The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-09-09
IN CASE OF DROWNING.

Get the person out of the water as
quickly as possible. If he grapples
and struggles with his rescurer in his
efforts to save himself, thus endanger-
ing the lives of both, render him tenn
porarily unconscious by sharp blow
on the forehead.
While the person is being brought to
shore someone should run for doctor
and bring some things which ought to
be kept handy in places where people
bathe. These are blankets aud dry
clothes, brandy or whisky, aromatic
spirits of ammonia and hartshorn (this
last is only for external use, to be ap-
piled to the nostrils of the unconscious
person and then with care not to burn
the delicate mucus membrance of the
nose).
AS soon as the person is safely on
shore, lay him on table or board or
on me ground I; do not carry him away
but try to revive nm without losing
time in making preparation. Take0H,
the clothing from the chest and upper
part of the body, and as the windpipe
is often choked by water drawn intoit
during the struggle for breath, turn the
patient on his face, place your hands
under the abdomen and raise the body.
This motion may expel the water
partly by gravity, partly by pressure
upon the lungs. Then pull forward
the tongue and with the finger far
back in the mouth clear away all the
mucus, -seaweed or anything else that
may hinder the breathing. Turn the
person on his back, place him on
dry blanket as SOON as it can be OBJ
tained, and commence artificial respi-
ration. The aim of this is to bring
air into the lungs by alternately ex-
panding and COMPRISING the chest in
imitation of natural breathing. This
most important part should be taken
charge of at the start by the person
who can do it best. 1t would be well
for everyone to learn to preform arti-
fetal respiration in order to be pre-
pared for emergencies.
There are several methods of arti-
fetal respiration, the best of which is
known as Sylvester method.
Raise the shoulders and chest a
little by roll Of blanket, and have
the head low.
Ifthe patient is on the ground, kneel
behind his head if on cot, stand be-
hind him. grasp each forearm below
the elbows and draw his arms up and
over his head, making the elbows al
most touch the ground, hold them
there for about two seconds. The ef-
fort of this is to pull upon the chest
walls on each side to expand the lungs
and to allow the air to rush in. Then
reverse this movement, that is, carry
the arms back until they rest against
the sides of the chest, the forearms
firmly downward and inward against
the chest, for one second. This pres
sure depresses the ribs, contracts the
chest and forces the air out. Repeat
these movements regularly at the rate
of sixteen times minute until the
drowned person begins to breathe,
then time the movements by his ef-
forts to breathe.
While this is being done, another
person should take hold of and draw
out the tongue, as during insensibility
this falls backwards and blocks up the
air passage. If several persons are
present, have one take charge Of the
tongue and draw it forward gently
with each inspiration and allow it to
go back with expiration. If the
tongue slips, hold it with a handker-
chief or thrust hatpin, or large pin
right through it; then it can be con-
trolled. During the continuance of
this artificial respiration, all the wet
clothes should be removed and warm
blankets substituted. Hot water bot
ties or bricks we'll protected may be
placed along the sides of the body and
legs, and gentle rubbing continued.
Artificial respiration should be con-
tinued for an hour and half even
though there be no pronounced life
extinct. Absence of the pulse at the
wrist or of the heart-seunds to the
Impractical ear constitute no proof
that life is extinct. While these ef-
forts are being made to restore breath
ing, as we'll as afterwards, stimulation
should also be employed. Place hot
water bottles, or warm bricks, as has
been said, along each side of the body
(be careful not to burn it) on the pit
Of the stomach, between the thighs
and at the soles of the feet. Continue
to rub and use all kinds of warmth
until life is restored. AS soon as the
patient can swallow, give hot tea or
coffee or whiskey in hot water, in tea
spoonful doses. The dose of the sro-
matte spirits of ammonia is tea
spoonful diluted with water. When
the patient has been revived he
should be put in a warm bed and
left quiet, but should be watched to
see that breathing does not suddenly
stop. If it does, commence artificial
respiration at once. Recovery from
asphyxia by drowning can scarcely
be expected to take place after an