a quarter of an hour with it. The vinegar will neutralize the lime, and will rob it of its burning properties.