Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-07
DROWNING GAS e.
What to Do for a Patient Before the
Doctor Comes.

WnaJ 10 DO Tor RatlcnG before Une
Doctor Comes.
'Are you aware that there are very
few people who know just what is best
to do for person that Is taken out Of the
water apparently drowned?" asked a
prominent physician yesterday of a NEWS
reporter. sit is surprising" the doctor
continued, but even among watermen
few have little more than bare idea Of
how to treat drowning case. But as
hundreds of sailors cannot swim | sup
pose it is not so remarkable that they
have never taken the trouble TO learn
what TO do in a case of drowning. Many
a lie could be saved, too, II the rescuers
only knew what TO do. OF course no time
should be lost. The first thing is to lay the
body on the shore or wharf or deck or most
convenient place, strip the body to the
waist and rub 1t dry. Then take handker-
chief, fold 1t over one of your fingers and
wipe out the patients mouth and back OF
the throat. If there is a coat handy roll
1t up, turn the patient over, face down,
and put the coat under his stomach with
his arm under his forehead. In case there
Is no coat take coil OF rope or a chunk
OF wood, or anything that will do for q
support to raise the stomach. Press both
OF your hands on the small of the back
and push down hard. That will force the
water out. Unless it is bad case the
patient Will breathe then, but if he does
not, tickle his nose with straw or any
thing that would make person want to
sneeze. Ii that Will not work give him a
sharp slap with the palm of the
hand on the pit of the stomach.
IL that falls TO make him catch his breath
1t is serious case, but not hopeless by
any means. You will have to see that
the tongue does not drop back into the
throat, which will prevent the patient
breathing il he wants to. Pull the tongue
out and tie 1t or iasten it with rubber
band If you have one. Then put the
rolled-up coat under The patients shout
ders and kneel at his head and pull his
arms up above his head and lay them fiat
along the ground with the hands touch
ing each other. Hold them there two
seconds, white the chest expands and the
lungs fill with air. Then raise the arms
up over his head and place them on his
cnest, so that his hands touch each other
just below his neck and
press firmly down and in on the
chest for an instant. This will press
half way between the wrist and the elbow
in doing this. Keep on filing the lungs
with air and enjoying them again until
| the patient begins to breathe naturally.
Work deliberately and regularly, and
don't stop short of one hour and u halt
unless the patient RECEIVERS, no matter
| how hopeless the case may seem to be.
| People have been revived who did not
show signs of life until they had been
| worked over two hours. One child was
saved in New York last year,
after the doctor mad pronounced il
dead. When the patient breathes, warm
| him by putting hot water bottles under
the arm pits and on the stomach. Hot
flannels will do. Then give stimulants in
moderate quantities.
"Stimulants should always be given
sparingly TO those who are hurt unless a
| physician is in charge and orders them
They should never be given to a man W he
has been injured about the head, particu.
larly if he is unconscious. unless com
petent physician ia In charge"