Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-09-17
at ashinotun $ tanaara
81 ENING CLOTHING.

\ Girl or woman who meets with
this accident tot setting fire to hes
clr,he>) should Immediately lie
down on the floor, and SO any one
who goes to her assistance should
Instantly. if she still be erect, make
her lie down, or if needtul throw
her down in IL horizontal position
and keep her in it. Sparks fly up
ward and flames ascend. Ignition
from below mounts with fearful
rapidity, and, as IA result well
known to experts, the fatality Of
Disagreement in these lamentable
cases is due to the burns inflicted
about the body, neck. face and
head, and not to injuries of the
lower limbs. Now. the very mo-
ment that the person whose clothes
are on fire is in horizontal posi-
ton on a fiat surface the flames
will still ascend, but only the air
and not the flames encircle their
victim. Time is thus gained for
further action, and in such crisis
III fight against fire few seconds
are precious, nay, priceless. Once
in the prone position, the person
afflicted may crawl to bell-pull or
toa door 40 as to clutch at one or
open The other to obtain help. The
dranght from an open door into
the room would serve to blow the
flames, if any, away from the body;
or, again, still crawling, the sufferer
may be able to secure a rug or ia
ble.cover, or other article at hand,
to smother any remaining flames.
| say remaining flames, for as soon
as the horizontal position is as
snmed they have no longer much
to feed upon, and may either 60 out,
as tho phrase is, or may be acct
dentally or Intentionally extin.
guished as the person rolls or moves
upon the floor. In any case not
only is time gained, but the injury
inflicted is minimized. In the
event of the conditions not being
those of self-help, but assistance
from another, if it be a man who
comes to the rescue, having first
and instantly thrown the girl or
women down, it is easy to take off
his coat and SO stife the diminish
sing flames with this or some other
suitable covering, the flames play
ing now upward from the lower
limbs or the lower part of the body
of the PROSTATE fellow.creature. If
it be a woman who rushes to give
aid, this last-named condition sug.
gests that the safer mode offender
ing it is to approach the sufferer by
the head and fling something over
the lower part of the body, for fear
of setting fire to herself. If in
these fearful accidents, the horizon
tai position be assumed or enforced,
there could be, in short, compare.
tive immunity and limited injury.
If not, what must happen The
fire will mount /; the flames land it
is these which will do the injury
will envelop the body, Inside and
outside the clothes, and will reach
the neck and head, and then, in
deed, they may be smothered by a
coat or wrapper, or rug, while the
victim is frightfully dis6gured or
doomed to perish. For many years
| have urged these views while lee
turing on injuries from burns, and
once I had an occasion to illustrate
them practically. though in a COM
paratively trivial accident. Some
dressings of a very infammatory
character caught FIRE at the bed
side of patient in one Of my sur.
gical wards. They were promptly
seized by q student, who threw
them into the middle of the ward
and endeavored to stamp out the
flaming material. But this con.
tanning parafine and resin adhered
to his boots, and his legs, as be
danced about, were getting un-
: comfortably hot. To his astonish-
ment and to the undoubted sur.
prise of every one in sight, l
ceught him by the collar of his coat
I'D tripped up bis legs. Instantly
the flames became harmless, and
we're extinguished by nurse
throwing q Jug of water on them.