To Prevent Stains Under The Nails

Dip the ends of the fingers in melted tallow before beginning a task which is likely to stain them.

Source: Fowler’s Household Helps, A.L. Fowler

An Ingrowing Toe Nail

Put a small piece of tallow in a spoon and heat it very hot and pour it over the granulations. This acts like magic.

Source: The New Galt Cook Book, M. Taylor & F. McNaught

Cure for a Felon

The cure is said to be certain and is published at the particular request of a person who had experienced its success for a great number of years.

Take a piece of rock salt about the size of a walnut and wrap it up closely in a green cabbage leaf, but if not to be had, in a piece of brown paper well moistened with water; lay it on hot embers and cover it up as if to roast for twenty minutes, take it up and powder it as fine as possible then take some hard soap and mix the powdered salt with it so as to make a salve, if the soap should contain but little turpentine which its smell will determine add some more, but if it smells pretty strongly of it, none need be added; apply the salve to the part affected and in a short time it will totally destroy the felon and remove the pain.

Source: Household Recipes, Constance Hatton Hart

Nails (Ingrowing)

Scrape surface — a piece of glass is good for this purpose. Cut in V-shape. Pack absorbent cotton under affected side. Paint with iodine.

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

Nail Care

To give a fine color to the nails, the hands and fingers must be well lathered and washed with fine soap; then the nails must be rubbed with equal parts of cinnebar and emery, followed by oil of bitter almonds. To take white spots from the nails, melt equal parts of pitch and turpentine in a small cup; add to it vinegar and powdered sulphur. Rub this on the nails and the spots will soon disappear.

Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette

When A Nail Is Run Into The Foot

When a nail is run into the foot apply grated beet; keep the foot still, and elevated. Or, bathe in a strong tea of wormwood and then bind slices of fat bacon upon the wound.

Source: Mrs Hill’s New Cook-Book