The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-08-05
TREATMENT OF THE DROWNED
TWO Things to be Done: Restore
Breathing; Restore Animal Heat.

rCircular from the State Board Of HEALTH
Rule 1. Remove all distractions to breath
ing. Instantly loosen or cut apart. all neck
ano waist bands; turn the patient on his
face, with the head down hill; stand astride
the hips with your face towards his head,
and, locking your fingers together under his
belly, raise the bodya high as you can with
out lifting the forehead of the ground, and
give the body smart jerk to remove mucus
from the throat and water from the wind
pipe; hold the body suspended long enough
to slowly counl one, two, three, four, 1ve,
repeating the jerk more gently two or three
times.
Rule 2 Place the patient face downward,
and maintaining all The while your position
astride the body, grasp the points of the
shoulders by the clothing or, If the body IS
naked, thrust your fingers into the armplts,
clasping your thumbs over the points Of the
shoulders, and raise the chest as high as you
can without lifting the head quite off the
ground, and hold it long enough to slowly
count one, two, three. Replace him on the
ground, with his forehead on his flexed arm,
the neck Strengthened out, and the mouth
and nose free. Place your elbows against
your knees and your hands upon the sides of
his chest, over the lower ribs, and press
downward and inward with increasing force
long enough to slowly count one, two. Then
suddenly let go, grasp the, shoulders as be-
fore and raise the chest; then press upon the
ribs, &c. These alternate movements should
be repeated 10 to Is times minute Tor an
hour at least, unless breathing is restored
sooner. Use the same regularity as In natu-
raj breathing.
Rule 8. After breathing has commenced,
restore the animal heat. Wrap him in warm
blankets, apply bottles of hot water hot
bricks, or anything to restore heat. Warm
the head nearly as fast as the body, lest con-
WILSON'S come on. Rubbing the. body with
warm cloths, or the hand and slapplnS the
fleshy parts may assist to restore warmth,
and the breathing also. Ii the patient can
surely swallow, give hot coffee. tea, milk, OF
little hot sling. GIVE spirits spaTlngly, iest
they produce depression. Place the patent
in warm bed, and give him plenty OF fresh
air; keep him quiet
Avoid delay. A moment may turn the
scale for life or death. Dry ground, shelter,
warmth, stimulants, ETC., at this moment are
nothing, artificial breathing is everything
the one remedy. All others are secondary.
Do not stop to remove wet clothing before
efforts are made to restore breathing. Ere
cious time is wasted, and the patient may be
fatally chilled by the exposure OF the naked
body, even in the summer GIVE an your az
tentlon and effort to restore breathing by
forcing air into and out OF the lungs. II Tue
breathing has lust ceased a smart slap on the
face or a vigorous twist OF the mar VIII
sometimes start 1t again, anu may pe LIEU
incidentally, as may, also, pressing the nm
ger upon the root of the tongue. Before
natural breathing is fully restored, do not
let the patient lie on his back unless some
person hold the tongue forward. The tongue
back may close the windpipe and cause fatal
choking.
If several persons are present, one may
hold the head steady, keeping the neck
nearly straight: others may remove wet
clothing, replacing at once clothing which is
dry and warm; they may also chale tie
limbs, aud thus promote circulation.
Prevent friends from crowding around the
patient and excluding fresh air; also from
trying to give stimulants before the patient
can swallow. The first causes suffocatiou !;
the second, fatal choking.
Do not give up too soon; You are working
for life. Any time within two hours you
may be on the very threshold of success
without there being any sign of it.
In suffocation by smoke or any poisonous
gas, as also by hanging-proceed the same as
for drowning emitting effort to eXpel water,
ETC., from the windpipe:
In suspended breathing from effects of
chloroform, hydrate of chloral, etc, proceed
by Rule 2, taking especial pains to keep the
head very low, and preventing closure of the
windpipe by the tongue falling back.