Camping Injuries

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 December 1938, Page 14

Camping Injuries

Simple Treatments

THIS is the season for motor camping, and it is useful to know simple treatments for small injuries. A first-aid kit will be found very useful when the holidays are spent camping some distance from a township. Tiie whole happiness of a family can be spoilt through lack of immediate and effective attention to a small injury. Slight burns which may lie caused from the steam of a boiling billy, sparks from the camp fire, or standing on a burning twig, hot ashes, or stones, can bo relieved and prevented from blistering if covered at once with a handkerchief, or old piece of linen, soaked in methylated spirits, and kept thoroughly moict with the spirit till all pain has gone. In the case of a small bum, this may only take ten minutes or even less, but it is best to keep the pad moist for at least an hour to prevent the skin blister- * ing and peeling off. and leaving a painI ful sore, which may not heal for days. | The methylated spirits also sterilises the j skin and prevents the burn from becoming septic. The methylated spirit dressing should not be covered with wool. | because it is the evaporation of the spirits which removes the burning pain. I A light bandage may be necessary and j the pad can be moistened by pouring a little of the spirits over the bandage. If * a blister lias been formed before the ! dressing of methylated spirits has been | applied, it will dry up the blister and prevent it breaking and causing a raw, painful sore. | Applied at once, or before tlie skin I has broken, it will not cause a stinging I pain of which children are nervous. | When the bum is healed, a smear of ] olive oil should be applied to soften the j skin. ■ The same treatment is verv effective I for blistered heels or soles of feet, caused jby long days of tramping through the | bush. It is always better to dry a Nist°r j up in this way than to break it. If cotton I wool is available, a pad soaked in the spirits and placed on the heel before I going to bed at night will keen moist longer than a pad made from old linen. Sunburn should he treated in the same way. I need hardly warn parents to be careful to keep a child away from matches, fire, or a candle when a burn is being treated with a methylated spirit compress. If possible the safest place for the child is bed, or it should rest lying on a rug. till the compress has been removed. In any case, if the child is .suffering from only a small iniury. rest and sleep help a great deal to hasten rapid healing. At such a time, one or two favourite picture or story books will be fourd very useful and will help considerably when enforced rest is necessarv. so should he included amorist the things to take when camping with children. A few drops of castor oil dropped in the eye will relieve irritation and pain caused bv grit, or a small insect getting into a child’s eye