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Flaxseed and mustard poultices, anyone?May 27 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line When an emergency strikes, you do not want to run around trying to find necessary medical supplies. Be prepared. Gather first aid supplies now, before the need arises.
A first aid kit should be in every home. The unexpected can always happen, and if an accident should occur, immediate measures can be taken before a trip to the hospital emergency room is deemed necessary. There are many things that should be in such a kit besides an assortment of band-aids --- roller gauze for bandages, adhesive tape, 4x4 gauze dressings, 2x2 gauze dressings, Ace bandage, antibiotic ointment (Neosporin), cortisone ointment (for poison ivy), alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, blunt end scissors, cold packs, hot packs, eye wash (Visine), perhaps a snake bite kit, the phone numbers of your physician, the poison control center, and others that you might need in an emergency. Then too, one should have aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, or one of the other over-the-counter remedies. Don’t forget a first aid manual. All of these should be in some sort of a container to keep the items together. We take these things for granted today. A trip to the nearest superstore will provide anything you might deem necessary for your first aid kit. It wasn’t always so easy to deal with emergencies. I recently finished transcribing my grandmother’s memoirs. She tells of an incident that occurred in 1895, when she was traveling with her two small children, Enid, age two, and Alfred, age three. Here is what happened in her own words: “I would have liked to have gone right back home because it is a very trying ordeal to take children traveling about the country, but we were expected to visit another relative in New York State, another of his mother’s sisters, whose husband owned a nice farm. The children had a grand time with all of the animals, especially when allowed to feed the chickens, ducks, geese, and so on; but as it was quite cold, this did not often happen. “Our visit was coming to an end and I was packing, glad to think that our wanderings would soon come to an end. In the midst of packing, little Alfred was taken ill. I sent for the doctor, who told me Alfred had pneumonia. He left orders as to what to do and left a prescription, which I had filled immediately. I followed instructions very carefully, but the little fellow got steadily worse. I sent for another doctor, but no improvement. Finally they told me they could do no more, and gave me no hope. “The two doctors went downstairs and told Aunt Fanny that the child was dying and they had better send for his father because he could not live until morning. We sent the wire to Elmer. It would be two days before he could reach us on account of poor connections. “After I heard what the doctors had said to Aunt Fanny, I took things into my own hands. I went into the room next to the one my little lad was about to pass in, and opened the windows wide. They all thought I was going crazy, and told me so, for it was quite cold. I told them that if he was dying, he should die comfortably, and not stifle to death. I threw out all the bottles that had been so useless. I then sent to the town for ground flaxseed and dry mustard. I made poultices big enough to cover the whole of his chest and back, in fact, his whole torso. Then I cut off the feet of some socks and filled them with the mixture also, and put them on his feet. He did not flinch at the heat and I feared he was dead, but Van brought me a mirror and there was a faint film on it when I took it from over his mouth. “Every half hour I changed those poultices, putting a piece of flannel next to him, for I feared to blister his tender skin. I was fighting for my boy’s life, and never left him for a moment. He had not had any nourishment to speak of for two days, so I mixed a little milk, sugar, yolk of egg, and a few drops of brandy. I fed this to him with an eye dropper, for he would not swallow, but in this way the mixture seemed to just trickle down his throat. “The doctor came the next morning when he had not gotten word that Alfred was dead. I very promptly dismissed him, feeling I could do better by following my own common sense. I was greatly encouraged when I found I could give him nourishment even though he showed no sign of being conscious, yet he still lived. I continued my treatment and on Saturday night I imagined I could feel his pulse getting a little stronger. I was afraid to hope too much in case it was really imagination; but as the gray dawn was breaking on that blessed Sunday morning, I was sure it was true and a little later on, he moved his head. I felt that my fervent prayers had been heard once again; yet I must keep close watch, and keep on as I had done, changing his poultices and feeding him. He again moved. This filled my heart with hope and my eyes with tears. “Elmer could not possibly get to us before the next morning on account of arriving at a given point just fifteen minutes too late to make connections for that small town. I was trying to eat a supper that had been sent up to me when I heard sleigh bells stop, and the front door opened. Before I could realize it, Elmer was bounding up the stairs. I was too astonished to speak. He explained that the train had arrived at the station where he had to change ten minutes ahead of time, and the other train was late. That gave him time to step from one to the other, thus saving half a day. Was that just coincidence? I chose to believe it was God’s answer to my prayer. “We were talking at our boy’s bedside when I saw him move and heard the whispered word, “Papa.” That was the first indication we had of his being conscious. This, coupled with the unexpected arrival of Elmer, was getting the better of me and I could not restrain my tears. I suppose it was reaction and exhaustion. “It was several weeks before I could take Alfred home, but just as soon as it was safe I hurried back home before anything more could happen to the children, for it seemed that some kind of jinx was following me. That was my last long trip with my little ones.”  |
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