FOOTNOTES:

[C] Sterile gauze is cheesecloth which has been so treated that it is free of germs and is very absorbent. It is sold at all drug stores. It should be kept closely wrapped, and the surface should never be touched with the hands before it is placed on a wound.

If you do not have sterile gauze, keep old linen or cotton cloth (which has been well washed and ironed) in glass jars, which have been boiled and dried in the air without wiping.

[D] Soldiers on active service carry iodine to be applied to wounds immediately, if possible—to kill germs. Iodine is a poison if swallowed, so be careful not to leave it within the reach of small children.

[E] Important Note.—Dressings are everything applied to a wounded or sore surface. A compress is the dressing which is placed directly upon the wound. It is usually made of clean new gauze. A bandage is the dressing which holds the compress (or other dressings) in place.

Compresses are used to—

CHAPTER VIII
Practice Games

“THAT is all the lecture part of to-day’s lesson,” smiled Miss Helpem. “Now, for the practice.”

She made a gesture toward Shesa Brave, who came forward, and together they lifted before the class the tiny medicine cabinet which Mary Frances’ Aunt Maria had given her for her Dolls’ Hospital.

“Let me see,” said Miss Helpem. “Yes, we have everything here, I believe. Girls, you may all come look.”

The dolls—I mean, girls—gathered around the little glass closet and compared the labeled bottles and packages with the list given them in the previous lesson.

They were delighted with the beautiful cleanliness of the closet—its bright glass door and white shelves and shining enamel frame.

“Now,” continued Miss Helpem, “please divide into groups of two. That will make five groups. We will play that one girl in each group is the mother, and the other her child. The child has cut her hand while slicing bread. Mothers, what will you do? What will be your first-aid treatment?”

Mary Frances—I mean, Miss Helpem—was delighted with the girls’ answers and with the way in which they sought out the iodine bottle, and wrapped the supposed injury with narrow gauze.

Wrapped the Supposed Injury With Narrow Gauze

“In the next practice game, the ‘child’ acts as mother and ‘mother’ as ‘child,’” said the assistant nurse. “This time the ‘child’s’ clothing has caught fire from a spark which snapped out of the fireplace.”

The girls laughed.

The nurse smiled. “Girls,” she said, “these games may make you feel like laughing, but please keep in mind how serious the real accident would be, and try to learn what to do. You will be so much better able to live useful lives.”

You see, Mary Frances didn’t quite remember that they were only dolls. Even so, they have served a very useful purpose if they only teach the readers of this book some of their lessons.

“Ready, now, for practice,” said the nurse. “Girl No. 2 of each group is to act as a little daughter whose frock has caught fire.”

The girls remembered not to run, and “pretended” to smother out the flames.

“That was so well done,” said Miss Helpem, “that no one was severely burned, so we’ll merely have to treat for slight burns.”

The “mother” girl from each group went to Shesa Brave for carron oil, which she applied on gauze compresses to imaginary hurt fingers.

Then they reversed parts again, and played the “child” had frosted her fingers. The “mother” girls rubbed the fingers with imaginary snow, gradually restoring the circulation of the blood in the “frozen” parts.

Throughout all their fun the girls acted in a serious, purposeful manner.

“I’m not so certain that boys would ‘play in earnest,’” said Miss Helpem to Shesa.

“I think they would,” replied the young girl. “I’m certain Ibee is just as interested as Soami,” which pleased the assistant nurse more than I can tell you.

CHAPTER IX
The Hikers

THE assistant nurse had very little time for the next lesson in the boys’ class, so she gave them only notes in the morning, promising the practice games at four o’clock in the afternoon. After telling them of this plan, she began the lesson.

“Probably you boys have never thought of the fact that the little pipes and larger tubes which carry the blood may be broken under the skin,” Miss Helpem said. “When the blood gathers in dark purplish spots underneath the unbroken skin, you have what is called a bruise or contusion.

Bruises (Contusions)
(See [Reference List])

“Black and blue” spots which result from bleeding under the skin are caused by falls or blows, or pinching (as in door or window).

Treatment:

Apply cold water or ice wrapped in a cloth, or an ice bag, or bathe with half water and half alcohol, or witch hazel, or arnica.

If an arm or finger, hold up over the head.

If severe, after the pain and swelling have lessened, use hot applications, wringing cloths out of hot water, changing them as they cool, or use a hot-water bag.

For “black eye,” bathe with ice-cold water, or use cloths wrung out of water as hot as can be borne.

Massage gently for discoloration.

Note.—Never open a blood blister—apply hot water.

Sprains
(See [Reference List])

should be treated as soon as possible by a physician, but while waiting for the doctor, use cold water applications. If cold water does not relieve the pain in an hour’s time, try hot water.

Do not attempt to use the sprained joint.

Stings and Bites of Insects
(See [Reference List])

For stings of bees and bites of spiders, apply any of the following list:

Miss Helpem paused. “While we are thinking about insects,” she said, “I wish to speak of—