The doctor finally gave up and told her to go home and soak the wound in coal oil twice a day and pray for healing. The remedy worked. As I suspected, a detailed search of the book did not show coal oil as a recommended remedy for any malady. I now believe use of the concoction was for purely psychological reasons.
Prickly heat causes an itchy rash of small red raised red spots with a prickling or stinging sensation. Prickly heat usually affects parts of the body covered by clothes, such as the back, abdomen, neck, upper chest, groin or armpits.
Heat rash is a skin irritation common in hot, humid southern weather. Also known as prickly heat or miliaria, heat rash develops when blocked pores trap perspiration under your skin. In its worst forms, heat rash interrupts the body's heat-regulating mechanism and cause discomfort, fever, and exhaustion.