possible, on the fire, and setting something flat against the chimney
breast.
=Blazing Fat=: Throw on salt, sand, or ashes; water makes the flame
fiercer. Prevent draughts if possible; keep doors and windows shut
tight. Turn out oil or gas flames underneath, and keep everything
inflammable away from the blaze.
=Gas Leaks=: Open doors and windows, let accumulations blow out, then
hunt for the broken pipe—not with a lamp or candle—and clap on it when
found either a blanket of putty or flour dough wet very stiff. Tie in
place with broad tape, then wrap with a cloth so as to withstand
pressure. But first of all call for the repair man. With a leak
undiscoverable, shut off from the rest of the house and leave windows
wide open.
=Asphyxiation=: Whether from gas or drowning, lay flat, the head a
little higher; permit no crowding; resort to artificial
respiration—lifting the arms and pressing on the chest systematically,
holding the tongue out all the while; rub with alcohol, especially feet
and hands; keep in air, and work gently but quickly. In cases of
drowning, empty lungs of water first thing by laying face down over a
bench or barrel and working the arms.
=Fainting=: Lay flat, the head lower than the body, loosen clothes,
especially about the neck, dash cold water gently in the face, hold
ammonia under nostrils, rub wrists and temples with camphor or cologne
water, and if the faint persists put mustard at the back of the neck and
to the soles of the feet. Insensibility from shock or falling needs
slightly different treatment. It may mean concussion; hence, let the
head be highest and apply vigorous friction along the spine as well as
to the extremities. Stimulate as soon as swallowing is possible, and
move with caution.
=Burns=: Anything which excludes air without tainting the wound or
irritating it further helps a bad burn. Carron oil—a creamy mixture of
lime water and sweet oil—applied with a feather, then covered with
cotton, either batting or absorbent, gives a measure of relief and is
also healing. Soft old linen coated with fresh egg-white laid on and
allowed to dry soothes pain. Even a covering with dry flour, if nothing
else is handy, is better than leaving the burn bare. But if at all
serious, or even is shallow and wide spread, call a doctor instantly,
meantime keeping up heart action with stimulants in small doses often
repeated.
=Breaks and Dislocations=: Lay a broken bone straight in a natural
position upon a stout cardboard splint shaped to the limb and covered
with cotton batting. Bandage limb and splint firmly together, working
toward the trunk and keeping the bandage smooth but not too tight. Wet
with arnica. This keeps down pain and inflammation, making the surgeon’s
work when he arrives easier for himself and his patient. Reduce
dislocations as quickly as possible by stretching the hurt joint
steadily and letting another person manipulate the hurt. Often the bone
head will snap back in place at a touch; it remains then only to keep it
in place. An hour’s delay would mean swelling to render the replacing
much harder. Wrist and elbow joints in particular are kittle cattle if
left to swell. First aid to them means many times preserving use and
saving from lifelong disfigurement. But this first aid by no means
suffices to make surgical care unnecessary.
=Sprains and Strains=: Bandage tight, wet the bandages with cold water,
and hold in an easy position. A sprained or strained ankle may be almost
cured by plunging it into running water and keeping it there some time.
Lift out occasionally, then replunge. Strains require rest and bandages.
Wet the bandages with arnica. If there is muscle shrinkage later, rub
morning and night with chloroform liniment after bathing with hot water
and wiping dry.
=Chloroform Poisoning=: Keep in motion in open air, dose with aromatic
spirits of ammonia well diluted, and hold it undiluted to nostrils.
Apply electricity to spine; this if conscious. If fallen into a stupor
put ice to spine and top of head, hot water to feet, give hard friction
with alcohol, or camphor on legs and arms. Use artificial respiration
and stimulate gently. Friction or a mustard plaster over the heart is
helpful. Let nothing bind or constrict anywhere, and do not cease your
efforts at the first signs of lessening stupor.
=Narcotic Poisoning=: For laudanum, morphine, or opium the treatment is
the same. First a strong emetic—mustard and water as thick as pea soup
is among the best. Follow it with black coffee as strong as possible.
Give all the patient can be made to swallow at short intervals, keep him
walking briskly, stripped to the waist, dash ice water on the spine, and
tie ice to the back of the neck. Flagellate lightly on shoulders; the
tingles help to rouse. Hold aromatic ammonia to his nose every half
minute. If the coffee nauseates, give clear hot water after to make
vomiting easy, then after ten minutes more coffee not quite so strong.
Permit no stop for several hours; if excretories act properly the danger
will then have been past. Electricity is useful, but not indispensable.
In desperate cases use every means at hand.
=Acid Poisoning=: Emollients are the antidotes for acids; emetics wrench
and tear seared stomach tissues. No matter what the acid—sulphuric,
carbolic, nitric, or oxalic—give something soft and smooth—raw eggs,
cream, starch wet as thick as cream, melted lard or butter, olive oil,
or even flour and water, followed after a few minutes with magnesia
stirred thick in tepid water. Let the patient rest easily, hold ammonia
to the nostrils, and put hot-water bags to the feet. Aim to keep up
vitality under the shock to vital tissues. In such cases a minute means
often the difference between life and death.
=Iodine Poison=: Use emollients—the very best is thick cooked starch; it
has a specific power to neutralize the drug. Olive oil is next best; it
protects the coating of the stomach. But use anything above named rather
than nothing. To let a case of poison go by default is against reason
and humanity.
=Arsenic=: Arsenic in all its forms is best fought with raw eggs,
especially the whites, and sweet milk or cream. Give a strong emetic
afterward, then, when it has acted, more eggs or milk. This should
suffice unless the poison has been freely absorbed.
=Ptomaine Poisoning=: Give an active emetic, followed by a cathartic;
keep the patient warm, stimulate with brandy—a teaspoonful every hour;
put mustard to wrists, ankles, back of neck, and pit of stomach—this
particularly if there is severe pain, cramps, or continued retching.
Pains in the head indicate the need of an ice cap.
=Mercury Poisoning=: Bichloride needs as antidote raw eggs and cream, or
oil, with the same external treatment as for ptomaines. Strong emetics
are inadvisable, but if the stomach frees itself naturally of the
emollients much poison will come with them. Replace them in smaller
quantities, but give nothing else until the doctor comes.
=Bites and Stings=: Stings from wasps, bees, and ants need treatment
with fruit acids—bathe in vinegar or apply a slice of raw apple or peach
or a crushed grape. Instant sucking removes part of the poison and
relieves the pain to a degree. Always suck bites, as of spiders, unless
there are abrasions of tongue and lips. After sucking bathe freely with
fresh peroxide of hydrogen, boracic acid, or sugar-of-lead water. A leaf
of green plantain, well bruised, bound on a bite or sting when nothing
else is at hand keeps down inflammation and mitigates pain. In case of
stings make sure the sting proper has not been left in the wound, since
its presence might induce blood poisoning.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX
ACID POISONING, 197.
Adaptation of old garments, 108.
Antidotes, 196-198.
Antique furniture, care of, 66;
restoring, 62-65.
Ants, how to get rid of, 177.
Aprons, laundry, 11.
Arsenic, antidote for, 198.
Asphalt spots, 122.
Asphyxiation, 193.
BANDAGES, 21-22.
Basting clothes, 101.
Bed bugs, to prevent, 170.
Bed clothes, mending, 85.
Beef, how to choose, 134.
Bichloride of mercury, 165.
Birds, care of, 185.
Bisulphide of lime, 166.
Bites and stings, 199.
Blanket box, 175.
Blazing fat, how to put out, 192.
Bleaching, 2-3.
Blood, to stanch, 22-23.
Bluestone, 164.
Books, mending, 80.
Borax, 163.
Bordeaux mixture, 165.
Buckwheat flour, 131.
Burlaps, 34.
Burns, 194.
Butter, how to choose, 133.
Brass, care of, 67, 126.
Breaks and dislocations, 194.
Bric-à-brac, mending, 79.
Brick dust, 46.
Bronze, care of, 126.
Brooms, 42.
Broom bags, 42.
Brushes, 42, 46.
CAKE, how to keep, 143.
Calcimine, 39, 50.
Canaries, care of, 186.
Canning, 139.
Carpets, cleaning, 29-30;
mending, 90.
Cats, care of, 183.
Cavies, care of, 184.
Ceilings, 30, 38-39.
Cement, 53-54.
Charcoal, 163.
Cheese, how to choose and keep, 134.
Chimney blazes, how to put out, 192.
China, mending, 75;
washing, 56.
Chloride-of-lime water, 55.
Chloroform poisoning, 196.
Cleaning floors and rugs, 28-30.
Cloth, washing, 105.
Clothes drainer, 45.
Coarse mending, 84.
Coffee, how to choose and keep, 132.
Collars, how to do up, 5-7.
Contagion, 19-20.
Copper, care of, 126.
Copperas, 163.
Copperas water, 55.
Cornmeal, 130.
Cottons, testing, 97.
Cracks, filling, 27.
Cretonne, 34.
Cuffs, how to do up, 5-7.
Curtains, how to do up, 8-9.
Cutting out clothes, 99.
Cuttings, to start plant, 158.
DARNING, 81, 88.
Disinfection, 20.
Disinfectants, 55, 163-178.
Dogs, care of, 179.
Dust cloths, 43.
Dust swabs, 43.
Dyeing, 103.
EARTH WORMS, 157.
Eggs, how to test, 144.
Emergencies, what to do in, 192-199.
Enameled iron, 71.
FAINTING, 193.
Ferns, 151.
Fertilizers, 153.
Fillers for new wood, 47.
Fleas, how to prevent, 170.
Flies, how to prevent, 168.
Floors, 24-30.
Floor pad, 41.
Flour, how to test, 129.
Flowers, how to keep and arrange cut flowers, 159.
Foot pad, 41.
French polish, 49.
Frocks, how to wash, 4.
Fruit, dried, 142.
Fruit stains, 119.
Fruit storage, 139.
Furniture, mending, 74;
polish, 49.
Furs, mending, 88;
cleaning, 93.
GARDEN PESTS, 166.
Gas leak, 192.
Gasolene-cleaning, 104.
Gelatine spots, 119.
Gilt, to clean, 128;
frames, 69;
furniture, 68.
Glass, annealing, 61;
mending, 79;
preserving in, 138;
washing, 58-61.
Glazing, 37.
Gloves, care of, 92.
Glue, 50.
Grass stains, what to do for, 123.
Grease spots, what to do for, 113.
Grits, how to test, 131.
Gum arabic, 52.
HARES, how to keep, 184.
Hominy, how to test, 131.
ICE, to keep in sickroom, 18.
Ice-cream spots, 119.
Ink stains, 121.
Insects, 154, 163-178.
Insecticides, 154, 163-178.
Iodine poison, 197.
Iron, rust, 123;
care of, 125.
Irons, 13.
Ironstone, 58.
Ironing-boards, 43.
Ironing-tables, 11.
JAVELLE WATER, 54.
KEROSENE EMULSION, 165.
Knee pad, 41.
Knives and forks, how to clean, 61.
LACE AND EMBROIDERY, how to wash, 10;
how to mend, 87;
how to freshen, 105.
Lamps and candlesticks, mending, 80.
Lard, how to test, 133.
Larkspur, 167.
Laundry cabinet, 45.
Lead swab, 45.
Lime water, 54.
Linen, testing, 97.
MAHOGANY STAIN, 48.
Majolica, how to wash, 58.
Materials, appliquéd, 102.
Matted floors, 29.
Matting, mending, 90.
Meat, how to keep fresh. 138.
Melons, keeping, 143.
Mending, 74-91.
Mercury poisoning, 198.
Mildew, 123.
Millinery, 109.
Mission furniture, care of, 68.
Mordants, 3-4.
Mosquitoes, 168.
Moths, 172.
Mucilage, 52.
Mustard plasters, 21.
Mutton and lamb, 135.
NARCOTIC POISONING, 196.
Nursing, clothes for, 23.
OAK FURNITURE, care of, 68.
Oak stains, 48.
Oatmeal, 131.
Oil stains, 47.
Old garments, ways to use, 108.
Ornaments for millinery, 112.
Oxalic acid, 55.
PADS, 41.
Paint, to remove, 26, 118.
Palms, how to care for, 151.
Pantries, outdoor, 141.
Paper dough, 53.
Papering, 31-32, 38.
Parrots, care of, 190.
Paste for paper-hanging, 52.
Perspiration marks, 124.
Pets, care of, 179-191.
Pewter, how to clean, 127.
Piano polish, 49.
Pine needles, 46.
Plants, care of, 148;
for window boxes, 150.
Plaster, 53.
Poisons, 196-198.
Polish, 49.
Porch furniture, 71.
Pork, how to choose, 136.
Pots, 145.
Potting, 146.
Poultices, 21.
Poultry, 137;
how to keep, 138.
Precautions, 72.
Pressing, 101.
Ptomaine poisoning, 198.
Putty, 54.
QUICKLIME, 163.
ROACHES, how to get rid of, 158, 176.
Road stains, 115.
Roses, 151.
Rugs, cleaning, 30;
mending, 90.
Rust, 123.
SALT FISH, how to keep, 138.
Salt meats, how to choose, 136.
Sand, 53.
Saving pieces of material, 107.
Sawdust, 46.
Scrubbing, 24.
Shellac, 25.
Shirts, how to do up, 5-6.
Sickbed, 15.
Sickroom, care of, 13-23.
Silk, testing, 95;
washing, 105.
Silk wall covering, 34.
Silver tarnish, 127.
Size, glue and vegetable, 50.
Smoke stains, 124.
Soap, 1-2.
Soil for house plants, 145.
Spots, how to get rid of, 113-119.
Sprains and strains, 195.
Sprinklers, 44.
Stains, oil, 47;
mahogany, 48;
walnut, 48;
oak, 48;
road, 115;
fruit, 119;
wine, 120;
ink, 121;
grass, 123;
smoke, 124.
Staining floors, 24-25.
Starches, 7-8.
TABLE LINEN, how to wash, 4-5.
Tar spots, 122.
Tea, how to choose, 132.
Tile floors, how to clean, 29.
Tool box, 44.
Trimmings, care of, 106.
UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE, care of, 69.
VARNISH, to remove, 26;
spots, 118.
Vegetable storage, 139.
Velvet, freshening, 107.
Vitriol, white, 164.
WALLS, 30-36.
Wall mop, 46.
Wall paper, 31-33.
Walnut stain, 48.
Washing, 1-12.
Washing, china and glass, 56-61;
knives and forks, 61.
Washing fluids, 2.
Washing-soda, 163.
Water, to soften, 1.
Water bugs, 176.
Water wagon, 42.
Wax, dancing, 49.
Wax board, 45.
Wax finish, 48.
Wax spots, 124.
Waxing floors, 25.
Whitewash, 39, 51.
Whitewashed walls, 36.
Wicker furniture, care of, 70.
Windows, 30, 37.
Window boxes, 146, 149.
Wine stains, 120.
Woolens, how to wash, 9.
Woolens, testing, 96.
THE END
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● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Some chapter headings had the word CHAPTER before the roman
numeral, some didn’t.
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
when a predominant form was found in this book.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_);
text that was bold by “equal” signs (=bold=).