The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-29
TO STOP BLEEDING.
TREATMENT NEEDED IN THE CASE
OF ACCIDENTAL HEMORRHAGE.


Valuable Hints for All Non-Profes-
sionals-when Arteries are Wounded.
Bleeding From veins-Improvising .
Tourniquet-The Physician.
When profuse hemorrhage from a wounded
blood vessel occurs, the beholder, be he
friend or stranger, is in many instances SO
terror-strcken he loses all presence OF mind,
and thus many lives have been sacrificed
which might have been saved by timely in
tervention. Innearly all cases of hemorrhage
much more apprehension is excited than Is
warranted The amount of blood actually
lost is generally much overestimated. There
is a common expression, "a little blood makes
a great show" This is quite true; for a
small quantity will soil much clothing, and
but little need be added to n basin of water to
render it very high colored- 1t is well to re-
member that about one-eighth of the weight
of the human body is blood; in other words,
that, i'm a person of average size, there are
from sixteen to eighteen pints. In health
pint-even a auart-of blood can be with
drawn from the vessels without injury, and
doubtless in but few cases would a loss of one
third the entire amount contained i'm the body
prove fatal
From this statement il must not be inferred
that when hemorrhage occurs treatment may
bc leisureIy applied; far from it. The bleed
ing should in all cases be Immediately ar
rested, if possible. The reader should know.
however, how great a loss can be sustained
without life being threatened, for it Is often
the fear of immediate death that is terror
izing and renders one powerless in such emer-
fyencies.
WHEN ARTERIES ARE WOUNDED.
l., Enn m, hay hoe Len
when blood of a bright red color spurts out
in Jets, corresponding to the beats of the pulse.
Ii a vein is opened, dark red blood flows from
the wound in n steady stream. Bleeding from
wounded arteries is in nearly all instances by
far the most dangerous. In cases of HEM
orrhage at all profuse, firm pressure should
lie instantly made directly upon the bleed
ing part. The next step to take will depend
upon the situation and character of the
wound. If the injury is ON either of the
limbs, and is severe, it is always well to have
the patient placed flat on his back, and the
injured member elevated and supported by
an assistant. During this procedure the
bleeding must be prevented by unrelaxed
pressure. If a small artery has been cut, it
will be known by the size of the jet which
spurted out when the wound was received
In such cases, bandaging directly over the
wound will often control the hemorrhage. A
pad should be made little larger than the
cut, by folding or rolling firmly a piece Of
cloth This, when ready, should be placed
over the wound, the fingers which have pre-
viously grasped it being quickly lifted up for
the purpose, and as quickly should they renew
their pressure on the pad Over this n band.
age can then be applied, a piece Of sheet three
or four inches wide, and five or six feet long,
being used.
If the bleeding has entirely ceased, to wet
and keep this bandage saturated with cold
water, and the limb supported is all that
there remains to do. If, however, the bleed.
ing persists, then the treatment to be advised
when a large artery is wounded must be em-
ployed. In such cases no attempt should b
made tn permanently arrest the hemorrhage
by bandaging the wound, but between it and
the body, around the limb, a firm bandage
twisted handkerchief, large cord or piece OF
rubber tubing should be drawn tightly and
tied in a knot, to shut of the supply Of blood
Not until this is effectually done should pres
sure of the fingers on the bleeding part be re.
laxed. In cases where the wound is large
and several small arteries are opened and
pressure with the fingers does not control the
bleeding, then the ligature should be applied
above the injury. Bleeding from small veins
is generally easily controlled by bandaging
over the wound. When, however, important
vessels are opened, as is sometimes the case
with enlarged veins of the leg, then the blood
should he cut Off from the bleeding part by
tightly bandaging, not between it and the
body, but between the wound and the ex-
tremity. This simple law may be easily ex-
planned; the blood goes to the extremities
through the arteries, but returns through the
veins.
iNPRovISING A ToURNIQUET.
To control hemorrhage in some situations is
more difficult than in others. II large ar
terry is opened above the knee or elbow, it il
doubtful if n bandage can be drawn tightly
enough to cut off the blood between the wound
and the body without improvising tourni-
quet. To do this is easy, however. A COM
mon handkerchief can be tied loosely around
the leg or arm and the slack taken up by
twisting with n cane stick until sufficient
pressure is exerted to prevent the passage of
blood to the wound. The advice of Dr. Hope
is well worth remembering: If you be by
yourself in the fields, and get a severe cut
with q scythe, or III any sudden emergency,
such as railway accident, use the remedy
which has saved many life on the field of
battle Take a handful of dry earth, put this
on to the wound and grasp tightl- till you
call some assistance" As previously stated,
in nearly all cases of hemorrhage from wounds
there is no necessity for the alarm often
shown, especially as fear often perverts the
serve the true interests of the sufferer by
keeping cool and collected
In all emergencies physician should be
Immediately sent for. II the bleeding is con-
trolled by pressure of tie fingers, all other
operations which follow can he done leisurely,
as there is no urgent haste and none should be
indulged in Bleeding from the nose, unless
it be profuse and prolonged, requires little in
terference. Professor Henry j. Bigelow's
erect, place basin under the chin for the
blood to run into and then the patient should
take several deep inspirations, fllins: the chest
fully at each breath In most cases by this
treatment the bleeding will soon cease. Bath
ing the neck and face with cold water, or ap-
plying ice to the nose is often advantageous.
Plugging the nose with cotton might be tried,
hut rarely will it prove effectual for the
blood usually flows back into the throat In