Note 73 — AN ACCOUNT OF THE STATE OF THE BODY AND MIND IN OLD AGE; WITH OBSERVATIONS ON ITS DISEASES, AND THEIR REMEDIES.

I met with one man above 80, who defended his feet from moisture by covering his shoes in wet weather with melted wax; and another who, for the same purpose, covered his shoes every morning with a mixture composed of the following ingredients melted together: lintseed oil a pound, mutton suet eight ounces, bees-wax six ounces, and rosin four ounces. The mixture should be moderately warmed, and then applied not only to the upper leather, but to the soles of the shoes. This composition, the old gentleman informed me, was extracted from a book entitled, “The Complete Fisherman,” published in England, in the reign of queen Elizabeth. He had used it for twenty years in cold and wet weather, with great benefit, and several of his friends, who had tried it, spoke of its efficacy in keeping the feet dry, in high terms.