Smelling salts

“ If you are in a crowded room, with plenty of fire and lights and company, doors and windows all shut tight, how often you feel faint—so faint, that you may require smelling-salts or some other stimulant. ”

“ A solution of smelling-salts in water, with an infinitesimal proportion of some other saline matters, contains all the elementary bodies which enter into the composition of protoplasm; but, as I need hardly say, a hogshead of that fluid would not keep a hungry man from starving, nor would it save any animal whatever from a like fate. ”

“ Having done this, dash vinegar-and-water over the whole of the body, and rub it hard, especially the face and chest, with towels dipped in the same mixture. The hands and feet also should be rubbed with a hard brush. Apply smelling-salts to the nose, which may be tickled with a feather. Dashing cold water down the middle of the back is of great service. If the person can swallow, give him a little lemon-water, or vinegar-and-water to drink. ”

“ Let patient inhale smelling salts or household ammonia.
Rub limbs toward body.
Remember: An unconscious person cannot swallow. Medicine may enter windpipe and cause strangulation. After patient becomes conscious, give stimulants; such as aromatic spirit of ammonia or hot coffee.
Fever Blisters (Cold Sores) .
Apply boric acid ointment, [M] or touch frequently with spirit of nitre or spirit of camphor. ”

“ Inhaled, undiluted with air, it is an irritant poison, producing spasms of the glottis, convulsions, and death; even when diluted it acts as a powerful acrid, and local irritant; applied to the skin it causes vesication. The use of the pungent odour of common ‘smelling salts,’ in syncope, headache, &c., is well known. Largely diluted with air, it has been recently highly extolled in chronic hoarseness, asthma, &c.; and as an antidote to the fumes of bromine, chlorine, and hydrocyanic acid. ”

“ To recover a person from one of these fainting fits, she should be laid upon her back on a level place, and every part of her dress should be carefully loosed. Some strong odor should then be applied to the nostrils, such as hartshorn, vinegar, burnt feathers, or smelling salts. ”

“ Andrea, with a heaving and oppressed bosom, watched her husband's movements, but as soon as he had disappeared, her forces failed her and the Queen had to run to her with the smelling salts as she sank on a stool, apologizing for the breach of etiquette in sitting in the royal presence.
The feeling between the pair was strange. The Queen seemed to have affection for her attendant and the latter respect for her mistress, but they were like enemies at times. ”

“ The perfumer uses liq. amm. fortis, that is, strong liquid ammonia, and the sesqui-carbonate of ammonia, for preparing the various "salts" that he sells. These materials he does not attempt to make; in fact, it is quite out of his province so to do, but he procures them ready for his hand through some manufacturing chemist. The best preparation for smelling-bottles is what is termed Inexhaustible Salts, which is prepared thus:—
Mix the whole together with agitation in a very strong and well-stoppered bottle. ”

“ Madge runs frightened across the L. of Aunt Ida and Phyllis runs down from fender to R. of Aunt Ida, and together they help her into chair to L. of table R. Tarver and Faraday look up suddenly, startled. Smith goes up L.C., concealing laughter. Phyllis stands R. of chair below sofa, trying to hold Aunt Ida's hand. Evelyn runs excitedly and aimlessly about, looking for smelling salts. Faraday runs up and down extreme L., waving his arms. Madge above chair, fanning Aunt Ida. Tarver C., fanning Aunt Ida with atlas. He kneels and fans her more vigorously. ”

“ Neutral salts promote invisible perspiration, when the skin is not warmed much externally, as is evinced from the great thirst, which succeeds a meal of salt provisions, as of red herrings. When these are sufficiently diluted with water, and the skin kept warm, copious sweats without inflaming the habit, are the consequence. ”

“ While salt is essential, it is contained as an element in many foods, and there is no more reason why it should be sprinkled upon each and every article of food that is taken than we should have castors containing all the other kinds of inorganic salts, that the system needs, and which are supplied to it in fresh foods. Salt using is merely a habit, and a disastrous one, since it has been shown to be one of the factors in the causation of kidney troubles, such as Bright’s disease. ”

“ But if it be sublimed with Salt, or shall be dissolved by some other corrosive Water, and be administred to a man to drink the quantity of 1, 2, or 3 Grains it will shrewdly hazard his Life, because the Salts have made its hidden lurking Poyson manifest. ”

“ It has been shown by experiment that many of the lower animals, as well as man, are dependent for their life on salt in their blood. "When an animal is fed with a diet as far as possible free from salts, but otherwise sufficient, it dies of salts-hunger. The blood first loses inorganic material, then the organs. The total loss is very small in proportion to the quantity still retained in the body; but it is sufficient to cause the death of a pigeon in three weeks, and of a dog in six, with marked symptoms of muscular and nervous weakness." ”

“ Seeing therefore that Salt, whilst it is yet gross and rude, and defiled with many impurities, performeth such things in living Creatures, and preserveth Flesh and Fish, as also all Herbs and Grass, long from Corruption; What could not such a salt do, which by the help of Art hath received a greater purity than Nature hath bestowed upon it? For the Fire containeth a power of correcting and purifying salt, and converting it into a finer and better substance. The common salts which we daily use, do indeed give a relish to all Edibles, and preserve them from putrefaction ”

“ The result of his investigations, however, have demonstrated that this opinion was erroneous; and that there are considerable antiseptic virtues in these salts. Indeed, daily experience has evinced, that volatiles, when applied to the organs of smell, or taken in substance, are perfectly harmless; and yet a strong prejudice has hitherto prevailed against their use; from a supposition that these salts, being the produce of corruption, are apt to accelerate putrefaction. Respecting their internal use, nothing decisive can be maintained, unless the nature of the disease be accurately defined. ”

“ According to this method, the salts present in the sea-water are not precipitated, but are so treated that they are not disagreeable to the taste. They pass through the body without oversaturating it with salts and without causing an undue thirst. ”

“ SALTS Of all salts found in the body, the most abundant and valuable is sodium chloride (NaCl) , common salt; it exists in all tissues, secretions, and fluids of the body, with the exception of enamel of the teeth. The amount found in food is not always sufficient; therefore salt is used as a condiment. It assists digestion, inasmuch as it furnishes chlorine for hydrochloric acid found in gastric juice. ”

“ In some diseases those sulphureous are preferred; but in others vegetable and animal, where also a consideration is to be had of the sickness, and bath it self, that one be not used for the other, to the great dammage of the sick. For almost all natural baths, and volatile spirits of salts, minerals, and metals, partake of some most subtle, penetrating, heating, and drying sulphureous salt spirit; but the spirits of vegetables, and animals partake of a certain volatility that is most subtle, penetrating, heating, opening, cutting and attenuating, both urinous and nitrous, viz. ”

“ More than half the ten ounces of salts consist of it alone, which will make you understand better than before, what I explained with reference to the stomach; that is, why we put salt in our food. The porter above is quite up to his business when he asks everyone who enters to produce his little bit of salt. It is an attention which the blood appreciates very highly, although table-salt is of no great use to him in his building operations ”

“ Saltpetre added to brine gives the meat a red colour, and brown sugar improves the flavour.
The sooner animal substances, more especially flesh, are salted after being killed, the better, as they then possess considerable absorbent power, which they gradually lose by age. See Putrefaction, Scurvy, Smoking, &c.
SALTPE′TRE. Nitrate of potassium.
SALTS for producing Factitious Mineral Waters. Aerated, or Carbonate Waters. These require the aid of the powerful machine employed by soda-water manufacturers, to charge the waters strongly with carbonic-acid gas. ”

“ I have known people who accustom themselves to the use of salt baths, and who talk very glibly of the luxury of sea-bathing, who yet are in complete ignorance of the virtues of salt as a condiment and as a preserver of health, and who try to prove that salt so used is obnoxious, and consequently to be avoided. These salt baths are popular, not because they are beneficial, but by reason of their comparative novelty; and accordingly, many who would not think of using salt with their food, plunge headlong into the sea or into a salt-water bath, with all the vigour possible. ”

“ Is it not a blessing to know that nature has munificently provided a means whereby these distressing evils may be checked and definitely eradicated by a daily use of such an enemy to, and destroyer of, disease as the chloride of sodium, universally known as common salt? ”

“ The same Reason satisfies, why Tobacco that grows on low Lands as far as the Salts, tho' the Plant be never overflowed with Salt Water, yet the Ground that feeds the Plant being impregnated with Salt Water, that Tobacco Smoaks not pleasantly, and will scarcely keep Fire, but do all that a Man can, will oft go out, and gives much trouble in frequent lighting the Pipe, 'till after it has been kept some considerable time: Which may be assign'd to the fixeder Saline Particles of the Marine Salt in these Plants, which require more time e'er they be render'd Volatile. ”

“ OF what Nature then this Poison is we may conjecture from the Circumstances of its Production. All animal Bodies do more or less generate a Salt; or rather, in Proportion to the Strength of their digestive Powers, do they more or less subtilize the saline Particles which are taken in with their necessary Nourishment. This is abundantly manifest in the Distillation of many animal Substances, which plentifully yield a volatile Salt. ”

“ I say, that the salts must (by the help of Fire and Art) first get a magnetick and attractive power and faculty afore they can draw a Life out of the air. Now then, after that the universal Life of the World is caught and fettered as it were by the salts, and hath turned the dead salts into living nitre, yet that life lies hidden in that Salt-petre invisibly, and can but a little or scarce any thing at all shew out or display its virtues by reason of the Gross body of the salt. ”

“ All animals seem to require salt, and it is claimed by those who have tried the experiment that after one has refrained from the use of salt for a certain length of time the craving for it becomes exceedingly painful. It is most likely that the taste for salt is a natural craving. In any event, whether it is a natural or an artificial taste, it has become an article of the greatest importance in the preparation of food, as well as on account of its use in the arts. Salt is a compound of chlorine and sodium. ”

“ Nature herself has provided just as much salt as is required for the upkeep of our health. All the extra salt that we use is quite superfluous; all of it goes out of the body again in the form of perspiration, or in other ways, and no portion of it seems to have any useful function to perform in the body. One writer even holds that salt poisons the blood. He says that those who use no salt at all have their blood so pure that they are not affected even by snake-bite. ”

“ The salts of food are living salts, organic or organized salts, such as are found in the growing plant. These salts365 are of great value to the various fluids of the body, and also as stimulants to nerve action, but more particularly in the work of building up the bones. ”

“ The importance of salt to animal life in general, is shown by the great appetite for it manifested by domestic animals, and also by the habitual resort of herds of wild beasts to the "salt-licks" or springs. In those parts of the world where salt is obtained with difficulty, man places a very high price upon it. ”

“ Coarse salt scattered about wardrobes, closets, cupboards, etc., will keep moths and silver fish away. Any rooms where they are, should be swept with salt. It does not injure carpets, on the contrary it tends to brighten the colours, and is a great purifier removing stuffy and musty smells. ”

“ Professor Bunge of Basel, who is quite an authority in the realm of physiological and pathological chemistry, speaking on the relation of salt and blood, says that "at every period, in every part of the world, and in every climate, there are people who use salt as well as those who do not. The people who take salt, though differing from each other in every other respect, are all characterized by a vegetable diet; in the same way, those who do not use any salt are all alike in taking animal food." ”

“ I shall be more than satisfied if I am able to persuade those unwise people who make it a rule never to use salt, to resort to it at once without hesitation; for if they wish to be in a fair state of health, to have clear wholesome skins and fresh complexions, to be 25free from intestinal parasites and cutaneous diseases, to have their digestive organs perform their functions compatible with health and personal comfort, they must have, practically speaking, salt in themselves. ”