burning vinegar
Posted by P. Bingham on September 01, 1998 at 18:34:16:
In response to Vinegar, written by Caroline on September 01, 1998 at 16:59:05
] If you heat vinegar, it gives off pungent fumes that can make your eyes water, your nose run, and your throat 'catch'. Might be beneficial to someone whose breathing is constricted. I have never tried burning it , though.What, in the vinegar, would burn? The alcohol? The sugar?]
The only way I can think of burning vinegar is to just let it simmer in the pan until it evaporates, the little sugar that is left will burn in the pan (in the fireplace?) And so the only use that would appear to me is the smell. If it was helpful for the chest or breathing in general you would think they needed humidity and thus liquid. Perhaps the vinegar was supposed to be boiling in the pan and by lack of care it evaporated to a burn? And so when Jane Eyre came in the room she smelled it and mentioned it as she did because, perhaps, burning vinegar was a common everyday accident? I know I'm pushing it! I don't recall burnt vinegar before though.
Or another rediculous thought. Becuase I don't think they sanitized things because germs were not readily known yet. If they bled the patiet, they would need a special knife. And good doctors and other bleeding tenders were very maticulous about keeping these tools clean (I remember reading about how to care for these tools). The patient was also supposed to be washed (the area to be treated) with warm water and soap. What if they dipped the tools in vinegar (because it does have alcohol and did have a reputation for other health benefits) and put it under a flame to catarize it? Or catarized the wound made for bleeding? They did catarize wounds then.
Patricia
- microbes and germs Caroline 12:42:21 9/02/98
(3)
- I'd be very interested Marie-Bernadette 10:36:27 9/03/98 (2)
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.
