Prevention of Poisoning

The education of parents to the danger of accidental poisoning is an important aspect of office and clinic pediatrics. Since this preventive instruction can be time-consuming and incomplete in the usual medical interview, attention is called to the simple device of a display cabinet in the waiting room. In the display used in our clinic, the upper shelf shows common items actually ingested by our patients; the middle shelf contains those responsible for fatalities; the lower shelf demonstrates some of the discomforting elements of treatment. The effectiveness of this exhibit has been attested to by a decreased incidence of poisonings and continued parental interest in the information presented.