Part 12

If possible, force the patient to drink hot water, hot tea, hot coffee, or hot milk. Malted milk is excellent, but it should be hot. Whisky and other alcoholic liquor should not be given, except by the advice of a doctor. Half a teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia in water may be given every 15 minutes for four doses, but not more. Stimulants should not be given after the patient begins to recover.

Vomiting may be stopped or relieved by administering a little brandy mixed with cracked ice.

If the skull is injured or there is concussion of the brain, with or without the appearance of apoplexy or severe breathing, do not administer a stimulant.

=Sleeplessness.=--Insomnia rapidly lowers the vital forces. It is due to several causes, including mental worry, indigestion, physical overexercise, and functional or organic diseases. Insomnia may be considered a natural warning of coming ailment. The cause should be located, and a good physician should be consulted. Sleep is encouraged by exercise in the open air and by taking hot drinks just before retiring. Hot malted milk is excellent; but solid food should not be taken just before retiring. Mild gymnastic exercise may be taken before an open window, but drugs should never be administered without the advice of a physician.

=Snake Bite.=--Do not waste valuable time to kill the snake. If the bite is venomous, rip open the clothing so that the wound will be exposed. Tie a handkerchief or rope around the arm or leg, above the bite. It should be drawn so tight that the circulation will be stopped or retarded. The use of a stick or pencil will assist in giving pressure. With a knife, open the holes made by the snake's fangs and cut around the wound liberally, being careful not to sever an artery. Let the blood run freely. Poison is sometimes removed by sucking a wound, but one should not do this if his lips are chapped or bleeding. The wound should be washed with soda solution and large doses of whisky or brandy should be administered. Call a surgeon immediately.

=Sore Throat.=--Sore throat may be merely local or be a forerunner of diphtheria. Better consult a physician.

=Sprains.=--Most sprains are serious, and a doctor should be called at once, but before he arrives the following simple treatment may be applied. Sprains twist and tear the ligaments and may rupture the small blood vessels. The flow of blood may be checked by application of cold or heat or by pressure. If the ankle or foot is sprained, wrap a folded towel tightly around the part sprained and then apply moist heat and elevate the leg. Immerse the foot in water as hot as can be borne and keep on adding hot water for about 20 minutes, so that the temperature may not be lowered; then apply a bandage, but continue the bathing treatment. Cold applications may be used instead of hot water, and should be applied by dipping cloths in ice water frequently, and wrapping them about the parts injured.

=Stings of Poisonous Insects= or of scorpions, centipedes, etc., should be treated with hartshorn, ammonia, after which cold water or cracked ice should be applied. Do not fail to call a surgeon or doctor. If the sting remains in the wound, remove it either by pressure on the skin or with a knife. The stings of common insects, such as mosquitoes, ants, etc., should be treated with a weak solution of ammonia, salt water, or a cloth wet with water in which a teaspoonful of baking soda to a pint of water is dissolved, may be bound on it.

=Suffocation.=--Always summon a physician. Place the patient in the air, remove all tight clothing about the neck and chest, and apply artificial respiration. Apply hot water in bottles to the body. Put mustard plasters above the heart, on the soles of his feet, and on his wrists. When the patient shows signs of recovering, give mild stimulants. If the patient is in a close room, open the windows and all of the doors. In rescue work do not open windows, but smash out all of the glass. In entering a room full of smoke, cover the mouth with a handkerchief wet with water or vinegar and water. Crawl on the floor, as the smoke is less dense near the floor. The rescuer should attach a rope to himself, so he can be pulled from his dangerous position.

=Sunstroke.=--Indications of sunstroke or heat prostration are a slow but full pulse, very labored breathing, and the skin is hot and dry, the face usually red, and the person affected is unconscious. Remove the sufferer to a shady place, and be sure to loosen his collar and clothing, if tight. Raise the head and shoulders. The head, face, and chest should be drenched with cold water, and if it is very hot use cracked ice. In ordinary cases of heat prostration, the patient is not unconscious, the skin is pale and clammy, and the breathing is not normal. Force the patient to lie on his back with his head level with his body, and loosen all tight clothing. Apply heat to the extremities, and cold to head. The patient should not be allowed to drink too much water. Give him hot drinks, and apply heat to the spine and feet. Under no circumstances administer alcoholic stimulants. Always send for a physician.

=Temperature of the Body.=--The normal body temperature is 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit. When it is higher, the patient is supposed to have a fever. Temperature usually rises in the afternoon, being one degree higher than in the first part of the night or in the early morning. It gradually falls from midnight to six or seven o'clock in the morning. The temperature of a child frequently rises two degrees from slight causes. Every family should carry a clinical thermometer. Bodily temperature should be taken by holding it in the mouth under the tongue for two minutes. Temperature under 101° indicates a slight fever; under 103° a moderate fever; under 105° a high fever. When the temperature rises two or three degrees above normal, send for a doctor at once.

=Temperature of the Sick-Room.=--Sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit is a good average temperature for the sick-room. In certain diseases the average temperature may be lower, and for throat or chest affections it should be higher. When the patient is being washed or dressed, the temperature should be kept at about 70°.

=Toothache.=--If the nerve is exposed, or nearly so, toothache may be cured by placing in the cavity a small piece of cotton soaked in creosote or oil of cloves. If it continues, consult a dentist.

=Transporting the Wounded.=--Great care should be taken, because the slightest carelessness is likely to cause intense suffering. A four-handed seat may be made by two persons, the hands of each one clasping one of the wrists of the other, and two ordinary men can easily carry a person of average weight. A stretcher will carry the patient in a horizontal position if the persons carrying it place their hands under it. A stretcher may be made of boards, over which are placed coats or shawls, or a blanket may be fastened to two stout poles; if no poles are handy, a shawl tightly held by two persons will do, but great care should be taken to keep it tight. A window shutter is generally available. The sufferer should be very carefully placed upon the stretcher, and had better be lifted by several persons, by two at least. The bearers of the stretcher should not keep step, the opposite feet should be put forward at the same time to prevent the swaying of the stretcher and the rolling of the patient. Never carry the stretcher on the shoulders. Carry the patient feet foremost, except when going up hill. In case of a fractured thigh or leg, carry the patient head first when going down hill.

=Ventilation.=--The sick-room should never be without fresh air. Impure and close air breeds disease and encourages illness. Fresh air should be introduced constantly and steadily. The windows may be lowered at the top or patented ventilators used. To change the air, open the windows in an adjoining room, and then open the door between the rooms, but the fresh air in the adjoining room should be warm before it is allowed to penetrate the sick-room. By swinging the door back and forth, the air will be fanned in. Do not maintain the erroneous impression that cold air is pure because it is cold, for cold air may be as foul as warm air. Night air is not dangerous. The patient must breathe night air or closed-in day air, and closed-in air rapidly becomes foul.

=Vomiting.=--Lie down and hold small pieces of ice in your mouth. If it continues, consult a physician.

* * * * *

=Wills.=--A will, untechnically speaking, is virtually a bill-of-sale or transfer of property by its owner to those he may designate, but differs from the ordinary bill-of-sale in that there is no consideration mentioned on the part of those who will receive the property, and the will is not operative until the death of the maker of it. No one can execute a will unless he is presumably in his right mind, and knows what he is doing. Nor can a will be made by an idiot or one insane. The will must be signed and witnessed by several witnesses, each witness signing as a witness in the presence of all of the other witnesses. While it would appear that every one has a right to dispose of his property as he chooses, a will is not likely to stand in law if it can be proved that the maker of it was under undue or unfair influence, and, therefore, distributed his property to the prejudice of those who would be entitled to it if no will was made. For example: a will is not likely to hold good if its maker unfairly disowned close legal heirs, like a wife, husband, or children, or bequeathed his property to some institution which it could be shown he probably would not have done had not unfair pressure been brought to bear upon him at the time he made his will. All legal heirs should, as a rule, be mentioned in a will, even though they are given insignificant sums. As the laws differ in the several states, it is suggested that it is better and safer to consult a good lawyer, or one familiar with conditions.

=Wireless Telegraphy.=--The exact date of the discovery or invention of wireless telegraphy is not accurately known. Many scientists discovered it theoretically before Marconi made it practical. Some scientific authorities claim that it was originated by Professor Dolbear, of Massachusetts. In 1899, messages were sent from England to France, and recently an intelligible message was flashed across the Atlantic Ocean. Unscientifically speaking, wireless telegraphy consists of discharging powerful electrical currents into the atmosphere, their vibrations being taken up by the natural electricity in the air, and received by wires placed at an elevation. Practically all sea-going steamers are equipped with wireless telegraphy.

=Woman's Suffrage.=--The first convention in the interest of woman's rights was held July 19, 1808, at Seneca Falls, N. Y. In 1850, a National Woman's Rights Convention was held in Worcester, Mass. From that time woman's suffrage was agitated in America and in England, and many of the leading women of the world strongly advocated it. It is growing rapidly, and is being recognized throughout the country, although all of the States have not given the vote to women. Under the Constitution of the United States a native-born woman may hold any office, including that of president, even though the women in all of the States cannot vote at the presidential election. The Constitution of the United States does not recognize sex, and in the eye of national law, women have all of the rights of men.

=Women Voters.=--Many of the towns, cities, and States give full franchise to women, while others allow them to vote for only a few officials. Woman's suffrage, or the right to vote, is spreading rapidly, and it is probably only a question of time before she will have full franchise throughout the entire country. There is nothing in the Constitution of the United States to prevent a woman from holding the office of president or vice-president if she was born in this country, and she can hold such offices even though she may not be permitted by State law to vote for them.

=Wool Industry.=--The United States produces about $320,000,000 worth of wool in a year and weaves about 55,500,000 square yards, worth about $40,500,000.

=World's Largest Steamships.=--The "Imperator," just placed in commission, is the world's largest vessel. She is 919 feet long, 98 feet beam, and 62 feet deep. The boat deck is 100 feet, and the trunks of the mast 246 feet, above the keel. The funnels are 69 feet long with oval openings, 29 by 18 feet. The rudder alone weighs 90 tons. She is registered at 50,000 tons, with a displacement of 70,000 tons. Displacement represents the weight of the water which is occupied by that part of the hull under water. The ship is a modern floating hotel, containing a grill-room, a tea garden, a veranda café, several ladies' sitting-rooms, a palm garden, a ball-room, a gymnasium, a swimming tank, and other accessories. In the first cabin there are 220 regular bath rooms and showers, including 150 private bath rooms. The staterooms do not contain berths, metal bedsteads being used throughout. The entrance hall is 90 feet wide, and 69 feet long. In addition the vessel carries a drug store, a book store, and a flower shop, and several passenger elevators are maintained. To illuminate the ship there are 9,500 electric lamps. The Roman bath is 65 feet long, and 41 feet wide. The swimming bath is 39 feet long, 21 feet wide, and 9 feet deep. The quadruple turbine engines have 72,000 horse-power and develop an average speed of 22-1/2 knots an hour. One of the immense rotars contains 50,000 blades, and weighs 135 tons. The ship carries a crew of 1,100 persons, a complete fire department, and wireless telegraphy. If the "Imperator" was set on end, she would be higher than the largest building in the world, which is 750 feet high. The ship has a passenger capacity equal to the population of a large town.

=Yankee.=--This word is said to be a corruption of English or Anglais, pronounced by the Massachusetts Indians, who gave this name to the New England Colonists, Yenghies, Yanghies, Yankees. It was applied to the New Englanders by the British soldiers during the Revolutionary War, and to the Federal soldiers by the Confederates during the Civil War.

=Yankee Doodle.=--The origin of Yankee Doodle, perhaps the most famous American national air, is unknown. It is supposed to have been an English tune. At any rate, it was introduced into America by the British troops in 1775.

INDEX

INDEX

Abbreviations in common use, 1

Accidents, 160

Accidents, electrical, 173

Accidents, how to avoid, 185

Acetylene gas, 2

Acid poisoning, 189

Aconite poisoning, 190

Admitted to the Union, 62

Adventists, 2

Arsenic poisoning, 191

Æolian harp, 3

Afire, clothing, 166

Africa, 40

Age, 3

Agricultural implement industry, 3

Air ship records, 114

Alaska, 3

Alberg tunnel, 59

Algebra, 4

Almanacs, 4

Amazons, 4

American inventions, 57

Ammonia, 174

Antarctic ocean, 40

Apostles' creed, 4

Apothecaries' weight, 154

Apparent death, 160

April Fools Day, 4

Arbor Day, 5

Arctic ocean, 40

Area of a circle, 24

Area of a square, 26

Area of desert, 41

Area of fertile soil, 41

Area of the base of a square, 26

Area of the earth, 39

Area of the oceans, 40

Area of the United States, 62

Areas of earthquakes, 42

Arithmetic, 5

Arnica, 175

Aromatic spirits of ammonia, 175

Artesian wells, 5

Artificial ice, 5

Arts, seven liberal, 108

Asia, 40

Atlantic cable, 6

Atlantic ocean, 40

Atmosphere, 10

Aurora Borealis, 10

Australia, 41

Automobile records, 114

Automobiles, 10

Average life of man, 3

Average weight of men and women, 128

Avoirdupois weight, 154

Baltic and North Sea canal, 17

Bandaging, 161

Bank of England, 11

Baseball, 115

Base of a triangle, 25

Bastile, 11

Baths, 161

Bayreuth Festival, 11

Beautifiers, 43

Belladonna poisoning, 191

Bells on shipboard, 100

Bible, 11

Bible, kissing the, 67

Bible statistics, 12

Bicarbonate of soda, 175

Billiard records, 115

Bi-metallism, 12

Birth stones, 12

Bite, snake, 195

Bites, dog, 169

Bleeding, 162

Bleeding from capillary veins, 163

Bleeding from the veins, 163

Blind, 13

Blood, circulation of, 21

Blood-heat, 13

Blue-Grass region, 13

Board and timber measure, 156

Body temperature, 198

Bones, broken, 164

Books, production of, 100

Bowling records, 116

Boxers, 14

Brain, 14

Brandy, 177

Bread, 15

Breakfast foods, 15

British Royal family, cost of, 30

Broken bones, 164

Brook farm, 15

Burns, 192

Cable, Atlantic, 6

Calculating interest, 16

California, gold in, 55

Camphor, 176

Camphor poisoning, 190

Canals, 17

Capacity of cisterns and wells, 18

Capillary veins, bleeding from, 163

Capitol at Washington, 18

Carbolic acid poisoning, 189

Cards, 93

Carrying the wounded, 199

Cause of failures, 48

Cellars, disinfecting, 168

Cells of the brain, 14

Celluloid, 19

Census of the United States, 27

Certified checks, 19

Cesspools, disinfecting, 168

Cheap laundry soaps, 110

Checks, certified, 19

Chemical composition of man, 20

Chess, 20

Chests (medicine), 75

Chief virtues, 107

Chilblains, 164

Children, emergencies, 173

Chloroform poisoning, 190

Christmas, 21

Circle, circumference of, 25

Circle, diameter of, 24

Circle, radius of, 24

Circle, square of the diameter of, 24

Circle, square of the radius of, 24

Circular measure, 155

Circulation of the blood, 21

Circumference of a circle, 25

Circumference of a circle, square of, 25

Circumference of a sphere, 25

Circumference of the earth, 39

Cisterns and wells, capacity of, 18

Cities in the United States, distances between, 34

Cities (large) of the United States, 28

Cities of the world (population), 73

Civil War, songs of, 113

Cleanliness, 164

Climate and temperature, 21

Climate, influence of the ocean on, 66

Clothing, afire, 166

Coal industry, 22

Coal oil, fires from, 179

Cocoa industry, 22

Coffee industry, 22 Coin (money), 23

Cold cream, 177

Colds, 167

Collapse, 194

Colors, to produce, 138

Colosseum, 23

Comets, 23

Communism and Socialism, 27

Comparative population of the large cities and towns of the United States, 28

Comparative population of the United States, 27

Copper coining, 23

Commission form of government, 56

Common abbreviations, 1

Common Council, 56

Common degrees, 1

Common measurements, 24

Compass, 28

Composition of man, 20

Constitution of the United States, 55

Corn in the crib, to measure, 138

Corporal works of mercy, 107

Correct weight of men and women, 126

Corrosive sublimate poisoning, 191

Corsets, 29

Cosmetics, 29

Cost of the British Royal family, 30

Cotton industry, 31

Cotton gin, 31

Cough medicines, 87

Countries of the world, 98

Cradle of American liberty, 31

Credit Mobilier, 31

Creed, Apostles', 4

Creosote poisoning, 189

Croton water tunnel, 59

Crusades, 32

Crust of the earth, 32

Cubic measure, 154

Daguerreotypes, 32

Damage by lightning, 33

Danger of taking patent medicines, 86

Day or night, to find the length of, 137

Deadly sins, 107

Deaf and dumb, 33

Death, apparent, 160

Deaths, percentage of, 77

Deeds, 33

Degrees in common use, 1

Depth of the sea, 40

Dialects, 112

Diameter of a circle, 24

Diameter of a sphere, 26

Diamonds (famous), 49

Dictionaries, 33

Difference in time, 136

Different colors, to produce, 138

Digestibility of foods, 34

Diphtheria, 167

Diseases, infectious, 186

Disinfectants, 167

Disinfecting cellars, yards, cesspools, etc., 168

Disinfecting the sick room, 168

Dislocation, 168

Distance between cities in the United States, 34

Distance from the earth to the planets, 112

Diving bells, 36

Dog bites, 169

Drama, 36

Drowning, 169

Drowning, to prevent, 172

Drugs, 36

Dry measure, 154

Dumb and deaf, 33

Dying sayings of great men, 37

Dynamite, 39

Ear, getting things into, 184

Earth, crust of, 32

Earth facts, 39

Earthquake areas, 42

Earthquakes, 41

Electoral vote, 62

Engine, steam, 128

England, Bank of, 11

Equator, 39

Errors of history, 44

Esperanto, 46

Estimating the weight of hay, 137

Europe, 40

Exercise, 178

Extinguishing fire from coal oil, 179

Eye, getting things into, 183

Facts about the earth, 39

Failures, 47

Failures, cause of, 48

Fainting, 180

Famous diamonds, 49

Faneuil Hall, 31

Farm productions, 49

Feeding an invalid, 180

Fertile soil, 41

Finding the capacity of cisterns and wells, 18

Finding the length of day or night, 137

Finding the number of days (interest), 16

Fire in the house, 181

Fires from coal oil, 179

First trans-Atlantic steamship, 51

Fits, 181

Flag of the United States, 142

Flour industry, 51

Food (pure), 101

Food nutriment, 51

Foods, breakfast, 15

Foods, digestibility of, 34

Fool's Day, 4

Force of gravity, 57

Forests, 52

Foretelling the weather, 52

Freemasonry, 54

Freiburg tunnel, 59

French Academy, 55

Frost bite, 182

Fumigating a sick room, 182

Gas, acetylene, 2

Gas, illuminating, 186

Gas, natural, 79

Gems, language of, 67

Getting things into the eye, nose, ear, etc., 183

Getting wet, 184

Ginger, 176

Glass, plate, 92

Glasses, 114

Glycerine, 176

Gold coining, 23

Gold in California, 55

Government, 55

Grain industry, 57

Gravity, 57

Great American inventions, 57

Great Eastern, 58

Great libraries, 59

Great men, dying sayings of, 37

Great religions, 135

Great tunnels, 59

Greece, seven wise men of, 108

Growers (hair), 59

Gunnison tunnel, 59

Hair growers, 59

Half-century of life, 60

Half the circumference of a circle, 25

Hamamelis, 177

Hammer-throwing records, 117

Harp, æolian, 3

Hawaii, 61

Hay industry, 61

Hay, to estimate the weight of, 137

Headache powders, 87

Headaches, 184

Health, 61

Height of men and women, 126

Height of the land, 40

Hiccoughs, 185

Highest mountain, 40

Historical data, 62

History, errors of, 44

History in brief, United States, 143

Holy Grail, 64

Hoosac tunnel, 59

House afire, 181

House of Representatives, 56

Household weights, 64

How to avoid accidents, 185

How to become a voter, 64

Human brain, 14

Hurdle racing records, 117

Hurricane warnings, 152

Hydrophobia, 169

Ice, artificial, 5

Illuminating gas, 186

Implement industry, 3

Indian ocean, 40

Industrial occupations, 65

Industry, agricultural implement, 3 coal, 22 cocoa, 22 coffee, 22 cotton, 31 flour, 51 grain, 57 hay, 61 iron, 66 jewelry, 66 liquor and wine, 74 meat, 75 mineral, 76 mining, 76 petroleum, 92 poultry and egg, 97 sugar, 130 tobacco, 137 wool, 203

Infectious diseases, 186

Influence of the ocean on the climate, 66

Inhabitants of the United States, 95

Insane, 66

Insomnia, 195

Interest calculating, 16

Interest table, 17

Invalid, feeding an, 180

Inventions, great American, 57

Iron industry, 66

Jewelry industry, 66

John Doe and Richard Roe, 66

Judicial, 56

Jumping records, 117

Kissing the Bible, 67

Koran, 67

Land area of the earth, 39

Land area of the United States, 93

Land, height of, 40

Land measure, 155

Language of gems, 67

Languages, 112

Languages of the world, 67

Large cities and towns of the United States, population of, 28

Large cities in North America, population of, 68

Largest steamship, 204

Laundry soaps, 110

Law, 72

Leading cities of the world (population), 73

Legislative, 56

Length of day or night, to find, 137

Liberal arts, seven, 108

Libraries, 59

Life, half-century of, 60

Lightning, damage by, 33

Liquid measure, 154

Liquor and wine industry, 74

Literature, 74

Living ages, 3

Lockjaw, 188

Long measure, 153

Lotions, shaving, 109

Magnetic poles, 75

Mammoth cave, 75

Man, chemical composition of, 20

Manchester canal, 17

Marathon team race records, 117

Masons, 54

Measurements, common, 24

Measuring corn in the crib, 138

Meat industry, 75

Medicine chests, 75

Medicines, emergency, 174

Medicines (patent), 86

Men of Greece, seven wise, 108