Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 13 August 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

> - Cement for Glass and China. ■ Common alum melted in an iron spoon is said to be a strong cement' fat 1 joining 'glass,- china, "or metal. It is well recommended for fastening door knobs in place. / The Care of Lamp Chimneys. • Before using a lamp chimney it should be placed on v the • rack over the kitchen fire until _-it is quite hot; it may- then be placed on the lamp for which, it is intended. When lighting the lamp care should be taken "to' turn it up gradually, so that, the chimney may not be heated too suddenly. Omitting this' Tittle precaution Ts^-frcquentl}' the reason that a new chimney^ cracks v the first time" it is used. If you- want ybu'r^ lamp chimneys "to last never wash them with water. When a chimney is very soiled or smoky pass a long brush swiftly through it several times; this will remove the worst of the black; then wipe it with a ,soft cloth which has .been moistened "with " methylated spirit, and polish it-- with a clean cloth until it is brilliantly clear. Too Much Sugar. A correspondent of the ' British Medical Journal ' asserts tint many puzzling cases of headache are simply due to excessive tise^s of siigar as an article of diet, and goes on to show' that a.confirmed tea-drinker who takes sugar with his tea will easily get through a dozen or so teaspoonfuls of sugar -in a day. ' This," says the ' Daily Telegraph, ' is a very interesting suggestion, as so familiar a domestic commodity as sugar is . not likely., to"' present itself to our minds as a cause of disease. If it is true that excess of-sugar is rwally the cause of many, of those obscure headaches which we 1 put down' to tye-strain, >or biliousness^ or some other indefinite reason, the gentleman who lias pointed .out this fact" deserves our very great thanks. _ The proof, .of .the suggestion should be easy, for we meet many people who take large quantities of sugar, and many who suffer with occasional headaches, and it should not be difficult to trace the relationship between the two", should such' exist. 1 Medical Uses of Fruit. That fruit is a wholesome article of diet is, of course, a generally accepted fjict, but the important place which it_ takes through the medicinal effect it exerts upon the entire system has only recently become well, known. The medicinal effect is not ■ direct, but the fruit encourages the natural functions by which the several remedial' processes which they , aid* are brought about. The' fruits which come under the head of laxatives are the orange, figs, tamarinds, prunes, mulberries, dates, nectarines, and' plums. The astringents, pomegranates," cranberries, blackberries, dew- - berries, raspberries, barberries, quinces r ,.pears, wild -cherries, and medlars. The diuretics are gooseberries, red and white cur- - rants, pumpkins, and melons. Lemons, limes, and • apples' ar3' stomach sedatives Taken in the morning early an orange acts < very decidely as a loxathc, sometimes amounting to a purgative, and may be generally relied on. Pomegranates are very." astringent and relieve sore throat and uvula. Figs, split open, ,form . an excellent poultice for boils and small abscesses. Strawberries and lemons, locally applied, are of some service- in the removal of tartar from the teeth. Apples are correctives .useful :n nausea, and even seasickness. They immediately relieve the nausea due to smoking. Bitter almonds contain hydrocyanic acid, and are useful in a simple, cough ; but they frequently" produce a sort of nettle-rash. The persimmon is" palatable when . ripe, but the green fruit is highly astringent, containing much ' tannin. The oil of cocoanut has been recommended as a substitute for cod-liver oil, and- is much used in Germany for ' phthisis. Barberries are very agreeable to fever patients-in -the*- , form of a drink. Grapes and raisins are nutritive and demul- " cent,_and are much used in the sick chamber. ' -•.'-"