The Physical Training of ChildrenChavasse, Pye Henry
Science
The Physical Training of Children
Chavasse, Pye Henry
Child care; Children -- Health and hygiene
Prepared lard—that is to say, lard without salt—is an admirable remedy
for burns and for scalds. If there be no other lard in the house but
lard _with_ salt, the salt may be readily removed by washing the lard in
cold water. Prepared lard—that is to say, lard _without_ salt—can, at
any moment, be procured from the nearest druggist in the neighborhood.
The advantages of lard are: (1) It is almost always at hand; (2) It is
very cooling, soothing, and unirritating to the part, and it gives
almost immediate freedom from pain; (3) It effectually protects and
sheathes the burn or the scald from the air; (4) It is readily and
easily applied: all that has to be done is to spread the lard either on
pieces of old linen rag, or on lint, and then to apply them smoothly to
the parts affected, keeping them in their places by means of
bandages—which bandages may be readily made from either old linen or
calico shirts. Dr. John Packard, of Philadelphia, was the first to bring
this remedy for burns and scalds before the public—he having tried it in
numerous instances, and with the happiest results. I myself have, for
many years, been in the habit of prescribing lard as a dressing for
blisters, and with the best effects. I generally advise equal parts of
prepared lard and of spermaceti cerate to be blended together to make an
ointment. The spermaceti cerate gives a little more consistence to the
lard, which, in warm weather, especially, is a great advantage.
Another valuable remedy for burns is, “carron oil;” which is made by
mixing equal parts of linseed oil and lime-water together in a bottle,
and shaking it up before using it.
Cold applications, such as cold water, cold vinegar and water, and cold
lotions, are most injurious, and, in many cases, even dangerous.
Scraped potatoes, sliced cucumber, salt, and spirits of turpentine, have
all been recommended; but, in my practice, nothing has been so
efficacious as the remedies above enumerated.
Do not wash the wound, and do not dress it more frequently than every
_other_ day. If there be much discharge, let it be gently sopped up with
soft old linen rag; but do not, _on any_ account, let the burn be rubbed
or roughly handled. I am convinced that, in the majority of cases,
wounds are too frequently dressed, and that the washing of wounds
prevents the healing of them. “It is a great mistake,” said Ambrose
Parè, “to dress ulcers too often, and to wipe their surfaces clean, for
thereby we not only remove the useless excrement, which is the mud or
sanies of ulcers, but also the matter which forms the flesh.
Consequently, for these reasons, ulcers should not be dressed too
often.”
The burn or the scald may, after the first two days, if severe, require
different dressings; but, if it be severe, the child ought of course to
be immediately placed under the care of a surgeon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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