Reference to poisonous remedies has been carefully avoided as much as possible.

Where dosage is not mentioned in the following, refer to List of Remedies for the Home Medicine Closet, page 136.

Give citrate of magnesia, or Epsom or Rochelle salt, or [J]castor oil. Cracked ice slowly melted in the mouth generally relieves sick stomach.

Hot, clear coffee given after any of the above medicines counteracts greatly the nauseating effect.

If on a limb, tie a cloth tightly around limb, between wound and body. Loosen slightly in an hour. Encourage bleeding by squeezing, to get poison out, or suck and spit out blood from the wound, being careful to see there are no cuts or wounds in the mouth or lips, through which the poison may enter. Apply iodine.

If hydrophobia (rabies) is suspected, send for doctor at once, who will see that correct treatment is given. This treatment is concerned with the injection of a serum into the blood. See Chapter XVII.

Treat as for stings.

These are seldom dangerous to life.

For “black eye,” use either cold or hot water compresses immediately. Massage gently for discoloration.

Rinse mouth with alum water—1 teaspoon powdered alum in a glass of ice water; or 1 tsp. tincture of myrrh in 1 tbsp. water.

Do not open. Apply hot water.

There are two kinds of fractures:

Treatment:

Send for doctor at once. Much harm is done by unskilled handling. Do not move patient unless absolutely necessary.

If a compound fracture, apply iodine. Bandage a sterile gauze compress loosely over wound, tie a cloth tightly around limb, between wound and body. See “Hemorrhage” in this list.

Using extreme gentleness, place limb in comfortable position on a pillow or pad, and tie fast with strips of muslin or bandages.

If impossible to get doctor for a long time, and patient must be moved, use extreme carefulness, and tie limb to padded splints with bandages.

Rulers, umbrellas, sticks, rolled newspapers, may be used for splints. If an arm, after applying splints, place in sling made with triangular bandage, or pin coat sleeve to front of shirt.

Treat for “Shock.”

“Black and blue” spots from blow or fall or pinching, causing blood vessels to rupture under skin.

Apply at first:

• Ice, or ice water; or
• Alcohol and water, half and half; or
• Witch hazel, or arnica; or
• Vinegar diluted with water.

Afterward use hot applications. Gentle rubbing or massaging helps dispel the discoloration. If surface is scraped, as from fall in sand, see “Wounds.”

There are three different degrees of burns:

1. For slight burns (first degree), apply any of the following:

Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) mixed in water to the thickness of milk, olive oil, cream, vaseline, lard, butter, white of egg, or flour and water paste, or starch and water.

Spread gauze compress[K] with the material used, and bandage loosely in place.

2. In deeper burns (second degree), be careful in removing clothing—cut it off, if necessary, to prevent tearing the skin.

Bandage on loosely compresses wet in one of the following:

(a) Normal Salt Solution (1 level tsp. salt in 1 pint boiled water);

or

(b) Carron Oil (½ lime water, ½ linseed oil);

or

(c) Saturated Solution Bicarbonate of Soda. (Dissolve as much baking soda as possible in a cup of boiled water;)

or

(d) Picric Acid Gauze Compress.

3. In very severe burns (third degree) little can be done. Send for the doctor. Do not remove clothing. Make patient as comfortable as possible.

For burns about the eye, anoint with olive oil and wash out with boric acid solution in eye dropper or eye cup. (See List of Medicines, No. 3.) Use compresses wrung out of ice water. See doctor.

Fresh air. Lying-down position.

Do not look out of window at moving objects. Keep eyes closed.

Chilblains are the result of too rapid warming of cold parts, generally feet or fingers. Sometimes for years after being frost-bitten, exposure to severe cold will produce itching and burning, and perhaps swelling and ulcers.

Treatment:

Rub with turpentine or alcohol. The rubbing in itself is excellent. See doctor.

Use heat. Apply hot-water bags under arms, on thighs and at feet. Give hot foot bath, in which is 1 tbsp. mustard. Rub limbs toward body, to restore circulation. Give hot coffee or tea, or hot lemonade. Wrap in blankets and put to bed. Chills indicate oncoming illness—see doctor! See Chapter XI.

Slap on back. Pass finger down throat. This usually causes vomiting. If a child, hold him up by the feet, head downward, and slap on the back. Send for doctor, if severe.

Send for doctor.

Get patient into fresh air—loosen clothing. Keep patient warm with hot-water bags. Rub limbs toward body. Dash cold water in face. Doctor will probably use artificial respiration.

At the first sign of “taking a cold”—use some simple remedy, such as inhaling camphor from time to time for several hours. Dampen the center of a handkerchief in water, and drop on it some spirit of camphor. Eat a sliced onion.[L]

Take two drops of spirit of camphor on a tsp. sugar.

Or, drop five drops camphor in ½ tumbler of water. Take a tsp. every half hour.

Ginger tea is a much valued old-fashioned remedy. Pour boiling water over a tbsp. bruised ginger root. Let stand two hours. The dose is 1 tbsp. every hour or two.

If the “cold” continues, take a laxative, such as castor oil or rhubarb, and follow the dose with a hot foot bath at night and hot lemonade after getting into bed, to induce perspiration. Keep well covered.

If a cough comes with the cold, lemon juice and sugar syrup make a pleasant cough remedy; or molasses-and-vinegar syrup is liked by children. Mix in the proportion of 1 tbsp. vinegar to 2 tbsp. molasses.

Flaxseed tea will sometimes relieve a “tickling” cough. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over 1 tbsp. whole flaxseeds. Stir; let simmer gently one-half hour. Add juice of half a lemon, and sugar if desired. Take a tbsp. as often as wished.

If the chest is sore, rub it with camphorated oil, or ammonia liniment, which is made by shaking together in a bottle 4 tbsp. olive (sweet) oil and 1 tbsp. household ammonia. This hardens upon standing a few days—so it is best made as needed.

All these are simple home remedies, but if a cold is severe, see a doctor. A neglected cold is dangerous.

Colic pains in abdomen are generally caused by indigestible food, overeating, constipation, etc.

Treatment:

Give peppermint in hot water; hot-water enema. Keep abdomen warmly wrapped in flannel; use hot-water bottles, or turpentine stupe.

If a child—massage abdomen with warm olive oil.

Caused by indigestion, constipation or oncoming illness. Child becomes stiff, pulse is weak and rapid. Breathing is feeble, face is pale at first, afterward livid.

Treatment:

Send for doctor. Place child in warm bath, with ice bag (or ice-water cloths) on head.

For soft corn, apply vaseline.

For hard corn, apply iodine and remove pressure by using corn plaster.

For a very sore corn, use a bread poultice at night. (See “Plasters and Poultices” at end of this list, page 134.)

Croup is generally more alarming than dangerous.

Give 1 teaspoon syrup of ipecac to make child vomit.

Apply cloths wrung out of hot water on neck and chest.

A boiling tea kettle, in which there are 2 tbsp. compound tincture of benzoin, will afford relief. Direct the steam toward the child so that some of it may be inhaled.

Keep the child in the same warm room forty-eight hours, maintaining the atmosphere at an even temperature.

The day after the attack, give the child castor oil or simple syrup of rhubarb.

If croup does not clear up in twenty-four hours, see the doctor for membranous croup or diphtheria.

Touch with—

If edges are spread far apart, strap together with narrow strips of adhesive plaster across wound. Wrap with sterile gauze.

If cut is larger, after applying iodine, fasten on a gauze compress—cut ½ inch larger than wound—with a bandage, or with strips of adhesive plaster.

Caution.—Never cover a wound or cut airtight. (See also Chapter VII.)

Usually caused by indigestion, impure water, etc. Home remedies are raw flour and water paste; a raw egg in a cup of hot tea; spiced syrup of rhubarb.

Give a dose of castor oil to clear the digestive tract of the irritating material. If there is much pain, keep abdomen warm with flannel and hot-water bag. If a small child, restrict diet to barley water and white of egg in water.

Give adults milk and other liquid foods. If persistent, see doctor.

Caused sometimes by bad teeth, but generally by cold or hardened ear wax.

Hold ear over cloth wrung out of hot water, on which are several drops of alcohol. Syringe ear with warm bicarbonate of soda water—1 tsp. to a cup; or peroxide of hydrogen water—1 tbsp. to a cup of water.

One drop laudanum, or one drop arnica to three drops very warm olive oil, dropped into ear with a medicine dropper, often relieves pain; or cotton may be saturated with the warm olive oil and placed in the ear and covered with dry cotton. To prevent hardening of wax: keep ear anointed with ordinary red vaseline (unbleached vaseline). For watery discharge of ear, dust with dry boric acid.

Caused by too small a quantity of blood to the brain.

To prevent: Fresh air; drink of cold water; ½ tsp. aromatic spirit of ammonia in water; bending head over between knees.

If the person has fainted:

Remember: An unconscious person cannot swallow. Medicine may enter windpipe and cause strangulation. After patient becomes conscious, give stimulants; such as aromatic spirit of ammonia or hot coffee.

Apply boric acid ointment,[M] or touch frequently with spirit of nitre or spirit of camphor.

There are two kinds:

1. Hysterical—sobbing, crying and laughing without cause, jerky movement of the limbs.

Treatment:

Let patient quietly alone.

2. Epileptic—convulsive movements and unconsciousness.

Treatment:

Keep patient from biting tongue by putting a piece of wood or folded cloth between teeth. Lay on side; loosen clothing; turn face to side so that secretions may not strangle.

After the fit, let patient sleep.

Do not give stimulants.

If an insect, drown out with warm olive oil, or pour a little pure alcohol into ear.

Do not probe ear.

Wink. Do not rub.

Lift upper lid down over lower, blowing opposite nostril.

If these means fail, turn lid back over a toothpick, removing foreign body gently with the pointed corner of a handkerchief. For bits of plaster, use dilute vinegar in eye cup. For acids, use very dilute bicarbonate of soda solution. (See Chapter XI.)

Parts frozen turn whitish or waxy looking.

Do not bring patient into a warm room.

Use cold applications. Keep in cold room. (See Chapter VII.)

Rub with snow or ice-water cloths, very gradually applying heat.

So-called “gum boils” or “canker sores” are little ulcer-like sores which at times appear in children’s mouths, caused by disarrangement of the stomach. Local applications, such as borax or powdered alum, shrink the sores and give a little relief; but the child should be given a dose of calcined magnesia at night or citrate of magnesia in the morning. (Never give a small dose of citrate of magnesia; a child of twelve years should take a tumblerful.)

In heat exhaustion, the symptoms and treatment are similar to shock: pale face; weak, feeble heart beats; great weakness, but not unconsciousness; shallow breathing; cold, clammy perspiration on face.

Treatment: Send for doctor. Remove to cool place.

Do not use cold applications. Give stimulants—hot coffee, tea, aromatic spirit of ammonia, etc. Cover with blankets and use hot-water bottles.

Send for doctor. While waiting, try to staunch flow of blood.

If wound is in a limb:

If blood is red, and comes in spurts (arterial)—

In either case, bandage a clean gauze compress against wound. If unable to use these methods because of too rapid bleeding, press fingers into wound, but have another person tie as described. Do not use finger pressure if possible to avoid, for the wound should be kept clean.

Any of the following tend to stop bleeding:

• Ice or ice water.
• Very hot water.
• Vinegar, 1 tbsp. to 4 tbsp. water.
• Salt, 1 tsp. to 4 tbsp. water.

Wet a compress (several thicknesses of gauze) in any of these and bandage on wound.

For hemorrhage of lungs, place ice-bag on chest.

do NOT give whiskey or brandy!

For slight wounds, see “Cuts.”

Generally caused by indigestion.

Nine to fifteen swallows of water without taking a breath, or one or two soda-mint tablets, will generally give relief. If persistent, cause vomiting by tickling throat with fingers, or by swallowing a cup of warm water in which ½ tsp. mustard is dissolved. (See Chapter XI.)

For itching, rub into them common table salt, or bathe with equal parts vinegar and water.

Hives indicate stomach trouble. Give citrate of magnesia.

If hives persist, give ½ tsp. table salt in water or ¼ tsp. cream of tartar in ¼ glass of water three times a day for three days.

If hives still persist, consult doctor. (See Chapter X.)

Hot water. Soda mints. Aromatic spirit of ammonia. Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). Hot applications to the stomach.

For itching which affects the whole body, give a bath; apply sulphur ointment.

Sulphur ointment is made by rubbing 2 tbsp. flowers of sulphur into a dessertspoonful of lard.

Wash hair with kerosene, leaving it on over night; or use tincture of larkspur[O] in the same way.

Perhaps the best remedy is fishberries.[O]

Five cents worth of the berries may be boiled in 1 pint water for ten minutes.

Wash hair next day after using any of these remedies.

Scrape surface—a piece of glass is good for this purpose. Cut in V-shape. Pack absorbent cotton under affected side. Paint with iodine.

Nausea (Sick Stomach).

Give small bits of cracked ice. Soda mint. Lime water.

To crack ice: wrap a piece in a cloth, and hammer.

Head in upright position. Raise arm on bleeding side. Loosen collar. Apply ice in a cloth to bridge of nose and back of neck. A roll of paper under upper lip. Snuff cold tea up nose, or salt water, 1 tsp. to cup water, or the same of powdered alum.

If bleeding continues, tie a small wad of cotton with thread; dip it into peroxide of hydrogen, and plug nostril by pushing the cotton gently with a pencil. The thread is used to withdraw cotton.

If these means fail, send for doctor.

For deodorizing—use a paste of borax and water.

The poison ivy plant has three leaves in clusters.

Do not scratch.[P] Mop on rash a saturated solution of Epsom salt (as much as can be dissolved in a cup of water); or, wash with saturated solution boric acid. Allow it to dry in the air.

Lime water may be used in place of boric acid.

Wash the affected surface every day, dry and repeat treatment.

Sweet fern tea is very good. Steep the sweet fern in boiling water an hour, and apply to rash.

Send for doctor, but work immediately.

If you do not know what caused the poisoning, make patient vomit as soon as possible by giving 1 tsp. mustard in a cup of warm water, or 1 tsp. salt in a cup of warm water, or 2 tsp. ipecac. Repeat if necessary.

After vomiting, give white of egg stirred in water; milk; or boiled starch. Give hot coffee as stimulant.

There are three divisions of poisons:

In any case of poisoning, remember that the first-aid treatment is to—

1. To remove the poison, give emetic (to produce vomiting); as mustard and water or ipecac or salt and water.

An emetic is not usually used, however, in corrosive poisoning (see (c) above) except in the case of bichloride of mercury, for which see special direction below.

2. To neutralize the further effect of poison, give something to destroy its action; for instance, if lye is swallowed, give dilute acid, as vinegar and water.

3. To remedy the ill effects, give stimulants; as strong coffee.

Some Antidotes

For Carbolic Acid.—In case of poisoning from carbolic acid, give alcohol and water; or, if alcohol is not at hand, 1 tbsp. Epsom salt in a glass of water, or beaten whites of eggs in milk. Use hot-water bottle.

Treatment of Poisoning from Any Other Acids than Carbolic (Corrosives).—Give alkalies—baking soda, 1 tsp. in a cup water. Lime water, magnesia, whitewash diluted with water; even a tbsp. of strong soapsuds. Follow with beaten white of egg and milk, olive oil, coffee.

Treatment of Poisoning from Alkalies (Lye, Household Ammonia, etc.). (Corrosives.)—Do not cause vomiting. 1 tbsp. vinegar in a cup of water; lemon juice and water, half and half; orange juice; follow with whites of egg in milk, olive oil; flour and water; hot coffee.

For Bichloride of Mercury (Corrosive Sublimate).—Give beaten whites of eggs in water; emetic—warm mustard water (1 tsp. to cup); hot coffee. Keep patient warm.

For Iodine.—Give boiled starch, or starch and water, or flour and water. Give hot coffee. Keep patient warm.

For Arsenic (Irritant. See (b).).—Give an emetic; tincture of iron, white of eggs, coffee.

For Laudanum (Affects Nerves. See (a).).—Keep patient awake by walking. Give strong black coffee.

Dangerous because powder carries germs of “lockjaw.”

Wash the skin. Paint with iodine.

Apply vaseline. This loosens any bits of powder, which may be washed off the next day.

Absolutely every wound of this character must be treated by a doctor, who will inject anti-tetanic serum. (See Chapter XII.)

Rash, especially on young children, caused by heat. Wash with warm water and soap. Apply alcohol (one part to three of water). Dust with talcum powder. (See Chapter X.)

Symptoms: Severe nausea, purging diarrhea. See doctor.

Treatment: Vomiting is necessary. Give cup warm water in which 1 tsp. mustard is dissolved, or give 2 tsp. ipecac. Give castor oil.

Apply external heat—hot-water bags.

Give 1 tsp. paregoric, if you have it.

Cracked ice. The best preventive is to see the doctor a week before going on ocean trip.

The word “shock” refers to the condition of nervous depression which follows any accident, or sometimes the sight of one’s own wound. The breathing is feeble; the face pale. Send for doctor. Place patient in lying-down position. Use hot-water bottles. Give hot coffee; aromatic spirit of ammonia. Gently massage or rub limbs toward body.

Keep body covered and warm. (Sec Chapter III.)

At night wrap a cloth wet in alcohol around outside of throat. Gargle with salt and water (1 tsp. to a glass), or borax and water in same proportion, or hot tea, or with the following—

Gargle:

• 2 tbsp. vinegar,
• 1 tbsp. salt,
• Water to fill a tumbler.

If persistent, see doctor.

Open wound with sterile needle. Pull splinter out from the direction it entered. Apply iodine or turpentine.

If under nail, cut nail in V-shape at point where splinter entered, before extracting splinter. Use tweezers. Paint the place with iodine.

A pair of extracting tweezers cost little, and should be in every household.

To make needle or tweezers sterile, dip in alcohol or pass through a flame.

If at all severe, send for doctor.

Elevate limb. Apply cloth wrung from ice water, or an ice bag, for several hours, then apply heat. Bandage to keep limb at rest.

Rub with sassafras oil or with capsicum vaseline.

Extract sting if it remains imbedded in flesh. Apply household ammonia, diluted with a little water, or solution of bicarbonate of soda (1 tsp. soda to 1 cup water).

Mud, wet salt, slice of onion, arnica, witch hazel, camphor are soothing. If there is much swelling, apply cracked ice. Apply spirit of camphor or alcohol to mosquito bites.

Apply ice-water cloths or an ice bag. If the cold fails to give relief in an hour, apply heat. Bathe with arnica, alcohol and water, and rest the parts.

To prevent: Anoint exposed parts with cold cream, vaseline, or use toilet powder before going out.

Treatment: Never wash sunburn. Never open blisters.

Apply—

Distinguish between sunstroke and heat exhaustion.

In sunstroke the symptoms are: red face; rapid heart beats; headache; vomiting; fever; noisy breathing and sighing; stupor; no perspiration; unconsciousness.

Treatment: Send for doctor. Remove to cool place. Loosen clothing. Apply ice in a cloth, or cloths wrung out of ice water to entire body.

Give NO STIMULANTS—NO WHISKEY OR BRANDY.

See dentist.

Hot applications. Iodine painted on gums. Oil of cloves on cotton in tooth. (Be careful in using this.) (See Chapter XI.)

Apply a “corn cure” containing “cannabis indica.” Nitric acid may be applied, but it is so dangerous a poison that it is unsafe for children to handle.

See “Hemorrhage” for deep, bleeding wounds.

If surface is scraped, as from a fall in sand, wash wound with hot water (which has been boiled) and pure soap, such as Castile, and paint with iodine. Fasten a sterile gauze compress in place over scraped surface with a bandage or adhesive plaster.

See also “Cuts,” “Powder Wounds.”