Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-05

Row To PROCEED IN EMERGENCIES OF FITS,
PAINTING SPELLS AND DROWNING.
| DR.. ". III. Gardner, L. S. A, post surgeon at
Washington barracks. delivered his third lee
ture last night, at headquarters, before the Dis
trict militia to a truly delighted audience. Be
sides many practical suggestions as to what
| should be done in cases of every day, and
| what might be called common household
| emergencies, his lecture was replete with illus
trations and good humor, and was followed
| throughout with the closest attention. The
ambulance corps, under DR.. D. Olin Leech. man
ifests great interest in these lectures and always
attend in uniform. Last night, besides the
corps and others of the national guard, there
were present Col. Mills. U. s. A.; Col. Clay,
Maj. Crawford, Capt. Peixotto, Capt, Hall, Capt
| Parmenter, Lieut.. Ebert. DIR. ]. ". Harmon.
| OF Chicago; DR.. J. o. Stanton, DIR. d. Olin
| Leech and others.
| DIR. Gardner began his lecture by saving he
| intended to tell something about burns frost
| bites, bites of rabid animals and other poison
Gus wounds, fits, fainting, drowning and other
| emergencies in which common sense and a
little professional knowledge, timely rendered
may be of much service and often save a valu-
| able life.
| SOMETHING ABOUT BURNS.
| These injuries are SO common they are prac-
| tically everyday occurrences and are of ell
grades. from the deepened tint of pink that
suffuses the delicate skin of woman or child
| from too-ciose proximity to the steaming
spout of a tea-kettle to the black. charred mass
of limb destroyed by molten metal. In
cases of burns it can hardly be said that the
homeopathic dogma of ''sinliid simi!ibus GU
rd'ttur' will hold good. though it is very
prevalent idea that the first thing to do is to
hold the burned part to the fire to draw the in
hammatlon out. That treatment will only pro-
long the agony and make the injury worse.
The first thing to do is to relieve depression by
stlmulants of whisky and ammonia; then the
pain by opiates. and prevent the contact of air
with the burned surface as far as possible by
cotton batting spread thickly with sweet or
salad Oil-or better still. if obtanable a mix
ture of linsced oil and lime water Recently
fresh lard. washed free from salt and having
added TO 1t ten drops of carbolic acid to the
ounce, to preserve 1t as well as to keep down
suppuratlon. has been much used to cover
burned surfaces and there is really nothing
much better.
If it can be prevented do not allow mis-
guided but Otficious friends to put on flour, or
boiled potatoes. or carrots. as they generally
wish to do, as such messes are hard to wash
off. prevent the physician from seeing what in
jury has been done and by absorbing puss and
other secretions do more harm than good. All
burns, even though superficial. are dangerous
and liable to cause death by liberation OF some
vlscera necessary to life. This class of acct
dents frequently cause the death of women
and young children on account of their dress.
THE FLAMES FROM BURNING CLOTHING
arising up to the head are or the heated air is
inhaled, causing a fatal inflammation of the
air passages. 1t is only necessary, said he. to
point out this possibility to avoid injury from
this cause. The victim should be made to lie
down at once. which prevents the flames from
rising to the head and enables them to be
sTOthered by an Overcoat. blanket or wrap of
any kind. Should the victim be lady whose
notions of prOpriety would revolt at the idea of
prostratlng herself at the feet of another
as IS sometimes the case, she should be tripped
thrown down, and the flames extinguished
with whatever Is most available. Somewhat
analogous to burns are
TIE EFFECrs OF COLD.
ApersOn. continued DR.. Gardner, exposed to
very low temperature for a long time has
feeling OF general depression and loss of vitality
a disturbance of mental faculties and a great
desire TO sleep, which, if indulged in gradually
deepens into coma and that perpetual sleep
which knows no waking. The effects of cold
drives the blood from the surface TO the inter-
nal organs and death results from congestion
of the brain. In such cases it is important to
prevent the patient from sleeping No alco-
hOllc liquor should be used Hot coffee is ex-
celient. The patient should be put into a warm
room and hot bath given, if possible, to re-
SlOIc the III the sklD. PERSONS ac
customed TO imbibing freely of alcoholic bev-
erages succumb most easily and rapidly to the
effects of cold. Whisky will not keep out the
cold; 1t Is only an invitation to the grim enemy
OF mankind. When a small portion of the body
Is exposed to the cold there ensues
LOCAL INJURY KNOWN AS FROST BITE.
The effected part becomes white and blood
less, loses its sensation, but little or no pain is
felt until recovery begins. then the trouble
commences. THE injured part becomes swollen,
red and hot, and the burning pain is intense
and III a few days the skin pees on and leaves
a blackened slough that indicates how tie It's
sues have been affected. A few years ago. said
he. went TO my hospital on Christmas morn
ing to attend sick call and found a poor Ger
man walking up and down blowing his fingers
and rubbing his nose. He had been frost-bit-
ten and slight as the injury appeared finally
had 70 take of two fingers of one hand. three
from the other and both feet above the ankle
The best treatment for frost bite is to rub the
affected part with snow or ice water and restore
circulation as gradually as possible. Even
frozen bodies can be sometimes resuscitated
| by a gradual return to warmth-though
| perhaps not the human body. He
! related an instance Of a beetle he found in the
| center OF lump of ice which had frozen solid
| in a water pitcher. while at a western post At
| first he thought 1t was merely some moss
| small piece of wood something of the kind
and the pitcher was set aside for the ice TO
| melt. He was astonished to find that when it
| did melt the beetle became resuscitated. and
TO prove 1t 10 some incredulous brother officers
he set 1t out night after night letting the water
! freeze and gradually melting it and restoring
| the beetle to life the following morning The
beetle with his statement is now at the Smith
| sonlan Institution. Diverging from the sub
! jcct the doctor desired to say that he did not
| believe the germs of yellow fever were killed
! by frost or cold. Frost will destroy the adult
/ organism and check the rayages of the disease
but the rIlcrObe or seed he believes cannot be
entirely destroyed in that way. DIR. Gardner
then turned his attention to the simplest and
quickest remedies
IN CASES OF POISONOUS WOUNDS,
in which category he classed the bites of dogs,
wolves, skunks, horses, human beings, snakes
and the stings of poisonous insects. If dog
bites person on the part of the body not pro-
| tected by clothing some of the saliva from its
! teeth or lips lis taken up by the capillaries or
absorbents and carried into the circulating
blood, causing inflammation at the site of the
wound and III the glands. These wounds should
be treated promptly, a few minutes may be
too late. They should be incised freely and cup
put on to draw out the poison. small tea
cup or glass tunbler or a large mouthed bottle
will answer if the regular cupping glass is not
to be had. little alcohol or whisky on a
piece of cotton lighted and put into the vessel
and it turned upon the wound will produce a
good vacuum and do the work
IL the surface Is too small to apply a cup a
small bottle will answer. If the wound is on n
| finger, toe, hand. or foot Egature should be