Accidents, To Avoid and Prevent

1. In walking the streets, keep out of the line of cellars, and never look one way and walk another.
2. Never ride with your arm or elbow outside any vehicle.
3. Never alight from a steam-car while in motion.
4. In stepping from any wheeled vehicle while in motion, let it be from the rear, and not in front of the wheels; for then, if you fall, the wheels cannot run over you.
5. Never attempt to cross a road or street in a hurry, in front of a passing vehicle; for if you stumble or slip you will be run over. Make up the half minute lost in waiting until the vehicle has passed by increased diligence in some other direction.
6. In a run-away, it is safer, as a rule, to keep your place and hold fast than to jump out. Getting out of a carriage over the back, provided you can hold on a little while, is safer than springing out of the vehicle.
7. Be particularly cautious when in the vicinity of water.
8. During a time of lightning avoid the neighborhood of trees, or any leaden spout, iron gate, or other conductor of electricity.
9. Lay loaded guns in safe places, and never imitate firing a gun in jest.
10. Never sleep near lighted charcoal; if drowsy at any work where charcoal fires are used, take the fresh air.
11. Never blow out the gaslight, but turn it off, and before retiring see that none of it escapes.
12. When benumbed with cold beware of sleeping out of doors; exercise yourself vigorously; rub yourself, if able, with snow, and do not hastily approach the fire.
13. If caught in a drenching rain, or if you fall in water, keep in motion sufficiently vigorous to prevent the slightest chilly sensation until you reach the house; then change your clothing with great rapidity before a blazing fire, and drink instantly a pint of hot liquid, not spiritous.
14. Before entering vaults or dry wells see if a lighted candle will burn at the bottom; for if not, animal life can not exist, and the foul air in it should be replaced by pure air before entering therein.
15. Never leave saddle or draught horses, while in use, by themselves; nor go immediately behind a led horse, as he is apt to kick.
16. Ride not on footways, and walk not on carriage roads or rail-road tracks.
17. Be wary of children, whether they are up or in bed, and particularly when they are near the fire, and element with which they are very apt to amuse themselves.
18. Leave nothing poisonous open or accessible, and never omit to write the word "POISON" in large letters upon it, wherever it may be placed.
19. Never throw pieces of orange upon the sidewalk, or throw broken glass bottles into the streets.
20. Never meddle with gunpowder by candlelight.
21. Never trim or fill a kerosene lamp while lighted, and never light a fire with kerosene or coal oil.
22. Keep lucifer matches in their cases, and never let them be strewed about.
23. During frosty weather take extra care in walking.
24. Have your horses' shoes roughed directly [if] there are indications of frost.
25. Before retiring for the night, carefully look through the house to see that everything is as it ought to be.

From A Dictionary of Every-day Wants: Containing twenty thousand receipts in nearly every department of human effort. By A.E. Youman, M.D. Boston, GM Hyde & Company, 206 Hanover Street, 1874.