Harper's Household Handbook: A guide to easy ways of doing woman's work

by Martha McCulloch-Williams

Gas Leaks: Open doors and windows, let accumulations blow out, then hunt for the broken pipe—not with a lamp or candle—and clap on it when found either a blanket of putty or flour dough wet very stiff. Tie in place with broad tape, then wrap with a cloth so as to withstand pressure. But first of all call for the repair man. With a leak undiscoverable, shut off from the rest of the house and leave windows wide open.

Asphyxiation: Whether from gas or drowning, lay flat, the head a little higher; permit no crowding; resort to artificial respiration—lifting the arms and pressing on the chest systematically, holding the tongue out all the while; rub with alcohol, especially feet and hands; keep in air, and work gently but quickly. In cases of drowning, empty lungs of water first thing by laying face down over a bench or barrel and working the arms.

Fainting: Lay flat, the head lower than the body, loosen clothes, especially about the neck, dash cold water gently in the face, hold ammonia under nostrils, rub wrists and temples with camphor or cologne water, and if the faint persists put mustard at the back of the neck and to the soles of the feet. Insensibility from shock or falling needs slightly different treatment. It may mean concussion; hence, let the head be highest and apply vigorous friction along the spine as well as to the extremities. Stimulate as soon as swallowing is possible, and move with caution.

Burns: Anything which excludes air without tainting the wound or irritating it further helps a bad burn. Carron oil—a creamy mixture of lime water and sweet oil—applied with a feather, then covered with cotton, either batting or absorbent, gives a measure of relief and is also healing. Soft old linen coated with fresh egg-white laid on and allowed to dry soothes pain. Even a covering with dry flour, if nothing else is handy, is better than leaving the burn bare. But if at all serious, or even is shallow and wide spread, call a doctor instantly, meantime keeping up heart action with stimulants in small doses often repeated.

Breaks and Dislocations: Lay a broken bone straight in a natural position upon a stout cardboard splint shaped to the limb and covered with cotton batting. Bandage limb and splint firmly together, working toward the trunk and keeping the bandage smooth but not too tight. Wet with arnica. This keeps down pain and inflammation, making the surgeon’s work when he arrives easier for himself and his patient. Reduce dislocations as quickly as possible by stretching the hurt joint steadily and letting another person manipulate the hurt. Often the bone head will snap back in place at a touch; it remains then only to keep it in place. An hour’s delay would mean swelling to render the replacing much harder. Wrist and elbow joints in particular are kittle cattle if left to swell. First aid to them means many times preserving use and saving from lifelong disfigurement. But this first aid by no means suffices to make surgical care unnecessary.

Sprains and Strains: Bandage tight, wet the bandages with cold water, and hold in an easy position. A sprained or strained ankle may be almost cured by plunging it into running water and keeping it there some time. Lift out occasionally, then replunge. Strains require rest and bandages. Wet the bandages with arnica. If there is muscle shrinkage later, rub morning and night with chloroform liniment after bathing with hot water and wiping dry.

Chloroform Poisoning: Keep in motion in open air, dose with aromatic spirits of ammonia well diluted, and hold it undiluted to nostrils. Apply electricity to spine; this if conscious. If fallen into a stupor put ice to spine and top of head, hot water to feet, give hard friction with alcohol, or camphor on legs and arms. Use artificial respiration and stimulate gently. Friction or a mustard plaster over the heart is helpful. Let nothing bind or constrict anywhere, and do not cease your efforts at the first signs of lessening stupor.

Narcotic Poisoning: For laudanum, morphine, or opium the treatment is the same. First a strong emetic—mustard and water as thick as pea soup is among the best. Follow it with black coffee as strong as possible. Give all the patient can be made to swallow at short intervals, keep him walking briskly, stripped to the waist, dash ice water on the spine, and tie ice to the back of the neck. Flagellate lightly on shoulders; the tingles help to rouse. Hold aromatic ammonia to his nose every half minute. If the coffee nauseates, give clear hot water after to make vomiting easy, then after ten minutes more coffee not quite so strong. Permit no stop for several hours; if excretories act properly the danger will then have been past. Electricity is useful, but not indispensable. In desperate cases use every means at hand.

Acid Poisoning: Emollients are the antidotes for acids; emetics wrench and tear seared stomach tissues. No matter what the acid—sulphuric, carbolic, nitric, or oxalic—give something soft and smooth—raw eggs, cream, starch wet as thick as cream, melted lard or butter, olive oil, or even flour and water, followed after a few minutes with magnesia stirred thick in tepid water. Let the patient rest easily, hold ammonia to the nostrils, and put hot-water bags to the feet. Aim to keep up vitality under the shock to vital tissues. In such cases a minute means often the difference between life and death.

Iodine Poison: Use emollients—the very best is thick cooked starch; it has a specific power to neutralize the drug. Olive oil is next best; it protects the coating of the stomach. But use anything above named rather than nothing. To let a case of poison go by default is against reason and humanity.