ACCIDENTAL
POISONING

now one of the most common
causes of child death

By DR. ALEX GUEST

ITH the great decrease in

mortality from infections

in childhood, accidents are
now the greatest cause of death
in this age group. Among youn-
ger children, these are largely
preventable by greater care on
the part of parents. The small
child does not have the judg-
ment nor reasoning power of the
older child or adult and must be.

shielded from potentially dan:

gerous situations.

One of the most’ common —

causes of accidental death in
small children is poisoning. The
toddler, just beginning to ex-
plore his environment, does not
realize that danger lurks in ap-
parently innocent and even at-
tractively labelled containers. It
is only natural for him to taste
everything, as the first year of
his life he spent most of his
waking hours being fed.

Poisoning occurs mainly in
two ways, and each is equally
preventable.

(1) Most medicines come in

attractive containers and are.

specially designed to be pleasant
tasting, particularly children’s
drugs. Commercially-made baby
aspirin is an example of a poten-
tially dangerous compound fre-
quently used in children that is
usually pleasantly flavored.

Children in their explorations
come upon many medicines
carelessly left within their reach:

grandmother’s heart medicine
(digitalis which can cause car-
diac arrest), mother’s sleeping
pills (frequently made of pheno-
barbital, a drug capable of caus-
ing coma and death), or father’s
back rub (methyl salicylate, a
very potent poison when swal-
lowed).

(2) Many common household
articles are quite toxic. Lye, tur-
pentine, paint, insect and animal
poisons, bleaches, and cleaning
agents are all present in most
homes. Small children see their
parents using these materials,
and it is only natural that they
should want to play with them
and taste them. If parents ap-
pear to play with these sub-
stances, why shouldn’t their
children?

Contrary to popular belief,
poisonings are caused not by
rare and exotic compounds, but
in the main by common house-
hold substances. The most fre-
quent age for accidental poison-
ing is between one and three
years, when children are old
enough to ambulate but too
young to reason.

If anything, is ubiquitous, it is
the young child, into every cor-
ner of the house, every cup-
board, and every drawer. To pre-
vent poisonings is very simple
but one must take into account
the fact that the small child

615 SELKIRK AVE. -

Planning a trip?

LET US: MAKE ALL YOUR ARRANGEMENTS

GLOBE _ TOURS

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -

e

JU. 6-1886

by nature explores everything as
part of his newly-learned free-
dom of walking. It is not enough
to put medicines in drawers or
cupboards. Frequently . enough
not even this is done, and all
manner of toxic compounds are
left within easy reach of the
child.

As few drugs as_ possible

_ should be kept in homes, and

these should be kept locked ‘to

‘prevent their accidental con-

sumption by children. Similarly
all toxic: household _
should be kept in. a locked cup-

oe board or closet. Death frem.ac-

cidental poisonings could be al-
most entirely prevented if these
two simple rules were followed
in every home. Check your
house and see how many poi-
sons are potentially within the
reach of children. You'll be sur-
prised and shocked.

Fund to sid
children

in Africa

A fund-raising campaign to
buy school supplies for the chil-
dren of Kenya and to equip a
nursery for the children of Mali
is at present well under way
throughout Canada. It is being
conducted by the Congress of
Canadian Women as 4 special
project during this International
Cooperation Year.

To avoid paying large shipping
costs the sponsors are appealing
for money rather than equip-
ment and are arranging with the
women’s organizations of Kenya
and Mali to make the necessary
purchases.

The campaign closes June 30
and the funds will be transferred
to Kenya and Mali. by Septem-
ber, the ICY month dedicated to
the children of the world.

The Congress is also request-
ing donations of colored picture
postcards of Canadian scenes
and cities which will be for-
warded with the gift.

Cheques or money _ orders
should be made payable to the
Congress of Canadian Women
and mailed to Box 88, Station
“E,” Toronto 4, Ont.

RELIABLE _

When a worried-looking man
entered a florist shop and asked
for potted geraniums, the clerk
said, “I’m sorry, sir, I’m out of
geraniums. How about tulips!”

“No, tulips won’t do,” replied
the man.

“I promised my wife I’'d water
her geraniums while she was
away.”

agents _. * : ;
_now that sinful sex was abroad in the land. (Right he

_ for the first time, I wonder: Was he shocked by the sedue |

J. $. Wallace

The judge’s words may pound my ears
Like a devil dancing on a drum

, But better that than a mother’s tears
For a child unfed while I stay dumb. :

AS the trustee handed Jimmie MacLachlan prison clothe |
in exchange for his civilian wear, he asked Jimm™ |
what he was in for. “Sedition” was the answer.

The trustee pondered that. There was something faintly 2
familiar about the word “sedition” and he groped his way
to get its meaning. Light began, so he thought, to daw
“Are the women mixed up in it?” he asked.

“Some of them are worse than the men,” Jimmie
plied. tet St
-“My God, that’s awful!’ exclaimed the trustee, 5!

i

tion or shocked because he wasn’t there to share it?)

Jimmie, then secretary of the Miners Union in NO
Scotia, had gone down for two years because he protest
when mounted police rode down on a crowd of women
wives of striking steelworkers, striking against the 12-ho
day and similar blessings of capitalism. P|

Once, when the 1ainers themselves were on striké
they invited the company officials to take their places
the pumps in pits where there was a water seepage. At ong ;
the press-agent boys were sent to work raising a hue any
cry: the peoples’ mines (sudden socialism!) were b@
flooded forever. Daily the press issued panic bulletins: a
water has reached the pumps in No. 6... it is half way}
up the pumps in No. ll... |

Jimmie commented in a sentence that shouldn’t bé al q
lowed to die: When it comes to a choice between 4 hall 4
starved baby and a half-drowned pump, some people st
“Oh the Poor Pump!” “a

(In Toronto recently there was an inquest into te ,
death of Jaroslow Krupka, killed because his employe? |
disregarded safety laws. The Etobicoke building inspect, |
admitted he and his colleagues are more concerned W 1
the safety of a building than the safety of the constructio” if
workers. No outcry.)

Td like, if you are interested, to tell one or two mor
stories about Jimmie some time: we would remember ee I
honor the heroes and statesmen of the working class.

P.S. In the first stage of my life I committed pel
theft deliberately. Now, in the final stage, I’ve done
accidentally: recently I quoted a verse: And when alo
the jostled row the battered hat arrives, try brother !
member that some men put in their lives” . . . writte”
the late Mike Quin; fallout robbed him of the credit.

“We CANT AFFORD US!”

June 4, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P™