The morning call., 1893-01-08

LOT LDem 10 StCOp, ana the HdJOTlly VI
women usually have gloves on, or they have
no convenient place to put the pins when
they collect them. But man, when he
sees pin, will almostinvariahly stoOp, often
without realizing what he is doing, rescue
the estray and weave it carefully into the
lapel OF his coat
And yet there Is no small act Of daily life
so fraught with danger to its perpetrat0r.
unless it may be that other imbecility COM
mon to both men and women, the putting
of small coins into the mouth. One can
never tell to what use that pin was last put
1t may have fastened a bandage TO some
malignant and poisonous wound.
1t may have he'd together the garments
of some being suffering from contagious
disease. 1t may even have been thrust into
some unpleasant sore or other that some
unfortunate was afflicted with / saw
man in streetcar once picking away at
dreadful looking ulcer on the back of his
hand with common brass pin. which ne
aiterward threw upon the floor. l made
sure no one would pick that pin up again
by setting it upright under my heel and
bending 1t double. Even an old maid, who
is supposed to have prediction for
crooked pins, could have found no possible
use for that one.
/ have seen plenty of people use these
useful articles in attending 10 the annoying
little sebaceous disfgurements that so often
appear on the face but nothing could be
which the pin is made Ia poisonous and the
result Of using one is almost inevitably the
production OF disfiguring and painful
eruption.
Equally harmful, too, Is the practice of
pinching the face to remove these same an
D0yances. This sort of treatment, by
bruisiDg the surrounding tissues, is very
liable to inlure other pores and cause
further oxidation and hardening of the
sebaceous matter. thesunforuDate cause of
these unpleasant spots. When they appear
the only thing to Go is 10 take fine needle
and inserting the point close TO the little
speck, gently cut all round it with slight
burrowing motion. When this is carefully
done the little black 0ffense can DO lifted
out ON the point of the needle, which
should afterward be either destroyed
or carefully cleansed by dipping in
little carbolized water Attention
to just such trifles as this would do
much toward rendering physicians less
necessary than they now are. The use of
pins rs have Indicated is not always pro-
duetive Of harm, and this fact makes people
careless who know better. | was once
driving with a lady who, just before we
started out noticing tiny pmpie on her
chin. PICKED up pin and proceeded to open
1t. | demonstrated, wherenpon she laugh
ingly replied, "Oh, that's nothing; I've
dhne ii lots of times" The next day her
chin was very sore, and for four weeks
thereafter she lay In bed dangerously ILL., her
life despaired OF. and she undergoing tor
lures nnspeakable from the terrible blood
poisoning that resulted from her apparently
innocent little operation.
| referred awhile back to the putting of
coins in the mouth. One would suppose
enough has been written and said upon this
subject to render il impossible for any intel
ligent person ever to make that dangerous
mistake; yet only day or two ago l saw
an elegantly dressed gentleman with kid
gloves upon his hands transfer the coin
with which he contemplated paving his car
fare from his fingers TO his mouth while be
opened his newspaper and folded Ii to get
at the particular column OF news he was
interested in. Considering the number of
hands through which such small coin
passes in the course of a day, the chances
of its being free from possible contagious
and injurious matter are very slim indeed
1t is not ignorance, however, but thought
lessness that causes most people to offend
against prudence in these regards. / was
once sitting in a physicians Office where
two young men were awaiting the advent
of a companion who was eioseted with the
doctor. These two young men amused them
selves by walking restlessly about the apart
ment, examining and handling everything
that attracted their attention. Presently
one of them happened upon some pointed
bits Of quilts, like unsplit pens, that were
in covered glass cup on cabinet. These
they examined, and finally each took one
l saw them afterward by the window pick
ing their teeth with them, but not until
their companion had joined them and they
had all taken their departure did discover
that what they had used as toothpicks were
vaccine points. The doctor told ME. a few
weeks after. that one of the poor fellows
had had a dreadful time. the other having
been so fortunate as TO escape scratching
his gums with the point
How often do you see one good fellow
carelessly reach forward and take a cigar
or cigarette from between another good fell
lows lips, and. holding it in his fingers.
light his own :" '1oke" thereat. A simple
enough thing, dene every day. yet many
fatal result physicians tell us has been traced
to just this source. recall case Of lupus
in hospital that cost a young man his upper
lip through his good nature in allowing a
friend TO take his cigar in his liberated and
bandaged hand in order To light pipe. He
was greatly mystified when tho attending
physician seeking to trace the source of the
evil inquired particularly whether he had
ever given a light to any acquaintance who
had sores on his hands. and, when upon re-
Election he recalled the occasion when he
had done so. he could even then scarcely be
convinced that his sufferngs were traceable
to that little act of courtesy.
The lips are peculiarly susceptible TO poj
son OF every sort. as there are frequently
fine cracks and scratches in the skin thereof
through which deleterious matter is readily
absorbed. The smoker who wishes to feel
secure from contagion should smoke pine
or use a holder. CarelesSness in small mat
tiers like this are a frequent cause of trouble.
A physician told me recently of a number
of cases that had resulted fatally or nearly
so from such an apparent trifie ss using a
m edicne dropper for measuring dose of
medicine before the dropper had been thor
oughly cleansed from all traces of a former
using In different remedy. 1t is hard for
the lay mind TO understand that two sub
stances. each practically harmless in itself,
may combine to form another capable OF
doing deadly mischief. These come under
the head OF what in medical parlance are
called "incompatibles," and there Is a not
inconslderable list of them.
Perhaps il is in the handling Of medicines
and chemicals that people are more thought
less and careless than in any other one
thing. They Will pour medicines from one
bottle into another, not remembering to
change the labels. They will pour dose
from bottle and administer ii TO child or
take IL themselves without ever looking at
the label One can scarcely pick up
paper nowadays without reading of child
being killed or nearly killed by fond
mother or nurse administering dose of
carbolc acid instead of the cough syrup
Intended to be given. Somehow 1t always
seems TO be carb0lic acid that the poor in
fants get. though one would suppose that
the smell of that substance would be ample
warning to even the most careless of
handlers The people who are over-careful
with. poisOns are almost as bad as those
who are careless. They bring home a
bottle OF corrosive sublimate, labeled and
wrapped, and put 1t on the top shelf of the
linen closet or In the bottom bureau drawer
or some other OF the places where children
are sure to rummage whenever they get
chance, and there they leave il until the in
quistive little ones discover. Ii and inyesti.
gate its contents. Whenever poison Is TO
be kent In bOusQ WHARF thora h a oh;Ia