Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-07-01
hINfesFoR EMERGENCIES.
How to Act in Gases of Accident and sua
den ulness.

how W Acs IA Chses OF Accident and Sud
den Illness.
Sir w. Moore, late Surgeon-General will
the government OF Bombay, has paper il
the Hospital on The Immediate Treatment
OF Accident and Sudden Illness.n in which
he states that only the other day he was
passing Kensington Gardens, when he OBJ
served an old man being supported by two
other persons, and encouraged to cling to
the 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
plexy, or that variety of the malady in
which the face is pale, and the circulation
OF the blood falling. His pulse was feeble
and intermittent, and there was evident
paralysis on one side of the body. Now.
what ought to have been done in such a
casel The poor old man should have been
laid on right side full length, his collar
should have been opened, he should have
been allowed plenty of fresh air, and his
legs, feet and hands should have been well
rubbed. Then, when the first shock of the
malady had passed away, he ought to have
been carried, still in the recumbent posture,
to the nearest hospital. Again, another in
stance. Only 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.
de was almost senseless, speechless, cold
and pallid The same plan ought to have
peen pursued as in the case of the old man
but 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
upright position on his knee. After atime
the poor boy was dragged away on his
legs, being well shaken and iostled in the
process. Yet third instance In HYDE
Fark, one recent Sunday, person was
taken in an epileptic fit One bystander
wisely ran Tor water; others carried the
eplleptic to bench, on which he was seated.
NOW, in epilepsy there is great struggling,
the limbs are convulsed, and the tongue ia
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 injuring himself in his struggles un-
I'll the MT passes away. But nothing of the
kind was attempted; the consequence being
that the tongue was bitten, and the limbs of
the eplleptlc were bruised. against the hard
wood OF the bench on which he was seated
ohN hSAu Lou hO DcSu 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 a 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
sprinkled 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 may be
with very little movement. of the
body. If it is necessary to move a person
after any injury, especially of the head the
person should be carried while lying 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
,he accident should be obtained, and when
sending for surgeon the message should |
70 as clear as possible, and, II prac-
icable, a written one.
The most common maladies which occur |
uuoOhiy W POOPiO Al CLO otICCbS VI ldTS0
owns are apoplectic and eplleptic at
acks, maladies depending on heart affec-
ions, and drunken fits, although, perhaps,
he latter should not be classed under the
lead maladies. But it is necessary to dis
inguish apoplexy and epilepsy from "dead
runk," as it is called, and also poisoning
" opium. Apoplexy is known from cpl
epsy by the putting or snoring breathing
which occurs in the former malady. In cpl
epsy there is no struggling of the limbs,
he eyes are turned up under the lids, so
hat the whites only are visible, and the
erson generally falls down with loud cry,
one Of which are the symptoms of apo
lexy. Apoplexy is to be distinguished
rom affections due to the heart, because in
he latter maladies the symptoms are very
imiiar to fainting. The person is pale, un-
onsoious, with feeble pulse, scarcely per-
eptible breathing, white lips and death
Ike expression Of countenance; while in
poplexy. though the person is unconscious,
here is snoring or putting breathing, and
he face is often drawn to one side. Apo
lexy is best distinguished from the effects
( spirituous liquors by the history of the
ase, which may probably be one Of drink
ng. Secondly, by the smell Of liquor in the
erson's breath; although this is not GER
ain sign, for some one may, in mistaken
have given the person struck with
poplexy some kind of liquor. Thirdly, in
he drunken fit," the size of the pupils of
he eyes is equal, while in apo
lexy one is often larger than the
ther. By the pupils Of the eyes is
meant the round space in the center Of the
ark part of the eye Fourthly, the person
dead drunk" may generally be reused,
vhen he babbles incoherently, while from
poplexy the person can not be reused.
4astly, If any movements occur in drunk
nness they will be of the limbs, whereas
movement is usually restricted to one side
4 the body in apoplexy. From poisoning
" opium apoplexy is best distinguished by
he history of the case; by the smell of
plum in the breath; by both pupils of the
yes being very small and contracted; by
he fact that the patient may be reused, al
hough he does not then babble as in the
runken fit, but Immediately goes to sleep
gain.
If all that has been advanced can not be