The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-26
THE STATESMAN.
AUSTIN. TEXAS.
HOME. FARM AND RANCH.
How to Deal with Minor Injuries.

How to Deal with Minor Injuries.
The old pr verb, accidents viii
happen" is exemplified daily in every
household, and every child should be
taught how to take prompt and
proper measures to remedy the mis-
chief, and to keep perfectly cool, no
matter what may happen, preserving
self-control and presence of mind.
When accidents occur, it will only
add to the confusion if you rush
wildly about and scream. Prompt
action and perfect quiet are then
called for. Every mistress of a house
should have basket, or bureau or
closet drawer filled with necessary
articles with which to remedy the
every day injuries to which all flesh
is liable, and learn how to apply
them. There should be rolls of old
linen and cotton, parts of old flannel
garments with the buttons cut off, a
pair of scissors, three or four needles
of different sizes, threaded with cot
ton, a little lint, some wide tape for
ligatures, some old gloves to afford
scots" for sore fingers, a bottle of
arnica tincture, Il roll of sticking
plaster, another of belladonna plaster
and arnica plaster, some court plaster,
a box OF vaseline, bundle of ground
faxseed and oil meal for poultices,
some ground slippery elm, and box
of simple cerate (made by simmering
beeswax and sweet oil tOgether) a
bottle of aqua ammonia, one of cam
phor and one of laudanum. With
these articles close at hand, any one
who possesses Self-control and decis-
ion of character sufficient to control
the nervous system will be able to
dress at least OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
of all kinds, cuts and bruises, burns
and scalds, or stings Of insects.
Cuts must be treated according to
their position and severity. Ii fin
ger or toe is cut, battle or immerse it
in cold water until the blood ceases
to flow, washing out all dirt or bits of
foreign substances that have entered
the cut. If it is deep, notice how the
blood flows; if it is dark and ooZeS
slowly from the cut, only a vein is
severed, and it is not serious but will
soon heal if kept from the air. But |
if it is of bright scarlet hue and |
spurts out in jets, an artery is severed |
and a doctor must be called at once. |
Meanwhile a ligature must be tied |
above the wound, and the thumb |
pressed down and held upon the |
artery to prevent loss OF blood. If |
the skin gapes from a cut, draw the |
edges together, apply a piec- of sti Tx
ing plaster over the whole surface, |
and put the finger or thumb OF kid |
glove over the finger if it is the in
jured part. If in a little while the |
wound throbS painfully, cover it |
thickly with yaSeline with a few |
drops of laudanum stirred into it, |
and, if needful, from severe infam- |
nation, put on,a poultice OF flaXseed
boiled in little water with IL few |
drops of laudanum. But vaseline |
alone possesses great healing powers
for all kinds of wounds, boils, infiam |
nations and abrasions of the skin.
AS long as the first dressing of |
cut remains tirm, and does not throb |
or burn, it should not be touched. |
An outer clean cloth can be added, |
but let the inner one alone until the |
wound is healed.
Cuts on the head are apt to be dam
gerous and require much care. The
hair should be cut off all around, and
arnica plaster put directly over the
wound.
A burn is usually more serious
than a scald; it is more likely to
prove dangerous on the chest and
body than on the limbs and face.
Common cooking "saleratus" (bicar-
burns and scalds. Wet the powder to
a paste, and spread all over the in
jured surface, cover with damp
cloth, and keep it moistened until all
pain has disappeared. 1t will rarely
blister if this is applied at once, and
the inner wrapping is not removed
for twelve hours or more. n six
months old baby once dipped its fin
gers into cupful of boiling tea, turn
ing over the cup upon the hand. Sal
eratus was at once applied, and the
scald kept tightly covered, and the
cloth moistened for hours, the follow
ing morning there was no soreness in
the hand and only a little redness to
be seen.
If the clothes catch fire, wrap a
coat, rug, a table-cloth, or blanket
any wooden material = directly
around the person. who should be
made to lie on the floor, and let the
flames be smothered by the wrap
pings. There would De few fatal in
juries from the clothes catching fire.
if the person would lie down and
press out the flames with any wooden
material. Exclude the air. and the
flames must die.
If blisters are formed by burns or
scalds. dress them with vaseline. and
keep them from the air, not opening
the bandages oftener than once a day.
Country Gentleman.