Corns

For soft corn, apply vaseline.

For hard corn, apply iodine and remove pressure by using corn plaster.

For a very sore corn, use a bread poultice at night.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Indigestion

Hot water. Soda mints. Aromatic spirit of ammonia. Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). Hot applications to the stomach.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Chills

Use heat. Apply hot-water bags under arms, on thighs and at feet. Give hot foot bath, in which is 1 tbsp. mustard. Rub limbs toward body, to restore circulation. Give hot coffee or tea, or hot lemonade. Wrap in blankets and put to bed. Chills indicate oncoming illness — see doctor!

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Hiccough

Generally caused by indigestion.

Nine to fifteen swallows of water without taking a breath, or one or two soda-mint tablets, will generally give relief. If persistent, cause vomiting by tickling throat with fingers, or by swallowing a cup of warm water in which 1/2 tsp. mustard is dissolved.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Diarrhea

Usually caused by indigestion, impure water, etc. Home remedies are raw flour and water paste; a raw egg in a cup of hot tea; spiced syrup of rhubarb.

Give a dose of castor oil to clear the digestive tract of the irritating material. If there is much pain, keep abdomen warm with flannel and hot-water bag. If a small child, restrict diet to barley water and white of egg in water.

Give adults milk and other liquid foods. If persistent, see doctor.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Bleeding of Gums

Rinse mouth with alum water — 1 teaspoon powdered alum in a glass of ice water; or 1 tsp. tincture of myrrh in 1 tbsp. water.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Itching

For itching which affects the whole body, give a bath; apply sulphur ointment.

Sulphur ointment is made by rubbing 2 tbsp. flowers of sulphur into a dessertspoonful of lard.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Lice in Hair (Pediculosis)

Wash hair with kerosene, leaving it on over night; or use tincture of larkspur in the same way.

Perhaps the best remedy is fishberries.

Five cents worth of the berries may be boiled in 1 pint water for ten minutes.

Wash hair next day after using any of these remedies.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Earache

Caused sometimes by bad teeth, but generally by cold or hardened ear wax.

Hold ear over cloth wrung out of hot water, on which are several drops of alcohol. Syringe ear with warm bicarbonate of soda water — 1 tsp. to a cup; or peroxide of hydrogen water — 1 tbsp. to a cup of water.

One drop laudanum, or one drop arnica to three drops very warm olive oil, dropped into ear with a medicine dropper, often relieves pain; or cotton may be saturated with the warm olive oil and placed in the ear and covered with dry cotton. To prevent hardening of wax: keep ear anointed with ordinary red vaseline (unbleached vaseline). For watery discharge of ear, dust with dry boric acid.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

Colic

Colic pains in abdomen are generally caused by indigestible food, overeating, constipation, etc.

Treatment:

Give peppermint in hot water; hot-water enema. Keep abdomen warmly wrapped in flannel; use hot-water bottles, or turpentine stupe.

If a child — massage abdomen with warm olive oil.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer