The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-06-27
A Safe and Sane
Fourth of July.

FOURTH OF july.
The health bulletin issued by the
state board of health is advocating a
safe and sane Fourth Of July, The
Lord helps those who help them
selves
But It is not to be expected that
those who deliberately transgress the
laws of Nature. either through ig-
norance or wilfully. are likely to es-
cape the consequences.
Mothers allow their young children
to play in the crowded street and
blame the automobile driver for the
sad result that calls for little white
casket- Men and women trife with
or neglect their sanitary surroundings
and their friends lament the untimely
and premature ending of a useful ca
reer. The fault is not with our stars,
but with ourselves, that we are sickly
underlings and that we do not live out
the years we think we are entitled
to.
It has taken many years of sad
experience to teach us the dangers at
tending the promiscuous use of fire.
arms and fireworks on or about the
Fourth of July and even yet only a
few OF US have a sufficiently vivid
realization of these dangers to consist
emily avoid them The nationwide
call for a safe and sane celebration
of that day. has lessened the old time
harvest of death, but it hasn't stopped
it-not yet.
The two principal classes Of suffer-
ers from these patriotic excuses are
the small boy. ranging in years from
ten or twelve up to forty and fifty,
and the innocent bystander." The
first of these Is the aggressor and the
one that has made the Fourth dan
gerous. The second can't help him
self. For the first it is hardly fair to
call these happenings accidental, for
every boy knows the risk and dares
It because he honestly believes he is
smart enough to escape damage. It
would almost appear that the real &C
cident occurs when nothing happens
and no one is hurt
1t is likely that so long as fireworks
are manufactured and so long as the
small boy can finance the situation. he
will continue to blow off a few fin
gers, fill his skin with powder and
MAIN the innocent bystander for many
Fourths to come. And so, as the sit
uation seems inevitable 1t is we'll to
be prepared in advance to render first
aid TO the injured, or at least to know
in advance what to do when such
accidents come.
caused by exploding fireworks are
likely to produce tetanus. resulting, in
it's final development, in lockjaw. The
horrors OF death from this cause are
similar to these of rabies, wherein the
patient IS conscious to the end, suffer
ing excruciating agony.
Tetanus usually develops in from
six to eight days after injury. Fol
lowing this the disease speeds rapidly
to its conclusion. and the time for
treatment Is before tetanus has the
chance TO develop. The danger is in
the delay in getting treatment. pre-
ventive treatment.
The only reasonably certain proven
tive known is the anti-tetanic serum
use OF which has so largely reduced
the development Of tetanus that its
failure IS the exception. Its admins
tration requires the services of the
physician. but every doctor in these
days is prepared to give this treat
ment.
The danger from such burns Is too
serious to be triAed with. While the
injury may net at first appear dan
gerous, the chances for infection are
too many to risk. No sensible man,
who IS not prepared to die, will gam
bic with his life with the chances ten
to one against him, when available
medical treatment will increase those
chances to at least a hundred to one
for 2ecovery.
Therefore. if your patriotism leads
You to disastrous and unexpected hap
penings, so to the doctor and so quick
The University OF Florida catalogue
for 1914-15 is a neat book OF two hun
dred pages now ready for general dis
tribution. 1t contains valuable infor-
nation about the history of the uni
versity, its government and regula-
tions the names of its officers and
teachers, and of the state governing
boards. 1t tells about the beautiful
campus, the splendid buildings and
their excellent equipment; gives de-
tailed information about the various
deDartmenfS n instruction courses of