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Te Ao Hou, October 1956, Page 61

Keritapu who writes about health for Te Ao Hou is a Maori woman with years of experience as a District Health Nurse in Maori areas tablets in any form, medicines, knives and scissors should all be watched carefully. SWALLOWING OF OBJECTS OR POISONS: Out of curiosity small children will put things into their mouths, up their nostrils and into their ears. Swallowing a peanut has been fatal merely because it lodged in the wind-pipe and eventually going into the lung caused loss of life. Had it gone into the stomach death would not have resulted. DRINKING OUT OF TINS and bottles is another common habit of small children who are crawling. Careless adults often leave poisonous liquids where small children can reach them. A fatal case has been recorded of a small child who because he was very thirsty, drank out of a tin containing unlabelled liquid, thus causing his death. Numerous cases of this type have taken toll of small lives, Put things containing poisons out of small children's reach. SUFFOCATION: From time to time we read of small babies having been smothered and suffocated. Sometimes this happens in the mother's bed. There has been steady teaching over the years to the effect that babies and toddlers are healthier as well as safer, not only in their own beds, but in separate rooms wherever possible. More often the suffocation of a baby happens in its bassinette or cot, or from getting his head through the cot bars. The precautions against such accidents are surely easy. See that any cot or bassinette you may buy has the bars close enough to prevent this type of accident. Make sure also that bed clothes and pillows are firmly placed where the baby sleeps. A frequent visit to the baby's cot or bassinette is well worth while. NAIL PUNCTURE WOUNDS: It is quite common for a child playing, to run a nail into his foot wherever boxes with nails are left lying around. There is always the danger of infection in a foot or hand. This can be quite serious as to lead to crippling. Should horses and cattle be about there is the further danger of tetanus or lockjaw. Immediately a child is hurt in this way, wash the affected limb with warm soapy water, dry, then paint with an antiseptic lotion and put on a clean

dressing. Should there be throbbing, tenderness and swelling later, soak the limb for twenty minutes in hot water to which two heaped tablespoons of Epsom salts have been added. Next, apply a poultice of glycerine and epsom salts, repeating this 3 times daily. If this treatment is not effective, see your Doctor. On the other hand, the chances are that you will have no bother if the trouble is attended to straight away. CUTS AND WOUNDS: If small, clean with an antiseptic lotion and if cut just below the skin, draw the skin together with narrow strips of adhesive plaster, paint with an antiseptic lotion and put on clean dressing and bandage. Leave untouched for two or three days. If clean, healing should be quickly established. In six or seven days the dressing can be removed and the wound should be healed. Deep cuts and wounds must be attended to by a doctor. DIRTY CUTS AND WOUNDS: These are often the result of small cuts and wounds not having been attended to immediately. Wash with hot soapy water or a disinfectant solution. If there is redness and inflammation present give long hot water soaks with some antiseptic lotion. Hot poultice every four hours. If there is no improvement, your doctor must be visited. FALLS, AND THEIR TREATMENT: Another common accident in the home is a fall. Unless he is watched a baby may fall out of his pram or off the bed if left too near the edge. The toddler may trip over his toys, fall downstairs or on a wet footpath. He may run into half open doors or fall out of trees. He may fall heavily onto his head and so be knocked stunned or unconscious. He may be drowsy in which case, give him a hot drink then put him to bed with the head low, and a warm water bottle at his feet. Let him sleep. As he recovers, his breathing and pulse should be regular and normal. There may be a bout of vomiting and headaches and a slight temperature. Keep him in bed until quite normal. Just the same, contact your doctor for further advice. Some of the most common ailments of children are as follows: CONVULSIONS: These are due to many causes. They are often caused in young children from indigestion, from swallowing excessive insoluble things such as seeds, skins of fruit, and unripe fruit, or over indulgence in eating generally, or they may be due to some disturbance of the nervous system or from gastro-intestinal irritation, or from faulty feeding or constipation. Remember that convulsions are not a disease in themselves, they are only a symptom of something wrong.