This is the opening pages, an introduction to the Library of Health. The book was originally edited by Benjamin Frank Scholl,Ph.G., M.D. and Anne McFarland Sharp B.A., M.D. and Frank E. Miller, A.M., M.D.

The opening sequence reads as follows:

Wide Thanks to those that Have Gone Before

the use of home medical books has now become general and they are recognized as being just as essential to the protection of the family, the care of health, the prevention of disease, the care beyond; and giving assistance in the absence of the doctor, and in preventing unnecessary sickness and suffering in the starving of life itself, as the scientific textbooks are essential to the position.

This knowledge is not intended to make doctors out of Lehman or to encourage self-medication except in emergency.it aims to teach prevention rather than cure.it is a well known fact that over 50%. Of the sickness that comes to the home is unnecessary and preventable if the people have the proper knowledge. The right kind of information in the hands of the mother will prevent unnecessary sickness, take care of accidents in emergencies, and save thousands of lives, when the doctor cannot be reached in time; it also teaches the care and nursing of the sick and the rearing of the children and thousands of homes that cannot afford a professional nurse.

It may be said that during the past five years the treatment and cure of many diseases has entirely change; but more important discoveries and new and successful methods for the curing of disease have been proven and adopted during this time than in any similar. During the past century. The old method of treating fever was by shutting the patient a tight room, smothering him with Bud clothing, allowing no ice water, and dosing with medicine. The latest treatment whether the favor as typhoid and its character, pneumonia or malaria fever, is to have the patient covered lightly with a sheet, the room perfectly ventilated and the temperature largely controlled by a external applications.

Measles is not treated by simple methods. The treatment for scarlet fever is materially changed and fatalities greatly reduced. So we might mention many others. It is not too much to say that the mortality of all diseases has been diminished greatly by the new treatments and nursing adopted within the last five years. The tendency of modern treatment is tor preventive medicine and careful nursing.

Of every 1000 babies born in this century, 124 die before they are a year old. An average of 300,000 babies under-year-old died yearly in the United States the past few years. Half of this number could have been saved of every mother and every home knew how to take proper precaution, and give proper care nursing.

The child should be exposed to any disease — for instance, the measles — the “Library” tells you just how many days before the rash appears and how it can affect others exposed to it. By having this information the mother can call the doctor and Time Inc. and more intelligently assessed and cooperate with him.

Then just think of the accidents that are happening every day in the doctor may be miles away. We given the “Library” the quickest, best in the most efficient treatments and accidents in emergencies, in the absence of a doctor, and it is the duty of everyone to know what to do for the first aid to the sick and injured. Someone should take poison — for instance, “carbolic acid” or “Lye,” which are very common in the home — perhaps your child takes a drink of one of them by mistake. You call the doctor and by the time he gets there it may be too late, but by turning to “POISONS,” you find, “For Caroblic Acid take Epsom Salts,” and “for Lye take Oil.” this information may save a life.

And so on with every kind of emergency. They happen every day, especially with children. There’s never a wash day that passes of the land but what there are numbers of cases of children getting hold of ammonia. If you’re the one took a swallow from the ammonia bottle, you couldn’t grab it in your arms the moment it screamed and ran two blocks to the doctor in time to do any good, but you could grab the vinegar bottle — but those handy — and give a good swallow vinegar, which will immediately counteract the ammonia. No home should be without such information.

What would you do in the absence of the doctor? Ask yourself a question about health or life and turn to the “Library” for your answer.

did you ever stop to think that one could bleed to death in three to seven minutes, before you could get medical help? Here’s given the simplest and best information on just where to press, to stop the flow of blood from any part of the body; and if you know just how, you can stuff it with your own thumb or finger or by using a simple turn it until you can procure assistance; then you can wait for the doctor — powers, if necessary.

It is only too true the large majority of our women are raised in an atmosphere of false modesty that prevents them from having the necessary knowledge to take proper care of themselves and avoid various diseases and disorders. Thousands of women have questions they would like answered that they will not ask a local physician on account of embarrassment, also expense, and this information is absolutely essential to their personal health. These minor troubles through neglect of 10 times become chronic and incurable, while, if taken at the start, they are easy to remedy.

Watch carefully every little headache, cough, choke, pain or fever — they may lead to something serious. Prevention is better than cure and prevention begins at home. the index under the HEADINGS will direct you to the proper place, where you can obtain the information you need to guide you.

The mother is the one who looks after the health of the family. The mother is with the children 24 hours in the day and feels most responsible case of sickness. That is why the “Library” is placed in the homes — IT IS FOR THE WIFE and FOR THE MOTHER.

If the husband comes home sick, or a child is ill, the wife is expected to the nursing. How is she going to do this if she never had any experience with sickness? The nursing department will tell her. It teaches how to make poultices, ointments, blasters, Serbs, etc.; how to change the sheets, making the patient comfortable, and how to be the sick. Of the most folly to the sick room is the nurse; she should understand how to prepare food and diet for the particular ailment of the patient, and to assist the doctor and battling with disease and restoring health. “Slobbery of Health”gives you all this information in a plane, practical way that anyone can understand.

Knowing from our experience that the medical specialists and teachers who stand at the head of their profession right and language of technical expression, it has been necessary for the publishers to seek the services of a competent editorial staff, who put the technical and scientific knowledge and a plain practical form, so that anyone can understand.

we wish to extend wide thanks to the contributors to this work into the professors, positions, specialists and lecturers of universities and colleges throughout the world, so of whom have gone before, and the recognized standard home medical works published in England, Germany, France, Spain, in America, from whom our editors have gleaned as follows:

Book Targets Audience of Mothers and House Wives slated to be Defacto Nurses

I will pause as the book then proceeds to list approximately 30 some doctors physicians and specialists in many other areas I will come back and fill in these names a later date. So that’s the opening of the book, and right away I is find it rather interesting the assumptions that the book makes right off the bat. The book assumes that women and in particular wives are housewives are destined for the role of nursemaid. And that they should read this book to be prepared for the medical situation that will arise in the family based on the presumption that next presumption that a doctor or hospital will not be close at hand or readily available. Obviously the book was written at a time of emergency services had neither been conceived yet.

Changes in Perils to the Family in the United States

In addition it’s interesting for the perspective that many of the assumptions of the problems that can impact children are families have changed somewhat. Washes and done on a wash day using ammonia anymore. And measles isn’t as prevalent as it used to be throughout the world. Possibly more striking is the number of infant deaths mentioned hundred and 124 deaths out of a 1,000 seems like a very high number at a comparison to today’s numbers.

Today we complain that infant death rates are not going down fast enough. Our infant death rates for infants that were successfully born through a live birth is 6.8 incidents per 1000 in 2003. it is not surprising that we’ve come a long way in almost 100 years. However consider the impact on families and people and individuals close to a hundred years ago when awas so much more likely to die shortly after birth or during its first year of life.