Physicians’ treatment for Erysipelas.—­It is best to separate the patient from the others in the family.  Some people very easily take this disease.  I know one who cannot be in the room where such a patient is for even five minutes without contracting it.

Local Treatment.—­1.  Wash the parts with a solution of boric acid, one-half teaspoonful to eight teaspoonfuls of tepid water, put this on the inflamed parts.  Then apply a poultice of bruised cranberries.  Wash the face each time with the solution before applying the cranberry poultice afresh.

[222 Mothers’ remedies]

2.  Paint thoroughly with tincture of iodine outside of the margin of the disease where the skin shows no sign of the trouble.  This is very effective.  If done freely it produces a slight inflammation.  The stain made by it remains for some time and that is the objection to it on the face, but do not hesitate on that account if the other remedies do not work well or are not at hand.

3.  The following is a splendid local application.—­Cleanse thoroughly the inflamed part with pure castile soap and water, and then wash this off with one to one thousand corrosive sublimate solution.  Dry the skin with a soft towel and apply a thick coating of equal parts of Ichthyol and vaselin, and over this place antiseptic gauze or sterilized absorbent cotton.  Keep this in place with adhesive straps.  If the diseased surface is small it may not be necessary to use the gauze, etc.

4.  Tincture Chloride of Iron in dose of ten to twenty drops and more if necessary four times a day, well diluted with water.  This is very hard on the teeth and should be taken through a glass tube.

Diet.—­Milk, broths, etc., liquid diet or foods. (See Nursing Dept. under liquid diet.)

Nursing.—­When you nurse any infectious patient, you must be not only careful of your patient, but of yourself.  It is not necessary in order to do good nursing to endanger yourself; and a nurse who does not know how to care for herself, cannot successfully nurse the sick.  In erysipelas I always watch the eruption closely.  Sometimes it recedes, and the patient, of course, is worse.  Then there are some people who believe in “pow-wowing.”  They have that done and then do not take care of themselves.  I have attended such cases.  One case was especially striking.  The “pow-wow” person did his work and then the patient thought himself well and proceeded to enjoy himself and caught cold.  The result was the “going in” of the eruption and a beautiful cough.  I succeeded in my efforts and the next day he had the erysipelas going along nicely, but no cough.  I write this so you will take proper care of yourself and shun conjurers and their “pow-wow.”

Toxemia, septicemia; PYEJMIA.—­Toxemia refers to the group of symptoms and lesions caused by the presence in the blood of toxins (poison) usually resulting from bacterial growths.