SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
23j7 
have their own coverings. Never fill a hot water bag 
more than two-thirds full. The water should not be 
hot enough to scald a patient if the bag should spring a 
leak. Before putting in the cork, expel the air by twist- 
ing the upper part between the neck and the level of the 
water before putting in the cork. Be sure to cork tightly. 
If the bag is to be where the patient will bear the weight, 
put in a very little water and renew from time to time. 
Where there is no hot water bag, stone bottles may be 
used, or bags of salt or sand may be heated in the oven. 
The practice of using ordinary glass bottles is an un- 
safe one, as the corks are not always to be depended on 
to stay tight and the glass breaks easily. When bags 
of salt or sand are used the coverings should be thick 
enough to prevent the particles from sifting through. 
Pieces of flannel the right size may in some cases supply 
all the heat that is necessary. They should be covered 
with another flannel to keep in the warmth. 
To make a mustard plaster. Have ready a piece of 
old muslin (a piece of an old nightgown will do) two 
inches wide and two inches longer than twice the length 
of the poultice required. On one end of it, with a margin 
of an inch on three sides, place a piece of oiled paper 
or shelf paper or a piece of clean paper bag, the size you 
wish the poultice to be. Mix one tablespoonful of mus- 
tard with 8 tablespoonfuls of flour, before wetting. 
Have water about as hot as the hand can stand. Do not 
use boiling water. Stir the water into the mustard and 
flour gradually so that it will not lump. Make the paste 
stiff enough to spread thinly on the paper, about a quarter 
of an inch thick. Turn the margins of the cloth over 
the paste. Fold the long end over so that all the paste is 
covered and tuck the end under the turned-in edges of the 
sides. Fold it and take it to the patient in a hot towel or 
between hot plates. The skin where it is to be placed 
