Historical 1975 article. Contains obsolete treatment instructions; not current first-aid guidance.
Many people, and in particular, children, die every year from poisons in the home. Here are some suggestions from
People’s Clinic on the prevention of deaths from poisons:
First of all, keep all drugs, poisonous substances and household chemicals where children can’t reach them. They should never be stored on open shelves or in unlocked cabinets. Containers of poisons or poisonous substances should carry labels that identify the contents, and they should not be switched from container to container. “MR. YUK” labels, which can be obtained from Cardinal Glennon Hospital Poison Center or the
People’s Clinic, are recommended to warn children away from dangerous substances.
Once it is learned or suspected that a member of the family has swallowed one of the poisons or poisonous substances kept in the home, fast action is vital. Call a doctor or the Poison Control Center at once. In St. Louis, the Poison Control Center at Cardinal Glennon Hospital is 772 -5200
Follow the directions of the doctor or Poison Control Center. Remember that it is hazardous to try to cause the victim to vomit:
…when the patient is in a coma
…when the patient is in convulsions …when the patient has swallowed a petroleum product (kerosene, gasoline, lighter fluid) …when the patient has swallowed a corrosive poison, of which the symptoms are severe pain, burning sensations in the mouth or throat, and the patient “throws up.”
Common corrosive substances are toilet bowl cleaners, rust removers, drain cleaners, styptic pencils, laundry soda, ammonia and household bleach.
Unless it is hazardous to make the patient vomit, or unless the doctor or poison control center advise you otherwise, the following procedure can be used: give a patient one to five years old two cups of milk or water; give an older patient up to a quart. Then, put the blunt end of a spoon, or your four fingers to the back of the patient’s throat, or give him an emetic (two tablespoons of salt in a glass of warm water) to make him vomit. Once he starts to vomit, keep his head lower than his hips to keep the vomitus out of the lungs.
Remember, it is very dangerous to try to treat a poisoning patient without expert advice: Call the doctor of Poison Control Center. Save the container the poison came from, and the patient’s vomitus. People’s Clinic urges you to check your medicine cabinet — odds are two to 1 that it has medicines and other items that ought to be in a locked closet. Published reports of deaths from drugs that children took from bathroom cabinets include heart medicines, sleeping drugs, overdoses from aspirin and many others. None of the medicines prescribed by physicians should be left where children can reach them; childproof containers are a help, but no guarantee that an active child can’t open them!
Originally published in The Paper, April 1975.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1975_04.pdf, printed page(s) 3; PDF page(s) 3.
