The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-21
HEALTH NOTES.
A Very Common Delusion Which
Is Mere MOOnshine.
Treatment of Small Wounds-A Snuff for
Nasal Catarrh-Preparation of Chill
dren's Drinking Water-The Sick
Room-Infant Apparel.

Room-Infant Apparel.
In contemporary there recently APP
peared a highly sensational item about
"a ferOciOuS cat" ct sucks the breath
of Beverly child with nearly fatal re-
suits" 1t appears that little girl was
found asleep with cat lying on it's
breast with its head close to her mouth
sucking her breath" 1.-The cat was
driven off and the little one tainted
away, and it was feared that she would
die" OF all the delusions which pos
sess mankind-and there are almost as
many as there are grains of sand-this
is one Of the most absurd. We are liv-
ing in what is called the enlightened
age, but such a yarn as this, reported
with an air of credulity, bellies the fact.
There is absolutely no foundation for
the delusion it is pure and simple moon
shine. baby might sleep with era
die full of cats without fear of losing it's
breath. AS far as the danger from them
Is concerned, cats are as harmless as
dogs, and every one knows that the
latter are common bedfellows of
children. A good, clean, healthy
dog or cat would not by sleeping with
it, threaten the health of child, any
more than would it's little brother or
sister. These animals are, of course,
liable to diseases not easily detected by
their owners; they are also often the
the carriers of infectious disease.
Again, they throw off impurities in the
breath and through the skin, as do the
highest order of animals. The sleeping
room of the average child is too small,
and does not hold pure air enough for
him alone: and SO another occupant,
be it child or dog or cat, would
have an unhealthy infiuence-one would
be as bad as either of the others. For
these reasons it is not we'll to allow
pets to sleep with children, and for none
other. The cat lay on the chest of the
Beverly child. The little ones breath
ing, in consequence of the pressure, be-
came lahorious. Beyond all doubt
frightful dreams were also induced
In one of them the child is suddenly
likely it did faint away; it would not
have been surprising had CONFUSION
come on. Assuredly there is nothing
mysterious in this case, and the symp-
toms were but the natural result of the
cause: only very little common sense
is needed to plainly trace one to the
other. But superstition and common
sense are incompatible; and when
they occur together superstition has the
call.
A small cut is often held to be too
trif1ing for treatment, and so is practi-
cally neglected. A small wound upon
the hands, as one made by pin, some
times proves very dangerous, as appears
from the following case, the facts of
which were developed at coroner's in
quest in London recently: 1t was shown
by the evidence that the deceased and
his sweetheart were, as the latter said,
''larlIing," when she happened to scratch
his thumb. He disregarded the scratch,
which festered and resulted in blood
poisoning. He was admitted to the
hospital, became delirious, and died four
days later Death was due to blood
poisoning following the wound in the
thumb. The jury returned verdict of
accidental death" Fortunately, such
cases as this are very rare. The hands
OF every one come in contact with sub
stances which are more or less poison
ous An unbroken skin on any part of
the body is very decided barrier to alb
sorption, and that on the hands. thick
ened and hardened, is especially i'm
penetrable. The bodies of victims of
certain maladies are in the most intense
degree poisonous, and hence are danger
Gus to touch unless care is used
In making autopsies on such, if
there is hangnail on either of the
fingers. or the skin is otherwise broken,
unless some especial precautlon is taken,
bloOd-poisoning is very likely to result
in consequence of the absorption of the
fluids. But while the skin remains in
tact there is little or no danger of such
results. Physicians before making au-
topsies, and students before dissection,
generally paint any little scratches,
hang-nails, ETC., with collodion, and
afterward lubricate the hands we'll with
sweet oil or some other oily agent,
which closes the pores in the skin and
obviates the danger of absorption. If
they cut or prick their hands while at
work they rush at once to the sink, has
tily wash the parts, and then, unless the
wound is bleeding freely, suck the same.
If water is not handy for washing, a
bas.y wipe is all that is done before the
lips are applied to the wound. Under
those con litions the prick of a needle is
the most dangerous, for by that means
the poison is carried in deeply, and the
wound, being very small, closes tightly
and shuts in the same. Ordinarily a
person receiving scratch from pin or
needle, or other small wound from a
much-used instrument, will do we'll to
battle it thoroughly in very hot water,
and afterward, until it is healed, keep
on some simple ointment or salve, so as
to obviate any danger of poisonous alb
sorption while handling foods which
have become tainted, or other suspicious
substances,