PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Tonsilitis. 1. First Home Treatment.—Put the patient to bed alone in a pleasant room, comfortably warm; for this disease is recorded as contagious in this form. Cold applied externally around the sore spot is good. Use an ice bag if you have it; or wring cloths out of cold water and put just under the jaw and a flannel over that, bound around the neck. It must be changed often to keep cold.
2. Smartweed.—Cloths wrung out of smartweed tea are very good when applied under the jaw.
3. Salt Pork.—Salt pork, well salted and peppered, sewn to a cloth and applied on both sides, if both are diseased, directly to the lumps is very good. These can be kept on indefinitely. I have used them.
4. Liniment.—A strong blistering liniment applied externally where the lumps are is also good. These applications tend to withdraw some of the blood from the sore tonsils, and of course, that relieves them. There are many such that can be used. Poultices should not be applied for this form as they tend to hasten formation of pus.
5. Internally.—Dip your clean moistened finger tip into dry bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), rub this gently on the sore tonsil and repeat it every hour. You can also put one teaspoonful of it in one-half glass of very hot water and gargle if you do not use it locally.
6. Hot Water.—Gargling frequently with very hot water is splendid. If you wish you can use one teaspoonful of some antiseptic, like listerine, in it.
7. Thyme.—You can make a tea of the common garden thyme and gargle or rinse your mouth and throat with it every half to one hour. This is not only healing and soothing, but it is also antiseptic. This is a constituent of many of the antiseptic preparations.
8. Steaming With Compound Tincture of Benzoin.—Tincture of benzoin is splendid. Put one tablespoonful in a quart of hot water and inhale the steam. Put a sheet over your head and pitcher; or put it in a kettle, and roll white writing paper into a funnel, tie one part over the spout and put the other end in your mouth if possible; or you can inhale simple steam in the same way. I know this is excellent and often recommended; everyone has it, and it costs literally nothing, except to heat the water.
9. For the Pain.—Dissolve two drams of chloral hydrate in an ounce of water, use a camel's hair pencil if you have it, or a soft piece of cloth tied on a smooth stick, and apply directly to the diseased parts. This is for older persons, relieves the pain very much. There are many other simple remedies that can be used in this way.