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About the Archive
This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.
Sore Throat Relief
Q. Why does gargling with salt water help soothe a sore throat?
A. Properly mixed salt water is a normal physiological solution, said Dr. Howard L. Levine, an ear, nose and throat specialist in Cleveland. He said that gargling with a half teaspoon of salt mixed in a quart of lukewarm water bathes the mouth, temporarily washing away some bacteria, infected material and pus, which causes discomfort.
Adding baking soda to the solution can help break up thick mucus. For severe sore throats, Dr. Levine recommends an equal mixture of hydrogen peroxide and antiseptic mouthwash. He said the hydrogen peroxide oxygenates the mouth, making it less friendly to bacteria.
"Gargling only helps for sore throats or other mouth infections," he said. "It doesn't do any good if you have laryngitis, which is an inflammation of the voice box, because the liquid only reaches the back of the mouth." Kitchen Chemistry
Q. Why does gelatin gel?
A. Gelatin is a tasteless, odorless, substance extracted by boiling collagen, a jellylike fibrous protein found in animal bones, tendons, hoofs and connective tissues. When dried gelatin is mixed in warm water, the fine-grained particles do not actually dissolve, but rather become evenly dispersed and remain suspended in the liquid, according to Dr. Robert H. Cox, a chemical consultant in Scarsdale, N.Y.
When cooled to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and below, the gelatin particles absorb 5 to 10 times their weight in liquid, expanding into a coagulated semisolid state or gel, Dr. Cox said. The cooler the environment, the more water is absorbed.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section
C
, Page
7
of the National edition
with the headline:
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