The dictionary of daily wants / [Robert Kemp Philp].

Robert Kemp Philp

Date:: [1861]

Credit: The dictionary of daily wants / [Robert Kemp Philp]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

42/1152 page 32

$Persons below the middle hei<4lit, robust, with large hands and short thick necks, are generally recognized as apoplectic subjects ; but it is, in truth, confined to no particular conformation of the body, all persons being alike liable to be attacked by it. Persons, however, who are predisposed to this disease should not fail to profit by the warnings of its approach mentioned at the commencement of this article. Their diet should be light and nutritious ; all luxurious liabits should be abandoned, and moderate exercise should be taken. Above all, they should avoid giving way to their passions, as it is w'ell known that many persons have been struck with death in the midst of a fit of anger. APOTHECARIES’ WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.—The standard by which apo- thecaries dispense medicines. Apothecaries’ weight diflers from that which is used for the buying and selling of every-day commodities, and is as follows :— 20 grains . . . 1 scruple. 3 scruples ... 1 drachm. H drachms . . .1 ounce. 12 ounces ... 1 pomid. The above cpiautities have certain abbrevia- tions aud signs by which they are expressed in prescriptions and medical ^works, thus : grain, gr. ; scruple, 9 ; drachm, 5; ounce, S. Liquids have their equivalent in weight as follows 60 minims . . 1 drachm. 8 drachms ... 1 ounce. 16 ounces . • -1 P'^I- The medical signs for these quantities are— minim, 11\ , drachm, 5; ounce, L In compounding medicines, measures and weights should be always used, as articles of domestic use vary so widely in their size and capacity that it is impossible to convey throuh them the correct instructions for the various do.ses to be taken. In twenty dif- terent houses the teaspoons, tablespoons, and inneglasscs will perhaps he of as many different sizes ; in one case, therefore, the dose intended will be much lessened, and in the other considerably augmented—a varia- tion which might in many instances be at- tended with sad consequences. Again, in domestic recipes, to express minim the word “drop” is frequently made use ol, but in these there Is as much difference, compara- tively, as in larger quantities ; the capacity of a drop will depend ujion the neck of the vessel from which it is poured, upon the momentum with which it is forced from the bottle, and upon the character of the fluid itself; and be.sidcs, when a person is jiour- ing out drops he Is liable to mis- count them tractcd,and many other causes, lo obviate these consequences there arc graduated glasses sold by chemists which contain a given quantity in the whole, aud whicli is divided into its component parts, marked accordingly on the glass. Failing the possession of apotlu>caries' weights and measures, however, it will oe useful to know the following estimated average of miscellaneous measures and their equivalents:— Teaspoouful is equal to 1 fluid drachm. Dessertspoonful Tablespoonful IVineglassful Teacupful Rreakfastcupful Tumblerful Teabasinful Thimbleful Finch (of leaves and flowers, &c.) Handful 2 1 2 fluid ounces. 5 „ 8 8 12 f fluid drachm. 1 drachm. 10 drachms. APPAREL may be considered in a variety of intei'esting aspects relating to domestic economy. In buying apparel, cheapness should not so much be regarded as substance and durability. As a general rule, the purchase of low-priced clothes is an unwise economy, as they are almost invariably of an inferior description, and also badly made. A coat displayed to the greatest advantage in a ready-made clothes shop window wiU look well to the eye, but if it be purchased and placed on the back it .soon assumes quite a different character; in the course of a lew weeks the cloth loses its gloss and begins to turn white, the buttons drop off, and the seams give wav, and in three or four or six months’ time at the farthest the garment is no longer fit to wear. This matter is easily accounted for. Cloth, like every other staple commodity, bears a certain market value relative to its quality, so that garments made of certain qualities of cloth ciinuot be honestly produced under a certain price. The cloth, therefore, trom which ready-made clothes are fashioned, is not what it professes to be, but is an inferior article, got up with a face, or artificial surjace, in imitation of the true material. It is more satisfactory, therefore, to order clothes from a respectable tailor, or to pur- chase the materials from a woollen ware- house, and have them made according to di- rection. , .. In the mahe of clothes, comfort should not be wholly sacrificed to fashion, nor, on the other hand, should fashion be totally disre- g-arded; in most cases a coniju-omise may be made between the two without overstepping the boundaries of either. Apparel should possess a cerXAm suitahiiitti, that is to say, that every person should appear in such clothes as are adapted to his imrsuits, and conformable to his station in life. A man who occupies a humble position is. not expected to dress extravagantly. Neither is he who possesses the means justi- fied in ignoring conventionalities by wearing apparel absurdly mean and ill-fashioned. The harmonii of apparel should always bo considered, both as it affects the weiircr as a$

The dictionary of daily wants / [Robert Kemp Philp].

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