USEFUL PROJECTS 



337 



and perhaps with small blisters, the 

 vinegar, if early and constantly ap- 

 plied, is sutficient to effect a cure 

 without any oiher application. It 

 almost instantly gives relief, and in 

 two or three hours, and often in a 

 mucli shorter lime, the p;Uicnt will 

 be quite at ease. The application 

 of the vinegar may then be inter- 

 mitted ; but, as some degree of pain 

 and heat miy possibly return, and 

 if not attended to, might yet pro- 

 duce a sore, the vinegar must be 

 applied as often as any painful sen- 

 sation returns; and, to make sure, 

 it ought to be continued now and 

 then fjr a day after, in short, it 

 is always prudent, even in these 

 slight cases, tg use the vinegar long, 

 and in abundant quantities. 



In most instances, such slight in- 

 juries, as those I now speak of, are 

 healed without ever breaking out 

 into a sore ; if however, through 

 neglect of using the vinegar spee- 

 dily, or not continuing it long e- 

 nough, and in sufficient quantitle.?, 

 from something peculiar in the pa- 

 tient's constitution, or any other 

 cause, the injury should degenerate 

 into a sore, it will readily be heal- 

 ed by the application of chalk and 

 poultices in the manner hereafter to 

 be mentioned. 



In severe burns and scalds which 

 have recently happened, and wliich 

 are attended with large blisters, 

 excoriations, or loss ot substance, 

 the vinegar must be constantly ap- 

 plied till the heat and pain nearly 

 cease, which will happen in from 

 two to eight hours, according as 

 the injury is more or less severs.— 

 The sores must tlien be covered 

 wirh ra^s or cloths well wetted, 

 wliich, as often as they dry, or 

 any sensation of pain or heat re- 

 turrtf, must be wetted afresh with 



Vol. XXXVf. 



the vinegar for two, three, or four 

 hours. 



In the worst cases I have ever 

 met with, the pain became tole- 

 rable soon after the vinegar was 

 applied ; and in ten, or at most 

 twelve hours, the patients were so 

 much at ease, that in general they 

 fell into a sound sleep. 



^^'hen I first began this practice, 

 I used to keep the wetted rags on 

 the sores, without any other ap- 

 plication, sometimes for two or 

 three daysj but experience show- 

 ed me, that, after the pain and 

 heat peculiar to burns and scalds 

 were removed, the vinegar excited 

 smarting in the tender excoriated 

 skin, and was in fact of no farther 

 use ; I therefore never employ it 

 longer than twelve hours, except- 

 ing on the parts round the edges, 

 or outside of the sores, which I 

 foment with it for a minute or two 

 before the dressings to be after- 

 wards mentioned, as long as they 

 continue in any degree swelled or 

 infianied. 



The whetted rags being renjoved, 

 the sores must next be healed with 

 ether applications ; and the first 

 elressing 1 use, is a common poultice 

 made of bread and milk, with a 

 little sweet oil or fresh butter in it. 

 I lay the poultice close to the sore, 

 and use no gauze or cambric be- 

 tween them. The first dressing 

 should remain six, or at most eight 

 hours ; and when it is removed, 

 the sores must be covered entirely 

 with challc fineiy pounded or scra- 

 ped (for, instead of pounding the 

 chalk, I generally bold a lump of it 

 over the sorfes, and scrape it with 

 a knife upon them) till the powder 

 has absorbed the matter or ichor 

 from the sores, and appears quite 

 dry all over them ; a fresh poultice 



Z is 



