I’m burying the lede on this one, big time.
I was going through some stuff in storage and found an old book that somehow it made its way to Texas from Milton, Massachusetts.
Dad must have picked it up at a garage sale. He could never resist an old book.
It’s a book of recipes (or receipts as he calls them) and other things everyone should know, from 1874.
The handwriting is hard to read, so I transcribed it the best I could, leaving out a couple of things I couldn’t figure out how to copy. We don’t use a lot of the ingredients in America these days – one in particular.
WAIT till you get to rheumatism remedies 17 and 18. I don’t want to judge people from the olden days. Life was different back then. But if you try to make the recipes, you might sub one particular item. Maybe you could do something with Crisco?
No. 1. Tanic acid will harden the feet. Put a few drops into soft water and wash them.
No. 2. Effects of Camphor on seeds.
Taken from Boston Daily Advertiser, Aug. 7, 74. Very many years ago that water saturated with camphor, had a great effect upon the germination of seeds. It was forgotten, but a German professor revived the idea and establishes the fact that a solution of camphor stimulates vegetables as alcohol does animals. He took seeds some of which were 3 or 4 years of age, dry and hard and put some between pieces of blotting paper simply wet and some of the same seed he put between paper soaked in camphorated water. Where those in the 1st case did not swell at all. Those in the blotter with camphor every seed germinated. The experiment was tried on seeds both old and new and always with a like result showing a singular awakening of Dormant vitalism an a wonderful quickening of growth. It also appears that plants started in this manner continue to grow with much more vigor than those not treated in this way. On the other hand.
Camphor pulverized and mixed with the soil has a bad effect on the seed. Owing probably to its being too strong.
No. 3. Receipt for bluing.
Take one oz. Prussian Blue
¼ oz. oxalic acid. Put into a quart bottle and fill with soft water. Excellent and cheap.
No. 4. Receipt for Cheap Cologne.
10 qts (can’t be quarts, but that’s what it looks like) 85 per cent alcohol
5 oz. essence of Lemon
12 ½ Drachms essence of cedrate
4 oz. essence of Bergamot
1 oz. Essence of Lavender
1 oz. tincture of benzoin. Mix.
No. 5. Spruce Beer
Dissolve 10 lbs. Sugar and 4 oz. of essence of Spruce in 10 gallons of warm water. Allow it to cool a little . Add ½ pint yeast; Bottle immediately.
No.’s 6 and 7 I can’t copy. No. 6 is an Interest Table that goes on for a couple of pages, has math I don’t understand and “ marks going down columns I would never be able to copy. I like how it says “commit to memory.” As if. No. 7 says “Interest rules” and has a division equation in it. I don’t do division. Here are some pics if you want to try and make sense of them. He must have had a small business. Looked him up and it looks like he was a constable.
No. 8. Leather Cement (Good)
Gutapercha
Benzoin
Cloroform
(Equal parts mix)
Warm both parts before applying the cement.
No. 9. Wart acid.
Acetic acid 2 drachams
Citric acid 10 grains
Mix.
No. 10. For Ring-worms.
Apply Rotten Apples or pound up garlic or rub them with juice of house-leak or wash them with oil of sweet almonds and oil of tartar mixed. Or lunar (?) caustic.
12 grains to 1 oz. water. Or apply gunpowder & vinegar
No. 11. For Scald Head
Citrin ointment
Tar
(equal part mix)
Wash the head every morning with castile soap and apply the ointment. This was never known to fail in 35 yrs practice.
Give sulphur and charcoal mixed in molasses to be taken inwardly.
No. 12. Salve.
Take a white turnip and roast it. Scrape it and mix with lard. Good for any sore.
No. 13. Cancer. Balsam.
Take of sorrel salve
Fir Balsam.
Fresh Butter
(Equal parts mix)
Simmer together. Good for cancerous sores or any other sore.
No. 14. Ointment for a feeling like ants crawling.
Iodide of Possassium ½ dracham
Simple cerate 4 oz.
Make and apply.
No. 15. Kelly’s Healing Salve.
Beeswax 4 oz.
Beef tallow or lard 6 oz.
Fir Balsam 4 oz.
Venice Turpentine 2 oz.
Simmer all together except the turpentine, which you add after taking off the fire. Stir until cold.
No. 16. For Stiff Joints
Fish oil
Beef brine
(of each 1 gill – I don’t know what a gill is, but that’s what it looks like)
The yolk of 4 eggs, beat, mix and shake together
Apply three times a day
No. 17. For Rheumatism, gout, cramps, contractions of the sinews etc.
Take a young fat dog. Kill him. Scald him and strip off his hair, then from a small incision, take out the contents of his belly, and put in the cavity two hand fulls of nettles, 2 oz. brimstone, 12 eggs. 4 oz. turpentine well mixed together, then see-saw up his belly and roast him before the fire and save the oil. This is to be applied to the parts affected and warm before the fire.
No. 18. No. 2 of the above Receipt. The dog being prepared in the same manner, fill his belly with a pint of Red pepper a pint of angle worms, the bark of sassafras roots, four green frogs.
Roast in the same manner and save oil. This is a valuable ointment for Rheumatism, contraction of the tendons, Nervous affections affections (that’s what it says – afflictions afflictions?), burns etc.
These preparations although singular are valuable no one need doubt.
(Poor little puppies. At least he thought they were “singular.” And I thought I was scared of grandmother’s home remedies.)
No. 19. For cough and Hoarseness.
Take ½ pt vinegar
2 Lemons
2 oz Garlic
Simmer well together, then strain and add ½ lb. Sugar and ½ pt. Gin, add all together.
Dose ½ wine glass full 3 or 4 times a day.
No. 20. For a Cough
Take equal parts of the lose, coarse, moss which grown on White Oak, White Maple and White Ash trees, make a strong tea. Sweeten and drink freely.
No. 21. Pulmonary Balsam.
For consumption cough if longstanding…
Take of
Spinesnard 6 oz.
Hoarhound 6 oz.
Elecampane 6 oz.
Comphfrey root 6 oz.
Boil in three gallons of water. Reduce down to 2 ½ gallons. Add 3 lbs. white sugar. 1 ½ lbs honey. Clarify with whites of eggs. Let is stand 24 hours in order that it may style. Add 1 qt. Spirit and bottle it for use. Dose… a wine glassfull 3 or 4 times a day.
Excellent
No. 22. To Make Whiskey Cordial
Cinnamon
Ginger
Coriander seeds
(of Each 3 oz.)
Mace. Cloves. Cubebs (It’s a thing. Look it up).
Of each one ounce and half. Add 11 gallons proof spirits and 2 gallons water.. Now tie up 5 oz. saffron. 4 lbs. Raisins with seeds taken out. 4 lbs. Dates. 2 lbs liqorice root. Let it stand 12 hours in 2 gallons of water, strain & add to the above. Sugar to suit.
Proof spirits consists of
Half of each of 95% alcohol and water
No. 23. Liniment for Rheumatism
1 oz. Spirits ammonia
1 oz. Laudanum
1 oz. Oil Origanum
1 oz. Sweet Oil
1 oz. Oil Hemlock
8 oz. 95% alcohol
1 teaspoon Rattle Snakes Oil
Mix
No. 24. For Glue that will never give out.
⅔ pt. Alcohol 95%
½ lb. white glue
¼ lb. white lead
3 oz. American isinglass or fish glue. 1 teaspoon spirits of camphor to 1 qt. Soft water.
First dissolve the glue and isinglass in the water but not. (I don’t know why the sentence ends there but it does)
Boil then add the lead. Then the alcohol & camphor and it is ready to Bottle.
No. 25. Hot Drops…
Gum. Myrrh
Cayenne peper
Common ginger
Red Sanders (for color)
(of each 1 ½ ounces)
Put into 1 gallon of Liquor no mater whether Gin or Whiskey or proof Spirits, but not Rum. Shake once in a while for a day or two and it is fit for use after filtering.
No. 26. Recipe for Dropsy
1 oz. mustard seed
1 oz. Horse Radish
Water or cider 1 pint. Simmer two hours. Dose. 3 Wine glass full four times a day.
No. 27. For Rheumatism
1 qt. Whiskey 2 oz. Gum guiac 2 drachms of Salt Petre. Mix. Dose a wine glassful 3 times a day.
No. 28. For Rheumatism
2 oz. Spirits frument (spiritus frumenti – it’s a kind of liquor)
2 oz. Gum guaiac
2 drachms Nitrate Potass.
Mix. Dose wine glassful 3 times a day.
No. 29. For consumption cough of longstanding
6 oz. Spikenard
6 oz. Hoar hound
6 oz. Elecampane Root
6 oz. Compfrey Root
Boil in 3 gallons of water, Reduce it down to 2 ½ gallons. Add 3 lb. White Sugar. 1 1/2w lb. Honey. Clarify with whites of eggs. Let it stand 24 hours to settle. Add 1 qt. Spirits and Bottle it up. Dose. wineglassful 3 or 4 times a day.
No. 30. Onion Syrup for Cough. Cold etc.
Take any quantity of onions. Roast them on the fire. Peal off the outside and press out the juice and sweeten with honey, molasses or sugar. Teaspoonfull to tablespoonfull according to age.
No. 31. (Blank – Mr. Bronsdon ran out of material and interest and quit filling up the notebook.)
Late Boomer's Den 
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