The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-05-13
What People May Do In Cases Of Emer.
gency.

|
to Do in Emergencies in the Absence Oh
a Physician. The audience was large
and attentive.
The subject, DIR. Bridge said, was SO
large one that it would be impossible
to do more than touch on the most inn
portant points within the limits of his
discourse. Among the public at large
there was an uncertainty about emergen-
cies, and there was habit of dealing
with them in an unscientific manner
There were few emergencies in which
even doctors had more than few reme-
dies. Therefore, the getting of doctor
on the spot was not nearly as important
as many supposed, if the people had a
larger medical knowledge. We should
keep our hands off a sick or injured per-
son unless we know what to do. The
best thing was to let the patient alone in
many cases, but, in some, there should
be prompt action.
The common accident of fainting fit
is the most familiar of all. Such persons
generally recover spontaneously. Very
few have died in Swoon, unless the re-
suit OF accident. Yet the impulse of the
populace was to seize the patient, throw
water in his face, and so on. A faint
ing tit was the result of the nervous &C.
ton of the heart and brain. The brain
is deprived of its natural quantity of
blood, because some of tine smaller blood
vessels contract. This was why patients
turned pale. Instead of compelling the
patient to sit up, let him lie down that
the blood may return to- the brain in the
natural manner. To dash water in his
face is useless, but harmless. If the pa
tent does not at once recover when w.
ing down, lift his feet SO that the flow of
blood headward may be increased. It
was singular that old traditions chung to
people SO long. While it was true that
people died in fainting fits who were suf-
fering from disease, yet they died all the
quicker for being put in sitting post
ure.
The next branch of his subject was
commissions. These generally frightened
people, but nothing was more absurd.
The patient was pounded, fiaggelated,
gently, of course, put in hot baths, and
received other severe and absurd treat
ment. An epileptic fit lasted, ordinarily,
not more than three minutes, and peo-
pie very rarely died of them. The con-
tortion of the features were very disa-
greeable, and nobody who once wit
messed such a fit would desire to see it re-
peated. The best thing to do was to let
the patient alone. Generally, after fit,
patient goes into a deep s1umber-na-
lures restorer. All that was necessary
was to see that the patient did not bite
his tongue OF injure himself in any man
ner The feeling of the people was to
interfere, but they ought to have courage
to let the patient alone.
Much may be done by the doctor, after
the attack, to prevent its recurrence.
There is little or no fear of death in the
great majority of cases.
The hysterical fit was next spoken of.
1t would be hard to describe historical
fit, as it assumed many forms. There
was also the apoplectic fit, which de-
prived people of consciousness. There
was nothing to do in such cases except
to let the patient alone, keep him quiet
and horizontal, wipe the fluid from his
mouth with napkin, and allow nature
to assert itself.
The next thing was conclusion. A
child may fall out of window and bump
his head. He soon becomes drowsy, and
the efforts of the household are directed
to keep the child awake, which was
deadly error. The best thing to do was
to let the child fall asleep and let the
shaken up brain recuperate. TWAS the
natural process, and the child should not
be disturbed. The best remedy for a
conclusion was rest. The principle to
be kept in mind by surgeons and nurses
was to allow the patient to 90 to rest.
He was sorry to say that some medical
men had become possessed of the idea |
that the injured child should not be al
lowed to 60 to sleep. If the child is to re-
cover at all, sleep will revive him.
Another style of accident that stirred |
people up was that which produced |
hemorrhage-of course violent hemor-
rhage generally led to speedy death, but
nature had provided its own remedy in
stopping up the bruised blood vessels
with clots. A large artery would bleed |
on until the patient died. Therefore if |
doctor were not present, let the pulse |
Of the patient be felt, and if it beats rap
idly and grows weak, he is losing too
much blood. The normal pulse of a
healthy person was seventy to eighty,
while bleeding patient would run up to
100 or 14O, which indicated danger. The
Thing surgeon would do would be to
make pressure on the severed artery.
This required knowledge of anatomy,
but every one knew enough to bring
pressure on the wound itself, with q
or with the fingers, which
will form a clot until the surgeon arrives.
Some people had horror Of blood, which
was foolish, as it was perfectly innocu-
ous. Some people, however, could not
help fainting at the sight of blood. An
internal hemorrhage was, however, be-
yond the reach of the unprofessional.
Crushed members and injured parts of
he body should be stepped in hot water
that is water as warm as the blood of
he patient, almost ninety-three degrees
Fahrenheit. Cold water also stopped
bleeding by contracting the blood vessels.
It was singular thing that both hot and
'old water had an excellent healing effect
IN bruises. and prevented, in most cases,
notification.
Another emergency was that of pain,
which most frequently occurred to chill
tren. often causinr 1orr ~ can,.%;a~ #AI