Better babies and their careRichardson, Anna Steese
Science
Better babies and their care
Richardson, Anna Steese
Infants -- Care; Infants -- Health and hygiene
The same antiseptic treatment may be used for the more severe burns
where the flesh is actually seared. In that case, after applying the
antiseptic solution and gauze, the child should immediately have the
care of a physician.
Infection, lockjaw, and intense suffering, if not death, may result
from a neglected burn.
When a child chokes never strike it on the back while in an upright
position. Turn it over on your lap, head downward, or even let it hang
by its heels, when slapping it on the back.
A cut is never too slight to require the attention of the mother. The
ordinary cut should be washed at once with warm water, using absorbent
cotton or old, soft, clean linen. Unless the cut is very deep and
bleeds so profusely as to exhaust the child, or unless an artery is
cut, cleaning it and binding it up with sterile gauze is sufficient.
But when the wound comes from broken glass or wood, and the mother is
not sure that she has removed all the splinters, and especially if
it comes from a rusted nail, she should take the child to a doctor
and have the wound sterilized. If a doctor is not at hand she should
wash out the wound with hot antiseptic solution. This may be made
by dissolving one corrosive sublimate tablet or one teaspoonful of
creolin to one quart of water. A piece of sterile gauze, soaked with
the same solution, is then laid over the wound, and it is bandaged,
and left undisturbed until the wound is healed; unless on the arrival
of the physician he thinks it necessary to investigate, and treat the
wound.
In case of slight hemorrhage a piece of sterile gauze should be bound
tightly over the cut with the bandage. In case of a serious hemorrhage
from a wound on the leg or arm, make a tourniquet of a rope or a strip
of strong cloth twisted tightly around the leg or arm at a point
between the wound and the body. It must be held firmly until the
bleeding stops or until the physician arrives to take charge of the
case.
Acute nose-bleed is not a common emergency in the nursery. It is more
apt to be slight and habitual, in which case it indicates adenoids or
ulcerations on the inside of the nose. These should receive treatment
at the hands of a specialist. In case of acute and serious nose-bleed,
which exhausts the child, try to keep him quiet in an upright position,
with a piece of ice held at the back of the neck. The mother can also
hold the child’s nose firmly between her thumb and forefinger.
When a child thrusts some small object like a bean or a pebble into the
ear or nose, the mother must be very careful not to try to remove the
foreign body with her finger. In case of the nose she may press the
empty nostril firmly with her finger and induce the child to blow his
nose vigorously. In most cases the foreign body will be expelled. If
not, she should send for a doctor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account