Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-09-12
LESSONS IN FIRST AID
A TRAINED NURSE TELLS ABOUT
QUICK REMEDIES.
Treatment of Dislocations and Sp rains.
How to Place q Bandage-An Impro-
vised Tourniquet-What to Do In Cases
of Noseb1eed and Burns.


of Nosebleed and Burns
She was a 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 widower and un-
dertook the care of his five boys she
knew that she would have to face many
unexpected situations, and braced her
self to do her best. She was not pre-
pared, however, for what she called the
''breakage" i'll 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' you? Then
there are many little things-bruises
and burns and things that could attend
to myself without sending for doctor
if 1 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?''
eff were you, would do nothing
but wait, unless the surgeon was delay
ed. In that case would simply place
the limb in between a folded pillow,
fastening the pillow firmly together,
thus making sort of splint.
"You will very likely have a sprain
or two to deal with. You can either ap-
ply cloths saturated with ice water un-
til the swelling disappears, or you may
use very hot water with vinegar in the
same way. After the swelling has dis
appeared 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,'' was the forlorn reply.
''Then it is 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 mus
lin and tore it into strips of inches in
width. Then saying, always begin at
the extremity of limb and work to-
ward 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 coin
cided 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 alter
nate turns under the sole and behind
the heel, crossing over the instep until
the entire foot was covered. In finish
ing the bandage she split the last quar-
ter of yard of the strip through the mid
die, wound the ends in opposite direc-
tion around the limb and tied them in
a bow.
Then the band was all unwound
again, and the pupil, trying her hand,
was delighted to see what a firm band
age" she could make after two or three
attempts.
"In case Of dislocation," continued
the nurse, "there is always need Of in
stant action. Muscular tension increases
rapidly and its reduction becomes 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 weak
er after an accident and should be strap
ped in place until strong again.
"Freddie's nose bled awfully the 9TH
er day and frightened me so because
could not stop it. 1t stopped itself after
awhile, but what should I have done?'
"It is good thing to press gently the
facial artery at the base of the nose and
place cold applications to forehead and
neck. 1 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
Uetter syringe Win salt ana Ice cold
water or a solution of iron.
I'm the case of burns or scalds, if
they are very bad send for your physi-
clan, but slight ones you can very we'll
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 go?'
Find the artery that is cut and tie a
handkerchief around the limb Just over
where it bleeds. Tie the handkerchief
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 a tonrnirro+ =, !
coll :. ........ -...' -Itr