When it is lightning, avoid trees and metallic articles.
Never allow firearms to be lying about. Have some one place for them
and be sure that no one can get at them.
Move quickly when it is cold; and when any part is frozen, do not go
near the fire, but rub with snow.
Always change wet clothing as soon as possible, and keep moving until
you have opportunity to change.
Never walk on a railroad track.
Do not light a fire with kerosene or other inflammable fluid.
Never enter a cellar or anywhere else where gas is escaping with a
light in your hand.
Under no circumstances touch a wire hanging in the street.
Maintain a medicine chest containing all of the common remedies, but
don't select them without the advice of your physician. Mark each
bottle plainly, with directions under the label.
Never take medicine without looking at the label beforehand.
=Illuminating Gas.=--Summon a physician, and before he arrives proceed
as follows: Remove the patient into fresh air and walk him around.
Place his arms about your shoulders, and if there are two rescuers
place one arm around the shoulders of each. A glass of Weiss beer
should be given while the patient is walking, as it removes gas from
the stomach. In five minutes give half a teaspoonful of aromatic
spirits of ammonia in a third of a glass of water. Repeat this dose
every 15 minutes until four doses have been given. The neck of the beer
bottle may be forced into the patient's mouth.
=Infectious Diseases.=--It is now generally supposed that all
contagious and communicable diseases are contracted by the germs which
pass into the body or system. These germs are so small that millions
of them may enter the body through the nose, throat, and skin. They do
little or no harm to a healthy person, for the healthy body is opposed
to their growth, but if one is weak, or suffering from a slight cold,
or is depressed, they may multiply and cause diseases. These germs may
be widely scattered,--in the clothes, bedding, carpets, and in the
hair and skin. They cling to walls and ceilings and they will multiply
on almost any kind of food. No one can wholly prevent coming into
contact with them, but he can, if he will, avoid most of the contagious
diseases by never sitting down in the sick-room, especially avoiding
the bed, and keeping away from the walls and furniture. He should wash
his hands with antiseptic soap after handling the patient. Exercise
regularly in the open air. Nurses should wear washable dresses, which
are frequently changed and a washable cap should cover their hair. When
in the sick-room do not approach the patient near enough to catch his
breath. Do not touch with your lips any food, dish, or utensil which
has been in the sick-room. Do not eat or drink in the sick-room. Wear
no clothing that the patient wore before being taken sick. Never touch
the sick person if your hands are sore or scratched, and be sure to
wash them after contact with him. Never allow the dishes used by the
patient to be used by any other unless they are very carefully washed
and scalded in boiling water. All articles of food not eaten by the
patient should be burned, and milk and food should never be allowed to
stand in the sick-room. All bodily discharges should be immediately
removed and covered with disinfecting solution, and the vessels should
be washed with antiseptics before being brought back into the room.
=Lockjaw.=--Do not attempt to cure it. Consult your physician. It will
probably be fatal.
=Mustard Plasters.=--Plasters occasionally are efficacious, but
most give more apparent than real relief. They should not be used
indiscriminately or without the advice of a physician.
=Neuralgia.=--This is often incurable, but may be relieved.
Certain liniments are efficacious, but are not to be recommended
indiscriminately. Better consult your physician.
Poison
Poisons taken into the system through the mouth, and not through the
blood, require a different treatment.
Poisons may be classified as follows: 1. Irritant, in which the
symptoms appear entirely at the location of the poison. 2. Systemic, in
which the poison affects the system at large in addition to producing
local irritation. 3. Narcotic or sleep-producing. 4. General, in which
there is no local irritation.
In the first mentioned, it is best not to cause vomiting. Give dilute
acids to neutralize alkalis, and dilute alkalis to neutralize acids.
Then administer oil, raw egg, or flour and water. Small doses of
opiates may be given to quiet the pain, and whisky or other spirituous
liquor to relieve weakness.
In the second class (except for arsenic or similar poisoning) no emetic
should be given. The poison may be counteracted by bland doses of oil,
flour, and water, white of eggs; and stimulating drinks should be given
to counteract depression.
In the third class, make strenuous effort to produce vomiting, then
give strong coffee or other stimulating drinks, and make every effort
to keep the patient awake, even if you have to keep him walking.
Fourth class. Give emetics, and follow with stimulating drinks to
relieve weakness and pain. The patient should be allowed to rest.
Poisoning.
=Poisoning by Acids.=--For sulphuric, muriatic, nitric, and acetic
acids give immediately a solution of baking soda or magnesia, chalk,
lime, soap-suds, or chalk tooth powder, followed by raw eggs, milk, or
sweet oil.
=For Carbolic Acid or Creosote.=--Give alcohol and, immediately, castor
oil, sweet oil, raw eggs, or milk, followed by an emetic.
=For Oxalic Acid.=--Administer lime, chalk, or magnesia. Lime may be
scraped from the wall or ceiling and dissolved in water, but don't use
soda, potash, or ammonia.
=For Prussic Acid.=--Generally the patient dies immediately, but
if he is still living, do not stop to give emetics, but administer
stimulants. Apply hot and cold douches and use artificial respiration.
=For Aconite Poisoning.=--Wash the stomach with a stomach tube and
avoid emetics. Use stimulants. Apply warmth to the extremities and
place mustard plasters over the heart and legs. If the patient is
insensible, use artificial respiration.
=For Camphor.=--Give emetics, oils, and eggs. Apply warmth to the
extremities.
=For Chloroform.=--If caused by inhalation, resort to artificial
respiration and apply friction. Place the patient in the fresh air,
keeping the head very low. Alternate hot and cold applications. If it
occurs from internal use, administer large doses of bicarbonate of
soda in water. Administer artificial respiration if the patient is
insensible.
=For Nux Vomica.=--Tobacco, chewing or smoking, and animal charcoal,
dissolved in water. Follow with emetics. Use artificial respiration
when necessary.
=For Opium.=--Administer an emetic, such as mustard or ipecac. Apply
water to the head, face, and spine. Give strong coffee, but do not give
alcoholic stimulants. Keep the patient aroused by walking, whipping, or
other means. Use artificial respiration if necessary.
=For Arsenic.=--Give emetics immediately, including draughts of hot,
greasy water or salt and water. Administer in large doses magnesia or
lime scraped from the walls or ceilings. Give castor oil, sweet oil, or
equal parts of sweet oil and lime water, or raw eggs. Use stimulants
well diluted.
=For Corrosive Sublimate.=--Administer an emetic and large doses of
white of eggs, milk, mucilage, barley water, or flour and water. Force
the patient to swallow large quantities. Use the stomach pump.
=For Belladonna.=--Give emetics and stimulants. Apply warmth to
extremities and mustard plasters to the feet. Use artificial
respiration if necessary.
=For Poisonous Mushrooms.=--Give emetics, castor oil, stimulants, and
apply heat.
=Pulse.=--The average rate of the pulse in adults is 76 beats every
minute; but it varies according to age. At birth it is from 130 to 140;
1st year, 115 to 130; 2d year, 100 to 115; 3d year, 95 to 105; between
7 and 14, 80 to 90; between 14 and 21, 75 to 80; between 21 and 60,
70 to 75; in old age, from 75 to 80. The female pulse is from 10 to
15 beats quicker than that of the male of the same age. To count the
pulse, place the finger over the artery at the wrist; count the beats
for 15 seconds, multiply this by four, and the result is the number of
beats a minute. Do not use the thumb, as there is a sort of pulse in
it which interferes with counting.
=Rheumatism.=--So far as is known, there is no certain cure for
rheumatism, notwithstanding the many nostrums that are advertised
as sure cures. Rheumatism may be helped by avoiding meat and other
nitrogenous foods, confining the diet to vegetables and similar foods,
and drinking water freely. Rheumatism, however, is too serious to be
treated by other than a physician.
Scalds and Burns
Place the patient in a comfortable and safe place and remove the
clothing rapidly with a knife or scissors. If it sticks, cut away as
much as is necessary, but don't pull it off. Clothing may sometimes be
removed by sprinkling with water or oil. Do not expose the surface of
the burn or scald to the air. Cover as quickly as possible with flour
or vaseline and wrap a cloth about it wet with a solution of water and
common baking soda.
If the clothing is afire, force the person to lie down immediately,
wrap him in a blanket or other piece of cloth, preferably of woolen. Do
not allow him to run around or expose himself to a draught. Fire may be
extinguished by slapping the burning parts with a cloth, or throwing
water upon the person, but the wrapping process is better, because it
immediately smothers the fire, and water is not always available.
Slight scalds or burns may be relieved by the application of a
solution made of a pint of water with one teaspoonful of baking soda
or saleratus. Apply with a piece of lint, and then cover the burn or
scald with absorbent cotton, held in place by a bandage. If the burn or
scald is severe, apply sweet oil, olive oil, vaseline, or the white of
an egg. If these are not handy, cover the spot with starch or use damp
earth.
Burns caused by lye, and other alkaline chemicals, should be covered
with water, then with vinegar, and then treated as those by fire.
Burns caused by acids and vitrol should be soaked with water and
thoroughly washed with soda (saleratus) or lime water. Chalk or tooth
powder may be used when saleratus is not available.
Carbolic acid burns may be treated with strong alcohol.
Burns of the mouth or throat coming from the drinking of hot fluids,
may be treated by taking oil or the white of an egg into the mouth and
allowing it to run into the throat if the throat is affected. Vinegar
should be used for burns in the mouth coming from caustic potash and
ammonia. If the burn is serious, summon the doctor.
Burns caused by gunpowder should be treated the same as are ordinary
burns.
Shock or Collapse
Shock or collapse frequently occurs after serious accidents. It can
be foretold generally, because the skin is cool and clammy, and it is
usually accompanied with vomiting or rapid pulse, irregular breathing,
or sighing, and the eyelids may be heavy, the pupils dilated, and the
mind is not active. Insensibility frequently accompanies a shock. Send
for a surgeon or doctor immediately. Place the patient in a warm bed,
if possible, cover him with blankets, and allow his head to lie low.
Remove all clothing, cutting it to save time. Wrap bandages around
wounds or broken bones.
Hot cloths, or hot water bags, or a hot brick wrapped in cloth should
be applied to the region of the heart, the pit of the stomach, and the
feet. If wet cloths are used, wring them out frequently in hot water
and re-apply them. It is not necessary to use heat sufficient to burn
the skin. Under no circumstances apply heat to the head.
If possible, force the patient to drink hot water, hot tea, hot coffee,
or hot milk. Malted milk is excellent, but it should be hot. Whisky and
other alcoholic liquor should not be given, except by the advice of a
doctor. Half a teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia in water may
be given every 15 minutes for four doses, but not more. Stimulants
should not be given after the patient begins to recover.
Vomiting may be stopped or relieved by administering a little brandy
mixed with cracked ice.
If the skull is injured or there is concussion of the brain, with
or without the appearance of apoplexy or severe breathing, do not
administer a stimulant.
=Sleeplessness.=--Insomnia rapidly lowers the vital forces. It is
due to several causes, including mental worry, indigestion, physical
overexercise, and functional or organic diseases. Insomnia may be
considered a natural warning of coming ailment. The cause should be
located, and a good physician should be consulted. Sleep is encouraged
by exercise in the open air and by taking hot drinks just before
retiring. Hot malted milk is excellent; but solid food should not be
taken just before retiring. Mild gymnastic exercise may be taken before
an open window, but drugs should never be administered without the
advice of a physician.
=Snake Bite.=--Do not waste valuable time to kill the snake. If the
bite is venomous, rip open the clothing so that the wound will be
exposed. Tie a handkerchief or rope around the arm or leg, above the
bite. It should be drawn so tight that the circulation will be stopped
or retarded. The use of a stick or pencil will assist in giving
pressure. With a knife, open the holes made by the snake's fangs and
cut around the wound liberally, being careful not to sever an artery.
Let the blood run freely. Poison is sometimes removed by sucking a
wound, but one should not do this if his lips are chapped or bleeding.
The wound should be washed with soda solution and large doses of whisky
or brandy should be administered. Call a surgeon immediately.
=Sore Throat.=--Sore throat may be merely local or be a forerunner of
diphtheria. Better consult a physician.
=Sprains.=--Most sprains are serious, and a doctor should be called
at once, but before he arrives the following simple treatment may be
applied. Sprains twist and tear the ligaments and may rupture the
small blood vessels. The flow of blood may be checked by application
of cold or heat or by pressure. If the ankle or foot is sprained, wrap
a folded towel tightly around the part sprained and then apply moist
heat and elevate the leg. Immerse the foot in water as hot as can be
borne and keep on adding hot water for about 20 minutes, so that the
temperature may not be lowered; then apply a bandage, but continue the
bathing treatment. Cold applications may be used instead of hot water,
and should be applied by dipping cloths in ice water frequently, and
wrapping them about the parts injured.
=Stings of Poisonous Insects= or of scorpions, centipedes, etc., should
be treated with hartshorn, ammonia, after which cold water or cracked
ice should be applied. Do not fail to call a surgeon or doctor. If the
sting remains in the wound, remove it either by pressure on the skin or
with a knife. The stings of common insects, such as mosquitoes, ants,
etc., should be treated with a weak solution of ammonia, salt water, or
a cloth wet with water in which a teaspoonful of baking soda to a pint
of water is dissolved, may be bound on it.
=Suffocation.=--Always summon a physician. Place the patient in the
air, remove all tight clothing about the neck and chest, and apply
artificial respiration. Apply hot water in bottles to the body. Put
mustard plasters above the heart, on the soles of his feet, and on
his wrists. When the patient shows signs of recovering, give mild
stimulants. If the patient is in a close room, open the windows and all
of the doors. In rescue work do not open windows, but smash out all of
the glass. In entering a room full of smoke, cover the mouth with a
handkerchief wet with water or vinegar and water. Crawl on the floor,
as the smoke is less dense near the floor. The rescuer should attach a
rope to himself, so he can be pulled from his dangerous position.
=Sunstroke.=--Indications of sunstroke or heat prostration are a slow
but full pulse, very labored breathing, and the skin is hot and dry,
the face usually red, and the person affected is unconscious. Remove
the sufferer to a shady place, and be sure to loosen his collar and
clothing, if tight. Raise the head and shoulders. The head, face, and
chest should be drenched with cold water, and if it is very hot use
cracked ice. In ordinary cases of heat prostration, the patient is not
unconscious, the skin is pale and clammy, and the breathing is not
normal. Force the patient to lie on his back with his head level with
his body, and loosen all tight clothing. Apply heat to the extremities,
and cold to head. The patient should not be allowed to drink too much
water. Give him hot drinks, and apply heat to the spine and feet. Under
no circumstances administer alcoholic stimulants. Always send for a
physician.
=Temperature of the Body.=--The normal body temperature is 98.4
degrees Fahrenheit. When it is higher, the patient is supposed to
have a fever. Temperature usually rises in the afternoon, being one
degree higher than in the first part of the night or in the early
morning. It gradually falls from midnight to six or seven o'clock in
the morning. The temperature of a child frequently rises two degrees
from slight causes. Every family should carry a clinical thermometer.
Bodily temperature should be taken by holding it in the mouth under
the tongue for two minutes. Temperature under 101° indicates a slight
fever; under 103° a moderate fever; under 105° a high fever. When the
temperature rises two or three degrees above normal, send for a doctor
at once.
=Temperature of the Sick-Room.=--Sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit is a
good average temperature for the sick-room. In certain diseases the
average temperature may be lower, and for throat or chest affections
it should be higher. When the patient is being washed or dressed, the
temperature should be kept at about 70°.
=Toothache.=--If the nerve is exposed, or nearly so, toothache may
be cured by placing in the cavity a small piece of cotton soaked in
creosote or oil of cloves. If it continues, consult a dentist.
=Transporting the Wounded.=--Great care should be taken, because
the slightest carelessness is likely to cause intense suffering. A
four-handed seat may be made by two persons, the hands of each one
clasping one of the wrists of the other, and two ordinary men can
easily carry a person of average weight. A stretcher will carry the
patient in a horizontal position if the persons carrying it place
their hands under it. A stretcher may be made of boards, over which
are placed coats or shawls, or a blanket may be fastened to two stout
poles; if no poles are handy, a shawl tightly held by two persons will
do, but great care should be taken to keep it tight. A window shutter
is generally available. The sufferer should be very carefully placed
upon the stretcher, and had better be lifted by several persons, by
two at least. The bearers of the stretcher should not keep step, the
opposite feet should be put forward at the same time to prevent the
swaying of the stretcher and the rolling of the patient. Never carry
the stretcher on the shoulders. Carry the patient feet foremost, except
when going up hill. In case of a fractured thigh or leg, carry the
patient head first when going down hill.
=Ventilation.=--The sick-room should never be without fresh air. Impure
and close air breeds disease and encourages illness. Fresh air should
be introduced constantly and steadily. The windows may be lowered at
the top or patented ventilators used. To change the air, open the
windows in an adjoining room, and then open the door between the
rooms, but the fresh air in the adjoining room should be warm before
it is allowed to penetrate the sick-room. By swinging the door back
and forth, the air will be fanned in. Do not maintain the erroneous
impression that cold air is pure because it is cold, for cold air may
be as foul as warm air. Night air is not dangerous. The patient must
breathe night air or closed-in day air, and closed-in air rapidly
becomes foul.
=Vomiting.=--Lie down and hold small pieces of ice in your mouth. If it
continues, consult a physician.
* * * * *
=Wills.=--A will, untechnically speaking, is virtually a bill-of-sale
or transfer of property by its owner to those he may designate,
but differs from the ordinary bill-of-sale in that there is no
consideration mentioned on the part of those who will receive the
property, and the will is not operative until the death of the maker
of it. No one can execute a will unless he is presumably in his right
mind, and knows what he is doing. Nor can a will be made by an idiot or
one insane. The will must be signed and witnessed by several witnesses,
each witness signing as a witness in the presence of all of the other
witnesses. While it would appear that every one has a right to dispose
of his property as he chooses, a will is not likely to stand in law
if it can be proved that the maker of it was under undue or unfair
influence, and, therefore, distributed his property to the prejudice
of those who would be entitled to it if no will was made. For example:
a will is not likely to hold good if its maker unfairly disowned
close legal heirs, like a wife, husband, or children, or bequeathed
his property to some institution which it could be shown he probably
would not have done had not unfair pressure been brought to bear upon
him at the time he made his will. All legal heirs should, as a rule,
be mentioned in a will, even though they are given insignificant sums.
As the laws differ in the several states, it is suggested that it
is better and safer to consult a good lawyer, or one familiar with
conditions.
=Wireless Telegraphy.=--The exact date of the discovery or invention of
wireless telegraphy is not accurately known. Many scientists discovered
it theoretically before Marconi made it practical. Some scientific
authorities claim that it was originated by Professor Dolbear, of
Massachusetts. In 1899, messages were sent from England to France, and
recently an intelligible message was flashed across the Atlantic Ocean.
Unscientifically speaking, wireless telegraphy consists of discharging
powerful electrical currents into the atmosphere, their vibrations
being taken up by the natural electricity in the air, and received by
wires placed at an elevation. Practically all sea-going steamers are
equipped with wireless telegraphy.
=Woman's Suffrage.=--The first convention in the interest of woman's
rights was held July 19, 1808, at Seneca Falls, N. Y. In 1850, a
National Woman's Rights Convention was held in Worcester, Mass. From
that time woman's suffrage was agitated in America and in England,
and many of the leading women of the world strongly advocated it. It
is growing rapidly, and is being recognized throughout the country,
although all of the States have not given the vote to women. Under the
Constitution of the United States a native-born woman may hold any
office, including that of president, even though the women in all of
the States cannot vote at the presidential election. The Constitution
of the United States does not recognize sex, and in the eye of national
law, women have all of the rights of men.
=Women Voters.=--Many of the towns, cities, and States give full
franchise to women, while others allow them to vote for only a few
officials. Woman's suffrage, or the right to vote, is spreading
rapidly, and it is probably only a question of time before she will
have full franchise throughout the entire country. There is nothing
in the Constitution of the United States to prevent a woman from
holding the office of president or vice-president if she was born in
this country, and she can hold such offices even though she may not be
permitted by State law to vote for them.
=Wool Industry.=--The United States produces about $320,000,000 worth
of wool in a year and weaves about 55,500,000 square yards, worth about
$40,500,000.