Arctic Expeditions

While searching a bit further on the 1852 Winter I came across this list of expeditions to the Artic. I was personally surprised to find the list dated back to 1848. It lists Ships, Captains, and deaths as well as how many days in Melville Bay.

Arctic Expeditions (from the Times, December 29, 1874).—"The following is a list of ships, comprising Government and Private Expeditions, British and Foreign, which have been on exploring service within the Arctic Circle since the Franklin Expedition sailed. It will be seen that the crews of all these vessels have returned in safety to their respective countries, with only such loss of life as might well have occurred had the men stayed at home :—
1. 1848 to 1849—H.m.'b ship Enterprise, Sir J. C. Ross. One winter, 26 days in Melville Bay.
2. 1848 to 1849.—H.M.'s ship Investigator, Captain Bird. One winter, 25 days in Melville Bay. Seven deaths (one officer) on board the Enterprise and Investigator.
3. 1849 to 1850.—H.M.'s ship North Star, Mr. Saunders. One winter, 57 days in Melville Bay. Four deaths.
4. 1849.—H.M.'s ship Plover, Captains Moore and Maguirc. Three winters. Three deaths.
6. 1850.—H.M's ship Enterprise, Captain Collinson. Three winters. Three deaths.
6. 1850.—H.M.'s ship Investigator, Captain M'Clure. Four winters. Six deaths (one officer).
7. 1850.—H.M.'s ship Resolute, Captain Austin. One winter, 45 days in Melville Bay. One death (accident).
8. 1850.—H.M.'s ship Assistance, Captain Ommanney. One winter, 45 days in Melville Bay. No death.
9. 1850.—H.M.'s ship Pioneer, Lieutenant Osborn. One winter. No death.
10. 1850.—H.M.'s «hip Intrepid, Lieutenant Cator. One winter. No death.
11. 1850.—Brig Lady Franklin, Captain Penny. One winter. No death.
12. 1850.—Brig Sophia, Captain Stewart. One winter. No death.
13. 1850.—Schooner Prince Albert, Captain Forsyth. Summer Cruise.
14. I860.—Schooner Felix, Sir John Ross and Captain Phillips. One winter. No death.
15. 1850.—Advance (American), Lieutenant Griffith. One winter drifting.
16. 1850.—Rescue (American), Lieutenant Dehaven. One winter drifting.
17. 1851.—Schooner Prince Albert, Mr. Kennedy. One winter. No death.
18. 1852.—H.M.'s ship Assistance, Sir E. Belcher. Two winters, 38 days in Melville Bay. No death.
19. 1852.—H.M.'s ship Resolute, Captain Kellett. Two winters, 38 days in Melville Bay. Six deaths.
20. 1852.—H.M.'s ship Pioneer, Commander OBborn. Two winters. No deaths.
21. 1852.—H.M.'s ship Intrepid, Lieutenant M'Clintock. Two winters. No death.
22. 1852.—H.M.'s ship North Star, Mr. Pullen. Two winters. 38 days in Melville Bay. Three deaths.
23. 1852.—Steamer Isabel, Captain Inglefield. No detention in Melville Bay; summer cruise.
24. 1853.—H.M's ship Phoenix, Captain Inglefield. Nine days in Melville Bay; summer cruise.
25. 1854.—H.M.'s ship Phojnix, Captain Inglefield. Took the pack—30 days; summer cruise.
26. 1854.—H.M.'s ship Talbot, Captain Jenkins. Summer cruise.
27. 1853.—Advance (American brig). Dr. Kane. Two winters. Took the pack—10 days.
28. 1857.—Steamer Fox, Captain M'Clintock. Two winters; first winter in pack, second season through in nine days. Three died.
29. 1850.—Schooner United States, Dr. Hayes. One winter, two days in Melville Bay. One death (accident).
30. 1871.—Steamer Poluris, Captain Hall. Twowinters; no detention in Melville Bay. One death.
31. 1873.—Steamer Juniata, Lieutenant Merriman. No detention in Melville Bay ; summer cruise.
32. 1873.—Steamer Tigress, Captain Green. Summer cruise.

Clip Boards of the 19th Century called Letter-Clips

A question a while back on a historical writer's loop was searching for when clipboards were in use during the 19th century. Thanks to Carla for her links to the email loop with the answers that gave me further direction in answering this question.
Here are Carla's references:
1880
An Attorney General's report 1880 lists the item.
1887
The Writer Vol. 1-2 referencing a letter-clip with a description of the board.

I found some earlier references:
1842
Below is an image of a letter clip in 1842 from The Practical Mechanice & Engineer's Magazine Vol. 1 Page 32.

The same image is in another magazine a year earlier 1841.

1865
Referenced in the Household documents of an estate.
1871
Referenced in a Patent book as similar to a letter-clip.
1874
A Practical Dictionary with a description of the item.
1883
The New Letter-Clip

19th Century Medical Books

Below is a resource list of Medical books folks had available to them during the 19th century. This is not a complete list but something to start from.

1827 The Medical Companion

1831 A Treatise on Family Medicine

1845 A Family Medicine Directory

1860 Homoeopathic Family Medicine

1865 Household Medicine Surgery Sick Room

1871 The Family Medical Guide

1883 The Indian Household Medicine Guide

Lipman's Great German Bitters

We've all read and heard about the tonics and various cure all medicines sold years ago. Below is the logo of Lippman's Great German Bitters, the second image is the list of what it cures or strengthens in the individual taking the medication or in this instance the bitters. These images come from the Charleston daily newspaper.

Here is a link to a label a little older than the above ad that was produced in Savannah, Ga in 1874

There were a few bottle images that came up on an image search.

1871 Cruises to Florida

Charleston S.C. was a busy port and in 1871 there were many ships headed to Florida from Charleston. Below is an ad from The Charleston Daily News July 17, 1871. What I find interesting from this ad is it lists when you depart and when you would return give us a great example of the time involved in steam travel on the lower east coast.

Rubber Pants

I don't know if any of you have stumbled on a picture of these or not but this was a first for me and I'm glad I found it. Below is an ad from 1871 for Rubber pants in the days before elastic, gotta love it. They look very practical to me.

Hepatitis Treatments

Below is a brief outline over the 19th century for the treatment of Hepatitis. As I was preparing this list I couldn't help but thank the Lord that I was born in this time period than back in that one. If your characters develop this disease, I sure do pity them.

In the American Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 8 ©1830 the treatment for hepatitis was the use of leeches and bleeding.

I found a reference in the Medical Examiner ©1839 that mentions the use of the "blue pill" but also the use of the leeches.

Leeches and Bleeding is still standard course of treatment in 1845 cited in the Half-yearly abstract of the medical sciences. It also states a light diet is in order.

In 1871 Beeton's Medical Dictionary it states that blood letting is not recommended now except in severe cases. It mentions the most common treatment is to try to an support the system during the course of the disease. It also mentions the possibility of using Mercury.

In 1885 A Revised and Enlarged Edition of Clark's new system of electrical medication we find the use of electricity as the practice of apply the current to 'as much as the patient can bear' for 20 minutes once or twice a day.

In 1899 The Practitioner's manual, by Charles Allen acknowledges that the treatment is symptomatic, in other words it only treats the symptoms not the cause of the disease.

1871 Singer Sewing Machine Advertisement

Hi all,

I thought I'd add to today's post with another advertisement for the sewing machine most of us think of when thinking back on the 19th century. The reason to add this post is to show while the other machine (Today's earlier post) was around so was Singer's.

1871 Sewing Machine

Today I thought I'd share an ad I found in a Charleston Newspaper from 1871. The shape of the machine is what struck me as so different.

Sprained Ankle Part 1

Below are some additional examples of various treatments for Sprained Ankles. I've tried to arrange them in the order of their publication. From what I've read it seems that wrapping the sprain was quite common and in the earlier part of the century the use of leeches to help bring down the swelling.

In this account you'll find the mention of the treatment of leeches but the physician came up with another alternative.
1838
"The external appearance of the leg, and particularly the redness and tightness of the skin, would have tempted me under ordinary circumstances to prescribe the application of several leeches, and some embrocation afterwards; but I knew such a course would not greatly expedite her recovery, and the object in this case was to shorten the usual period of confinement. With confidence therefore I recommended a moderately strong ammoniated lotion, all over the leg and instep, which was applied and kept on for five minutes.' It took away the inward pain in that time, though it augmented apparently the exteral soreness and redness of the skin. After the lapse of half an hour from the first application, seeing that no blister was produced (none being desirable) I repeated the lotion, considerably diluted. and recommended that the compress should be suffered to remain on the leg during the night. The lady of the house, under my instruction, applied that same night similar compresses, with the diluted lotion, to the bruises on the knee and hips. On the following morning every thing had returned to its natural state, the swelling and redness had disappeared, and the patient could put her foot to the ground and walk without inconvenience."
Source: Dunglison's American Medical Library Part 3 pg155 ©1838
(ammoniated - To treat or combine with ammonia)

1869
In the Retrospect of Medicine Vol. 59 pg 165 I found the quote below which is in keeping with yesterday's post giving us a better time frame for when this practice was begun.
I tightly strapped the foot and ankle, from the toes to the middle of the leg, with strips of ordinary adhesive plaster.

1871
"Severe sprains are often serious fractures, though no bone be broken, or only a bit may be chipped off; the ligaments and fascise are ruptured, blood being extravasated into the joints, into the sheaths of tendons, and for some distance not infrequently between the layers of muscles. The swelling is great, the pain intense. The orthodox treatment by leeches and fomentations is valueless, compared with circular compression and perfect immobilisation." (Gamgee on Fractures, 1871.)
Source: The Retrospect of Medicine Vol. 74 pg 175 ©1877

The circular compression is described below:
1879
"For a sprained ankle, place the end of the bandage upon the instep, then carry it round, and bring it over the same part again, and from thence round the foot tow or three times, finishing off with a turn or two round the leg above the ankle."
Source: Ayer's Every Man His Own Doctor" ©1879

Chowder

Occasionally it is cold in Florida and making stews and chowders is wonderful to warm us. So, I thought I'd add an old recipe of a New England Fish Chowder. This comes from De Witt's Connecticut Cook Book by N. Orr ©1871


Chowder.
Having sliced very thin some salt fat pork, season it with pepper, lay it in the bottom of a large iron pot, set it over the fire, and let. it fry. When done, take out the pork, leaving the liquid fat in the bottom. Next, peel and slice some onions, and lay them on the fat. Pour in sufficient clam or oyster liquor to stew the onions. Have ready a sufficient quantity of sea-bass, blackflsh, tutaug, porgie, haddock, or fresh cod. Cut the fish in small pieces,. and put it into the pot. Add plenty of potatoes pared and quartered. Then some clam liquor; and lastly, some crackers (soaked and split), or some soda biscuit; the crackers to cover the top. If you wish to fill a large pot, repeat all these ingredients, arranging them in layers. If there is not gravy enough, add some boiling milk, poured in at the last, and enriched with bits of butter mixed, with flour. Cover the pot closely, and let it strew half an hour, or more, till all the contents are thoroughly done. You may bake the chowder in an iron oven, over a wood fire, heaping liver coals on the oven lid. '.

Etiquette of Carriage & Equestrian Exercises

Below you will find a short chapter from "FASHIONS: The Power that Influences the World" by George Fox ©1871

THE ETIQUETTE OF CARRIAGE AND EQUESTRIAN EXERCISES.

" But Coach ! Coach! Coach !
Oh, for a coach, ye gods ! "—Carey.

" He does allot for every exercise
A sev'ral hour, for sloth, the nurse of vicss
And rust of action, is a stranger to him."—Massinger.

The gentleman having handed the lady into the carriage in the manner before mentioned, places her farthest from the open door, and seats himself beside her; if there are two ladies, he sits opposite to them, giving them the rear seats. In accompanying a lady on horseback, some little skill is necessary in assisting her in seating herself gracefully and conveniently in her saddle. The lady having disengaged her feet from the riding-habit, takes the reins in her right hand, holding her robes in the left. She puts her hand upon the shoulder of the horse, and, slightly raising the left foot, the gentleman gently assists her to vault into the saddle. As soon as she has arranged her position upon the saddle, the gentleman places the stirrup upon the left foot, and then arranges her drapery, in windy weather, fastening it under her feet, with a shawl pin. Some taste and tact are required in doing this last service, so as to leave the skirt free and graceful. In dismounting, you take the broach from the skirt and release the left foot from being encumbered by the habit The lady disengages herself from the pomel of the saddle, and, standing in the stirrup, the gentleman takes her by the waist with both hands, and whilst she makes her skirts shorter, assists her to reach the ground. Whilst riding with a lady, place her horse on your right; it is easier for her to converse with you on that side than on the other. Always accommodate the pace of your horse to that of the lady's; if, however, you are riding by a line of carriages, you must place your fair charge farthest from the vehicles.

Etiquette of Courtship and Matrimony

Below is a chapter from the book "FASHION: The Power that Influences the World" by George Fox ©1871

THE ETIQUETTE OF COURTSHIP AND MATRIMONY.
" Oh, the daya are gone when beauty bright my heart's chain wove,
When the dream of life, from morn to night, was love, still love.
Oh, flowers may bloom, and skies may gleam with purer, brighter beam,
But there's nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream."

By all the laws of Society, a gentleman of true principles has a right to ascertain the physical and moral and mental qualifications of a young lady, before he commits himself to a courtship, from which an honorable man finds a difficulty in disengaging himseif. The course a true gentleman should pursue under such circumstances, is to observe the respect and attention due to the lady and her family. We are bound not to permit an innocent and unsuspecting girl to remain one day without parental advice and protection in this most trying epoch in her life. So soon as a gentleman feels that the sentiment a young lady has inspired in him may lead to an ultimate union, he should make known his wishes to her father, and ask if his attentions meet with the approval of her parents. This is necessary upon two grounds; it is due to theni, and will prevent the pain of a refusal and consequent disappointment, which might occur at a more advanced period. In the United States the customs attending courtships differ materially from those of Europe. For the actual happiness of both parties, the gentleman should not take the lady out riding in a carriage alone or on horseback, until an actual engagement has taken place. So long as fashion sanctions a young man in his attentions to the lady of his choice, he should observe that punctilious demeanor towards her, as not to compromise her in society. Parents love their daughters dearly, that they fear as much to have their affections blighted, as they do to have their fame called in question. The educated and conscientious gentleman of mature judgment, the high-toned man of honor, would never tempt an unsuspecting girl to elope with him; in so doing, he risks his reputation, and their own happiness, while he gives the severest blow to that of her parents, who he must remember are entitled to her first confidence and his respect. The daughter may be forgiven after a lapse of time, but the act can never be justified.

The polite gentleman should be well assured that he possesses the lady's love before he asks her hand. If the lady refuse him, he should allow no resentment, however much his feelings may suffer. Where so important and solemn a step as a fate for life is decided on, the lady should have the right of full reflection, and if a doubt of ultimate happiness should cross her mind, she has a full justification, at the last hour, in declining the proffered hand. If the lady be a flirt, the gentleman may well rejoice, instead of grieving that he has avoided an unhappy union.

If a gentleman of refinement really loves a lady, and deems her worthy of his love, he will never use words of endearment, or nauseous love-terms, towards her in society. After an engagement, each calling the other by the Christian name, is sufficient proof of mutual confidence and attachment; besides, true and delicate love is as jealous of the expression of its affection as it is of its reciprocal truth.

The purpose of this brief recapitulation of the code of fashionable intercourse is to show its moral and humanitarian influences upon society, and that all good breeding is derived from the truest of all philosophical data. Our own happiness is secured by the promotion of the happiness of those with whom we are associated; the toleration of the impulses and passions of our nature, and the deficiency of reason which at times should control them, have served to unsettle much of the grace and harmony of society. In a community of equal social and political rights, where the wily politician seeks, through the passions or prejudices of men, to ride into power upon the influence they create, a large amount of mischief must be occasioned by their unnatural excitement Eefined society should prove that the exercise of wisdom, in restraining our passions within the oorrect limits, constitutes the truest happiness, and to teach us that to ensure felicity, we must respect the rights of all, and share them in common.

The duty of the man of fashion, and of honor, is to curb these excitements, and to promote the influence of reason in society, so as to overcome all obstacles to its complete harmony, thus proving incontestibly that a good heart and a love of honesty, equal justice and equal rights, are the only true foundations of real politeness and gentleman-like demeanor, and thereby influencing a nation's happiness by the laws of fashion.

Separate the knave from the honest man, the counterfeit from the genuine, by understood signs, private badges, numbers and recognized recorded signals, credentials, distinguishing, in a word, the best from the worst species of mankind.

Fashion

Below is the first chapter from "FASHION: The Power that Influences the World" by George Fox ©1871 I find it insightful to read the way in which people thought at that time about fashion.

THE PHILOSOPHY OP MODERN DRESS AND FASHION.
" Only because I wore a threadbare suit,
I was not worthy of a poor salute.
A few good clothes put on with small ado,
Purchase your knowledge and your kindred too."
—Heywood's Royal King.

A Great modern writer has no less profoundly than pointedly observed that " In the one universal subject of clothes, rightly understood, is included all that men have thought, done and dreamed. The whole external universe and all that it contains is but clothing ; and the essence of all science lies in the philosophy of clothes.'"

We regard dress not merely as an envelope of broadcloth,
cassimere, silk, satin, or velvet, wrought up in more or less
taste after the model of a prevailing pattern, but as one of
the most significant expressions of character, and sustaining
an intimate relation with manners and morals.

It is universally admitted that nothing marks the gentleman more than the style of his dress. The elegance, propriety and good taste which are conspicuous in that, at once create a presumption in his favor. They form a perpetual letter of recommendation whose validity is everywhere acknowledged. A rich and becoming costume answers as a passport to the traveller; opens the door of hospitable courtesy to the stranger ; gives the citizen a free ticket to the best places in society; forms a decorous ornament to wealth, and where wealth is wanting, in many respects supplies its place. You notice the well dressed gentleman in the streets; in the most crowded thoroughfares he is conspicuous above the throng; he challenges your admiration even at a distance. " Far off his coming shines."
As he approaches, you are struck with the exquisite contour of his dress, the tasteful harmony of its colors, the charming smoothness and supple undulation of its fit; and you instinctively pronounce its wearer to be a gentleman. He has received justice at the hands of his tailor, and you cannot mistake the seal of his gentility.

Nor is the dress a less important indication of the personal taste of the wearer. It often marks the distinction between vulgarity and refinement; it shows the disposition no less clearly than language or conduct A mind imbued with a love of elegance, devoted to the beautiful harmonies of form, of color, of motion; inspired with a passion for the becoming, the lovely, and the graceful, will not fail to manifest itself in selection and arrangements of dress. You see its innate love in its outward surroundings. Good taste is, in fact, like good music—it harmonizes and marks the whole man. It extends to the cut of a garment, no less than to the construction of an epic. We have always noticed that a polished mind was attached to graceful and elegant attire. We judge of the good taste of a man, not merely by his air and bearing, his speech and gesture, or his love of art and literature, but also and in a great measure by his dress. We have often been deceived by the one, seldom or never by the other. The character of the dress, moreover, is important as a sign of social position. The moralists say, a man is known by the company he keeps. We say he is better known by the clothes he wears. The air of good society cannot be given except by education, aided by the artistic hand of a genuine tailor.

The relation of dress to manners and morals is too obvious to be insisted on. The first condition of good manners is ease and self-confidence. If you have no self-respect, your manners cannot win the respect of your associates. If you are not easy with yourself, you can never make them easy with others. But can a man be at ease in a coat out at elbows, a coat which hangs like a meal-bag upon his shoulders, a coat which reminds you of a specimen of fossil remains, or an heirloom from one of the company in the ark, a coat which is a badge of contempt, a sign of. vulgarity, an expression of a dilapidated purse, a careless disposition or an uncultivated and barbarous taste ? No, an ill-dressed man must be ill at ease. His manners must be forced and ungraceful. He never can show that delightful suavity, that fascinating union of spirit and sweetness, that enchanting harmony of expression and movement which distinguish the finished gentleman unless he feels perfectly at home in his clothes, unless they have been fitted to his person, his character, and his physiognomy, with that exquisite skill , which is essential to the style of manners, so finely described by the great orator Edmund Burke as the " unbought grace of life."
Our great American statesman, the late Daniel Webster, was no less distinguished for the graceful and imposing dignity of his manners than for his diplomatic skill and his commanding eloquence. But as he was the most able of constitutionalists, so was he one of the best dressed of gentlemen.

In the favorite costume, blue and buff, of an illustrious namesake of the author, the British commoner, Charles James Fox, no man appeared to more trandscendent advantage in a legislative hall or a fashionable drawing-room, than did the eminent expounder of the constitution; while on more solemn occasions these colors were doffed, to give place to the more sombre black mingled with white. We will not undertake to say in what degree he was indebted to the perfection of his dress for his imposing presence; but we do say that his dress gave an additional power to the majesty of his demeanor, and the weight of his eloquence.

We may quote his own words to this effect, when on donning a suit from the once celebrated emporium of Milton's (a retired tailor) he exclaimed, "Ah, I now breathe easier than I have done for a long time; indeed, I feel as if I were in Milton's Paradise regained."

The influence of dress on morals presents a theme for the pen of a philosopher; a merchant-tailor, however experienced, can scarcely hope to do it justice. We will, however, venture to submit, that no civilized man is apt to commit a crime in a good suit of clothes. An easy and graceful garment is incompatible with a deed of violence. The serenity produced by a perfect fitting suit puts one in good humor with all mankind. Arrayed in a fine and elegant costume,. with the consummate polish of appearance which it isequally the duty and the pride of the conscientious artist tailor to impart, a man feels his responsibilities as a citizen, is inspired with a love of order, becomes refined and elevated in his tastes, is filled with respect for law, decorum and propriety, and finds in his own character a guarantee against temptation. Indeed, out of the immense number of customers who have honored the author with their patronage, we do not know of one who has ever been convicted of a crime.* Many we have seen raised by that influence to exalted stations. Not one has been brought before a court of justice ; not one but who sustains a fair and estimable character, as an American citizen. Is it not evident that the secret of virtue is often found in the wardrobe—that a good dress is a great preservative of good morals ?

But we must not omit to mention the connection of dress with commerce, the importance of which cannot be overlooked in our mercantile community. The tailor and the dressmaker are indispensable media between the importing merchant and the consumer. They distribute the commodities which are furnished by commerce. Until the goods of the merchant have passed iihrough their hands, their value is in a dormant state, and they contribute nothing to the embellishment or the utility of life. Patronize the tailor, you give an impulse to commerce; you help to keep open the great highway of nations ; you lend your support to the most efficient and most indispensable agency of civilization. In seeking the taste and elegance of your own personal appearance, you not only contribute to the interests of the profession, but promote the welfare of our common country and universal fashion.

Such, fellow-citizens, is the importance of a wise devotion to this branch of social economy. We maintain that you cannot overrate the value, and hence you perceive the necessity of availing yourselves of the aid of such artists as you can rely on for strength and fineness of fabric, elegance of fashion, color, perfection of fit and of finish.

We are actuated, by a noble ambition, to elevate the uniform dress and costume of the age to its true place, in the unfathomed interest of the world of fashion; to make the American citizen as renowned for his garment as for his institutions; to cause Paris, London and Berlin to hide their diminished heads as arbiters of gentility ; and to adorn the Doric simplicity of American principles by the inimitable grace and elegance of an appropriate cosmopolitan costume. While in no way anxious to curtail, but, on the contrary, wishing to increase the business of our fellow-citizens, our sole desire is to establish a style of fashion commensurate with the growing importance and dignity of this national Union.

Bloody Nose

This information is taken from "The Family Medical Guide" ©1871

EPISTAXIS, OR BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE.
Haemorrhage from the nose is often troublesome, and sometimes dangerous, being increased to an alarming extent by persons holding the head down, and thus causing a greater determination of blood to the part. In many instances I have found patients lying in bed, with their heads hanging over a basin seated on the floor, literally wasting their life's blood.
Treatment.—Persons taken with bleeding from the nose should stand erect, have a towel wet with cold water tied around their heads, and a piece of ice or cold steel applied to the nape of their necks. The object in making them stand erect is twofold, it lessens the flow of blood to the head, and it causes faintness, which makes the bleeding cease.
Should these means not be sufficient to stop the loss of blood, the nostrils should be plugged with a pledget of soft calico or surgeon's lint, about an inch long, and thick enough to fill the nostril. This pledget, before it is introduced, should be soaked in a saturated solution of alum ; and if the case be severe, and the loss of blood considerable, it may be necessary to allow the plugs to remain in the nostrils for three days, to prevent a relapse.
Persons who are prone to haemorrhage from the nose should live abstemiously, avoiding all alcoholic drinks, also rich food, and suppers. They should also eschew violent exercise, and be careful to keep the head cool and the feet warm.

Wax in the Ear

This is taken from The Family Medical guide ©1871

INDURATED WAX IN THE EAR.
Any person suffering from this hears unusual sounds, as of the sea roaring, or gas escaping by a small orifice, and, by looking into the ear, with the aid of a reflector, the obstruction of dark-coloured wax is seen at the bottom of the ear.
Treatment.—Indnrated wax is easily removed by syringing the ear with a four-ounce syringe, which every family should have.
When syringing the ear, the point of the syringe should not be inserted into the passage, so as to block it up and prevent the water from flowing out, for by doing so the drum of the ear might be ruptured. But by holding the syringe a short distance—about half an inch—from the ear, it can be syringed any number of times with perfect safety : and to remove indurated wax requires repeated applications of the syringe.
If the wax be very hard, it can be softened by dropping a little brandy or other spirit into the ear, and stopping the passage with wool or cotton, to retain the moisture: but syringing with warm water and soap is generally sufficient.
After the wax is removed the ear is more than usually susceptible of cold, and should not be exposed to it for a few days.
INSECTS
occasionally get into the ear, and should be removed by dropping into the ear a saturated solution of salt and water, and then syringing them out with warm water.

Stye

This is taken from "The Family Medical Guide" ©1871

THE HUMAN EYE.
This delicate organ is subject to many forms of disease, both internal and external.
STYE
is the most frequent of these. It is a small boil that forms on the edge of the eyelid, and has been called hordeolum, because it is about the size of a barleycorn.
Like other boils it denotes a deranged state of the blood, and is often annoying to children of a scrofulous tendency, and to those who have been injured by improper food or exposure to cold.
Treatment.—These boils should be encouraged to suppurate by fomenting them constantly with folded linen moistened with warm water, or by a light bread-and-water poultice, and as soon as matter forms, it should be allowed to escape by puncturing with a needle or lancet.
The child's health should be attended to, and its digestive organs improved, by giving it five to ten drops of the solution of the perchloride of iron in a wineglassful of water after breakfast and dinner, to be taken through a glass tube ; or, if preferred, a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil after food twice a day, the bowels being regulated by one grain of aloes and five of Epsom salts, given in a little syrup at night, when required.
The child's food should be light and easily digested, and it should be warmly clothed, to prevent chills.

Chicken Pox

From the family medial guide:©1871 a description and treatment for the disease.

CHICKEN POX.
This is another eruptive fever, which is also infectious, but of a very mild character. Like the last-mentioned fevers, it attacks persons once only during life, and is a disease of youth.

The premonitory symptoms are very slight, the eruption being preceded by little fever or derangement of the general health. Children may be less disposed to play than usual, but their appetite is scarcely impaired, nor do they complain of pain or suffering; while youths at school or public offices are first made aware of something being amiss with the constitution, by a crop of small pustules appearing on the shoulders and chest.

This eruption is sometimes mistaken for modified small-pox, with which it has no affinity; nor does the one give any protection against an attack of the other. The preference of locality in each is also well marked.
Small-pox commences on the forehead and the face, which it farrows badly.

Chicken-pox, on the contrary, spares the face, and begins on the shoulder and chest; but it appears abundantly on the hairy scalp. It affects also the mucous membrane of the mouth, causing pustules on the palate and throat.

The vesicles formed by this disease do not suppurate, as in smallpox. They soon dry up, and in about a week exfoliation takes place, and the eruption goes off without leaving any trace of its former presence.

The most distinctive test is, however, obtained by inoculation. The fluid taken from the vesicle of modified small-pox readily communicates the disease to another person inoculated with it; but chicken-pox cannot be propagated in this way.

Treatment.—This disease requires little medicine. The general rule of confinement to bed in fever cannot be dispensed with; nor should we neglect to unload the liver and bowels. A youth should get half a grain of podophylline and ten grains of Epsom salts, in syrup, at night, the bowels being regulated afterwards by two grains of aloes and ten of Epsom salts, taken at night, as required. Half of these doses would be sufficient for a child of six years.

The food should be rice, arrowroot, or maizena, boiled in water and made palatable with milk; and the drink should be toast-, barley-, or rice-water, with ten grains of cream of tartar given in each drink.

After the fourth day chicken broth or beef- or mutton-tea, with stale bread, may be given once a day for children; but while confined to bed, children do not require animal food in any form, and solid animal food is injurious, until they can take exercise with it.

In this and every other cutaneous disease exposure to cold or chills should be avoided, and sufficient clothing ought to be worn for some time after recovery.

Measles

In the Medical Lexicon of 1865 Measles is described as:
MEASLES, ( [G.] Mase, 'a spot,' masern, 'spotted.') Rubeola. Also, a diseased condition of pork — measly pork — which bus been ascribed to the presence of cysticcrcus collulossc; and may be owing to trichina); see Trichiniasis.

In the The family medical guide: ©1871 a description of the disease and treatment is:
MEASLES.
This is an infectious fever, affecting the skin and also the mucous membrane, especially that of the eyes, nostrils, throat, and air-tubes.

This disease is met with chiefly in youth, but it may occur in advanced age. It is one of those diseases to which, as a rule, we are subject once only during life; but to this, exceptions occur occasionally, and we meet with patients having measles who are reported to have suffered from it before. But as the first attack had not been seen by me in any of the cases I allude to, and as they were said to be very mild, without cough, or weakness of the eyes, it seemed possible that the special fever was also absent; and that the former disease had been more allied to rose-rash than measles.

The fever does not set in immediately after the person is exposed to contagion. The poison generally remains latent in the system from ten to fifteen days, which period is called the term of " incubation."

The first symptoms of the effects of the poison acting on the blood are a feeling of lassitude, sensation of chilliness, loss of appetite, and a rigor or shivering fit, followed by a hoarse cough, discharge from the nostrils, and weak eyes.
Most patients complain also of pain of back or head, and some of both, while the skin is hot and dry, and the pulse full and quick.

Next we notice an eruption or rash upon the forehead and face, but so little distinctive, that but for the weakness of the eyes, and tendency to cough, we could not yet recognize the disease to be measles. The eruption, however, soon extends to the chest and extremities; the small, dry vesicles coalesce; the face becomes swollen; and the peculiar purple colour of the skin declares the nature of the disease.

In some cases the eruption appears only partially, and the inexperienced fancy, therefore, that the disease is mild ; but the reverse is the fact, for either a slight eruption or the sudden disappearance of the eruption is always the harbinger of evil.
Treatment.—In this and every other fever, the patient, from the first symptoms, should be confined to bed. The horizontal position does much to quiet the action of the heart, and equalize the circulation of the blood, while complete exemption from muscular exertion places the constitution in a favourable position to contend with the disease.
A uniform temperature, suited to the nature of the case, can only be ensured in bed; and, in measles especially, to avoid chilling draughts is necessary.

On account of the weakness of the eyes, the room should be kept darkened by a green shade to the windows ; and, owing to the irritability of the air-tubes, currents of cold air must be guarded against; because weakness of eyes, hoarseness, or loss of voice, remaining after convalescence, is almost certain to be permanent for life.
The quantity of bed-covering should be regulated by the feelings of the patients ; just enough to keep them comfortably warm; while the feet should be carefully attended to, and a footpan of hot water applied, if it be necessary, or bags of heated salt.

To drink freely of toast-, barley-, or rice-water, or rennet whey, or apple-tea, made by pouring hot water on raw apples, sliced, is sufficient nourishment for the first two or three days, till the cough and fever abate ; ten grains of nitre, and three grains of the carbonate of ammonia, being given in such drink, alternately, every four hours.
The popular idea is that persons when sick require to eat to be able to bear the disease, but this impression is very erroneous ; for while fever is in the system, the power of digesting food is held in abeyance, and, consequently, solid food taken into the stomach must aggravate the disease, and increase the weakness of the sufferer. It is only by fluids such as can be absorbed without being digested, that patients can be nourished during the continuance of fever.

When fever abates, the tongue cleans, and appetite begins to return, farinaceous food, as ground rice, arrowroot, sago, or maizena, boiled in water, and eaten with a little milk, is proper food; but tea, coffee, and all alcoholic stimulants are injurious.
At the commencement of fever, it is always salutary to unload the biliary ducts, liver, and bowels. Calomel was formerly the medicine for this purpose, but podophylline does the same service, and is a safer remedy. Half a grain of the latter, with ten grains of Epsom salts, in syrup or pills, taken every night, for two nights in succession, is sufficient; the bowels being afterwards regulated by two grains of aloes and ten of Epsom salts, given as often as required. But as the fever subsides, diarrhoea generally sets in, and renders aperients unnecessary.

In mild cases, with proper care, the nitre and carbonate of ammonia, in which I place great confidence, are all the medicine that is required, except for the bowels. For children, the acetate of ammonia does equally well, and it is more palatable. It is made by dropping the carbonate of ammonia into a two-ounce bottle of table vinegar, until effervescence ceases, when the bottle should be corked for use, and a teaspoonful should be given in place of the carbonate to a child of twelve years, and half that quantity to one of six years.

But if the cough be troublesome, six grains of Dover's powder should be given in a little syrup, at night, to a male adult, five grains to a female, and less in proportion to age ; one grain being sufficient for a child of two years. And if pain of chest be present, a mustard plaster should be applied, kept on till the skin is red, and repeated evening and morning till pain is relieved.

After fevers causing an eruption on the surface, the cuticle or scarf skin exfoliates, and the true skin, in which so many nervous fibrils terminate, is denuded of its wonted covering. Getting out of bed too soon, or any chill, is therefore calculated, owing to sympathy with the skin, to increase the irritability of the air-tubes, and cause determination also to the lungs, which may destroy life.

A week after the eruption disappears is soon enough for the patient to get up ; and during that week the diet should be altered to a lightly-boiled egg, with a cup of tea and dry toast for breakfast; chicken broth, beef or mutton tea, with stale bread, for dinner ; and ground rice or maizena, boiled in water, and eaten with milk, in the evening.
When the patient gets out of bed, solid animal food can be returned to, taking care that it be light and easily digested at first, and only in moderate quantity ; and half a grain of quinine should now be taken after breakfast and dinner, unless it causes headache, and if so, a wineglassful of infusion of chiretta or quassia should be substituted for it.
To prepare the patient for exposure to the open air, a tepid shower bath should be taken every morning, and cooled down gradually to a cold bath.

Central Railroad in GA

The information below comes from Hand-book of the state of Georgia: accompanied by a geological map of the state ©1878

CENTRAL RAILROAD

The Georgia also controls and operates the Macon and Augusta Railroad from Macon to Camak, 74 miles.
The cost of Building the Road is $4,253,048 40
Capital Stock 4,200,000 00
Funded Debt 615,500 00
Average Gross Receipts per annum 1,800,000 00
Average Operating Expenses 800,000 00
Annual Dividend 8 per cent.

Hon. John P. King is President. He has filled this office continuously since 1841. S. K. Johnson is Superintendent ; and Carlton Hillyer, Auditor. The principal office is at Augusta.

The Central Railroad Of Georgia.—This important railway was built about the same time as that of the Georgia. It was chartered December 20th, 1833; work commenced November, 1836, and was completed to Macon, October 13th, 1843, nearly 2 years before the Georgia was finished to Atlanta. It is a strong corporation, with extensive connections, and is one of the most important roads in the country.

Its length from Savannah to Macon is 192 miles. This was the original chartered line of road. It also built a branch from Gordon to Milledgeville, 17.25 miles. In 1872, the Macon and Western Railroad, from Macon to Atlanta, 103 miles, including the branch from Barnesville to Thomaston, 16.5 miles, was consolidated with the Central. During the present year (1876), the Savannah, Griffin, and North Alabama Railroad, from Griffin, on the Macon and Western, to Carrollton, Carroll County, 59.29 miles long, has become the property of the Central, thus making a total length of 388.29 miles actually owned by the Company.

In 1852, it leased the road from Milledgeville to Eatonton, 22 miles, and operates and controls it, virtually making a branch of the Central from Gordon, via Milledgeville to Eatonton, 39.25 miles.

In 1862, it leased the Augusta and Savannah Railroad, from Augusta to Millen, on the Central Road, 53 miles, which it controls and operates.

In 1871, it leased the South-western Railroad and branches as follows : Main line, Macon to Albany, 104 miles ; Branch, Fort Valley to Columbus, 71 miles ; Branch, Fort Valley to Perry, 11 miles ; Branch, Smithville to Eufaula, Ala., 61 miles ; Branch, Cuthbert to Fort Gaines, 22 miles ; Branch, Albany to Arlington, 37 miles : making a total of 306 miles.

It also leased the Vicksburg and Clayton Road from Eufaula, Ala., to Clayton, Ala., 21 miles. It also owns a half interest in the Western Railroad of Alabama, from West Point, Ga., to Selma, Ala., 138 miles, with branch from Columbus, Ga., to Opelika, Ala., 28 miles, or 166 miles in all. This road is owned jointly by the Central and the Georgia, obtained by joint purchase at public sale, in April, 1875.

It has also leased the Mobile and Girard Railroad, from Columbus, Ala., to Troy, Ala., 84 miles. It also owns a steamer on the Tombigbee River, plying between Columbus, Mississippi, and Demopolis, Ala.

It also owns a line of steamers on the Chattahoochee River, plying between Columbus, Ga., and Appalachicola, Fla. These boats are worth $97,000.

It also owns 6 steamships plying between New York and Savannah, involving a capital of $800,000.

The income of the road for the year ending September 1st, 1876, was $2,657,096.97, and its operating expenses, $1,635,131.10.

Its President is Wm. M. Wadley, and Superintendent Wm. Rogers ; principal office in Savannah. The principal office of the New York Steamship Line is in New York, Wm. R. Garretson being the Agent.

The Capital Stock of the Central Railroad Company is $7,500,000 ; its Bonded Indebtedness, $3,772,000.