This story takes place over a thousand years ago, when a good and kind king named Haroun al-Raschid ruled the land of Persia.
In the capital city of Baghdad where the king lived, there also lived a merchant named Ali. Ali needed to travel on a long journey, and so he sold nearly all of his household goods and rented out his home. The only thing left for Ali to do was to find a safe place to leave his private treasure – one thousand pieces of gold. Finally, he decided to put the gold coins into a large jar and cover the coins with olives. When he had closed the cover of the jar, he carried it to a friend of his, who was also a merchant, and said to him, “You know, my friend, in a few days I plan to leave for my journey. I beg you to take charge of this jar of olives, and keep it for me till I return.”
The merchant promised that he would. In a friendly manner he said, “Here, take the key of my warehouse. Set your jar where you like. I promise you shall find it there when you return.”
Ali’s journey lasted much longer than he expected. In fact, he was seven years gone from Baghdad, when he finally was able to return.
All this time his friend, with whom he had left his jar of olives, did not think of him or of the jar. One evening this merchant was having supper with his family and the conversation happened to fall upon olives. The merchant’s wife mentioned that she had not tasted any for a long time.
“Now that you speak of olives,” said the merchant, “you remind me of a jar that Ali left with me seven years ago. He put it in my warehouse to be kept for him until he returned. What has become of him I do not know. When the caravan came back, they told me he had gone on to Egypt. Certainly he must be dead by now, since he has not returned in all this time. We may as well go ahead and eat the olives, if they are still good. Give me a plate and a candle. I will fetch some of them and we’ll taste them.”
Stitches for kids
Everybody gets cuts, and some cuts are bigger than others. That’s why a lot of kids need stitches at one time or another — usually on their face, chin, hands, or feet.
Stitches aren’t for scratches. They’re for bigger cuts that probably wouldn’t heal well on their own. You might take a fall and hit your head or step on something sharp — ouch! Or you might have surgery and get an incision, a cut a doctor makes.
That’s where stitches come in. They join the sides of the cut together so that it can heal. If you need stitches, you don’t need to worry, but you do need to take care of the stitches until the skin heals.
What are stitches?
Stitches are loops of thread that doctors use to join the edges of a cut on your skin. It’s a lot like sewing fabric together. But after a few days or a week, the skin heals and the stitches come out.
Once the edges are touching, the doctor ties a knot in the thread so your skin will stay that way until it heals. Doctors have many different kinds of thread, called sutures (say: SOO-churz), including some made of nylon, silk, and vicryl (say: VY-kril). Vicryl thread actually dissolves in your skin, so you don’t even need to get those stitches removed. This kind of thread is used mostly on the lips, face, or in the mouth.
Another way of closing a cut is to use glue! Sometimes, if a cut isn’t too deep or wide, and is on a flat area like the forehead, the doctor will use special skin glue to keep the cut’s edges together until it heals. It usually dissolves by itself in 7 to 10 days.
Another option for tiny cuts is a small sticky strip called a butterfly bandage. It keeps the edges of a shallow cut together for a few days, and then it usually comes off in the bath.
How does a doctor put stitches in?
If you need stitches, the nurse or assistant will usually start by putting a numbing gel on top of the cut. When the skin is numb, he or she will begin cleaning your cut with sterile water, which is squirted into the cut to remove harmful germs and dirt. You’re probably wondering if this will hurt. Actually, you won’t feel much pain at all during the cleaning and sewing of the cut.
Sometimes a liquid numbing medicine will be put into the skin with a small needle. These substances, called anesthetics (say: an-es-THEH-tiks), may numb the area so you feel hardly any pain at all. It’s a lot like the medicine used to numb your mouth when you have a cavity filled.
The doctor also will make sure that whatever cut you (such as a piece of glass) isn’t still in the cut.
Using a very tiny needle, the doctor will sew your cut together with the sutures. Although the area will be numb, you might feel a tug as the doctor pulls the stitches together. Stitches are done the same way at the end of surgery. If you get these at the end of surgery, you won’t feel it — you won’t even be awake!
How does a kid take care of stitches?
Your doctor will tell you how to care for your cut after it has been closed. It’s important to follow the directions carefully with your mom’s or dad’s help. Different kinds of materials — sutures, glue, and butterflies — need different kinds of care.
The doctor probably will tell you to keep your cut dry for at least 1 to 2 days. Most stitches should not get wet. Some cuts with stitches need to be covered with an antibiotic (say: an-ty-by-AH-tik) ointment and a bandage to prevent infection. Glue, on the other hand, shouldn’t be coated with ointment. It’s important that you don’t tug or pull on the stitches, even if they get itchy. And don’t ever try to take the stitches out by yourself.
If you notice that you’ve popped or torn a stitch, or if your cut is hot, red, swollen, or oozing pus (a yellowish or greenish thick liquid), be sure to tell a parent. You may need to see the doctor to check if the cut is infected.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know the tea bag was invented in 1908?
Did you know volleyball was invented in 1895?
Did you know the lie detector was invented in 1921?
Did you know the drinking straw was invented in 1886?
Did you know Scissors were most likely invented ancient Egypt?
RIDDLES
You can hear me and control me, but never see or touch me. What am I?
Which tire does not move when a car turns right?
What can you give to others and still keep?
What has 13 hearts but no organs?
What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
What does everyone has and can’t lose?
ANSWERS
1.Your voice 2. The spare tyre 3. A promise 4. A deck of cards 5. Roads 6. Shadow
QUIZ
What is the capital of Kwara State?
What make of car is popularly known as “Halla”?
What state is President Muhammadu Buhari from?
Makurdi is to Benue what Gusau is to…?
Nigeria’s capital was moved from where to Abuja?
ANSWERS
1.Illorin 2. Honda 3. Ogun 4. Zamfara 5. Lagos
