To All,
I have always had an interest in history and old books in particular. I don't know why but I find them very fascinating.
In a recent exercise to clean house I came across one book that isn't particularly old but quite interesting. Most of the information in it is very inaccurate but some does appear to have some old wisdom and alternative methods of solving health problems.
The title of the book is "The Standard Formulary: A Collection of nearly Five Thousand Formulas for Pharmaceutical Preparations, Family Remedies, Toilet Articles, Veterinary Remedies, Soda Fountain Requisites, and Miscellaneous Preparations Especially Adapted to the Requirements of Retail Druggists." Did ya get all that? This is the 16th edition printed in 1904, so another age when the local druggist was the everyman for solving problems.
I would not want to bet my life on some of the cures in this book. Science and medical technology were only recently becoming standardized from Johns Hopkins less than 30 prior to this printing.
That said, there were alternate methods of doing things prior to the mass usage of freezers and home electricity and this is one (1) I want to share.
PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE VERACITY OF THIS METHOD!!
"Eggs, Preservation of.
One pound of lime should be stirred with a gallon of water, and the eggs, perfectly fresh, immersed therein in barrels or jars. This excludes air and any germs that might cause mildew or mold, and preserves evaporation, so that the contents of the eggs are not reduced in bulk. It is important to have considerable excess of of lime to replace any that may become carbonated. The vessels containing the eggs should be kept in a cool, well-ventilated place. A very successful variation in the process consists of imbedding new-laid eggs, warm from the nest, in a thick paste of lime and water. Eggs thus preserved for six months could hardly be distinguished from the newly laid. The contents of eggs evaporate rather rapidly through the shell, and the object of the preserver must be to prevent this evaporation, and at the same time to allow for the expansion and contraction of the natural air-space in the egg due to changes of temperature. The plan of coating the shells with wax or melted paraffin fails in the latter particular. Strong brine fails because the contents of eggs preserved in it become much reduced in bulk.
Eggs for keeping should never be laid on their sides; pack with the small end down."
That is the section in its entirety. Above it tells how to make Easter Egg colours or dyes and below it tells the good reader how to make embalming fluids. So a wide range of topics is covered.
If I come across any other alternative methods that might be useful in a prolonged lack of basic services I will post such here.
I know that a lot of the cures mentioned in it are just formulas from others and probably worthless, but I also know that our ancestors had methods of overcoming problems that have been long forgotten.
Regards,
Doug
I have always had an interest in history and old books in particular. I don't know why but I find them very fascinating.
In a recent exercise to clean house I came across one book that isn't particularly old but quite interesting. Most of the information in it is very inaccurate but some does appear to have some old wisdom and alternative methods of solving health problems.
The title of the book is "The Standard Formulary: A Collection of nearly Five Thousand Formulas for Pharmaceutical Preparations, Family Remedies, Toilet Articles, Veterinary Remedies, Soda Fountain Requisites, and Miscellaneous Preparations Especially Adapted to the Requirements of Retail Druggists." Did ya get all that? This is the 16th edition printed in 1904, so another age when the local druggist was the everyman for solving problems.
I would not want to bet my life on some of the cures in this book. Science and medical technology were only recently becoming standardized from Johns Hopkins less than 30 prior to this printing.
That said, there were alternate methods of doing things prior to the mass usage of freezers and home electricity and this is one (1) I want to share.
PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE VERACITY OF THIS METHOD!!
"Eggs, Preservation of.
One pound of lime should be stirred with a gallon of water, and the eggs, perfectly fresh, immersed therein in barrels or jars. This excludes air and any germs that might cause mildew or mold, and preserves evaporation, so that the contents of the eggs are not reduced in bulk. It is important to have considerable excess of of lime to replace any that may become carbonated. The vessels containing the eggs should be kept in a cool, well-ventilated place. A very successful variation in the process consists of imbedding new-laid eggs, warm from the nest, in a thick paste of lime and water. Eggs thus preserved for six months could hardly be distinguished from the newly laid. The contents of eggs evaporate rather rapidly through the shell, and the object of the preserver must be to prevent this evaporation, and at the same time to allow for the expansion and contraction of the natural air-space in the egg due to changes of temperature. The plan of coating the shells with wax or melted paraffin fails in the latter particular. Strong brine fails because the contents of eggs preserved in it become much reduced in bulk.
Eggs for keeping should never be laid on their sides; pack with the small end down."
That is the section in its entirety. Above it tells how to make Easter Egg colours or dyes and below it tells the good reader how to make embalming fluids. So a wide range of topics is covered.
If I come across any other alternative methods that might be useful in a prolonged lack of basic services I will post such here.
I know that a lot of the cures mentioned in it are just formulas from others and probably worthless, but I also know that our ancestors had methods of overcoming problems that have been long forgotten.
Regards,
Doug
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