for burns and for scalds. If there be no other lard in the house but
lard _with_ salt, the salt may be readily removed by washing the lard in
cold water. Prepared lard—that is to say, lard _without_ salt—can, at
any moment, be procured from the nearest druggist in the neighborhood.
The advantages of lard are: (1) It is almost always at hand; (2) It is
very cooling, soothing, and unirritating to the part, and it gives
almost immediate freedom from pain; (3) It effectually protects and
sheathes the burn or the scald from the air; (4) It is readily and
easily applied: all that has to be done is to spread the lard either on
pieces of old linen rag, or on lint, and then to apply them smoothly to
the parts affected, keeping them in their places by means of
bandages—which bandages may be readily made from either old linen or
calico shirts. Dr. John Packard, of Philadelphia, was the first to bring
this remedy for burns and scalds before the public—he having tried it in
numerous instances, and with the happiest results. I myself have, for
many years, been in the habit of prescribing lard as a dressing for
blisters, and with the best effects. I generally advise equal parts of
prepared lard and of spermaceti cerate to be blended together to make an
ointment. The spermaceti cerate gives a little more consistence to the
lard, which, in warm weather, especially, is a great advantage.
Another valuable remedy for burns is, “carron oil;” which is made by
mixing equal parts of linseed oil and lime-water together in a bottle,
and shaking it up before using it.
Cold applications, such as cold water, cold vinegar and water, and cold
lotions, are most injurious, and, in many cases, even dangerous.
Scraped potatoes, sliced cucumber, salt, and spirits of turpentine, have
all been recommended; but, in my practice, nothing has been so
efficacious as the remedies above enumerated.
Do not wash the wound, and do not dress it more frequently than every
_other_ day. If there be much discharge, let it be gently sopped up with
soft old linen rag; but do not, _on any_ account, let the burn be rubbed
or roughly handled. I am convinced that, in the majority of cases,
wounds are too frequently dressed, and that the washing of wounds
prevents the healing of them. “It is a great mistake,” said Ambrose
Parè, “to dress ulcers too often, and to wipe their surfaces clean, for
thereby we not only remove the useless excrement, which is the mud or
sanies of ulcers, but also the matter which forms the flesh.
Consequently, for these reasons, ulcers should not be dressed too
often.”
The burn or the scald may, after the first two days, if severe, require
different dressings; but, if it be severe, the child ought of course to
be immediately placed under the care of a surgeon.
If the scald be either on the leg or on the foot, a common practice is
to take the shoe and the stocking off; in this operation, the skin is
also at the same time very apt to be removed. Now, both the shoe and the
stocking ought to be slit up, and thus to be taken off, so that neither
unnecessary pain nor mischief may be caused.
287. _If a bit of quicklime should accidentally enter the eye of my
child, what ought to be done?_
Instantly, but tenderly remove, either by means of a camel’s-hair brush
or by a small spill of paper, any bit of lime that may adhere to the
ball of the eye, or that may be within the eye or on the eyelashes; then
well bathe the eye (allowing a portion to enter it) with vinegar and
water—one part of vinegar to three parts of water, that is to say, a
quarter fill a clean half-pint medicine bottle with vinegar and then
fill it up with spring water, and it will be ready for use. Let the eye
be bathed for at least a quarter of an hour with it. The vinegar will
neutralize the lime, and will rob it of its burning properties.
Having bathed the eye with the vinegar and water for a quarter of an
hour, bathe it for another quarter of an hour simply with a little warm
water after which, drop into the eye two or three drops of the best
sweet oil, put on an eye-shade made of three thicknesses of linen rag,
covered with green silk, and then do nothing more until the doctor
arrives.
If the above rules be not _promptly_ and _properly_ followed out, the
child may irreparably lose his eyesight; hence the necessity of a
_popular_ work of this kind, to tell a mother, provided _immediate_
assistance cannot be obtained, what ought _instantly_ to be done; for
moments, in such a case, are precious.
While doing all that I have just recommended, let a surgeon be sent for,
as a smart attack of inflammation of the eye is very apt to follow the
burn of lime; but which inflammation will, provided the _previous_
directions have been _promptly_ and _efficiently_ followed out, with
appropriate treatment, soon subside.
The above accident is apt to occur to a child who is standing near a
building when the slacking of quicklime is going on, and where portions
of lime, in the form of powder, are flying about the air. It would be
well not to allow a child to stand about such places, as prevention is
always better than cure. _Quicklime_ is sometimes called _caustic lime_:
it well deserves its name, for it is a _burning lime_, and if proper
means be not promptly used, will soon burn away the sight.
288. “_What is to be done in the case of Choking?_”
Instantly put your finger into the throat and feel if the substance be
within reach; if it be food, force it down, and thus liberate the
breathing; should it be a hard substance, endeavor to hook it out; if
you cannot reach it, give a good smart blow or two with the flat of the
hand on the back; or, as recommended by a contributor to the _Lancet_,
on the chest, taking care to “seize the little patient, and place him
between your knees side ways, and in this or some other manner to
_compress the abdomen_ [the belly], otherwise the power of the blow will
be lost by the yielding of the abdominal parietes [walls of the belly],
and the respiratory effort will not be produced.” If that does not have
the desired effect, tickle the throat with your finger, so as to insure
immediate vomiting, and the consequent ejection of the offending
substance.
289. _Should my child be bitten by a dog supposed to be mad, what ought
to be done?_
Instantly well rub for the space of five or ten _seconds_—seconds, _not_
minutes—a stick of nitrate of silver (lunar caustic) into the wound. The
stick of lunar caustic should be pointed, like a cedar-pencil for
writing, in order the more thoroughly to enter the wound. This, if
properly done directly after the bite, will effectually prevent
hydrophobia. A stick of _pointed_ nitrate of silver, in a case, ready
for use, may be procured of any respectable chemist. The nitrate of
silver acts not only as a caustic to the part, but it appears
effectually to neutralize the poison, and thus by making the virus
perfectly innocuous is a complete antidote. If it be either the lip, or
the parts near the eye, or the wrist, that have been bitten, it is far
preferable to apply the caustic than to cut the part out; as the former
is neither so formidable, nor so dangerous, nor so disfiguring as the
latter, and yet it is equally as efficacious. I am indebted to the late
Mr. Youatt, the celebrated veterinary surgeon, for this valuable
antidote or remedy for the _prevention_ of the most horrible,
heart-rending, and incurable disease known. Mr. Youatt had an immense
practice among dogs as well as among horses. He was a keen observer of
disease, and a dear lover of his profession, and he had paid great
attention to rabies—dog madness. He and his assistants had been
repeatedly bitten by rabid dogs; but knowing that he was in possession
of an infallible preventive remedy, he never dreaded the wounds
inflicted either upon himself or upon his assistants. Mr. Youatt never
knew lunar caustic, if properly and _immediately_ applied, to fail. It
is, of course, only a preventive. If hydrophobia be once developed in
the human system, no antidote has ever yet, for this fell and
intractable disease, been found.
While walking the London Hospitals, upwards of thirty-five years ago, I
received an invitation from Mr. Youatt to attend a lecture on rabies—dog
madness. He had, during the lecture, a dog present laboring under
_incipient_ madness. In a day or two after the lecture, he requested me
and other students to call at his infirmary and see the dog, as the
disease was at that time fully developed. We did so, and found the poor
animal raving mad—frothing at the mouth, and snapping at the iron bars
of his prison. I was particularly struck with a peculiar brilliancy and
wildness of the dog’s eyes. He seemed as though, with affright and
consternation, he beheld objects unseen by all around. It was pitiful to
witness his frightened and anxious countenance. Death soon closed the
scene!
I have thought it my duty to bring the value of lunar caustic as a
preventive of hydrophobia prominently before your notice, and to pay a
tribute of respect to the memory of Mr. Youatt—a man of talent and
genius.
Never kill a dog supposed to be mad who has bitten either a child, or
any one else, until it has, past all doubt, been ascertained whether he
be really mad or not. He ought, of course, to be tied up, and be
carefully watched, and be prevented the while from biting any one else.
The dog, by all means, should be allowed to live at least for some
weeks, as the fact of his remaining will be the best guarantee that
there is no fear of the bitten child having caught hydrophobia.
There is a foolish prejudice abroad, that a dog, be he mad or not, who
has bitten a person ought to be _immediately_ destroyed; that although
the dog be not at the time mad, but should at a future period become so,
the person who had been bitten when the dog was _not_ mad, would, when
the dog became mad, have hydrophobia! It seems almost absurd to bring
the subject forward; but the opinion is so very general and deep rooted,
that I think it well to declare that there is not the slightest
foundation of truth in it, but that it is a ridiculous fallacy!
A cat sometimes goes mad, and its bite may cause hydrophobia, indeed,
the bite of a mad cat is more dangerous than the bite of a mad dog. A
bite from a mad cat ought to be treated precisely in the same
manner—namely, with the lunar caustic—as for a mad dog.
A bite either from a dog or from a cat _who is not mad_, from a cat
especially, is often venomous and difficult to heal. The best
application is _immediately_ to apply a large hot white-bread poultice
to the part, and to renew it every four hours; and, if there be much
pain in the wound, to well foment the part, every time before applying
the poultice, with a hot chamomile and poppy-head fomentation.
Scratches of a cat are best treated by smearing, and that freely and
continuously for an hour, and then afterward at longer intervals, fresh
butter on the part affected. If fresh butter be not at hand, fresh
lard—that is to say, lard _without_ salt—will answer the purpose. If the
pain of the scratch be very intense, foment the part affected with hot
water, and then apply a hot white-bread poultice, which should be
frequently renewed.
290. _What is the best application in case of a sting either from a bee
or from a wasp?_
Extract the sting, if it have been left behind, either by means of a
pair of dressing forceps, or by the pressure of the hollow of a small
key—a watch-key will answer the purpose; then, a little blue (which is
used in washing) moistened with water, should be immediately applied to
the part; or, apply a few drops of solution of potash, which may be
instantly procured of a druggist, as he always keeps it ready prepared,
or “apply moist snuff or tobacco, rubbing it well in,” and renew from
time to time either of them if either of these be not at hand, either
honey, or treacle, or fresh butter, will answer the purpose. Should
there be much swelling or inflammation, apply a hot white-bread
poultice, and renew it frequently. In eating apricots, or peaches, or
other fruit, they ought to, beforehand, be carefully examined, in order
to ascertain that no wasp is lurking in them; otherwise, it may sting
the throat, and serious consequences will ensue.
291. _If a child receive a fall, causing the skin to be grazed, can you
tell me of a good application?_
You will find gummed paper an excellent remedy; the way of preparing it
is as follows: Apply evenly, by means of a small brush, thick mucilage
of gum arabic to cap paper; hang it up to dry, and keep it ready for
use. When wanted, cut a portion as large as may be requisite, then
moisten it with your tongue, in the same manner you would a postage
stamp, and apply it to the grazed part. It may be removed when necessary
by simply wetting it with water. The part in two or three days will be
well. There is usually a margin of gummed paper sold with postage
stamps; this will answer the purpose equally well. If the gummed paper
be not at hand, then frequently, for the space of an hour or two, smear
the part affected with fresh butter.
292. _In case of a child swallowing by mistake either laudanum, or
paregoric, or Godfrey’s Cordial, or any other preparation of opium, what
ought to be done?_
Give, _as quickly as possible_, a strong mustard emetic; that is to say,
mix two teaspoonfuls of flour of mustard in half a teacupful of water,
and force it down his throat. If free vomiting be not induced, tickle
the upper part of the swallow with a feather; drench the little
patient’s stomach with large quantities of warm water. As soon as it can
be obtained from a druggist, give him the following emetic draught:
Take of—Sulphate of Zinc, one scruple;
Simple Syrup, one drachm;
Distilled Water, seven drachms:
To make a Draught.
Smack his buttocks and his back; walk him, or lead him, or carry him
about in the fresh air; shake him by the shoulders; pull his hair;
tickle his nostrils; shout and holla in his ears; plunge him into a warm
bath and then into a cold bath alternately; well sponge his head and
face with cold water; dash cold water on his head, face, and neck; and
do not, on any account, until the effects of the opiate are gone off,
allow him to go to sleep; if you do, he will never wake again! While
doing all these things, of course, you ought to lose no time in sending
for a medical man.
293. _Have you any observations to make on parents allowing the Deadly
Nightshade—the Atropa Belladonna—to grow in their gardens?_
I wish to caution you _not_ on any account to allow the Belladonna—the
Deadly Nightshade—to grow in your garden. The whole plant—root, leaves,
and berries—is poisonous; and the berries, being attractive to the eye,
are very alluring to children.
294. _What is the treatment of poisoning by Belladonna?_
Instantly send for a medical man; but, in the mean time, give an
emetic—a mustard emetic;—mix two teaspoonfuls of flour of mustard in
half a teacupful of warm water, and force it down the child’s throat;
then drench him with warm water, and tickle the upper part of his
swallow either with a feather or with the finger, to make him sick; as
the grand remedy is an emetic to bring up the offending cause. If the
emetic have not acted sufficiently, the medical man when he arrives may
deem it necessary to use the stomach-pump; but remember not a moment
must be lost, for moments are precious in a case of belladonna
poisoning, in giving a mustard emetic, and repeating it again and again
until the enemy be dislodged. Dash cold water upon his head and face;
the best way of doing which is by means of a large sponge, holding his
head and his face over a wash-hand basin, half filled with cold water,
and filling the sponge from the basin, and squeezing it over his head
and face, allowing the water to continuously stream over them for an
hour or two, or until the effects of the poison have passed away. This
sponging of the head and face is very useful in poisoning by opium, as
well as in poisoning by belladonna; indeed, the treatment of poisoning
by the one is very similar to the treatment of poisoning by the other.
I, therefore, for the further treatment of poisoning by belladonna, beg
to refer you to a previous Conversation on the treatment of poisoning by
opium.
295. _Should a child put either a pea or a bead, or any other foreign
substance, up the nose, what ought to be done?_
Do not attempt to extract it yourself, or you might push it farther in,
but send instantly for a surgeon, who will readily remove it, either
with a pair of forceps, or by means of a bent probe, or with a director.
If it be a pea, and it be allowed for any length of time to remain in,
it will swell, and will thus become difficult to extract, and may
produce great irritation and inflammation. A child ought not to be
allowed to play with peas or with beads (unless the beads are on a
string), as he is apt, for amusement, to push them up his nose.
296. _If a child have put either a pea, a bean, a bead, a cherry-stone,
or any other smooth substance, into his ear, what ought to be done to
remove it?_
Turn his head on one side, in order to let the ear with the pea or bead
in it be undermost, then give with the flat of your hand two or three
sharp, sudden slaps or boxes on the other, or _upper_most ear, and most
likely the offending substance will drop out. Poking at the ear will, in
the majority of cases, only send the substance farther in, and will make
it more difficult (if the above simple plan does not succeed) for the
medical man to remove. The surgeon will, in all probability, syringe the
ear; therefore, have a supply of warm water in readiness for him, in
order that no time may be lost.
297. _If an earwig, or any other living thing, should get into the ear
of a child, what ought to be done?_
Lay the child on his side, the affected ear being uppermost, and fill
the ear, from a teaspoon, with either water or sweet oil. The water or
oil will carry the living thing, whatever it be, out of the ear, and the
child is at once relieved.
298. _If a child swallow a piece of broken glass, what ought to be
done?_
Avoid purgatives, as the free action on the bowels would be likely to
force the spiculæ of glass into the mucous membrane of the bowels, and
thus would wound them, and might cause ulceration, and even death. “The
object of treatment will be to allow them to pass through the intestines
well enveloped by the other contents of the tube; and for this purpose a
solid farinaceous diet should be ordered, and purgatives scrupulously
avoided.”
299. _If a child swallow a pin, what should be done?_
Treat him as for broken glass. Give him no aperients, or it might, in
action, force the pin into the bowel. I have known more than one
instance where a child, after swallowing a pin, to have voided it in his
motion.
300. _If a child swallow a coin of any kind, is danger likely to ensue,
and what ought to be done?_
There is, as a rule, no danger. A dose or two of castor oil will be all
that is usually necessary. The evacuations ought to be carefully
examined until the coin be discovered. I once knew a child swallow a
penny-piece, and pass it in his motions.
301. _If a child, while playing with a small coin (such as either a
threepenny or a fourpenny piece), or any other substance, should toss it
into his mouth, and inadvertently allow it to enter the windpipe, what
ought to be done?_
Take hold of him by the legs, allowing his head to hang downward; then
give him, with the palm of your hand, several sharp blows on his back,
and you may have the good fortune to see the coin coughed out of his
mouth. Of course, if this plan does not succeed, send instantly for a
medical man.
BOYHOOD AND GIRLHOOD.
_’Tis with him e’en standing water,
Between boy and man._
SHAKSPEARE.
_Standing with reluctant feet
Where the brook and river meet,
Womanhood and childhood fleet!_
LONGFELLOW.
ABLUTION, ETC.
302. _Have you any remarks to make on the Ablution of boys and girls?_
How is it that a mother thinks it absolutely necessary (which it really
is) that her babe’s _whole_ body should every morning be washed; and yet
who does not deem it needful that her girl or boy of twelve years old,
should go through the process of daily and _thorough_ ablution? If the
one case be necessary, sure I am that the other is equally if not more
needful.
Thorough ablution of the body every morning at least is essential to
health. I maintain that no one can be in the enjoyment of perfect health
who does not keep his skin—the whole of his skin—clean. In the absence
of cleanliness, a pellicle forms on the skin which engenders disease.
Moreover, a person who does not keep his skin clean is more susceptible
of contracting contagious disease, such as small-pox, typhus fever,
cholera, diphtheria, scarlet fever, etc.
[Illustration: BOYHOOD AND GIRLHOOD.—AFTER THE SHOWER.]
Thorough ablution of the body is a grand requisite of health. I maintain
that no one can be perfectly healthy unless he thoroughly wash his
body—the whole of his body; if filth accumulate, which, if not washed
off, it is sure to do, disease must, as a matter of course, follow.
Besides, ablution is a delightful process; it makes one feel fresh and
sweet, and young and healthy; it makes the young look handsome and the
old look young! Thorough ablution might truly be said both to renovate
and to rejuvenize! A scrupulously clean skin is one of the grand
distinctive characteristics both of a lady and of a gentleman.
Dirty people are not only a nuisance to themselves, but to all around;
they are not only a nuisance, but a danger, as their dirty bodies are
apt to carry from place to place contagious diseases.
It is important that parts that are covered should be kept cleaner than
parts exposed to the air, as dirt is more apt to fester in dark places;
besides, parts exposed to the air have the advantage of the air’s
sweetening properties; air acts as a bath, and purifies the skin
amazingly.
It is desirable to commence a complete system of washing early in life,
as then it becomes a second nature, and cannot afterward be dispensed
with. One accustomed to the luxury of his morning ablution would feel
most uncomfortable if anything prevented him from taking it; he would as
soon think of dispensing with his breakfast as with his bath.
Every boy, every girl, and every adult ought each to have either a room
or a dressing-room to himself or to herself, in order that he or she
might strip to the skin and thoroughly wash themselves; no one can wash
properly and effectually without doing so.
Now, for the paraphernalia required for the process: (1) A large
nursery-basin, one that will hold six or eight quarts of water
(Wedgwood’s make being considered the best); (2) A piece of coarse
flannel, a yard long and half a yard wide; (3) A large sponge; (4) A
tablet either of the best yellow or of curd soap; (5) Two towels, one
being a diaper and the other a Turkish rubber.
Now, as to the manner of performing ablution. You ought to fill the
basin three parts full with _rain_ water; then, having well soaped and
cleansed your hands, re-soap them, dip your head and face into the
water, then with the soaped hands well rub and wash your head, face,
neck, chest, and armpits; having done which, take the wetted sponge, and
go over all the parts previously traveled over by the soaped hands; then
fold the flannel as you would a neckerchief, and dip it in the water,
then throw it, as you would a skipping-rope, over your shoulders, and
move it a few times from right to left and from left to right, and up
and down, and then across the back and loins; having done which, dip the
sponge in the water, and holding your head under the water, let the
water stream from the sponge a time or two over your head, neck, and
face. Dip your head and face in the water, then put your hands and arms
(as far as they will go) into the water, holding them there while you
can count thirty. Having reduced the quantity of water to a third of a
basinful, place the basin on the floor, and sit (while you can count
fifty) _in_ the water; then put one foot at a time in the water, and
quickly rub, with soaped hands, up and down your leg, over the foot, and
pass your thumb between each toe (this latter procedure tends to keep
away soft corns); then take the sponge, filled with water, and squeeze
it over your leg and foot, from the knee downward,—then serve your other
leg and foot in the same way. By adopting the above plan, the whole of
the body will, every morning, be thoroughly washed.
A little warm water might at first, and during the winter time, be
added, to take off the chill; but the sooner quite cold water is used
the better. The body ought to be quickly dried (taking care to wipe
between each toe), first with the diaper, and then with the Turkish
rubber. In drying your back and loins, you ought to throw, as you would
a skipping-rope, the Turkish rubber over your shoulders, and move it a
few times from side to side, until the parts be dry.
Although the above description is necessarily prolix, the washing itself
ought to be very expeditiously performed; there should be no dawdling
over it, otherwise the body will become chilled, and harm instead of
good will be the result. If due dispatch be used, the whole of the body
might, according to the above method, be thoroughly washed and dried in
the space of ten minutes.
A boy ought to wash his head, as above directed, every morning, a girl,
who has much hair, once a week, with soap and water, with flannel and
sponge. The hair, if not frequently washed, is very dirty, and nothing
is more repulsive than a dirty head!