4.  Corns, Onion a Cure for.—­“Soak a small onion in vinegar four hours, then cut in two and bind on the corn at night.  In the morning (if the onion has remained over the corn) the soreness will be gone and you can pick out the core.  If not cured in first application repeat.”

[Skin diseases 59]

5.  Corns, Castile Soap an Effective Remedy for.—­“Rub the corn night and morning with castile soap, as often as possible shave it, being careful not to cut deep enough to make it bleed.”  Be faithful in soaping it thoroughly night and morning for several days until it disappears.  This is a very simple but effective remedy.

6.  Hard Corns, Iodine a Successful Remedy for.—­“Paint the corns with iodine every night for three nights, stop three nights, then apply three nights again, and so on for two weeks.”  Have tried this and know it to be very successful, especially good for hard corns.

7.  Corns, Castor Oil for.—­“Apply castor oil; rub it thoroughly, then soak feet.  It will soften and remove corns.”

8.  Corns, Vinegar and Bread for.—­“Take bread and soak in vinegar for twenty-four hours, put a plaster on for three or four nights.  If not cured on first application, repeat.”

Physicians’ treatment for Corns.—­Remove the cause; soften them by prolonged soaking in hot water, and then gently scrape off the softened particles, continue this for several days; then put a narrow strip of rubber or salicylated plaster (adhesive plaster) over to protect them from pressure.  The following is good to soften them: 

1.  Salicylic Acid 1-1/2 dram
    Extract of Cannabis indica 10 grains
    Collodion 1 ounce

Mix and paint on the corn for several days and after soaking corn scrape it off with a sharp knife.

2.  A Good but Weaker Remedy:-

Salicylic Acid                      30 grains
Extract of Cannabis indica     5 to 10 grains
Collodion                          1/2 ounce

Both of these prescriptions are good, the first being stronger with salicylic acid.

3.  When the corns are soft with inflammation, wash and dry the foot and apply a solution of nitrate of silver, sixty to one hundred and twenty grains to the ounce of water, to every part every four or five days.

Ulcerating Corns.—­Cauterize with nitrate of silver in stick form.

Carbuncle. (Anthrax).—­A carbuncle is an acute circumscribed inflammation of the skin and tissues beneath, of the size of an egg, orange, or larger.  It is a hard mass and ends in local death of some of the tissue and formation of pus, which empties upon the surface through several sieve-like openings.

[60 Mothers’ remedies]

Symptoms.—­There is a feeling of general sickness, chilliness and some fever.  The skin over the sore part is hot and painful.  The several dead parts may run together until the entire mass separates in a slough.  In favorable cases it proceeds to heal kindly, but in severe cases it may spread to the surrounding tissues and end fatally, sometimes by the absorption of putrid materials, or by the resulting weakness.  It runs usually from two to five weeks.