The Mother and Her Child

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DOG BITES AND SNAKE BITES

Dogs, cats, rats, or mice bite at any time of the year, and provision
should always be made for ample protection against such accidents.

Such a wound should always be squeezed or sucked until it has bled
freely, and then be cauterized by a red-hot iron or touched with an
applicator that has been dipped in sulphuric acid or nitric acid. A
subsequent dressing of Balsam Peru is healing. The dog should be
watched, and if it shows signs of hydrophobia the bitten child should
be promptly taken to the nearest Pasteur Institute for treatment.

In the case of snake bites the same sucking and cauterizing treatment
is indicated, with the additional tying of a handkerchief or cord a
few inches above the wound to stay the progress of the blood and to
keep the poison out of the general circulation. A solution of
twenty-per-cent permanganate of potash should be used to wash the
wound.

The popular administration of large draughts of whiskey is of no
benefit, for the secondary depressant effect of alcohol increases the
body's poison burden, and those who survive do so in spite of the
whiskey, and not because of it.

SWALLOWING FOREIGN BODIES

Small articles such as buttons, safety pins, thimbles, coins, etc.,
are often swallowed by little folks, and if they lodge in the throat
and the child struggles for his breath the treatment is as follows:
grasp him by the heels and turn him upside down while a helper briskly
slaps him on the back. The foreign body generally flies across the
room. If it is lodged high up in the throat it may often be dislodged
by the thumb and finger. If it cannot be reached and it will not go
down, lose no time in seeking an X-ray laboratory where its exact
location may quickly be discovered and proper measures instituted for
its removal.

A troublesome fish bone is easily dislodged by swallowing a
half-chewed piece of bread which carries it down to the stomach.
Cathartics and purgatives are not to be given; in due time the object
will appear in the stool. In all instances it is well to locate its
exact position by the X ray--that there may be assurance that it will
do no harm.

It is surprising what large objects can be swallowed. One old
gentleman swallowed his false teeth, and a six months old baby
swallowed, or at least had lodged in its throat, a silver dollar.

All detachable parts should be removed from toys that are given to
babies, such as the whistle from rubber animals, the button eyes of
wool kittens and dogs, and other such removable parts.

FOREIGN BODIES IN THE EYE

To begin with, do not get "panicky," but carefully, painstakingly, and
patiently do the following:

1. Rub the well eye until the tears flow plentifully in both eyes.

2. Blow the nose on the injured eye side, closing the other side. This
often encourages the tears to wash the foreign speck down through the
tear duct, into the nose and out into the handkerchief (in case the
child is old enough to follow such instruction). If the foreign body
be sharp, as a piece of steel or flint is likely to be, it may be
driven right into the eyeball. Seek a physician who will drop
medicine into the eye to deaden the pain and then if it cannot be
gently rubbed off the eyeball, a magnet will promptly remove it.

An eye bath of warm boracic acid is always comforting and never does
harm, so that may be given while waiting for the doctor to come, if
the object seems to be beyond the reach of family help.

If an alkaline, such as lime, be blown into the eye it is very
painful, but much relief may be obtained by gently pouring into the
eye, by means of a medicine dropper or eye cup, warm water to which
has been added a little vinegar or lemon juice. Likewise, acid in the
eye produces much pain. In this instance, an eye bath of a weak soda
solution is indicated.

FOREIGN BODIES IN EAR AND NOSE

Insects that have crawled into the ear may be suffocated by dropping
sweet oil or castor oil into the ear, which, after twenty minutes,
should be washed out by gentle syringing with warm water from a
fountain syringe, hung one foot above the child's head.

Peas, beans, shoe buttons, or beads are sometimes put into the ear and
nose by adventurous or experimenting children.

The shoe button or bead will not swell as does the pea or the bean,
and may often be safely washed out. If it is causing no pain and will
not drop out in case of the ear, or will not be easily blown out in
case of the nose, see your physician at once. He has in his possession
just the necessary instruments for its immediate removal.

Peas and beans swell, and consequently cause greater discomfort the
longer they are in; do not poke at any foreign body lodged either in
the nose or the ear, for the ear drum may thus be injured, while in
the former case it may be pushed into one of the accessory sinuses.

EARACHE

One of the most comforting and highly effectual forms of heat for an
aching ear is a four-candle-power carbon electric light on an
extension cord that permits the light to come in close contact with
the ear. A shade is made from a piece of stiff letter paper that fits
the socket snugly and flares out to a three inch opening, which should
extend below the point of the bulb one inch. This shade holds all the
heat and light and directs it into the aching ear.

In every well-ordered household there will be found a three-per-cent
solution of carbolic acid and glycerine of which one drop should be
put into the aching ear, and then the external heat, mentioned above,
should be applied. A bag of warm salt, a hot water bag, or a warm
plate will provide external heat if an electric light is not
available. Do not put laudanum or other remedies into the ear, other
than are herein suggested, without your physician's knowledge.

Earache is always serious, and since it is usually indicative of
trouble which, if left untreated, may cause deafness, it demands
thorough treatment from skilled hands.

Running ears invariably need medical attention and should never be
neglected.

NOSEBLEED

If the nose bleeds whenever it is cleansed, more than likely there is
an ulcer on the septum which will continue to bleed if left untreated.
The physician should heal the ulcer, and the child should be taught
always to vaseline the nostril before cleansing it.

In case of persistent nosebleed, put the child to bed with the head
elevated. Pressure should be put on the blood vessels going to the
nose by placing two fingers firmly on the outer angles of the nose on
the upper lip, while a helper may put firm pressure at the root of the
nose at the inner angle of each eye. An ice bag may be placed at the
back of the neck, and another piece of ice held on the forehead at the
root of the nose. If these measures do not stop the flow of blood a
few drops of adrenalin may be put into the nose and repeated in five
minutes if necessary. As the bleeding begins to stop, as well as
during the bleeding, all blowing of the nose is forbidden as it will
only cause the bleeding to start afresh. It sometimes helps to hold a
piece of ice in the hands.

CUTS AND TEARS

A cut with smooth edges, if deep, should be allowed to bleed freely,
should be washed in boracic acid solution, and its edges held together
by a stitch which is usually put in by a physician; but if treatment
is to be given at home, the hands of the nurse must be thoroughly
washed and the thread and needle boiled for twenty minutes. If the
physician has been sent for, make firm pressure over the wound by
bandaging tightly with a dressing of sterile gauze dipped in boracic
acid solution.

In case of a slight cut, make it bleed freely, then wash in
boracic-acid solution and apply sterile gauze held in place by a
binder. If no odor or pain follows, let alone for two or three days,
when a new dressing is applied.

A physician should be called in case of ragged wounds or tears, as
such usually leave bad scars. Cleanse carefully, leaving no dirt in
the wound, cause it to bleed, if possible, and apply a sterile gauze
compress wet in boracic-acid solution, bandaged on as directed above.
Zinc ointment may be applied to surfaces that have been skinned. All
dressings on dirty wounds should be changed daily.

Blood poisoning may readily follow a wound, hence the utmost
cleanliness should prevail. The hands of the attendant, the dressings,
the surrounding skin, must all be clean. The bowels should be kept
open, and under-feeding rather than over-feeding is indicated.

If a needle be needed to open a sore or boil, always disinfect the
part and surrounding area by painting with tincture of iodine, and
heat the needle to red heat through a flame before it touches the
sore.

In case of cuts or wounds of the eyeball apply a compress of sterile
gauze wet in boracic acid, held on by a bandage, and go immediately to
a good eye specialist.

PUNCTURED WOUNDS AND SLIVERS

Wounds made by pins, needles, fishhooks, tacks, and splinters are
always very painful and great care must be exercised to force bleeding
freely, which helps to wash out infection, as more than likely
microbes entered with the instrument or sliver when the wound was
made.

Fishhooks are exceedingly troublesome, as they often occasion the
enlarging of the wound to get them out, especially if they have gone
in beyond the barb.

Slivers are easily broken off, so great care is needed in their
removal. A pair of tweezers is convenient for seizing the protruding
portion, while all side movements are avoided lest it break off in the
flesh, in which case it may be gotten out with a needle that has been
sterilized in a flame.

All puncture wounds should be dressed with the wet, sterile compress,
covered over with wax paper and bandaged loosely; this encourages
cleanliness and favors healing.

BRUISES

If left untreated, bruises swell, become highly discolored, and in the
process of healing pass through the dark blue, green, and yellow
stages. The treatment is as follows: Apply hot and cold
alternately--the heat should be as hot as can be borne and left on
very hot for three minutes, then ice water compresses should be
applied for one minute, then hot again--these changes should continue
for an hour, and if carried out immediately after the injury all
discolorations and most of the swelling may be avoided. Witch-hazel
compresses are comforting. If discoloration has taken place, the
application of hot compresses will often hasten its disappearance.

FRACTURES AND DISLOCATIONS

While there is very little a member of the family or a non-medical
friend can do in case of a fracture, and while it is unwise to offer
suggestions relative to the setting of bones, yet it is highly
important that both the family and friends know how properly to
support a broken leg while carrying a disabled person into the house
or to near-by medical aid.

For instance, in the case of a fractured leg below the knee, if a
couple of flat boards three inches wide be tied about the leg with two
pocket handkerchiefs, the ends of the fractured bone will not rub
against each other and the pain will be much less in carrying. In
this way all danger of causing the broken bones to protrude and thus
"compounding" the fracture is also avoided. And also, if there is no
near-by ambulance, a good emergency stretcher may be improvised out of
two or three buttoned vests with two poles, rakes, or brooms run
through the armholes--one vest under the shoulders and one under the
hips and still another under the fracture. An injured person may in
this way be carried for miles quite comfortably.

Two people may fashion a seat out of their four hands on which the
disabled child may sit with his arms about the necks of his two
friends. If the fractured end of the bone penetrates the flesh it is
then known as a compound fracture and the utmost cleanliness must
prevail--as in dressing other wounds. An X ray laboratory should
always be sought, where convenient, to ascertain if the ends of the
bones are in good position.

In dislocations, the bone has slipped out of place at the joint.
Medical aid should be called to replace the bone, while hot
applications may be used in the meantime.

SPRAINS

All sprains (a twist or straining of a joint) should promptly be put
into a very hot bath and held there for thirty minutes. If this is
impossible, then a rubber tube or a handkerchief is tied snugly
between the sprain and the trunk of the body. Almost instantly the
pain, which is often intense and severe, is very much lessened. The
hot-water bath is very hot, and the joint should be very red on taking
it out. Immediately following the bath the injured joint is wrapped in
a very cold wet compress, which is next completely covered by silk,
gutta-percha, mackintosh, or many thicknesses of newspaper--anything
that will hold all the heat in--as the cold compress is quickly heated
up. Lastly, a bandage of heavy flannel completely covers the
whole--compress, impervious covering, etc.

The joint is now elevated for three hours, when it is again immersed
in a very hot bath and then again the cold compress is applied. This
is continued every three hours, except during sleep, for two days,
after which it may be done morning and evening. Massage is now
administered every three hours, first four inches below the injury
then four inches above it, while in a day or so the joint itself may
be gently rubbed with well-oiled hands. By the end of one week the
patient begins to use the injured member.

In the case of a sprained ankle a properly applied adhesive strap
bandage will give no end of relief and support. Various liniments may
be applied, but usually the good obtained is from the thorough rubbing
which always accompanies their use according to directions.

Sprains treated as above directed will often liberate the child in
one-third the usual time generally allotted for its healing.

FROST BITES AND CHILBLAINS

Keep the child who has frozen some part of his body in a cool room,
and rub the frost-bitten part with snow or ice water, or wrap it up in
cold water compresses.

The return to heat must be slow indeed, else much pain may be
experienced; blisters followed by discoloration, and even
mortification, may set in. You may be surprised some morning on
awakening to find your child's hand twice its normal size and very
red, because it was out from under the cover a good share of the night
exposed to Jack Frost. Do not bring it to heat quickly but immerse it
in cold water, gradually and slowly raising the temperature of the
bath until it is warm and comfortable.

The intense itching and burning of a chilblain may often be relieved
by painting with iodine or triple chloride of iron (Monsel's
solution). Soap liniment has also been suggested, as well as alternate
applications of hot and cold water. Chilblains are troublesome,
painful, and their yearly recurrence is often very annoying.

SWALLOWING POISONS

Poisons of an acid nature, such as hydrochloric, sulphuric, nitric, or
oxalic acids, are neutralized by alkalines, such as magnesia, chalk,
soda, and soap, followed by soothing drinks or sweet oil.

Remember that carbolic acid is not an acid, and is not antidoted with
alkalines. The swallowing of carbolic acid should be quickly followed
by diluted alcohol, and if this drug is not ready at hand many of the
numerous alcoholic patent medicines will do just as well. Epsom salts
should be given in abundance.

Poisons of an alkaline nature, such as lye, washing soda, ammonia,
etc., are antidoted with vinegar or lemon juice, followed by soothing
drinks or sweet oil.

A complete table of poisons and their antidotes will be found in the
appendix.

Poison ivy, as soon as detected, should be treated as follows:
Thoroughly scrub the affected part with tincture of green soap and hot
water, which often prevents the trouble developing. Clean pieces of
gauze may be wrung out of lime water and placed over the inflamed and
much swollen surface, keeping them very wet. At night an ointment of
zinc oxide may be applied over a painting of "black wash" (to be
obtained at drug stores). Poison (trifoliolate, or _three-leaved_) ivy
resembles Virginia Creeper, and all nurses and caretakers should be
able to recognize it.

Another treatment for poison ivy which is said to be very efficient is
as follows: Moisten a bit of cotton with a ten-percent solution of
carbolic acid and apply to the affected area--then immediately (about
one-half minute) wipe off this carbolic acid with another piece of
cotton saturated with alcohol.

Matches, roach powders, fly poisons, washing fluids, lye, paris green,
antiseptic tablets, and pieces of green paper, should all be kept out
of the child's reach; and, in case of accidental swallowing of any of
them, the physician should be sent for at once, and with the message
"Come!" should be given the name of the poison swallowed--if it is
known.

After the antidote is given, soothing drinks are usually administered,
such as raw white of egg, milk, flaxseed tea, slippery elm, etc.

Complete rest in bed is always essential, and external heat is
necessary for the body chills easily as the child grows weak.

Toothache may be temporarily relieved by applying an ice bag below the
jaw, thus diminishing the flow of blood to the tooth, and a hot-water
bottle to the cheek, which causes the skin vessels to fill with blood,
thus relieving the tension in the vessels of the tooth.

If there is a cavity, a small piece of cotton moistened with oil of
cloves and packed well into it may give much relief.

Children and adults should make a bi-annual pilgrimage to the dentist,
who seeks out beginning cavities, early treatment of which will
prevent these dreadful aches and later ill health.

BURNS

Burns and scalds are not at all uncommon with children, whose
eagerness to explore and desire to investigate often leads them into
trouble.

1. The simple reddening of the skin--slight burns and sunburn--simply
needs protecting oil, or equal parts of oil and lime water, and is to
be covered with sterile gauze.

2. The burns which destroy the outer layer of the skin, producing a
blister, are treated much as a wound would be treated. The blister, if
larger than a half dollar, should be opened near the edge with a
needle which has been passed through a flame. The serum should be
pressed out and the parts protected by a piece of gutta-percha that
has been disinfected with some antiseptic solution; this covering
keeps the dressings from sticking, thus avoiding the destruction of
the new-forming tissues.

3. When the tissues are injured in the more severe burns, the
surrounding flesh is carefully disinfected with boracic-acid solution,
and the same dressing applied as described for the "blister burns."
Balsam Peru is a healing balm for burns of this classification.

If a child's clothes catch on fire he is instantly to be thrown on the
floor and any heavy woolen fabric, such as a curtain, table spread,
blanket, or rug, is to be thrown over him (beginning at the neck) and
the flames thus smothered. The clothing is now cut off, and if more
than one-third of the body is burned the child should be taken to the
hospital for constant care; and if more than one-half of the body is
injured recovery is doubtful. Great care should be taken in keeping
the unburned portion of the body warm, as there is a great tendency
for the child to become very cold as he weakens from both the nervous
shock and from the absorption of toxins.

Acid chemical burns are treated with baking soda, except in the case
of carbolic acid (misnamed), which is treated with alcohol; alkaline
chemical burns are dressed in vinegar or lemon juice compresses.

Methods for restoring the drowned should be understood by every man,
woman, and youth. These methods are more fully taken up in works
devoted to emergencies and will not be discussed in detail at this
time.

FAINTING

Consciousness is quickly restored to the fainting child by lowering
the head--laying him flat on the floor--while an assistant raises the
legs perpendicularly. Cold dashes of water may be slapped on the chest
with a towel, while the face is bathed or sprinkled with cold water.
Consciousness is usually quickly restored by the above suggestions, in
connection with plenty of fresh air.

A sudden blow on the head occasionally results in a severe condition
known as concussion of the brain. There is a partial or complete loss
of consciousness lasting from a few moments to an hour or two. Pallor
of the skin and a sense of bewilderment accompany concussion of the
brain.

Rest, quiet, and darkness should prevail until the physician arrives
and makes an examination. External heat to the extremities may be
applied, but no stimulants are to be administered until so ordered by
the physician.

It is wise to seek medical advice in the case of odd or unusual
behavior after a fall on the head.

CHAPTER XXXV

DIET AND NUTRITION

Most interesting is the study of the food as it passes through the
processes of digestion, absorption, assimilation, and oxidation--all
definite and important parts of the great cycle through which
everything we eat passes on its way from the table to the tissues.
Elimination is the last step in nutrition, and is the process by which
the body rids itself of the broken down cells and other poisonous and
useless wastes. These various phases of bodily nutrition may be
expressed in a single term--metabolism.

What we eat and how much we eat must be carefully planned, for our
body temple is really made of what we eat. If you were erecting a
beautiful mansion you would not think of allowing cheap, trashy, and
inferior building materials to enter into the construction of your
home. Neither should you permit unfit and inferior materials to become
a part of the daily dietary of your little boy or girl, thus to become
a part of their bodily structure.

ASSIMILATION OF FOOD

Following the process of digestion in the stomach and intestine, the
nutritive food elements are absorbed through the wall of the bowel by
the wonderfully adapted little villus, and distributed by various
routes to the uttermost parts of the body. The sugars (all starches
are changed into sugar) are carried in the portal blood stream to the
liver, where they are actually stored away in the form of glycogen
which, in a most intelligent manner, is dealt out to the body from
hour to hour as it is needed for fuel. If all the sugar, after a
hearty meal, were poured into the circulation at once, the blood
stream would be overwhelmed and the kidneys would be forced to
excrete it in the urine. This unnecessary waste is avoided by the
liver's storing sugar after each meal and dealing it out to the body
as required.

Likewise, the proteins also pass through the liver on their way to the
body. Just what action the liver exerts upon proteins is not wholly
known at the present writing. The digested fats are absorbed at once
by the lacteals, the beginning of the intestinal lymphatic system, by
which they are carried to the large veins at the root of the neck and
there emptied into the blood stream. We have now traced our various
food elements through the processes of digestion and absorption in the
alimentary tract, some going through the liver, and others through the
lymphatic system, until they circulate in the blood stream itself.

It is from these food substances, circulating in the blood stream,
that the various cells of the body must assimilate into themselves
such portions as they require for purposes of heat and energy and for
the repair of their cell substance. This specialized work of cell
assimilation converts the dissolved watery food in the blood into
solid tissues, exactly reversing the process of digestion.

With a most profound intelligence, each of these body cells and
tissues, bone and nerve fiber, muscle and organ, selects from the
blood stream just its supply or portion of the food elements requisite
to its upbuilding and maintenance. The mysteries of assimilation are
effected by means of chemical substances called "enzymes," similar to
those found in the digestive organs, but acting in an entirely
different manner, in that they build up solids out of liquids instead
of converting solids into liquids.

ELIMINATION OF BODY WASTES

Metabolism consists of a twofold role--an upbuilding and a tearing
down process. After the food is all digested, absorbed, and
assimilated, having become a part of the bodily organ, bone, muscle,
and nerve fiber, then begins the work of tearing it down--of
liberating its heat and energy--to be followed by its elimination
from the body through the sweat glands, uriniferous tubules of the
kidneys, etc. The carbohydrates (starches and sugars), together with
the fats, are completely burned up in the body and are then eliminated
in the form of water (thrown off through the sweat) and carbonic acid
gas given up by the lungs.

The proteins, or nitrogenous foods, are not so completely burned up in
the body. The ashes which result from their combustion are not simple
substances like the water and CO_{2} of the carbohydrates. This
protein ash is represented by a number of complicated substances, some
of which are solid (protein clinkers), which accumulate in the body
and help to bring about many diseases, such as gout, headache,
fatigue, biliousness, etc.

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