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CHAPTER XI. Emergencies

Children Well and Happy · May Dickinson Kimball — chapter 11 of 11 · ~3,115 words · public domain

EMERGENCIES

=Suggestions for demonstrations.= =1.= Describe the bath thermometer and illustrate its use with water at different temperatures. =2.= Demonstrate the preparation of an enema and show the correct position of the body when taking one. =3.= Show how to protect the baby from infection when the mother has a cold.

Babies should be protected from excessive excitement. The brain grows as much during the first year as it does during the entire remainder of life. As the baby’s nervous system is easily upset, he should be kept free from disturbing influences.

=Convulsions.= Anything which upsets the baby’s nervous system may interfere with the process of digestion. This, as well as improper food, constipation, or some acute illness may be the cause of convulsions. When in a convulsion, the baby loses consciousness, the legs and arms stiffen, and the facial muscles begin to twitch. Send for a doctor at once. Meanwhile the baby should be placed in a tub of warm water. If a thermometer is not at hand, some adult should always test the temperature by placing her arm, up to the elbow, in the water. Great care should be taken that the water is not too hot, as many babies have been seriously burned in this way. The temperature of the water should be slowly raised to 108° F. by adding hot water. A cold compress should be placed on the child’s head and frequently changed. When the convulsion ceases the child should be removed from the bath and wrapped in a warm blanket, and his face should be bathed with cold water. If necessary, he may be kept in the bath about twenty minutes. If a child has convulsions and a tub is not available, he should be wrapped in a large bath towel which has been dipped in water at a temperature of 104° F., wrapped in a soft blanket, and the face and hands should be bathed in cold water.

=Colic.= Colic, or a pain in the bowels, is indicated by a sharp, spasmodic cry, a drawing up of the legs, and a contraction of the muscles of the face and abdomen. The sufferer should be given a little warm water to drink and should have a soft, hot flannel placed over the abdomen and around the feet, or he should be laid on his stomach across a hot-water bag which is protected by a cloth covering.

=Constipation.= It is important that the mother who is nursing a baby should have a free movement of the bowels each day; if her bowels are kept open and her digestion is good, the baby will not, as a rule, be constipated. A little water given to the baby between feedings will help to prevent constipation. Fruit juices, such as prune and orange juice, should also be given. The most effective way of overcoming or preventing constipation is to develop the habit of having the bowels move at the same time each day. The baby should not be allowed to go more than twenty-four hours without a movement. Except in emergency, however, do not give the baby an enema or suppository or any medicine unless ordered to do so by a physician.

=Enema.= An enema of two to four ounces of warm water, to which has been added a little soapsuds and one or two tablespoonfuls of warm olive oil, will usually cause a movement of the bowels.

=Directions for giving an enema.= Place the baby on his back with a folded towel under his buttocks. A soft rubber catheter is safer to use than the hard rubber nozzle provided for this purpose. Allow the water to run freely through the catheter before inserting, so as to prevent injecting cold water and air into the rectum. Lift the baby’s feet with the left hand and with the right insert the oiled catheter gently into the rectum for two or three inches.

=Diarrhea.= A well baby usually has one or two movements a day. Frequent movements, or diarrhea, may be the beginning of a severe illness, and a physician should be consulted at once. This condition occurs more frequently with bottle-fed babies. If it occurs in a breast-fed baby, it is usually because the mother has not been careful about her diet or because the baby has been given improper food. To relieve this condition, if a physician is not at hand, give one teaspoonful of castor oil and omit the feeding in order to let the baby’s stomach rest.

=Prevention of chafing.= The skin of the baby is sensitive and may be easily irritated. For this reason the baby’s diaper should be removed as soon as soiled and the skin cleansed with warm water. The folds of the skin should be thoroughly dried and dusted with a little talcum powder, or olive oil may be applied, before the clean diaper is put on.

=Colds.= Common colds are contagious and in infants often lead to serious illness. A mother with a cold, when nursing her baby, should tie a handkerchief loosely over her nose and mouth in order to protect the child from infection if she should cough or sneeze. Many children’s diseases, such as whooping cough, measles, etc., are transmitted through the secretions of the nose and mouth. Any member of the family who has a cold should keep away from the children, and particularly from the baby.

=Vaccination.= Before the discovery of vaccine, smallpox was the most dreaded disease in the world and more prevalent than measles is to-day. A hundred years ago it was considered a disease of the children; to-day, by the simple and safe process of vaccination, it has been almost entirely eliminated, except in those localities where through prejudice or ignorance the children are not vaccinated. Therefore every baby should be vaccinated before he is six months old; this should be repeated at about six years of age, and later if there is a smallpox epidemic.

The best place for vaccination is on the left arm. If the leg be selected, as it is occasionally (especially with girls), the child should stay in bed during the reaction following vaccination.

The aftercare of a vaccinated child is important. A dressing of clean, sterile gauze should be placed over the point of vaccination and held in place with strips of adhesive plaster. The dressing should be changed only by the physician or under his orders. If it sticks to the scab, it should not be pulled off; the cloth should be cut away around it and a small piece left adhering to the arm and a fresh dressing placed over this. Do not apply vaseline or any kind of ointment to the point of inoculation. Nothing must touch it but clean boiled water and sterile dressing handled by clean hands.

A vaccinated child should have a bath and a change of underwear daily, but it is important that the dressing over the vaccination should be kept clean and dry. The child should not be permitted to play in gardens, stables, or dusty streets until the arm has completely healed.

APPENDIX A

ORGANIZATION OF THE GIRLS’ HEALTH LEAGUE CLASSES

I. PRELIMINARY MEETING

The mothers and teachers should be invited and urged to attend the meeting for the organization of a class. The success of this movement for the health of our girls and for the saving of our babies depends largely upon the interest and coöperation of the mothers and teachers.

The organizer should preside, and the school physician should be asked to explain the object of the league.

At this preliminary meeting membership cards should be distributed to those desiring to join the class. These are not to be signed until the girls have taken them home and secured the signatures of their parents or guardians. While everything possible should be done to make the club proposition attractive, no girl should be urged to join against her will. An unwilling member is not a good member.

In order to secure careful personal supervision and free discussion, a class of not more than twelve is desirable, but as many as twenty-four may be directed by an experienced teacher.

The form of membership card is given below:

II. FIRST MEETING OF THE CLASS

1. The membership cards should be collected.

2. The members elect a president, a vice president, and a secretary. The organizer and instructor are to be honorary president and vice president, respectively.

3. Membership cards are to be given to the secretary for filing. At each succeeding meeting these are to be checked to show attendance.

4. A card like that reproduced below should be filled out and forwarded to the headquarters of the Girls’ Health League.

III. ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR THE MEETING

1. Calling meeting to order by the president.

2. Calling the roll by the secretary.

3. Reporting the illness of any member.

4. A short quiz on the last lesson.

5. A twenty minutes’ talk by the instructor, followed by a half hour devoted to practical demonstrations on the subject of the lesson.

The following articles are suggested for use in the demonstrations:

Large-sized washable doll A complete set of baby clothing A bathtub Scales A pad for the scales Clothes basket for baby’s bed Mattress Sheets Stork sheeting Mattress protector Blankets Spread Two bath towels Two face towels Two wash cloths Toilet articles Utensils for preparing the baby’s food

The object of the demonstrations is to make the work of the league of practical value to the girls.

After attending three successive meetings of the class each member will be given a Girls’ Health League button, which is reproduced in the accompanying cut. The presentation of buttons signifies that the girls are members of the Girls’ Health League. On receipt of the button each girl agrees to do some definite act each day to make others well and happy.

GIRLS’ HEALTH LEAGUE]

IV. FINISHING THE COURSE

At the completion of the course each girl will be given an oral examination and will be asked to write an essay on the care of a baby. The following subjects are suggested:

1. What do you mean by personal hygiene?

2. What do you mean by home sanitation?

3. Give three reasons why a mother should nurse her baby.

4. If a baby must be bottle fed, what is the best substitute for breast milk, and who should direct how the food be prepared?

5. If a baby is bottle fed, how would you care for its milk?

6. What can you do to help save the babies?

Certificate of Graduation

Girls’ Health League

Under the Auspices of the Massachusetts State Federation of Women’s Clubs

This Certifies that

.........................................................

has satisfactorily completed the course of study prescribed by the Girls’ Health League in .............................

Date ........................

The class average, together with one of the essays, should be sent to the headquarters of the league.

On receipt of the essays and the class records certificates will be presented to the graduates by the Public Health Department of the Massachusetts State Federation of Women’s Clubs. The form of certificate is given above.

APPENDIX B

RECIPES

=Limewater.= To make limewater, add one teaspoonful of unslaked lime to one quart of cool, boiled water. Pour into a bottle and shake thoroughly. Let it stand twenty-four hours; pour off the clear fluid at the top and strain. Keep in a cool place.

=Barley water.= Mix two teaspoonfuls of barley flour with a little cold water, then add one quart of water and boil twenty minutes in a double boiler. Strain through a very fine sieve and add enough boiled water to make one quart.

=Rice water.= Rice water is made in the same way as barley water, but only one teaspoonful of rice is used to one quart of water.

=Oatmeal water.= Mix two even tablespoonfuls of oatmeal with a little cold water; add one quart of water and boil for at least one hour in a double boiler. Strain through a fine sieve and add enough boiled water to make one quart.

=Beef juice.= Select the third cut of the round lean beef, broil it slightly on both sides, cut in small pieces, and squeeze the juice from it with a potato ricer or a meat press. Add a pinch of salt, and before using warm it slightly by standing the cup containing the juice in a dish of hot water.

=Whey.= Warm one pint of fresh milk to about 110° F. Add one teaspoonful of essence of pepsin or a junket tablet and stir until it is well mixed. Pour into cups and let stand until it jellies. Then break up the curds with a fork and strain through a sieve. The liquid is called whey, and it is sometimes used when babies cannot digest cow’s milk.

=Two per cent boric acid solution.= Put one teaspoonful of boric acid powder in a pint of boiling water and keep in a clean bottle.

=Soap suppository.= Take a piece of Ivory or castile soap and cut out a piece two inches long and about the size of a lead pencil. Narrow to a dull point at one end.

INDEX

Adenoids, 80

Air, necessity for, 17; impure, 19; temperature of, 21

Baby, care of the newborn, 29-37; breast feeding, 38-45; bottle feeding, 46-54; caring for food of, 55-62; the bath, 63-70; clothing, 71-77; training, 78-87; teeth and their care, 88-92; sicknesses, 93-101

Bacteria, preventing development of, 27

Barley water, 51, 110

Bath thermometer, use of, 94

Baths, for girls, 8; oil, 30; sponge, 30; tub, 63-70; bran, 69; for convulsions, 94

Beds, 34

Beef juice, 111

Bicarbonate of soda solution, 10

Birth, registration of, 35

Boric acid solution, 67

Bottle feeding, 46-54; special foods, 46; cow’s milk, 54; modified milk, 48; utensils necessary in, 51; pasteurizing, 52

Bottles, care of, 57

Bowels, care of, 14, 81

Breast feeding, reasons for, 38; hours for, 39; position of baby for, 40; mixed feedings, 41; diet for mother, 42; weaning, 42

Candy as food, 14

Carbohydrates, 11

Carrying schoolbooks, 5

Cellars, care of, 26

Certified milk, 47

Chafing, avoidance of, 98

Chamber, use of, 82

Clothing, 71-77; bands, 71-73; shirts, 73; gertrudes, 74; dresses, 74; nightgowns, 74; stockings, 76; short clothes, 76; for summer, 76; for winter, 77

Colds, 98

Colic, crying due to, 84; treatment of, 95

Condensed milk as food, 46

Constipation, 96

Contagion, avoiding, 99

Convulsions, 93

Correct posture, 3-6; when feeding baby, 60; during the bath, 68

Crying, normal, 84; due to hunger, 84; due to temper, 85; due to illness, 84-85; due to fright, 85

Dental floss, use of, 9

Diapers, 74

Diarrhea, 97

Diet, for nursing mothers, 42; for babies, 91; for children, 91

Discharges from sick persons, 24

Dishcloths and towels, 28

Drafts, 21

Dresses, selection of, 74

Dressing the baby, 69

Drooling, 89

Dust and dusting, 25

Ears, care of, 66

Emergencies, 93-101; convulsions, 93; colic, 95; constipation, 96; diarrhea, 97; colds, 98; vaccination, 100

Enemas, 96-97

Exercise, 15, 86

Eyes, care of, 66

Fats as food, 11

Filters, 24

Flies, protection from, 36

Food, three classes of, 10; mixed diet, 11; milk, 13; candy, 14; care of, 27, 55-62; for nursing mothers, 41

Fright, crying from, 85

Garbage, care of, 27

Gertrudes (petticoats), 74

Girls’ Health League classes, 103-109

Hands, care of, 28

Health of nursing mothers, 41

Hearing of babies, 33

Hunger, crying from, 84

Illness, crying due to, 85

Indigestion, 84

Kissing, 83

Laxatives, use of, 96

Limewater, 50, 110

Maltose, in modifying milk, 51

Mattresses, choice and care of, 34

Milk as food, 13

Milk sugar, 51

Modified milk, 48

Mosquitoes, protection from, 36

Mouth, care of, 10, 66

Nails, care of, 68

Nightgowns, 74

Nipples, care of, 58

Nose, care of, 66, 80

Nursing. See Bottle feeding and Breast feeding

Oatmeal water, 110

Oil, use of, 30

Oil-producing glands, 30

Orange juice for babies, 91

Pacifiers, 83

Pasteurizing milk, 52

Personal hygiene, 1-15; value of good health, 1; correct posture, 3; care of skin, 6; baths, 8; food, 10; exercise, 15

Perspiration, avoiding undue, 21

Pillows, 35

Plants in houses, 19

Privy vaults, 23

Proprietary baby foods, 51

Protein, 11

Reading position, 6

Recipes, 110

Refrigerators, homemade, 55

Rice water, 110

Rickets, avoiding, 94

Sanitation, home, 16-28

Scales, use of, 44

Scalp, care of, 67

Screens, 25

Scurvy, prevention of, 67

Shirts, selection of, 73

Shoes, selection of, 4

Sitting position, 4

Skin, care of, 6

Sleep, 79

Speech of babies, 33

Spitting, 8

Standing position, 3

Starch as food, 11

Stockings, selection of, 76

Sugar, as food, 11; in modifying milk, 49

Sunshine, value of, 17

Suppositories, 96, 111

Talcum powder, use of, 98

Teeth, care of, 9, 88-92

Teething, 89

Temper, crying from, 85

Temperature, in pasteurizing milk, 52; for bath, 63; of sleeping room, 79; of bath for convulsions, 93

Thermometer, use of, 95

Thumb sucking, 83

Toothbrush, care of, 92

Vaccination, 100

Vegetables as food, 11

Ventilation, 19

Water, the body’s need of, 13; purity of, 22-24; use of, in modifying milk, 48; sterile, 62

Weaning the baby, 42

Weight of baby, 43

Whey, 111

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added, when a predominant preference was found in the original book.

All misspellings in the text and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

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