As for poisons, it is assumed that the motor camper will not carry with him the more violently poisonous disinfectants, such as carbolic acid, corrosive sublimate or even formaldehyde. The limit in the disinfectant line should be a can or two of chloride of lime. Some of the household cleaning and polishing materials contain poisons such as oxalic acid. Carbon tetrachloride and chloroform are frequently mixed with gasoline for cleaning purposes. This sort of a fluid is not inflammable when properly prepared, but may cause anesthesia. The most dangerous poisons to have about the camp are white [[131]]arsenic, which is found in fly poisons and rodent poisons, and Paris green, which is used to poison various plant pests such as potato bugs. The motor camper, however, will not be likely to suffer exposure to these poisons.
It is the children that most frequently get poisoned, and on a camping tour they are most likely to get poisoned by things found in the woods or near the camp. The most common source of poisoning is the poison ivy. This is sometimes very painful, but seldom dangerous to life. Pokeberries are said by some authorities to be poisonous, but in some sections of the country poor people gather them and use them as filling for pies, the same as elderberries, without any apparent ill results. In some regions the deadly nightshade, with its attractive but very poisonous purple berries, is fairly plentiful, and when eaten by children, as it sometimes is, proves quickly fatal.
When you have reason to suppose that any one has been poisoned by something that has been eaten, lose no time, but proceed at once to take steps to expel the poison from the victim’s system. Effective emetics are mustard and warm water (one tablespoonful of mustard to a quart of water), salt and water, ipecac and water (one teaspoonful of ipecac to a quart of water), or even warm water. If you have no warm water at hand, give cold water to dilute the poison till you can heat warm water. If neither warm nor cold water is available immediately, vomiting may be induced by thrusting a finger [[132]]down the patient’s throat. Give from two to four glasses of fluid to dilute the poison. Milk, tea, soda water, will do if no plain water is at hand. About ten minutes after the vomiting has been produced, give another dose of emetic to make sure that the poison is out of the system.
The treatment is slightly different in the case of acid and alkaline poisons. Alkali is neutralized by acid and vice versa. For instance, suppose the baby drinks a bowl of lye water (alkali), dilute vinegar or lemon juice in water and make him drink as much of it as possible. An acid usually becomes comparatively harmless as soon as neutralized by an alkali. Nevertheless, the system should be cleansed by a good purgative. Castor oil is effective. Since both acids and alkalis are harmful to the interior of the stomach, some other substance should be taken after the antidote. Milk, oil, white of eggs, flour and water may be used. There are a few exceptions to milk and oil, but it is always safe to give whites of eggs in any kind of poisoning. Stir the whites of four eggs into a quart of water. Make the patient drink it all, if you can.
The fumes of ammonia may be useful in the case of acid poisoning, as they will tend to neutralize any acid that may have entered the respiratory tract. Always put the ammonia on a handkerchief or piece of cloth, and give only enough to relieve the patient.
In case the hands and feet of the patient become cold, the lips turn blue, or cold perspiration appears on the forehead, put him to bed. Cover him up [[133]]warmly, use hot water bottles, and give him a cup of strong tea or coffee as hot as it can be taken.
Where poisonous mushrooms have been eaten, as is sometimes done by children, or where there is ptomaine poisoning from bad food, the use of emetics is not advised, although their use can do little harm, and sometimes the poison may not have yet passed beyond the reach of such a remedy. As a rule, however, the symptoms of these vegetable poisons, as they usually are, will not appear in acute form until the poisoning agent has passed into the lower digestive tract. Then about the only thing to do is to give large and repeated doses of Epsom salts to drive the poison down and out of the system as soon as possible.
The above suggestions are not intended to take the place of treatment by a skilled physician, but they are for emergency use by the motor camper who cannot be reached quickly by any physician.