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.”