FOOTNOTE:
[B] The full list of remedies, with explanatory notes, is given in the [Ready Reference List] at the end of this book.
CHAPTER VII
Safety First
“WE girls get our second lesson before you boys do!” declared little Soami to her brother Ibee at the lunch table the next day.
“I bet you don’t have as much fun as we do!” answered Ibee.
“What is the next lesson about?” asked their father.
“It’s about Safety First,” replied Ibee. “I know that.”
“Yes,” agreed Soami, “but,” glancing at the clock, “I’ll be late to class if I don’t hurry. Mother, will you excuse me?”
Her mother nodded and smiled, and Soami left hastily.
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“Well, girls,” began Miss Helpem, “to-day we have a more serious time, for we’re going to learn, in Lesson II, What to Do in Case of Slight Cuts and Pin Pricks; Slight Burns and Scalds; Frost Bites.
“Now, as you know, almost every accident could be avoided if we thought ahead far enough; if we did not let the knife or needle slip; if we did not allow little children to carry scalding hot water or lighted lamps, or to play with matches; if we looked up and down the street before crossing. Yes, almost all accidents are avoidable if we think far enough ahead—if we think ‘Safety First.’”
Miss Helpem paused.
“All ordinary everyday accidents,” she went on, “if treated rightly, will give but slight trouble; but if not treated rightly may bring much suffering to the victim, and even cause ‘blood poisoning’ and death.
“Well, Girls, To-day We Have a More Serious Time”
“So you see how necessary it is to understand ‘What to Do.’
“Now, these serious dangers do not come from the slight accidents themselves, but because of uncleanliness.”
Again the assistant nurse paused, and she could not help smiling at the look of astonishment on the faces of her girl dolls.
“It is true, girls,” she continued; “cleanliness is the rarest thing in the world, and I will tell you why: because everywhere about us, in the dust, in the air, on our clothing, on our hands, in standing water, on the floor, on the ground—everywhere, even though we cannot see them, are