Petunia.—Menthol is not likely to do much harm if taken internally for a length of time. Its action is mainly one of stimulation. But what do you take it for? The habit of taking any medicine regularly is greatly to be deprecated. And unless you have some very strong reason for taking menthol, we would advise you to discontinue the practice. Menthol is not a mixture of camphor and peppermint, but is the solid part of the oil of peppermint. It is what is called in chemistry a stearoptene—i.e., a solid volatile oil. Camphor and thymol are other examples of stearoptenes.
Camelia.—That tea-drinking in excess is harmful is unquestionable, and it is for this reason that the medical profession has had its knife into tea for so long. But the dangers of tea-drinking have been grossly exaggerated. Tea in moderation is one of the best drinks for a person with a healthy stomach. It is the best drink for breakfast; and though dyspeptics must be cautious in their use of the beverage, it is a drink which can safely be recommended to everybody—and everybody drinks it, and quite rightly too. Of course tea is harmful when taken in excess; but what on this earth is not? It is not an easily digested drink—nor is any other fluid easy to digest (except milk, and that does not agree with all stomachs). Freshly-brewed tea is the most digestible of fluids which we habitually drink hot. We are quite sure that it is more easily digested than cocoa. Second brews and tea that has been allowed to draw too long are not easily digested, for they contain a very large quantity of tannic acid. China tea is preferable to Indian tea. You should never drink tea, nor any other drink, without eating something before it. Of course, you must be moderate in tea-drinking. It is the excessive tea-drinking by women in the afternoon which causes most of the dyspepsia due to tea which is so very common. It is said that cocoa is more digestible than tea, and that persons who drink cocoa rarely take more than half-a-pint of it at a time. We believe the latter; the fulness and nausea produced by one cup of cocoa, is quite sufficient—in our case, at all events—to enforce moderation, if not total abstinence.
Rebellious.—In the case of cancer, heredity plays an extremely unimportant part. But there are certain families in which cancer seems to run as a family disease. You say your mother died of cancer, and that other relatives on your mother’s side have also died from that disease. How many of your relatives? Here it is a question of percentage. Cancer is a very common disease, and therefore the fact that two or three of your relatives have died of cancer may simply be a coincidence, and not a case of hereditary influence at all. As we see the case, we would not prohibit a woman from marrying because one or two of her relatives have died of cancer. If she is a member of one of the families in which cancer is the usual termination of its members, then the question must be looked at in another light. Still, even here we would not discourage marriage, for even in these cases the hereditary influence is doubtful. Where, however, the disease has been very rife, the woman must consider from a very wide standpoint whether she is justified in marrying and thus spreading this fearful disease; but in nine cases out of ten the answer will be “Yes, it is justifiable.”
Dona Anna.—We can quite understand your alarm when you found that you coughed up blood, and that you came to the conclusion that you had consumption is also not unnatural. But why did you not go to a doctor at the time? You say you had a bad cough at the time which kept you awake all night; but that you are not particularly subject to coughs, and that you have been perfectly well since. This subject of blood-spitting is very important, so we will briefly mention its chief causes. The blood may come from a tooth, from the gums, from the nose, or from the lips or tongue as a result of injury. It is frequently due to inflammation about the throat, especially of the tonsils. It occurs commonly in nearly all acute diseases of the lungs, especially in bronchitis and inflammation of the voice-box. These are the common causes. In all the amount of blood spat up is very small—usually merely streaks. In consumption and some forms of heart disease blood-spitting is common and is often very profuse. Other causes of profuse bleeding are the rupture of an aneurism and some diseases of the vessels of the lungs. Or the blood may come from the stomach. This is a formidable list, but we have no doubt whatever which of these caused your blood-spitting. It was acute bronchitis and not consumption.
Gertrude.—1. Tomatoes are a very good article of diet if they are fresh. Bad tomatoes are the cause of a large number of cases of summer diarrhœa at this time of the year. It is better to eat them cooked than raw. No, tomatoes have nothing to do with the development of cancer. Where did you hear that they contained “cancerous matter”? We think your informant must have been joking.—2. Fruit is much better in the morning than at night. One reason for this is, that fruit is not easy to digest, and therefore may interfere with sleep.
MISCELLANEOUS.
R. P. S.—To remove stains from marble take two parts of soda, one of pumice-stone, and one of finely-powdered chalk, sift through a fine sieve and mix into a paste with water. Rub well with it and then wash it with soap and water. This process will both remove the stains and also produce a fine polish. If the general colour of the marble be deteriorated, mix a quantity of the strongest soap lees with quicklime to the consistency of milk, lay the wash on the marble for twenty-four hours, and wash it afterwards with soap and water, and you will find the colour restored to its original hue.
Saturday’s Child.—The duties of a lady’s maid vary of course in different houses. As a rule she must be a good hairdresser and dressmaker, and know enough of millinery to alter or re-arrange a hat or bonnet, be able to pack, to wash lace, clean hairbrushes, and do all needful mendings. If a travelling maid she must understand packing, and travelling and foreign shopping, and must speak French well. The wages vary from £20 to £50 or even more, and if a competent woman, there is no more difficulty in finding this situation than in finding any other first-class place, such as governess or companion.
Mrs. B. (Ireland).—You do not give us a nom de plume, so we hope you will recognise this heading. There is no alteration in the rules about such presents. When a girl is not engaged to a man, the presents she may accept from him are flowers, books, or music, certainly not jewellery nor clothes. The former should never be accepted unless from an accepted suitor, and must be returned in case of a rupture between the parties. There could be no alteration in these laws, and every nice girl should know and abide by them, as the question is one of self-respect and propriety.
Carrie.—There is no objection to a girl playing the clarionet nor flute, only they somewhat spoil the beauty of the performer during a performance, to which some would take exception. The former is an ancient instrument invented by Denner, at Nuremberg, 1690; but the flute still more so, being mentioned in the Book of Daniel. An oboe is a hautboy, and is also one of the reed wind instruments of which the bassoon is the bass. The former, the hautboy, was much used by itinerant English musicians as early as in the fourteenth century, and formed one of the instruments played by the Court band, temp. Edward III. It was invented by Anfranci, an Italian, A.D. 1539. An ophicleide is the bass of the horn, and is a brass wind instrument invented by Frichot in 1790. The trombone may be had of four kinds, soprano, alto, tenor and bass, the best amongst them being the tenor.