HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1156, 27 April 1894, Page 14

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

HINTS IN CASES OF INJURIES. (BY ELIZABETH KOBINSON BCOVIL IN THE LADIKS' HOME JOUBNAL.) No. 111. There is no accident more terrible than severe injuries from fire. All well-in-structed persons know that when a woman's dress is in flames water is almost useless to extinguish it, unless she could be plunged under it. The fire can be put out only by cutting off the supply of air, with. out which it cannot burn. This can be done by enveloping the person in a rug, blanket or any woollen article of sufficient size.

The pain from slight burns is very great. An excellent application is a thick paste of common baking soda moistened with water, spread on a piece of linen or cotton, and bound on the part. This can wet by squeezing water on it from a sponge or cloth until the smarting is soothed. A thick coating of starch can be used instead of the soda,* or wheat flour if nothing better can be had, but neither should be applied if the skin is bioken. In this case ic is better to use vaseline, olive or linseed oil. The doctor will apply some preparation containing carbolic acid. If the air can be effectually excluded from a burn the pain is relieved. Blisters should be prioked and the fluid absorbed with a soft cloth before applying a dressing. If the clothing adheres to the skin the loose part should be cut away and the patches of material soaked off with oil or warm water. When the injury is extensive the sufferer will be prostrated and may die from the shock. Heat should be applied to the extremities and over the heart, and hot drinks given until the doctor comes. In burns from a strong acid the part should be covered with dry baking soda or lime, as the alkali will neutralize tho acid. No water should be used, but a dressing of cosmoline or oil applied after the alkali has been brushed off. When the burn has been caused by an alkali an acid must be used. A person recovering from the effects of a burn requires very nourishing food.

There are few accidents more alarming to a mother than when a child swallows a foreign body.

If it has gone beyond reach of the finger no special effort should be made to dislodge it. Nature will probably take care of it if she is not interfered with. Emetics or cathartics may produce disastrous results. The only thing that can be done is to give a plentiful meal of soft food. Foreign bodies in the ear: These do not usually occasion much discomfort for a time, and as the passage of the outer ear is closed at the end by a membrane they cannot penetrate farther, and may safely bo left until they can be removed by a competent person. When an insect has entered, turn the head on one the affected ear uppermost and gently pour in a little warm water. When this runs out the drowned intruder comes with it. jr

Water should not be used when a pea or bean has been introduced, because they swell when moist.

Foreign bodies in the nose: These may sometimes bo drawn out with a bent hairpin. If not easily removed ,ia this way they should not be poked ati A little snuff or pepper may be sniffed in, opposite nostril tickled with a straw. The act of sneezing will probably dislodge the substance; if not it should be left for a surgeon to extract. Foreign bodies in ithe throat: This may be a very serious accident whether, it occurs in the windpipe or the food passage. It demands immediate action, or the result may be a fatal one. Send for the doctor at once as he may have to open the windpipe to save the victim's life. Meantime slap the sufferer on the back between the shoulders. Insert the finger as far down as possible to try to/grasp the obstruction and remove it. Torn the person head downward and slap the back forcibly. If breathing ceases the patient should be laid on the back,, the arms palled upward, the hands resting on the top of the head, then brought down and pressed* on the chest, repeating the movements sixteen times in a minute.