Abergavenny Chronicle

TALKS ON HEALTH. -9 By A FAMILY DOCTOR. THE LIVING SKIN. A considerable part of medical treatment consists of taking by the of various descrip- tions—hot baths, cold baths, mud baths, Turkish baths, sulphur baths, and a host of other variations. It is impressible to under- stand the value of baths unless the struc- ture of the skin is known. Our skins are Hot? dead like a pigskin portmanteau. The skin is very much alive, and is something more than a mere covering to the body. Several different kinds of tissues may be seen in the skin when it is placed under the microscope. The skin is really an organ, just as the kidney ir; blood comes to the glands of the skin, and certain deleterious matters are excreted by the skin. There is a kind of sympathetic action between the skin and the kidneys. That is why, in treating a case of kidney disease, a patient may be put in a "hot pack," so that he may perspire freely; as the kidneys are tem- porarily out of order, we can call on the glands of the skin to do a little work to help in the process of purifying the blood. • THE GLANDS. The skin contains two kinds of glands- the sweat glands and the sebaceous glands. The sweat glands act more freely in the hot* weather and much less freely in the cold.' The sweat is almost pure water, but it con- tains a small quantity of salts and impuri- ties. The sebaceous glands secrete the natu- ral grease of the skin; they arc found all over the skin, and particularly around the hairs, as they manufacture the natural oil for the hair. In some people these glanda do not act briskly enough, and the hair is dry and brittle. Some artificial substance, such as vaseline, must then be VwO- as a substitute. The grease frer:1 these glands may go rancid and emit an unpleasant odour if the skin is not cleansed frequently. o: — 1: AMMONIA AND SULPHUR. I Ammonia in the bath can do no harm; it does not do much good to the skin, but the faint odour of ammonia is refreshing, just as it is when sniffed out of a bottle of smell- ing salts. Sulphur baths arc most useful for certain skin diseases; they form the pleasantest manner of applying the sulphur. Baths are not so messy as ointments, and if the disease is very extctnsive. the bath- water impregnated with sulphur will find its way to every nook and corner, whereas an ointment could' not be so accurately applied all over the body. Baths with a handful of washing soda dissolved in the water are often very soothing to an itching skin. -:0:- NERVES AND BLOOD-VESSELS. I The skin is very richly supplied with blood-ves&els, which can be dilated so as to make the surface of the body red and flushed, or contracted so that the surface of the body is dry and pinched. Everyone knows the difference between the appearance of a man who has just completed his cen- tury on the cricket-held on a blazing sum- mer day and the face of a man in cold east wind. The difference is caused by means of the blood-vessels in the face. Their dilation or contraction is brought about by nerves, which convey the proper message to the walls of the blood-vessels, and the nerves receive their message from a station intithe brain which is specially en- dowed with the function of regulating the temperature of the body. It chills the body to be flushed, because the blood comes to the surface and is cooled by the breezes it Warms the body to be made to look blue, because all the- ood is kept inside the body, where it is nice and warm. It is curious that our sensations are not to be trusted, whether we are shiwring with cold. or pant- ing with the heat, as a matter of fact our temperatures are the same, as can very goon be proved by means of a thermometer. o THE PROOF OF THE CURE. Every day new cures, or supposed cures, are being brought out, and claims arc made that now at last we can banish this disease and that off the face of the earth. The sciendo and art of medicine are so difficult and so closely hedged round with obstacles that prevent us from reaching certain con- clusions, that I advise you never to accept ftny theory until it has been put into prac- tice and proved to be as definite a cure as it is claimed on paper to be. In the medical papers we are convinced only when a num- ber of cases have been watched by compe- tent observers and the results tabulated and estimated at their true and final value. THE NATURAL COURSE. If a man gets better after taking a remedy, it does not follow that the remedy cured him. Take, as an example, inflamma- tion of the lungs or pneumonia. Thisr com- plaint follows a definite course. The patient first of all shivers, then his- temperature runs up and remains high for about a week, and then the fever leaves him suddenly and a steady improvement sets in. Now that is the nature of the disease. The natural re- cuperative forces of the body are at work all the time, and their victory over tho microbes takes place at the end of a week. A number of drugs might be tried, and if they were given just one day before the ordinaw termination of the fever, an igno- I rant observer would attribute the recovery to the drug. It does not follow at all if a man recovers from .some fancied remedy that he Vould not have recovered much sooner without it. It is only by being able to bring forward a series of one hundred cases in which the mortality has been re- duced that a definite conclusion can be reached. • o • THE SERUM TREATMENT. A good example to qitote is the serum treatment of diphtheria. The records of the cases of diphtheria are carefully kept and can fee referred to at any time; they reach back many vears. Doctors all over the world studied the efleet of the serum treat- ment and they found that if the results in ten thousand case;, br lore the serum was adopted were compared with the results after the serum had been used on the child- ren. the latter were much better off. Not half the number died; the mortality was enormously decreased, and the medical pro- fession feels now that it almost amounts to a crime to withhold from a patient the in- jection of the serum which has been proved to do eo much good. The only anxiety we have is to get the serum injected as soon as possible; the longer it is delayed the less likely is it to do good. We do not claim that 4iphtheria has been banished, but its terrors have been diminished, and far fewer children die now than formerly. o NATURE THE HEALER. Most doctors dislike the saying that we cure our patients; the correct view to take is that we adviso our patients, to adopt measures irhich put them in the way of being curcd by Nature. If a lung is con- gested, no doctor can clean out that lung with an instrument and remove the conges- tion what the docor does is to advise about suitable diet, rest, warmth, correct tempera- ture of the room, methods to induce sleep, aitd to relieve pain, but the real cure is brought about by the wonderful workings of the structures inside the body which seem to possess some extraordinary instinct to guide them to a cure.

t I t A gold ring has been bequeathed to a I North London church by a woman who wor- I shipped there.

FASHION OF THE WEEK. A LOVELY WEDDING DRESS. I [E. 252.] I Now that Easter is over there will be any number of weddings during the late spring and the early summer. Dressmakers art almost rushed off their feet by the numbei of wedding orders placed with them, and hardly know how to get the various gowns finished in time for the alt-important occa- sion. And these wedding-gowns of to-day are really wonderful creations. Admirably grace- ful in line, made of the most beautiful materials, and finished with exquisite care, they are not gowns to be made in a hurry. Such a number of the very newest model have a good deal of gold or silver intro- duced somewhere or other, whilst there is scarcely a single wedding toilette that has not just a touch of colour introduced some- where. One of the loveliest wedding dresses made this week is shown in our sketch. ThÜ beautiful model is carried out in a mosl effective alliance of ivory white Georgette and white and silver brocade. The under- drees is entirely made of the Georgette, which is mounted upon, a foundation of the palest shell-pink ninon. This underdress is perfectly plain and moderately full. The bodice is absolutely flat, and is finished a1 the top by a tiny picot edge. Over this plain bodice, however, comes a sort of waist- coat of fine silver guipure, which opens in front to show the Georgette drees. The bottom of the Georgette skirt is finished by a very wide band of the silver guipure. Over this Georgette dress on each side of the front comes a long and rather wide stole end of white and silver brocade. These stoles fall below the knees in front, and .at the back develop into a very graceful square train, which is not long enough to be clumsy. Train and stole ends are both lined with the shell-pink ninon. The beauti- fully draped girdle is also made of the brocade. The loose three-quarter sleeves are made of the Georgette, and are edged by the silver guipure. A wreath of tiny 6ilver laurel leaves holds the tulle veil in place. Paper patterns can be supplied for Home Dressmaking, 9d.; patterns cut to special measure, Is. 6d,; and Fashion of the Week, measure, Is. 6d,; and Fashion of the Week, is. licl, Enclose remittance and address to Miss Lisle, 8, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C. 4, Note: The price may vary from week to week.

[ Tablecloths will wear longer if, when ironed, they are folded in three parts one week and in four the next. Skim off, to use for cooking, the fat that rises to the top when the water in which pork was boiled cools. VINEGAR. ECONOMY. I One quart of vinegar can make two by putting the two half-quarts into quart jars, filling up the jars with boiling water, screw- ing on the tops and letting stand for a few davs. At the end of that time there will be two quarts of vinegar apparently as strong a.s. the first quart. As BRIGHT AS NEW. J A granite" or enamel pan, to which badly burned food sticks, can be made as bright and as good as new if it is soaked in ashes and water for a few hours, then placed in a hot oven and baked until the turned place drops away in the form of ashes. THE SINK DRAIN. I Save a plumber's bill by keeping the sink drain free from grease. Dissolve one cupful of potash in one quart of boiling water, and pour it down the sink once every week. A little scalding water poured down the drain every night after dish washing is over will keep the piped from "choking up." BABY'S TOWELS. ) I These should be washed several times be,- fore they are used, and very particular care must be taken in the ordinary washing so that there is no roughness to hurt the tender I flesh. LIFTING THE BABY. I In lifting the baby use both hand*. Place one palm under the head and neck, the other under baby's loins, to support him round the middle. Then you are ready to lift. And you will find that his head cannot fall back- wards or forwards, as it will almost cer- tainly do if he is wrongly held. The head wobbles if he is not properly held, partly be- cause it is bigger and heavier in proportion to the rest of the body than the head of a grown person. The spine, too, is very weak; in fact, the bones of the spine are not really solid till a child is some years old. It is for this reason that children who are wrongly held, or, later on, allowed to carry too heavy weights, or sit crookedly while read- ing or writing, so often get slightly de- formed. BROWN SHOES. I To clean brown shoes first rub them with a. soft cloth dipped in methylated spirits; this will remove an Ht:)i;? and keep t?("M a good colour. Then put the brown bcot cream on and leave it for a, day or so with- out polishing. Finally brush the shoes with a soft, brush and they will be much im. proved. I —————————— <

^IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllIli!||II||||lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllHII!lllllllilllil!illlllllllllllllIII||||||||||I|||llllllillllllliil!!lllll!illI!ll!l!llll!llllilllllIII![lll!llllll!!I[lliy J MOTHER AND HOME f = Useful and Economical Hints on Domestic Management. = I iiMtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiimiuiniiimiiiiiwiiiiiiiuiiiimiiiiiiiimMuiiiiiiuiiimiiiiiuiniiiiMiiiiiiiiiHiwiiiiiiiiiiiMmiimiiHiiiimiumimiiiiml I It is a common idea that it is useless to try to keep the hands in good condition if housework has to be done. This is a great mistake. Taking reasonable care aJJ1 spend- ing ten minutes daily upon hand toilet will help wonderfully towards keeping up a sightly appearance. First of all, the hands mUBt be kept 1i. m-iiaculaielv clean. Use good soap for all purposes. Get some reliable stain remover, and have a good nail-brush. The hands must be well dried after wash- ing them, or after having them in any I water; wear loose gloves when doing dirty I work. Do not cut the nails, as that makes them brittle; instead, use a, flexible or stiff I file, ar.d keep them nicely rounded. { WASHING A BLOUSE. For a crepe de Chine blouse make a lather of soap and hot water. If the blouse is very dirty add a little borax in the proportion of one tablespoonful of borax to one gallon of water. The borax must be dissolved in a little boiling water and added to the rest. The water must not be too hot for crepe de Chine. Squeeze and knead the blouse. Rinse in two or three warm vraters. Add vinegar to the last rinsing water in the proportion of one tablespoonful to a gallon of water. If the blouse is pure white, add a. little blue also. Put the blouse into a towel and squeeze dry. Roll np, and wran in a dry towel until ready for ironing. To iron the blouse, lay it on the ironing board or table, smooth well. and cover with a muslin. Iron with a fairly hot iron over the muslin until partly dry. Then finish without the mus- lin. Hang up .to air. I ODOUR OF STALE SMOKE. To sweeten a room where much tobacco ha.s bgen smoked, all ash and cigar ends should be removed and burnt at once; then if a large bowl of water be put at night in- to the room, all the noxious smell will be absorbed by the water, and the air freed from other impurities. A little coffee thrown on a hot shovel carried through a room at any time will remove the odour of tobacco smoke, and a few drops of oil of sandal- wood is equally efficacious; dried lavender stalks have a like effect. I To CLEAN A WHITE LACE VEIL. Pare a small quantity of white soap intc some boiling water, and when it has thoroughly dissolved, immerse the veil and let boil for ten or fifteen minutes. Remove and place in a basin of warm water and soapsuds and keep gently squeezing, nevel rubbing, until it is clean, liinse thoroughly, and place in a basin of cold water, intc which has been put a drop or two of liquid bluing. While the veil is rinsing in the ,I bluing water, prepare some thin rice watej or gum arabic water. Dip the veil in this, and then stretch as evenly as possible on a linen cloth, fastening each scallop with a pin. When dry, lay a piece of thin muslin smoothly over it and iron on the wrong side I COMPLEXION AND DRESS. I I The complexion must be considered by women who wish to dress well. The method to tone down any excessive tint that is in the face is to bring a strong colour of the sa,me tone in close proximity to it, although even this rule is not always to be followed. Pink and white are best suited to the young and fair, yet many old people use white, even though their complexions may be yel- lowed by time. Blue suits the blonde and enriches golden tresses, but it is apt to bring forward any tinge of yellow there may be in the skin. Gold in some Jorm will hide this, and while in contact with the face subdues the ill-effects of the blue, and preserves its good ones. I To CLEAN LEATHER. I To clean leather upholstery, wash the Leather with warm water, to which is added a little good vinegar. Use an absolutely clÐan sponge. Wipe dry with soft, clean cloths. To Testore the polish, prepare the whites of two or three eggs with » tea- spoonful of turpentine to each egg. This should be whisked briskly, then rubbed in- I to the dry leather with a piece of clean flannel, and dried off with a clean linen cloth. I WHEN CLEANING CLOTHES, I When applying a cleaning fluid to re- move spots from dark clothes use a black or dark coloured piece of cloth, and then no white fuzz will be lfcft from the rubbing, as is often the case when white cloths are used. Keeping old stockings for this pur-, I pose is an excellent idea. I DANGEROUS Toys. I I A well-known doctor warns parents against toys covered with hair or wool for babies. He says: "Infants have often been severely injured by swallowing what they have pulled off from. their small toy ani- mals." Never give painted toys to very little children. They often suck the paint off. Celluloid toys are very dangerous, as, if used near a fire or light, they easily blaze up. Very small toys-such as tiny tea-sets— arc dangerous for very little -children,- who often put them into their mouths. Beads, buttons, etc., have the same risk, as they may be pushed into ears or noses. Toys with very sharp corners are always risky playthings; eo are whips and stic. if To keep cheese from getting dry and hard, wrap it in a cheese cloth wrung from vinegar, and keep it in an earthen or glass jar with the cover slightly raised. i When a tablecloth is so worn out that re- cutting into napkins is a waste of time, make roller towels of it for the kitchen. When you see a hole in your linoleum fill it with a mixtuie of ground cork and glue, to keep the hole from enlarging. Use the flour left on the bread board after making biead or cakes for thickening gravies. An en4el saucepan is best for boiling milk. Clean by soaking and then scrubbing I with salt yid water. Wash dirty clothes .through one lot of suds before putting them to soak. If meet of the dirt is got out in this way, and the clothre are then well soaped and put to soak in water to which a little soda has been added, they will be very easy to wash next day. UNUSED SILVER. I Silver which is not in constant use should be wrapped in tissue paper and closely facked in a tin box with a tight-fitting lid. ?n this way it will keep bright for a long time. a DINTs ABOUT CANDLES. I When lighting a candle, the match should be held at. the side of the wick, and not over the top. To make a candle fit into the stick, dip the end into boiling water, then push it into the socket, and it will remain Brm. ? To remove candle grease, shake a few drops of spirits of wine on the spot and rub it with the hand until it becomes powder, when it can be easily brushed off. STEAMING PUDDINGS. I Steamed puddings take longer to cook than boiled ones. It is best to steam them whenever you. can, but if time is short boil thenj.instead, allowing a little less time. Whether you steam or boil puddings, don't forget that the water must boil fast every minute of the time. f SOME USEFUL RECIPES. MEAT KEDGEREE.—Melt two tablespoonfuls of dripping in a saucepan, stir in one-half teaspoonful of curry powder, one cupful of boiled rice, one cupful of chopped cooked meat, one chopped hard-cooke- egg, one teaspoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper, one. tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and a few drops of onion juice. Mix all lightly with a fork. When tho- roughly hot, pile tfffe mixture on a hot dish and serve. BRAWN FOR BREAKFAST.—A cold breakfast dish which always finds favour is brawn. Take an onion, turnip, carrot, cloves, mace, peppercorns, mixed herbs, seasoning, and put in a saucepan with half a pig's head well washed. Cover- with cold water, bring to the boil, and remove scum. Then allow to simmer gently until the meat comes away easily from the bones. Cut the meat up small, place in a tin or glass mould, and strain the liquor, after seasoning, over it. INVALID PUDDING.—One quart cf milk, three eggs, a little sugar, two tablespoonfuls of cornflour, and one teaspoonful of vanilla. extract. Separate the eggs, beat up the yolks, add the milk, sugar, and the cornflour moistened with a little cold water. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Take frcm the fire and add the vanilla extract, and the whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth, with three teaspoonfuls of sugar. Serve cold, decorated with preserved cherries. LEMON CHEESECAKES.—Use short pastry to line patty-tins, one lemon, one ounce cf margarine, two ounces of soft sugar, one dessertspoonful of cornflour water. Grate the rind of the lemon, and squeeze out juice and strain it; mix the cornflour smoothlv with a little cold water; put this with the other ingredients into a saucepan, 6tir over the fire until it boils, then cook gently three minutes; allow mixture to cool: line patty-tins with pastry, put a teaspoonful of curd into each, and bake in a hot oven ten minutes. SMALL SEED CAKES.Take half a pound of flour, three ounces of dripping, two table- spoonfuls of moist sugat, one tablespoonful of caraway seeds, one teaspoonful of baking powder, and two eggs. Rub dripping into flour till like breadcrumbs; add baking- powder, sugar, and seeds. Drop in unbeaten eggs and a very little milk., and mix to a stiff paste. Place on buttered tin, forming balls quickly with spoon. MILK DUMPLINGS.—Put into a saucepan equal quantities of water and melted drip- ping, and when almost boiling pour it over three ounces of flour. one ounce of 6Ugar, and one saltspoonful of salt. The water and dripping**mupt be slowly added. Mix, and form into small dumplings, and put them into boiling milk and water—equal quanti- ties. When they rise to the top, which will be in 'about ten minutes, they are done. Thicken and sweeten the milk and. water, and add a drop or two of some favourite flavouring. Pour this round the dumplings and serve.

OUR CHILDREN'S CORNER THE WISEST BIRD. When the poultry dealer bought Mr. Rooster, he popped him into a coop with a number of other fowls, and drove away. As he had a great many other farms to visit that day, it was dark by the time he reached home. So when he was taking the fowls out of the coop, Mr. Rooster managed j to escape in the darkness and hide in the stable. When all was quiet Mr. Rooster came out of his hiding-place and looked about for a good perch on which to spend the night, And when the horses saw him they asked him who he was and what he wanted. "Oh!" said Mr. Rooster, "I am the wisest and bravest bird in the whole world." And in proof of this he told how he had killed Mr. Fox, and how cleverly he had escaped from the poultry dealer. "Well," said the horses, "you have not Dearly escaped yet, because when the poultry dealer comes in the morning he is sure to find vou, and then he will wring your neck." "Aha!" said Mr. Rooster, "but I will sit up on the- rafters and keep perfectly quiet till he takes you away, and then I can slip out." So he flew up and went to sleep. Now, there was one thing that Mr. Rooster really could do: he could always wake up every morning at exactly the same time as the sun. And ho was so very proud of being able to do this that he did his very best to let everybody know about it. But this night he made up his mind that when the sun woke, he himself would just shut.his eyes ever so tight, so that he would not feel that he wanted to crow. Now, when he had been asleep for about, half an hour, the poultry dealer came to the stable to see that all was right for the night. And when his lamp flashed up to the rafters, Mr. Rooster woke with a start, and, thinking it was the light of the rising sun, he stood up to crow. But he remembered just in time that he must keen quiet, so he smothered the crow, although he nearly choked himself in doing so. • And then he went to sleep again. A little later a policeman flashed his lamp through the stable window, and Mr. Rooster again stood up to crow. But again he re- membered just in time, and smothered the crow, although. he nearly burst himself in doing so, because the first crow tried to get out too. At last the sun did really wake up, and this time Mr. Rooster just could not help himself. So he stood up and crowed with til his might. And when he opened his mouth the two smothered crows at once bounced out, so that he gave three crows All together. This made such a dreadful aoise that the horses broke loose and smashed the stable door open and ran away. &tLd when the poultry dealer was running after them, Mr. Rooster flew down and escaped. ¡ KIND FROG AND THE GREEDY I THE KID FROG AD THE GREEDY PIKE. a can at the foot of a large rushy pool 1 Froggie once lived, and he made it a rule fo be friendly with all; both the rich and the poor, Whene'er they might call, found he kept open door. There was only one creature he never could like, And that was the horrid eld ogre the Pike. Now when once he was giving his house a few dabs Of fresh paint, who should call but his neigbours the Crabs? Froggie said, "Please walk in"; then he ¡ looked round about, And saw ho1 T>ling along a poor blind beg- gar Trout. f So he felt ill his pocket a penny to find'- When a dreadful dark snadow was cast from behind. "It's-the Pike" yelled the Crabs, and they scurried away. The blind Trout saw it, too, and he fled in dismay But the Frog did not move, till the Pike at full speed Dashed stright at him, and seeing naught else in its greed. Struck the front cf his house with a terrible smac k, Then he laughed and" quite nimbly hopped out at the back. Mad with rage and with fright the Pike darted about With the Frog's tin-can house sticking fast to its snout. Mr. Crab and the Frog jumped and shouted "Hooray, And they laughed and they danced for tne rest of the day, Till at last they both thought it was bed- time, when lo I The poor Froggie found out he had no- where to go! THE THREE PUPS. Spot, Smut, and Spider were three little pups who were born in the stable at the farm. As soon as they were able to see they began to crawl about, and before long they had been in every corner of the building, so they thought they knew all that was worth knowing in the world. But one day they found the stable door open, and peeped out, and what they saw was so wonderful that they thought, they must explore it. The first thing they came to was Mr. Gobbler, the Turkey, and he was such a strange-looking creature that they could not help barking at him. Now Mr. Gobbler was very proud, and thought he was a very great person indeed; and as he had a dread- ful temper, none of the other fowls liked him. So when the pups barked at him his face become as red as fire, and his leathers all stood up on end with rage. Then he said and the pups ran away yelping with their tails between their legs. Then they came to some chickens who had wandered far from "home. Off ran the chickens as fast as ever they could, and the pups ran after them, barking and thinking what sydendid fun it was to chase things. Mrs. Rooster popped her head through the bars of her coop and called wildly to her brood to come home. but she could not go to their help. One of the chickens in its terror ran this wav and that way, and so was caught by Smut, who gave it a shake and left it lying on the ground as if dead. "Cluck, cluck Help. help! shriekt-d Mrs.. Rooster. "They have killed my poor boy, and they will do the same to the rest. Will no one save them?" "Gobble—obble—obble—obble," said Mr. Gobbler, and Smut got such a start that he fell over on his back. Mr. Gobbler had followed the pups, and now he raised one foot to strike Smut. But just at that moment something pumped against his other leg, and he sat down w-ith a plop. The something gave n yelp and a dreadful wriggle, ana Mr. Gobbler screamed and jumped nearly 1.1) to the sky with fright. Then he tore round and round the poultry-yard gobbling with all his might, and he "gobbled 60 much that he could not gobble any more for a. whole week, which made the rest of the fowls very glad. Now the something on which he had sat was Spot, who had "thought it would be a splendid thing to bark at Mr. Gobbler from behind and see him running like the chickens. But he got as much of a fright as Mr. Gobbler, and he and his brothers nevei barked at poultry all the rest of theii lives.