Friday, March 30, 2012

Old Fashioned Ways



image courtesy photobucket.com

When my husband and I were first married we lived in a house that had been converted into two apartments, ours was the downstairs.

Our dwelling was heated by a free standing heater that would get very hot in order to warm our living quarters.

Our daughter Becky was learning to walk and she would usually run instead of just walk. One winter day she tripped and fell against the heater, burning her arm quite badly just below her elbow. The skin was burnt leaving a large open wound.

I rushed her to our family doctor, and he dressed her arm, and told me how to continue taking care of her so that the skin would grow back.

In those days there were not the exotic methods of new skin treatments, so my old fashioned doctor told me how to do it his way.

He had been a Doctor in the army and when he was in the World War II, there were times they did the best they could under the circumstances with what was available.

Carefully he explained that I must use a clean gauze pad and using a sterile stick spread a thin layer of Vaseline over the pad. This pad was then applied directly to my daughter’s wound. Carefully we wrapped around the arm with a roll of gauze and held it in place with some adhesive tape...

Today, some would frown about using petroleum jelly on a wound, but I tell you truthfully that this worked, and today Becky has no noticeable scar.

There were other times that my doctor suggested some home remedies for treatment. One time when my husband had a terrible cough my doctor told me how to make a mustard plasterer and apply it to his chest making sure not to leave it on very long. That broke up the congestion and helped with the healing time.

My Doctor would not prescribe drugs unless it was necessary. He used to tell me that too much medicine for minor illnesses would cause a person not to respond well when they were really sick. Only use a little bit, as that is all that is needed. His favorite saying was, “Some think if a little bit does a little good, then a large amount will do a lot of good, but that is not true.”

Times have changed and today our Doctors, prescribe medicine as if they owned stock in the pharmaceutical companies.

I am glad that I live in this age of new technology, but I still like some old fashioned ways of doing things.

Music has also changed with the times. Thinking back, I enjoyed the songs of the 40’s and 50’s when you could understand the words.

In the Church there are many new worship choruses, but I still take pleasure in the old Hymns of yesterday.

Here is one that you may remember and please enjoy it on YouTune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeSjucb6Dbw&feature=related

This post has been Linked with Laura at: Faith Filled Friday
Also Linked with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays

8 comments:

Renee said...

I miss the days of good, old-fashioned common sense. Thanks for this post. Love your blog! I'm visiting with the Beholding Glory blog hop. Blessings!

Floyd said...

I like old fashioned things too. More common sense back then in most cases. And I do appreciate old Hymns. It is well with my soul...

Anonymous said...

I do love that hymn! I've been singing it a lot as I clear the garden!

Anonymous said...

"When our children were sick with chest colds I dipped wool into castor oil, heated it up and placed it on there little chests with a heating pad on it for 1 hour at night for 3 nights. That broke up their congestion and in just a few days they were playing happily again. " Love, Vicki K

Diane Ronzino said...

I do love that old hymn! I haven't heard that one in a long time.

I still use Vaseline and Vicks! Wouldn't be without them.

Charlotte said...

So much has changed in our world. Much of it is for the better, but certainly not all of it. I remember when I was a kid people talked about making mustard plasters. I think my mother even tried it once. I don't remember the outcome. Good old Vaseline is good for a lot of things. I'm glad it worked so well on your daughter's wound. Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom.
Blessings,
Charlotte

betty-NZ said...

Sometimes the old things are the best! I still eat a spoonful of mustard when I have a bad cough and it works!

caryjo said...

Since I became a Christian in '66, the music was changing a bit. I love the hymns and I love many of the other songs. Filled with joy and rejoicing. But your choice of "Victory" is one of the glorious ones. I'm really in the big mix... guess it was just the timing ... but love it all.