Old cook book from 1894

I have recently recieved my great grandmother's cookbook. It is called "The Everyday Cookbook". It is stained and well used with many notes added in my g. grandmother's and grandmother's handwriting. I was excited to read some really old recipes. This book also has advise on keeping a home, homemade cures for illness, etc. What a shock when I started to read. After reading a few pages I am scared to try any of the recipes. It is shocking and sometimes funny to read they way things were done back then. I will post a few examples.
From the general remarks about soup-
Potatoes, if boiled in the soup, are thought by some to render it unwholesome, from the opinion that the water which potatoes have been cooked is almost a poison. As potatoes are a part of every dinner, it is very easy to take a few out of the pot is which they have been boiled by themselves, and cut them up and add them to the soup just before it goes to the table.
Complection Wash
Put in a vial one drachm of benzoin gum in powder, one drachm nutmeg oil, six drops of orange-blossom tea, or apple-blossoms out in a half pint of rain-water and boiled down to one teaspoon and strained, one pint of sherry wine. Bathe the face morning and night; will remove flesh-worms and freckels, and give a beautiful complexion. Or, put one ounce powdered gum of benzoin in pint of whisky; to use, put in water in wash-bowl till it is milky, allowing it to dry without wiping. This is perfectly harmless.
To Restore from Stroke of Lightning.
Shower with cold water for two hours; if the patient does not show signs of life, put salt in the water, and continue to shower an hour longer.
here is one that may be ok.
Caramel Cake
One cup of butter, two of sugar, a scant cup milk, one and a half cups flour, cup corn starch, whites of seven eggs, three teaspoons baking powder in the flour, bake in long pan. Take half pound brown sugar, scant quarter pound chocolate, half cup milk, butter size of an egg, two teaspoonfuls vanilla; mix thoroughly and cook as syrup until stiff enough to spread; spread on cake and set in the oven to dry.
sure is a fun read though!