Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-11
IN CHOKING CASES.
HOW TO HANDLE THE LITTLE
ONES WHEN STRANGLING.
What Should Be Done to Adult Persons
When ChokinS-There liz No Time TO
BE Lost in Inaction or Fright-yalu-
able Hints.

When Chokins-There L. No Time &c
able Hints.
The treatment which can in cases of choil-
ing be applied by friends who witness the
accident is very simple, but in some cases il
must prove Intellectual; it is a sad fact tia,
there is no certain means which can be ap-
piled by laymen We viii first consider what
is to be done when young children become
choked Treatment must in all instances
commence on the instant; there is not even a
second to lose. Shaping them on the back
with considerable force is the old method.
known and employed by all mothers, and If
the offending object which has gone the
wrong way" is small or drop of liquid, that
very generally proves effectuel. If, however,
it is not so Immediately, something else must
be done. The next step, and it would be as
well to take it even without waiting to see if
the first has proved successful, is to so place
the child that the head Will be lower than the
body and the face down. Very young chill
dren can be caught and suspended by the
feet or laid over the mothers knees: not on
the back, but on ''the stomach" That change
Of position will often cause the offending sub
stance to drop into the mouth, and a forcible
blow on the back will assist it.
NO THE TO LOSE.
Pausing scarcely more than an instant to
see Nnether or not the child has caught his
breath, the mother, both hands being applied
To the chest, should, with no little strength,
and possibly all which she can put forth, by
one quick, sudden effort force the air con-
tanned therein from the lungs. Ii the child
Is across her knees head and face downward.
this procedure will be easy, and the force
may be applied principally to the back, both
hands being placed OIL each side of the spine,
the fingers lying along the ribs As she
presses downward with the palms of her
hands, her fingers should press inward, by
which means very much of the air in the
lungs will be expelled As before said, the
act must be sudden and quick, for it is only
by forcing large volume of air out of the
w1ndpipe that we can expect to drive out the
object which closes it. If the child is held by
the feet, thea the pressure upon the
chest should be applied to the sides of
1t. In all cases the hands should be re-
moved at once after the air is driven
IRON the lungs, SO they can fill
again. 1t is well also to shake the body VIC
lently few times In the meantime, if the
father, grown child or neighbor is pres
ent, that one should be prepared to take the
next step. While the child is across its
mothers knees, in the position already de
scribed, the assistant should kneel, and with
the forefinger search the throat and dislodge
the offending body if found They should
enter the finger quickly but gently and pass
In 70 fhne ,l % Al
Once back as far as they can put it, it should
be carried from one side to the other, and in
that way made to sweep the throat Even if
they do not reach and dislodge the trouble,
they viii very likely excite an effort on the
part of the victim to vomit, in which case
often the throat and windpipe are cleared. IL
the mother is alone during the accident she
must use her own foretinger as described, the
head OF the child being still kept low, with
the face downward
The treatment which we have given is
about al which can be applied in the absence
OF physician; the nearest should be sent TO.
the first instant the child becomes choked
We have given one step after another which
Should be taken. If any one is successful, of
course further treatment will be unnecessa-
ry. But there must be no long intervals be-
tween each The danger is ia all such cases
imminent, and whether or not the victim of
the accident will be saved will depend upon
how the first few moments are endowed
When the child catches his breath" there
will be no installing the fact, and until he
does SO one method of treatment should fol-
low another in rapid succession, it being re-
membered that if one once fails it is not
likely to be successful if repeated. unless it
be searching the throat with the finger. At
the same time each must be well and thor
oughly employed.
TREATMENT FOR GROWN PERSONS.
The treatment which we have described
for children when choked suggests that which
should be apple when grown person
meets with that accident; the principle is the
same. If person eating presents the symp-
TOMS the first thing for a bystander to do ia
TO give him "a sounding whack' on the back,
This sometimes will set him coughing. If it
does, then a friendly hand should be pressed
for Il few moments on the so called Adams
apple. Ii that is done, and the offending OBJ
Ject Is In the windpipe, not infrequenIly it
will be elected. If it is not, without delay
the victim should be placed in the position
ordered for children, head low with the face
downward. Ii there IS sofa Or bed at hand
he should be moved as quickly as possible to
that, and while being carried he should not
be face upward but turned and kept face
downward, Once ON the bed or sofa, or ex-
tended on chair, lying on his stomach, he
should be drawn partly over the edge of
he is lying upon until his head is
lower than his body. A friendly hand should
then support the forehead, as one would
do even We're the patient endeavor-
ing to vomit, For one to pass the foretinger
into and sweep the throat while another vio-
lently shakes the body is the nextexperiment
The air should also be driven from the lungs
by the same quick and sudden effort as de-
serihe0 in the case of choking child.
In very few cases will this treatment fail,
but in some it must. Efforts to save the I'M
fortunate must not, however, be relaxed until
q physician arrives ana assumes charge of
the case. Here it is well to say that whoever
IS sent for the physician should not fail to tell
him before he leaves his Office that the pa
tent is choking, that he may provide himself
with the proper Instruments This injunc-
slon may seem an unnecessary one to some.
md yet many messengers dispatched in such
are so struck with terror they |
ire incoherent, and about all the doctor can !
earn from them is that there has been an ac-
'ident and that be Is needed at once, and so |
le often leaves in haste, unprepared for the |
work before him. Choking is an accident |
where, IN some instances, even if there is not !
apparent life, there yet is hope. As has been |
aid, IF in any case the body is yet warm, an |
,ffort should be made to revive the patient, !
md one should besr In mind that the time Is |
ndefnite during which none of the usual e1. |
'ressions Of life are present and yet spark /
II he may remain, and may be made to glow 1
Il tse eAtirs body. Boston Herald