Historical October 1976 health column. Medication, first-aid and disposal recommendations are reproduced as period reporting, not current medical advice.
Every family should have a supply of basic medical stuff on hand for emergencies. Indeed, MOST families have a medicine chest, and mostly they’re cluttered! We suggest that you should check the contents periodically, so here’s The Clinic’s list of “What every well-stocked medicine chest should have”:
PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES…which means medicines you are taking currently on doctor’s orders. Outdated medicines are dangerous; get rid of them, preferably by flushing. Keep all medicines “out of sight, out of mind, out of mouth” of children, and in kid-proof containers.
A THERMOMETER! Every household should have a thermometer, which will cost less than $2.00. With it, you are equipped to tell the doctor just how high the fever really is. We suggest the “stubby” model, which can be used to take either oral or rectal temperatures. To clean, wash with soap and tepid water (hot water will break it), and air-dry.
BANDAGE MATERIAL…besides the ever-present bandaids, sterile 4″x4″ gauze squares will be useful for abraded knees, and if they’re “Telfa”, the plastic keeps them from sticking. However, don’t get the medicated varieties: a dressing is for coverage and cleanliness, and medications sometimes leave allergies. Adhesive tape (either the traditional variety or the non-allergic kind) can be cut into “butterflies” to hold the edges of a cut together, as well as securing dressings. Finally, you may want an elastic bandage; usually the 2-inch width is most versatile, but remember not to put it on so tight that fingers or toes turn blue!
OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINES: Aspirin (or, if you’re allergic, ask your druggist about a substitute), in a CHILDPROOF container. Used according to directions, it is good for headaches, allaround aches, and also to reduce fever, which makes it very useful for those virus bugs that go around every winter. Buy the cheapest available that is marked “U.S.P.”, because there is no point in paying for high-priced advertising when aspirin U.S.P. is aspirin U.S.P. Also, buy in small quantities, and when they start smelling like vinegar, they’re spoiled, so get a new supply.
Calamine lotion, also U.S.P., is a classic stand-by for itch-and-scratch skin conditions, ranging from mosquito bites to poison ivy. Again, buy it cheap and U.S.P., because you’re going to have to shake it no matter how much you pay!
If you feel you absolutely MUST have a laxative on hand, get Milk of Magnesia, U.S.P. (again!) This is a double-duty medicine: in large doses, it is a laxative; in small doses, it is an antacid for upset stomachs.
Missing something? You bet! NO merthiolate, NO tincture of iodine, NO “antiseptics”. Those things HURT, and they tend to destroy tissue (and thus encourage infection, rather than discourage it). For cleanliness, good old soap and water is best, and if used gently, hurts less. However, if you don’t feel comfortable without something, plain alcohol applied around (not IN) the wound will cleanse and also de-grease the skin to make the tape stick better.
With these simple items and some that you will have around the house already, you can take care of many simple ills. Table salt and water makes the “normal saline” that is used for soaks, for gargles, etc. Baking soda in the bath helps itches. Meat tenderizer helps insect stings. Mom’s eyebrow tweezers, properly sterilized, are useful in taking out splinters. A fine ice pack can be devised out of a plastic food bag, and a hot water bottle can be just that—a bottle of hot water (both wrapped in towels to protect the skin).
And the comfort and nourishment offered by the traditional orange juice and chicken soup aren’t bad medicine, either!
Originally published in The Paper, October 1976.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1976_10.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
