Morleena K.—You are quite right to have your rupture operated upon, for it is the only way to cure it, and to go about with a rupture untreated is one of the greatest possible physical dangers. Any surgeon is competent to perform the operation, for though it is not very easy, still he must have seen so many “radical cures of hernia” performed as to be thoroughly capable of performing the operation himself. Although in former times the operation was a very fatal one, ill-effects rarely follow nowadays, and cure usually results. But occasionally the rupture does recur. Surgery is always expensive, unfortunately; but any person who cannot afford to have an operation performed upon her by a private surgeon can obtain proper treatment at a hospital. We fully understand that there are objections to going to a hospital to be treated, but with most persons it is the only chance they possess of obtaining the benefits of surgery. We think it is our duty to remind you and others who obtain hospital relief that you must contribute towards the support of the institution, and that if you obtain treatment in a hospital which would have cost you £30 in private, you must not think that you have done your duty by putting half-a-crown into the box.
A Working Woman.—Before you marry you should ask your intended husband to insure himself against accidents. There are many clubs in every town which a working man can join, and by paying a few pence weekly obtain so much a week when he is incapacitated by illness or accident. Most working men do this, and considering how liable they are to be disabled for a time, it is only right that they should insure themselves before marrying. In hospital practice if a patient does not belong to a club, the usual reason is either that he is single or else that he has once belonged to a club, the treasurer of which bolted. Unfortunately this is a very common method of swindling, but if a man looks out for a thoroughly well-going company and pays a reasonable premium he may feel fairly sure of getting his money if he should become incapable of work. If your husband does not belong to a club, what are you to do if he breaks his arm or his leg, an accident to which he is particularly liable?
Please help me.—One teaspoonful of Eau de Cologne to every four ounces of water. Sponge the hands with this preparation. You must not use soap with Eau de Cologne.
Peggie.—Perhaps it would be better to tell you how to prevent chilblains first, before going on to describe how they can be cured. Always wash your hands in warm water, and use a good toilet soap. After washing, dry your hands well. Always wear woollen gloves throughout the winter, and, lastly, try by general hygienic measures to improve your circulation. When the chilblains first begin to show, sponge the fingers with equal parts of spirit and water, or apply a little tincture of benzoin, and wrap the hands up in cotton-wool. By these measures you may prevent the chilblains from bursting. If, in spite of all precautions, the chilblains do break, they should be treated as any other kind of open wound. Above all, they should be kept scrupulously clean, and bathed in hot solution of carbolic acid (1 in 60). They may then be thickly dusted over with powdered boracic acid and bandaged.
STUDY AND STUDIO.
J. M. Ellis.—The address of your letter was the correct one. If you do not receive a reply, we advise you to write again, as it is always possible for secretaries to overlook letters or make mistakes. Let us know if a second appeal produces no result.
Mrs. C. L. Jackson can inform “Ailsa” (July) of a blind musician who will set her words to music for moderate remuneration. Address for information, Mrs. Jackson, Lyttleton House, Lower Wick, Worcester.
N. M.—Cardiff Castle was the scene of the tedious captivity of Robert, Duke of Normandy. In 1106 he fell into the hands of his brother Henry I., with whom he had long been at strife, and he was confined in this fortress, which had recently been conquered from the Welsh. At first Robert was allowed to take exercise among the fields and woods of the neighbourhood. He attempted to make his escape on horseback, and, having been pursued and taken back, was condemned to closer durance. Some historians say that his eyes were put out by his brother’s orders; certain it is that he lingered a prisoner for twenty-eight years, and died at Cardiff Castle in 1135.
Disappointed.—The difficulty you mention is only a temporary one, and need not discourage you at all. It is only the difference in the keyboard that bewilders you at first, and practice on both instruments will set things right.
A Pilgrim in a Sunny Land (Beyrout, Syria).—The lines you quote are by “George Eliot,” and may be found in her collected poems. The