The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-20
LESSON IN FIRST AID.
A Trained Nurse Tells About Quick
Remedies.

She was very capable little woman
and usually "sized up to any occasion,
but the care of those children was
likely to prove little too much for
her.
When she married q widower and
undertook the care of his FIVE boys she
knew that she would have to face
many unexpected situations, ald
braced herself to do her best. She
was not prepared, however, for what
she called the "breakage" in the
family. The constant risk to life and
limb that FIVE active, sport loving
boys were capable of was new feature
in her young life, and she felt that
she was in danger of losing her head
unless she prepared herself to meet
the different calls upon her motherly
care.
In her extremity she appealed to
her friend, the trained nurse.
Cant you give me some points,,
she said. "Tell me of the proper
things to do before the doctor comes
in case of certain accidents-won't
you ? Then there are many little things
bruises and burns and things that I
could attend to myself without send
ing for doctor if I only knew how.
Do help me out. Suppose, for instance,
one of the boys fell and broke his arm,
what should I do before the doctor
came ?"
"If I were you, would do nothing
but wait, unless the surgeon was de-
'layed. In that case I would simply
place the limb in between a folded
pillow, fastening the pillow firmly to-
gether, thus making sort Of splint.
"You will very likely have sprain
or two to deal with. You can either
apply clothes saturated with ice water
until the swelling disappears, or you
may use very hot water with vinegar
in the same way. After the swelling
has disappeared you had better bandage
the limb and let the little patient rest
it on level until it gets strong
'But don't know how to apply
bandage," F" was the forlorn reply.
"Then tits about time that you did,
said the trained nurse. "Give me
piece of muslin and your bare foot, and
I'll show you how"
Then the nurse took the piece of
muslin and tore it into strips of 3
inches in width. Then saying, cal
ways begin at the extremity of limb
and work toward the center of the
body from left to right, she placed one
of the ends of the strip at the instep
and made turn around the base of
the toe. Then she carried the band
diagonally over the foot, across the
point of the heel and back from the
other side, until it coincided with the
first turn. This was then covered and
carried second turn around the heel
half an inch higher than the first. She
then continued to make alternate turns
under the sole and behind the heel,
crossing over the instep until the en-
tire foot was covered. In finishing
the bandage she split the last quarter
of yard Of the strip through the mid
die, wound the ends in opposite direc-
tion around the limb and tied them in
bow.
Then the band was unwound again,
and the pupil, trying her hand, was
delighted to see what firm band
age" she could make after two or three
attempts.
''In case of dislocation," continued
the nurse, "there is always need Of
instant action. Muscular tension in
creases rapidly and its reduction be-
comes more difficult with every hour
that passes.
"Fingers and thumbs can be set by
pulling in place, but be careful not to
use too much force. A joint is always
weaker after an accident and should
be strapped in place until strong
again.
"Freddie's nose bled awfully the
other day and frightened me so be-
cause could not stop it. 1t stopped
itself after awhile, but what should I
have done p
1T is good thing to press gently
the facial artery at the base Of the
nose and place cold applications to
forehead and neck. I suppose you
had him lean his head over basin.
Yes; most people do, and that is just
the worst attitude possible. You
should have made him stand erect,
throw his head back and elevate his
arms, while you held cold, damp
sponge to his nostrils. If you have
an occasion like that again, and the
bleeding continues after what I have
told you to do has been tried, you had
better syringe with salt and ice cold
water or solution Of iron.
'sIn the case of burns or scalds, if
they are very bad send for your
physician, but slight ones you can
very well attend to. The first thing
in such cases is to exclude the air. I
find that baking soda and sweet oil
make soothing, healing application.
If you can't get that conveniently,
beat up the white of an egg and apply
that with bandage.
"Will you tell me how to stop the
flow of blood in case of cut, and then
I'll let you 60 p
''Find the artery that is cut and tie
handkerchief around the limb just
oyer where it bleeds. Tie the hand
kerchief tightly; then make, say,
three hard knots. In the last knot
insert piece of stick with which you
must twist the handkerchief until it
is tight enough to stop the flow. The
handkerchief and stick make as good
tourniquet, as we call it, as any one
would wish. ."-Phizadelohia Press.