Blistered Skin. To dress.—Puncture the lower part with a clean instrument and catch the fluid on absorbent cotton. Dress it with oxide of zinc ointment or vaselin on lint or clean linen and strap on. It is best not to remove the skin from a blister at the first dressing.
[636 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]
HOW TO DETERMINE THE DOSE FOR CHILDREN.
We have endeavored to always give the dose throughout this book as we recognized the lack of accurate and detailed information regarding the administering of medicines as one of the weak features in practically all home medical books. If we have overlooked a few instances we wish to provide for such omissions by giving the table of doses generally used by nurses as a basis for determining the dose of any medicine she may be using for a particular age.
Rule usually followed.—For children under twelve years of age. Make a fraction. Use the age of the child for the upper number, numerator. The number below the line, denominator, is twelve, added to the age of the child. For example: If your child is two years old you would begin by placing two as numerator, thus 2/, then you add 2 + 12 = 14 and place 14 below the line and you have 2/14 or 1/7. You then take 1/7 of the adult dose for your two-year-old child. If the dose for an adult is 21 drops, a child of two years is given 3 drops, etc.
DOSE IN DROPS FOR DIFFERENT AGES.
If the dose is a spoonful or 60 drops for an adult, the other doses would be correct for the ages given below:
21 and over 60 drops
15 years about 33 drops A few more or less if robust or weakly
12 " " 30 drops "
10 " " 27 drops "
8 " " 24 drops "
6 " " 20 drops "
5 " " 17 drops "
4 " " 15 drops "
3 " " 12 drops "
2 " " 8 drops "
1 " " 4 drops "
Exceptions to this rule are calomel and castor oil, when half an adult dose can be given between 12 and 18.
Opium is dangerous to children and old people and should be administered by a physician or trained nurse.