Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-06
BEFORE THE DOCTOR COMES.
What to do With a Person When
Overcome by the Heat or Apparent
ly Drowned.
OFrom the New York Sun J

COulluOu oSioOA NhuNoeiCh' ~ NNA'
season Of the year no dangers are
so commonly talked about as sun
stroke and suffocation, the latter
including, of course, the suffocation
by water, or drowning. The large
army of mechanics at work on the
sunny sides of streets, often in
pockets between high brick walls
where the thermometer rises far
above 100 degrees during the al
ternoon, are peculiarly liable TO
what is called sunstroke, but which
is really a heat stroke. The body
simply becomes overheated and ex-
hausted, aud this may happen on a
warm day in the shade as well as
in the direct rays of the sun. In a
convenient little work entitled
"First Aid to the Injured" written
by Bowditch Morton, NJ. d., at the
request of the Society for lnstruc-
ton in First Aid to the injured, the
treatment of sunstroke, as well as
all other injuries likely to come I'M
expectedly, is explained IN a way
easily understood.
The patients face, head and body
are burning hot and dry when sun
stroke. The only thing to 60 be.
fore the doctor comes is to reduce
the temperature of the patient.
Strip him naked and wrap him in
n sheet wet with the coolest water
to be had. If this is not practical
bic pack the head, neck aud should
ers in wet cloths, handkerchiefs or
towels, or whatever Is most con-
venient, aud change the cloths as
fast as they get warm until the pa
tient RECEIVERS consciousness. But
in some cases work in warm room
produces heat exhaustion. The
face is but slightly flushed, while
the skin may DO moist and cool.
The pulse will then be feeble and
frequent. Rest in a cool room is
needed with some light stimulent.
In cause of suIocation the first
thing to do is to remove the cause
of suffocation. If a man is found
hanging by the neck, cut the rope.
If he is found drowning, take him
out of the water. 1t ought not to
be necessary to say this, but the
truth is that the first impulse Ofthe
majority of people when a man is
found hanging by the neck is to
call the police and notify the coro'
ner. Many otherwise intelligent
people believe that they have no
right to cut man down who Is
found hanging by the neck. They
believe that the coroner must do
this. Coroners cultivate this be-
lief. 1t brings a good many bodies
under their care which would other
wise he saved alive.
More people are sufi'ocated by wa
ter than by ropes, but man
strangled by rope should be treat
cd the same as one who has been
apparently drowned. When per
son that is apparently drowned Is
taken out of tue water, lay him on
the pier or whatever most conyen'
lent. Then strip HIM TO the waist
and rub him dry, and wipe out the
mouth and back of the throat with
a handkerchief folded over one OF
your fingers. Then turn the pa
tent over, face down, and put his
arm under his forehead and a roll
ed up coat under his stomach. II
Won have no coat, a log of wood, a
coil of rope, or a dozen brick, or
ANYTHING found near by to raise the
stomach will do. Then put both
hands on the small Of the back and
brush them down hard. That will
force out the water that has got IN
side. Turn the patient over on his
back. He will often begin to
breathe then. If he doesn't, tickle
his nose with a bit of grass, feath-
or. a bit of Irvine, or anything that
will tickle. If that dOesn's do any
good, bit him a smart slap with the
open hand on the pit of the stom'
ach. If that doesn't make him
catch his breath he is a bad case,
Int by no means hopeless. What
ever is done must be done without
any delay; but never hurry, De-
cause hurry begets furry always.
Finding that the slap does no
good. at once open the patients
mouth. You will find that his
tongue has dropped back into his
throat so that he cannot breath II
he wants to. Take hold OF it and
pull it up, and if you have a STOUT !,
rubber band with you, slip it well
back over the lower jaw, so that 1t
will snap down on the tongue, keep
ing it from falling back. A string
of any kind may be tied around in
stead of the rubber band, but you
must keep watch OF either to see
that the tongue does not slip away
and get back into the throat. The
very best way to secure the tongue
is to stick pin or needle through
it halt an inch or so from the tip,
and let the ends of the pin rest on
the teeth-thst is, toggle it. The
patient will have sore tongue if
be gets well, but he won't mind
that. Put the rolled.up coat under
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