The Opelousas courier., 1884-12-06
IN CASE OF ACCIDENT.
Little Lessons in Household Sur~erv
by a Physician,


lhere are a hundred and fifty little ac-
claents liable to occur in a household.
Wn.ch modlcum ofapplied surgical skill
suffice to set right, thus obviatinp the
necessity for calling in a surgeon or med
ical man.
1t Is about a few of the more common
hints.
Whether you have a med~icine-chest in
the house or not, there are several handy
afticies which should always be kept
ready IN a clean drawer in case of emer-
gency. A little case containing a pair of
ordinary surgical ~lancets of the old fash
lohed bleeding pattern, surgical scissors,
pms, needles, and thread these are ali
d Instruments required. Appliances
Will include one or two bandagcs. some
lint and oil silk, bit of caustic sill liver in
q case, and some strips of adhesive
plaster. Then there should be a stimu-
liant lotion, an eye lotion, a liniment for
spralns, stiffness in the joints, etc., and
one or two kinds of ointment.
Poultices are handy to allay inf1amma-
tlons and soothe pain. They are i~nvalua-
Die In swellings about the throat, in
whltloWs, assesses, etc. A small bottle
OF turpentihe, and one of carron oil.
should also find a place in the family
surgical drawer.
Inc lancets will be sometimes required
to open small open assesses or gum
bolls. Large swellings containing mat,
ter had better be seen by the family ply
slclan. Many people have the greatest
horror of the lancet, and will suffer ex-
cruclatlng pain for days from a tri6ing
abscess rather than submit to have it
opened. And yet in a case of this kind
the relief that follows a simple and al
most painless incision is instantaneous.
Others. again, are willing to have an alb
scess opened when it comes toa head
But it hardly wants opening then, as it
will break of its own accord. The time
to open an abscess is when there is a
~huctuating baggy feel to the touch, Civ
ing indication of the presence of pus-
In other words, of the formation of mat
ter. Ii this matter cannot have vent it
will eat through the tissues that lie i'm,
medlately above it, and while doing so
S much pain and inconvenience.
When a gum-boil needs to be opened,
the lancet should be rolled round with a
piece of rag to within about half an inch
of the point. 1t may then be freely used
at that part of the boil which is softest.
After a gum-boil has been opened, gentle
pressure is needed to squeeze out the mat
ter, and the mouth should be well rinsed
with hot water.
| counsel the keeping of pins and nee
dies and thread in the surgical drawer,
in order that they may be always ready
at hand. The pins should be of differ
ent sizes-they are handy for fastening
bandages, etc. The thread should be
strong and white, and the needles of a
fair size-needles with good honest eyes
In their heads, needles that even a man
can thread.
As to bandages, they can either be
bought or made. For economy's sake I
think they should be made, and for this
purpose old linen of any kind can be
washed and utilized. Teari it into strips,
and sew it neatly together. The banda
ages may be of two or even three differ
ent breadths-one about an inch and a
half for finger purposes, another about
two inches, and a third about three.
These are called roller bandages. There
are also various forms Of tailed bandages
for application to the scalp, for instance,
and to parts of the body to which a
roller bandage is not suited. The shapes
OF these will suggest themselves to a per-
m of sense.
Charple is made by stretching or hold
ing strips of old linen very tightly. and
scraping it with a rough knife. Charpie
is a useful application to wounds, and
may take the place of lint, but after all
it is not so handy, it does not lie so fiat,
and you cannot spread ointment very
well on it.
In cases Of sores that we wish to take
on a kindly healing action, or those that
need stimulating, or soothing, water
dressing is invaluable. It is very simple
and easy Of application. You have only
to dip q piece of lint in clean cold water,
to which probably a few drops of pure
carbolic acid have been added, then APP
ply it to the sore, which it must more
than cover. A piece of oiled silk is then
applied over the lint to retain its mois-
ture, and the whole is kept in position
by means of a retaining bandage.
Water-dressing is also applied to
wounds after they have been properly
strapped. and it may sometimes take the
place of a poultice for sweIlings which
we want to soothe and reduce.
The morsel Of lunar caustlc. in a case
can be bought at a chemists shop for, I
believe, threepence. 1t is used to eau
terize dog or cat or skunk bites, and also
scratches that may be supposed poison
Gus.
Tt III a well known fact that hydro
phobia is much more likely to be caused
by a skunk than a dog-bite, and | for
one would never go into the woods,
where there was a possibility of being
bitten by one of these creatures, without
carrying a morsel of caustic in my pocket
in case of an accident.
1t il a very foolish plan, not to say
cruel, to have the dog that has bitten
you destroyed. When this is done, it is
obviously impossible to discover whether
or not he was rabid at the time he made
use of his teeth. Cats bites are usually
more dangerous than dogs'-that is, they
are more apt to tester and take longer to
heal, the reason being simply this-a
cats tooth makes a punctured wound, a
dogs a more open enc.
Adhesive plaster comes in handy. It
ught to be the best procurable, and in
stead of keeping it in a roll in the
drawer, it ought to be cut up into strips
of different breadths. It is thus ready
for immediate use, and there is no chance
of its sticking together as it does if kept
in bulk.
When it is necessary to use this plaster
to keep the edges of a wound together,
60 c1 an..L-A-l -