nutes until the child vomits freely.
Hot fomentations may be applied to the throat and chest in order to
hasten relaxation of the muscular spasm, and water should be kept
boiling near the bed in a teakettle or uncovered saucepan. The child
should stay in a warm room during the following day.

Whenever a child develops a croupy cough his throat should be examined.
A physician should be summoned if the throat is red and especially if
the redness is associated with rise in temperature. Cases of diphtheria
have been overlooked by neglecting such symptoms.

BLEEDING

In the vast majority of cases, bleeding can be stopped by elevating the
injured part and applying pressure over the wound. One should, however,
remember that loss of blood is not the only danger presented by an open
wound, for pus-producing germs, if they make their entrance, may cause
an infection which may be as serious as the bleeding itself. Hence in
dealing with open wounds of any sort one should always keep in mind the
danger of infection as well as the danger from loss of blood.

TREATMENT OF SLIGHT WOUNDS.--Loss of blood from slight wounds is seldom
so serious as the danger of infection; therefore small cuts, pin pricks,
scratches, etc. should be encouraged to bleed by pressure near the wound
in order to expel the germs that may have entered. After the wound has
bled a little, tincture of iodine should be applied by means of a cotton
swab both to the wound itself and also to the surrounding skin.

After the wound has thus been disinfected it should be covered with a
sterile dressing; a sterile or aseptic dressing is material in which all
bacterial life has been destroyed. Gauze from a First Aid dressing or
from a packet of sterile gauze should be used for this compress, or
gauze may be cut from a sterile bandage. The compress serves two
purposes: it protects the wound from infection, and if applied with
pressure it checks further bleeding.

The compress should be securely bandaged in place, or its edges may be
fastened with adhesive plaster or collodion. Neither of the two latter
should cover the wound itself. The outside bandage may be changed when
soiled, but the compress itself should not be disturbed until the wound
has healed. It is a mistake to dress wounds oftener than necessary,
since handling them always increases the chance of introducing germs.
Most children, like Tom Sawyer, delight in wounds, but they should be
prevented if possible