Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-02-20
HINTS FOR EMERGENCIES
How to Act In Cases Of Accident and SIND.
den Illness

HINTS FOR EMERGENCIES.
How to Act in Cases OF AccldaD. .rs
den Illness
Sir W. Moore, late Surgeon-G General with
the Government of Bombay, has a naper in
the Hospital on 1.-THE Immediate Treatment
Oh accident and Sudden Illness,n in which
ne states that only the other day he was
passing kenslngton Gardens, when he OBJ
served an old man being supported by two
otner persons, and encouraged to cling to
Ihe ratings, SO as to maintain an upright
posture. A glance showed what was the
matter with the old man. He had been
struck by cardiac failure, or serious apo
pIexy, or that variety of>the malady in
winch the face is pale, and the circulation
OF Inc blood failing. His pulse was feeble
ana intermittent, and there was evident
paralysis on one side of the body. Now.
what ought to have been done in such a
caset The poor old man should have been
laid on right side full length, his collar
should have been opened, he should have
oeen allowed plenty of fresh air, and his
legs, feet and hands should have been we'll
rubbed Then, when the first shock of the
malay mad passed away, he ought to have
been carried, still in the recumbent posture.
10 the nearest hospital. Again, another in
stance. Only a few days back, in the Ham
mersmith road, two boys were knocked
down by cab. One escaped with little in
jury, the other got concussion of the brain.
he was almost senseless, speechless, cold
and pallid. The same plan ought to have
Deen pursued as in the case of the old man:
Dut instead of this, the boy was sur
rounded by dense crowd of inquisitive
people, and one good but mistaken Samari-
tan was supporting the injured youth in an
IN
the poor boy was dragged away on his
legs, being well shaken and jostled in the
process. Yet q third instance. In HYDE
Park, one recent Sunday, a person was
taken In an epileptIc fit. One bystander
wisely ran Tor water; others carried the
eplleptlc to bench, on which he was seated
now, In epilepsy there is great struggling,
the limbs are convulsed, and the tongue is
very liable to be protruded between the
teeth and severely bitten. This accident
should be guarded against by placing some
thing, as small piece Of soft wood, too
large to slip into the mouth, between the
teeth; and the person should be simply pre-
vented lnJuring himself in his struggles un-
TIL the fit passes away. But nothing of the
KIND was attempted; the consequence being
that the tongue was bitten, and the limbs of
the eplleptic were bruised against the hard
wood OF the bench on which he was seated
and held Had he been placed on the soft
grass and left alone he would have injured
himself less.
The following are rules which NAV be
safely adopted in cases OF accident and sud-
den illness. Place the person on the
ground or floor lying toward the right side,
and with the head raised to the level of the
body by pillow, folded coat or other soft
substance. Then unbutton or split open
any clothing pressing upon the neck or
chest. The face and chest should be
sprlnkled with cold water, and some cold
water may be given to drink if the power
OF swallowing remains Wine brandy or
other liquor should not be hastily given
without evidence of their being needed. Ex-
anime the head and limbs separately.
The prominent parts of the limbs NAV be
examined with very little movement of the
Oooy. Ii 1t IS necessary to move a person
after any injury, especially of the head. the
person should be carried while living down.
He should not be allowed to sit upright in a
vehicle or to walk. See that the person is
allowed plenty of fresh air. The history of
the accident should be obtained, and when
sending for surgeon the message should
De as clear as possible, and, if prac-
ticable, written one.
The most common maladles which occur
suddenly to people in the streets of large
towns are apoplectic and eplleptic at
tacks, maladies depending on heart affec-
tlons, and drunken fits, although, perhaps.
the latter should not be classed under the
head maladies. But it is necessary to dis
tngulsh apoplexy and epilepsy from dead
drunk, as IL Is called. and also poisoning
Dy opium. Apoplexy is known from epl-
lepsy by the putting or snoring breathing
which re in bn 70
lepsy there is no struggling Of the limbs.
the eyes are turned up under the lids. so
that the whites only are visible, and the
person generally falls down with a loud cry.
none OF which are the symptoms of apo
piexy. Apoplexy is to be distinguished
from affections due to the heart, because in
the latter maladies the symptoms are very
similar to fainting. The person is pale. nm
with feeble pulse, scarcely per-
ceptible breathing, white lips and death
like expression of countenance: while IN
apoplexy, though the person is unconscious.
there is snoring or putting breathing, and
the lace IS often drawn to one side. APO
plexy IS best distinguished from the effects
OF splrltuous liquors by the history of the
case, which may probably be one of drink
ing. Secondly, by the smell of LIQUOR in the
person breath; although this is not GER
tam sign, Tor some one may, in mistaken
kindness, have given the person struck with
apoplexy some kind of liquor Thirdly. in
the drunken fit" the size of the pupils Of
the eyes is equal, while in apo
plexy one is often larger than the
other By the pupils of the eyes is
meant the round space in the center of the
dark part of the eye Fourthly, the person
dead drunk " may generally be reused,
when he babbles incoherently, while from
apoplexy the person can not be reused.
Lastly, if any movements occur in drunk
enncss they will be of the limbs. whereas
movement is usually restricted to one side
of the body in apoplexy From poisoning
by opium apoplexy is best distinguished by
the history Of the case: by the smell OF
opium in the breath, by both pupils of the
eyes being very small and contracted; by
the fact that the patient may be reused, al
though he does not then babbIe as in the
drunken Mt, but Immediately goes to sleep
again.
II all that has been advanced can not be-
held in recollection the condensed rules
may certainly be remembered, viz: First.
IN all cases of accident or sudden illness let
the person lie down, and do not assist him
70 maintain the upright posture; secondly.
let him have plenty of fresh air; thirdly.
unloose all clothing round the neck and
chest; fourthly, convey the patient, still in
the recumbent position, to the nearest
hospital. Stretchers for this purpose ought
70 be available at known points, or at least
at every police station.
Conscience and Kreutzers.
Maria Theresa, of Austria, was greatly
addicted to gambling, and played for ex-
ceedlngly high stakes. The court function
aries did all IN their power to overcome this
passion, but to no purpose They finally
arnrnEaaled 70, The E,.r,r,s..,....-