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Executive Times |
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2007 Book Reviews |
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The
Dangerous Book for Boys by |
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Rating: |
*** |
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(Recommended) |
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Click on
title or picture to buy from amazon.com |
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Reference I wish that The
Dangerous Book for Boys had been around when I was 10 years old, or was
available when my boys were that age. Ah, the hours that father and sons
could have spent using these pages as reference. Boys are wired to flirt with
danger, and The
Dangerous Book for Boys helps them grow up as boys, facing rather than
avoiding danger. The target market for this book is fathers, and with this
book, a father and son can tackle a lot of growing up. There are fine
illustrations, heroic stories, grammar lessons, and wise advice that when it
comes to girls, it’s best to listen. Here’s an excerpt, pp. 129-30: FIRST AID ACCIDENTS
ARE GOING TO HAPPEN. You can’t
spend your life worrying about them or you’d never get anything done.
However, using common sense and taking a few simple precautions is well worth
a little of your time. Really, everyone should have a basic knowledge of
first aid. If you were injured, you’d want someone close to you who doesn’t
panic and knows what to do. It’s not being dramatic to say a little knowledge
can make the difference between life and death. When
dealing with more than one casualty, a decision has to be made about which
person to treat first. This process is called “triage.” One rule of thumb is
that if someone is screaming, they are clearly alive, conscious and almost
certainly in less danger than someone silent and still. These are
your priorities: 1. Breathing and heartbeat 2. Stop bleeding 3. Bandage wounds 4. Splint fractures 5. Treat shock When
dealing with blood and wounds, there is a risk of AIDS infection. Wear gloves
if you have them, or put plastic bags over your hands. Avoid touching your
mouth or face with bloody hands. Wash thoroughly as soon as possible. This
advice is almost always ignored in high-stress situations, but it could save
your life. When you
approach an injured person, make sure whatever hurt them isn’t likely to hurt
you—falling debris on a building site, for example. If there is an imminent
threat, move the patient before treatment. Weigh the risk of spinal injury
against the immediate danger. If they have been electrocuted and the current
is still running, stand on something dry and nonconductive and use a stick
to heave them away from the source. If you do
have to move them, avoid twisting motions that could make spinal injuries
worse. Pull by the ankles until they are clear. ARE THEY BREATHING? If they
are breathing, turn them on their side and bend one leg up in support. This
is the “recovery position.” It helps to prevent choking caused by vomit or
bleeding. If
breathing is poor, use a finger to remove any obstructions from the mouth and
throat. Check that they have not swallowed their tongue, and if they have,
pull it back into the mouth. If breathing is blocked, put them onto their
back, sit astride them, place your hands just above their navel, and thrust
upward into the rib cage. If this does not work, grasp them around the chest
under the armpits from behind, joining your hands in front if you can. Then
grip hard, compressing their chest. This is the “Heimlich maneuver.” Once the
blockage is clear, if they are still not breathing, start artificial
resuscitation. Note that
babies require special delicacy. If a baby stops breathing, support them facedown
on your forearm. The pressure alone is enough in some cases, but if not,
press three or four times between the shoulder blades with the heel of your
hand. If there is still no response, support the head and turn the baby face
up, then use just two fingers to press down on the chest four times. Repeat
this action. Finally, cover the baby’s mouth and nose with your mouth and
breathe into their lungs. IS THE HEART BEATING? To take
the pulse at the wrist, press your fingers on the front of the wrist, just
below the thumb at the lower end of the forearm. To take the pulse at the
neck, turn the face to one side and press your fingers under the jaw next to
the windpipe. The normal
pulse rate for the relaxed adult is 60—80 beats per minute. For a child it is
90—140 beats per minute. In high-stress situations, it can spike as high as
240, though a heart attack is very close at that point. Use your
watch to count the beats in thirty seconds and then double it. If you cannot
feel a pulse and the pupils of the eyes are much larger than normal, start
cardiac compression. (See below.) ARTIFICIAL
RESUSCITATION The first
five minutes are the most crucial, but keep going for up to an hour while you
wait for emergency services. This can be exhausting, so take turns if there
are more of you. Boys and their
fathers will love The
Dangerous Book for Boys. Steve Hopkins,
August 25, 2007 |
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The recommendation rating for
this book appeared in the September
2007 issue of Executive Times URL for this review: http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/The
Dangerous Book for Boys.htm For Reprint Permission,
Contact: Hopkins & Company, LLC • E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com |
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