Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 278

=Honey of Vi'olets.= _Syn._ MEL VIOLae; L. _Prep._ From clarified honey, 2 parts; expressed and depurated juice of violets, 1 part. Resembles syrup of violets.

=HON'EY DEW.= _Syn._ ROS MELLITUS, L. A sweetish matter ejected upon the leaves of plants by certain aphides.

=HOOP'ING COUGH.= See WHOOPING COUGH.

=HOPS.= _Syn._ LUPULUS (B. P.), L. "The catkins of the female plant of the _Humulus lupulus_" or common hop. (B. P.) "The dried strobiles." (Ph. D.) The hops of commerce are the strobiles or catkins (LUPULI STROBILI, L.

AMENTA) of the hop plant. The yellow powder or small lupulinic grains or glands (LUPULIN), which are attached to the strobiles, are the portion on which their characteristic qualities chiefly depend.

The hop is tonic, stomachic, and moderately narcotic. It is used in diseases of local debility with morbid vigilance and other nervous derangement, producing sleep where opiates are objectionable. Hops may be used topically as a fomentation or a poultice, as a resolvent or discutient in painful swellings and tumours. The golden dust attached to the scale of the hop is sometimes administered in doses of from 5 to 10 grains. Very freshly dried hops, made into a pillow, procure sleep.

In the choice of hops, care should be taken to select those that have large cones or strobiles, that are the most powerfully odorous and most free from leaves, stems, scaly fragments, and sticks, and which, when rubbed between the hands, impart, in the greatest degree, a yellowish tint and glutinous feeling to the skin. The tightness with which they are packed should also be noticed; as, without being very firmly pressed together, and quite solid they soon spoil by keeping. The finest flavoured hops are the 'GOLDINGS,' grown chiefly in middle and east Kent; the 'WHITEBINES' of Farnham and Canterbury; and the WORCESTER HOPS, grown on the red soils of the vale of the Severn. These are princ.i.p.ally employed for the finer cla.s.s of ales. Mid Kent and Suss.e.x hops are also used for ale, but have an inferior colour and flavour. The best hops are packed in sacks of fine canvas, termed 'pockets,' weighing from 1-1/4 cwt. to 1-3/4 cwt. each; and the inferior qualities in coa.r.s.e 'bags,' of about double the size. The former are mostly purchased by the ale brewers, and the latter by the porter brewers. When hops are older than of last season's growth they are termed 'yearlings,'--when of the second season's growth, 'old,'--and when three years, or older, 'old olds.' See BREWING, EXTRACT, HUMULIN, LUPULIN, TINCTURE, &c.

=HOOSE.= Young cattle, especially calves, as well as sheep and lambs, are frequently liable to attacks of a species of bronchitis, caused by the presence in the bronchial tubes of minute worms. They are mostly so attacked in autumn.

_Treatment._ For a calf of six months old give half an ounce of oil of turpentine in two ounces of linseed oil, to be repeated once or twice after an interval of two days. Half this dose may be given to sheep. The mixture should be administered by the mouth, and _not_ by the nostrils, as usually recommended. Calves should additionally be comfortably housed at night, and be fed with a little oil cake and other good food.

=h.o.r.e'HOUND.= _Syn._ WHITE h.o.r.eHOUND; MARRUBIUM VULGARE (Linn.), L. This herb has long been a popular remedy in chronic pulmonary complaints, especially catarrh, and in uterine and liver affections. h.o.r.ehound tea (THEA MARUBII, INFUSUM MARUBII) is prepared by infusing 1 oz. of the herb in boiling water, 1 pint, for an hour;--syrup of h.o.r.ehound (SYRUPUS MARUBII), by thickening the infusion of tea with sugar;--candied h.o.r.ehound (MARUBIUM CONDITUM), by mixing 1 pint of h.o.r.ehound juice with 8 or 10 lbs.

of white sugar, boiling the mixture to a candy height, and pouring it, whilst warm, into moulds, or small paper cases, well dusted with finely powdered lump-sugar; or by pouring it out on a dusted slab, and cutting it into squares. See CANDYING.

=HORN.= For the purposes of the turner and comb-maker, horns of the goat and sheep are preferred on account of their superior whiteness and transparency. For medical purposes, those of the stag (HARTSHORN) are ordered to be employed.

Horn is dyed with the same dyes, and in a similar manner to bones and ivory.

Horn is softened, bent, and moulded, by means of heat and pressure. For these purposes boiling water and a screw press are commonly employed.

Horn is reduced to plates or sheets by sawing it, and then exposing it to powerful pressure between hot iron plates; the pith having been previously removed, and its texture softened by soaking for some days in water, and subsequent boiling in that liquid.

Surfaces and edges may be united or cemented together by softening the horn by the heat of boiling water, placing the parts in contact under strong pressure, and exposing the whole thus arranged to the heat of boiling water.

Horn is stained or party-coloured to imitate tortoise-sh.e.l.l, by a solution of terchloride of gold, for the red portion; nitrate of silver, for the dark brown and black; and nitrate of mercury (hot), or a paste made of red lead, and potash or quicklime, for the brown. When the last is used the horn must be heated and exposed to its action for some hours.

=Horn Silver.= (Ag. Cl.) A native chloride of silver, which occurs either crystallized in cubes, or as a compact semi-transparent ma.s.s.

=HORS-D'UVRES.= [Fr.] _Syn._ a.s.sIETTES, Fr. Small _entrees_, as '_aiguillettes_,' '_ragouts_,' plates of sardines, anchovies, or other relishes, served at dinner between the leading dishes. '_a.s.siettes volantes_' (flying plates) are dishes handed round to the guests, but not placed on the table.

=HORSE.= _Syn._ EQUUS, L. This most useful quadruped belongs to the family _Equidae_, distinguished by a single digit and hoof on each foot. The horse can scarcely be said to exist at the present day in its natural wild state, as the so-called 'wild-horses' of America and Asia are but the progeny of horses which have escaped from the haunts of civilisation. Of all animals the horse is most useful to man. Independently of its value as a beast of burden and draught, its skin, its hide, intestines, and bones, furnish us with leather, the thongs of whips, gut, grease, bone-black, manure, &c. The excrement, fat, and hoof were included in the Materia Medica of the Ph. L. 1618. The flesh is eaten in some countries, and was formerly esteemed to possess many virtues.

Injuries of a serious character, and even death, are often occasioned by horses running away, or becoming unmanageable. Various methods have been proposed to prevent accidents of this kind, and to place the animal entirely under the power of its rider or driver. In Russia, around the horse's neck, near the neck strap, is placed a cord with a running knot.

To this slip-noose is attached a pair of reins, which always lie thrown over the dashboards, ready to be seized at once. When the horse starts, and becomes unruly, the gentleman takes up this cord, and tightens the horse's throat, so that he cannot take breath. The most furious horse stops instantly, and will not fall or kick. See BEDDING, BRAN MASH, BROKEN KNEES, BROKEN WIND, CLIPPING, CANKER, CATARRH, CHOKING, Ch.o.r.eA, CHOLIC, CONSTIPATION, CORNS, CRIB-BITING, CURB.

=HORSE b.a.l.l.s.= See VETERINARY MEDICINE.

=HORSES, Condition Powder for.= The princ.i.p.al ingredients were: Fenugreek, liquorice root, resin, brimstone, common salt, nitrate of potash, and a green powder, probably senna. It contained traces of calcium and magnesium carbonates; alumina, silica, and iron.

=HORSE POW'ER.= This term was first employed by James Watt to express a power capable of raising 33,000 lbs. one foot high per minute. The effective pressure on the surface of the piston was estimated at 7 lbs. to the square inch, and hence the area of the piston, in square inches, multiplied by 7, gave the gross effective moving pressure, and the s.p.a.ce pa.s.sed over by this piston in a minute gave the distance through which the pressure was exerted, or the weight was raised. From these data the horse power was easily calculated. In process of time improvements in the formation of boilers and steam engines increased the effective pressure on the piston, and, consequently, the power of the engine. In modern engines the actual power is commonly from 2 to 4 times greater than the nominal power, which is, however, still retained as the unit of power in commercial calculations.

=HORSERAD'ISH.= _Syn._ ARMORACIA RADIX. (B. P.). "The fresh root of _Cochlearia Armoracia_" (B. P.). Horseradish is pungent, acrid, stimulant, and rubefacient. It is also regarded as diaph.o.r.etic, diuretic, and antis...o...b..tic. It forms a useful masticatory in hoa.r.s.eness, sore throat, and toothache. As a condiment, it provokes the appet.i.te and a.s.sists digestion. Reduced to shreds (sc.r.a.ped horseradish), it forms a common and excellent accompaniment to roast beef. The root of aconite or wolfsbane, which somewhat resembles it in appearance, has occasionally been mistaken for it, with fatal results; the two are, however, readily distinguished from each other, as the taste of horseradish is warm and pungent, approaching that of mustard, whilst aconite is bitter, and its odour is earthy and disagreeable, and after a few minutes' contact with the lips, tongue, and fauces, produces a sensation of numbness, and tingling. See ACONITUM NAPELLUS; under which article will be found engravings of the two roots. The root may be kept fresh for some time if buried in sand in a cool place. Horseradish powder is prepared from the roots gathered in November or December, and dried by a gentle heat or exposure to a current of dry air. It is used as a condiment.

=HOR'TICULTURE.= _Syn._ GARDENING. The art of cultivating gardens.

According to Loudon, horticulture differs from agriculture, chiefly in the comparatively limited s.p.a.ce over which it extends, and in being conducted by manual labour; whilst the latter is performed jointly by human and animal labour, in fields, or on an extensive tract of land called a farm.

=HOR'TUS-SICCUS.= See HERBARIUM.

=HOS'PITAL GAN'GRENE.= _Syn._ PHAGEDaeNA GANGRENOSA. L. A species of ulcerating mortification, particularly characterised by its infectious nature, and its tendency to attack wounds and ulcers in crowded hospitals, so that often the most trifling operation cannot be performed with safety.

Under its influence the parts are rapidly destroyed, not by the formation of ordinary sloughs, as in common mortification, but by their conversion into an ash-coloured viscid substance interspersed with b.l.o.o.d.y specks. The treatment is similar to that noticed under MORTIFICATION, but here, above all things, thorough ventilation must be established, and persevered in, and, when possible, change of situation sought.

=HUILE.= [Fr.] Oil; a term applied to various substances and preparations on account of their smoothness, consistence, or real or imaginary emollient or oleaginous nature. See LIQUEUR, OIL, &c.

=Huile Acoustique.= _Prep._ From garlic and bay leaves, of each, 1/2 oz.; olive oil, 1/2 lb.; boiled together for 15 minutes, and strained. Used in ear-ache and deafness. A little is dropped on cotton wool and placed in the ear.

=Huile, Antique.= See OILS (Hair).

=Huile Liqueureuse.= _Prep._ 1. (DE LA ROSE.) From eau de rose, 1 part; simple syrup, 2 parts; mixed together.

2. (DES FLEURS D'ORANGES.) From orange-flower water and syrup, as No. 1.

3. (DE VANILLE.) From essence of vanilla, 1 dr.; simple syrup, 1 pint.

_Obs._ The above are kept in small decanters, and used to flavour water, grog, liqueurs, &c., instead of sugar or capillaire; also to perfume the breath. Other flavoured syrups, for the same purposes, are prepared in a similar manner.

=HU'MIC ACID.= _Syn._ ULMIC ACID. See HUMUS.

=HUMULIN.= The name given to a beautiful extract or essence of hops, made as follows:--

A concentrated tincture of hops is prepared by percolation with rectified spirit; the same hops are then exhausted with water; the spirit is removed from the tincture by careful distillation, and the upper aqueous portion is skimmed off, and added to the infusion, which latter is then evaporated to the consistence of a soft extract; the oleo-resinous residuum of the tincture is next added, and well mixed in; after which the whole is put into pots and carefully tied over for sale. The product possesses all the fragrant, tonic, and bitter qualities of the hop in a highly condensed form. See HOPS, LUPULIN, &c.

=HU'MUS.= _Syn._ ULMIN. When wood, or woody fibre, is exposed to the joint action of air and moisture, it suffers eremacausis or decay, and crumbles down into a dark-brown or black powder commonly called 'mould,' and to which chemists have given the name of 'humus.' In this state it exists in fertile soils, in which it is derived from the decay of plants. A powder of similar composition is produced by the action of powerful chemical reagents on sugar, lignin, &c. When acted upon by dilute boiling solution of caustic pota.s.sa, this substance yields a deep-brown solution, from which acids precipitate a flocculent brown substance generally called 'ulmic' or 'humic acid.' Both bodies require further investigation, as they are supposed to vary exceedingly in composition.

=HUNGER.= The peculiar sensation arising from the want of food. When severe, it increases to actual pain, the coats of the stomach are acted on by its own juices, the respiration becomes less frequent, the circulation languid, and there is a general diminution of the heat of the body and of the secretions. The return of hunger is accelerated by exercise and labour, and by the exposure of the body to a low temperature. Long fasting is injurious, more particularly to the young and the debilitated. See APPEt.i.tE, NUTRITION, &c.

=HUS'BANDRY.= The business of the farmer; by some the term is restricted to the joint operations of farming and gardening on the small scale. It is also sometimes used synonymously with agriculture.

=HY'ACINTH.= In _botany_, the English name for the genus _Hyacinthus_.

There are numerous varieties of the garden hyacinth, all very beautiful.

The bulbs are largely imported from Holland, and are often grown in water contained in suitable gla.s.s vessels (hyacinth gla.s.ses). In _mineralogy_, the term is applied to crystallised yellow or brown zircon. See GEMS.

=HYDRAC'IDS.= _Syn._ HYDROGEN ACIDS. A name formerly given to those acids which do not contain oxygen, as hydrochloric, &c. It is still occasionally employed.

=HY'DRAGOGUES.= _Syn._ HYDRAGOGA, L. Medicines which cause the removal of water from any of the cavities of the body. Many cathartics, as gamboge, jalap, &c., are cla.s.sed under this head.

=HYDRAS'TIN.= The name given to a concentrated remedy much employed by the medical eclectics of America.

_Prep._ Treat the powdered root of golden-seal (_Hydrastis Canadensis_) with cold water by percolation; acidulate the infusion with hydrochloric acid; collect the precipitate on a filter; then dry it, dissolve the dried ma.s.s in alcohol, filter, and set aside to crystallise.

_Prop._ Yellow, acicular crystals, insoluble in cold alcohol, ether, and water.--_Dose_, 3 to 5 gr., 3 to 6 times a day; as a tonic in dyspepsia, inflammation of the stomach, &c.--_Obs._ According to the most recent investigations, hydrastin contains berberine, and another alkaline called hydrastia or hydrastina.

=HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS.= _Syn._ The GOLDEN SEAL. This is a small herbaceous perennial North American plant, belonging to the natural order, _Ranunculaceae_. The rhizome, which is the officinal part, though yellow in the recent root, becomes of a dark yellowish-brown by age. It contains alb.u.men, starch, fatty matter, resin, yellow colouring matter, sugar, lignin, and various salts; also a peculiar nitrogenous crystallisable substance, to which Dr Durand, the discoverer, proposed the provisional name of hydrastin, which substance will be found described below. The root of the golden-seal, as well as the alkaloids obtainable from it, are largely used in American medical practice, and are stated to possess valuable tonic, aperient, diuretic, and deobstruent powers. They have been employed in dyspepsia, jaundice, and functional disorders of the liver.

They are also regarded as one of the best subst.i.tutes for quinine in intermittents.