The Washington times., 1923-01-15
AIDS
HELP-H
BURNS
Philadelphia Hospital Employs
/. Cabinets to Treat Serious
Cases.


ment of serious burns, says the
Philadelphia Public Ledger. have
been obtained by physicians Of st.
Agnes, Hospital, at Broad and Milf.
Hin streets in that city, in the use
Of specially constructed electric
cabinets which have been recently
introduced.
The use of these electric cabi.
nets has revolutionized old methods
Of caring for third-degree burns.
Physicians at the hospital named
have estimated that the lives of
at least twice as many Npatients
are saved by the electric treat
ments than was possible by other
methods OF treating burns.
st. Agnes Hospital has more
burn cases than any other hospital
in Philadelphia, owing to it's prox-
unity to q refining company's plant
and to that of q gas company's
works.
DR.. Max Schumann, of the staff
Of the hospital, in an interview
stated that while 1t was common
under older methods of treatment
for an average of eight deaths q
month from burns to take place,
trio cabinet method of treatment
four.
Copes with Poison.
The electric treatment attempts
particularly to cope with the poison
induced by a burn. While. the
exact means Of that accomplish
ment il not known. and several
theories have been adduced to ac-
count for it, 1t is an established
fact that the patients under the
treatment who otherwise would die,
recover.
DR.. Schumann q inclined to
think the sleughing of the burn
wound is prevented and the ther-
matte action Of the electric bath
stimulates the flow Of bodily fluids
which hasten recovery.
The electric cabinet proved par.
ticularly efficacfous recently when
eleven men from the gas manufac.
turing plant were taken to the hos
pital badly burned as result Of
an explosion. They were given the
routine treatment for burns and
then put to bed.
In each case q cabinet was low
cred over the bed OF the patient.
It is shaped something like the
rounded mound OF q grave and is
to cover the body from
the feet to the chin for a period of
days.
Several electric lights of a high
voltage are fastened within. The
current is turned on and the tenn
perature of the cabinet kept about
los degrees Fahrenheit, nearly
seven degrees above the body tenn.
perature.
1.-The cabinet, acts both as q pro-
lection to the burned persons and
as an aid to their recovery" DIR.
Schumann said. THE temperature
Of the interior is kept as nearly
uniform over a period Of time as is
possible. 1t seems to destroy most
OF the poison gathered by the burn.
''Of course, the electric cabinet is
used in conjunction with other
treatments. The large number. of
burn cases that are brought to the
hospital vary In their treatments.
"A first-degree burn causes a red
ness over the surface of the Skin.
II two-thirds or more of the body
of the patient is burned with a first.
degree burn he usually dies. The
second degree burn raises a blister
and involves the tissues under the
skin. II more than one-half Of the
surface OF the body of a patient
is blistered he will probably die.
The third-degree burn il actual car
and charming of the tbs.
sues.
For slight burns the treatment is
picric acid and boric ointment. The
patient is then discharged. But
bad burn cases are admitted to the
hospital wards.
when they come in they are first
given a sodium bicarbonate bath.
The sodium bicarbonate is dissolved
in a tub of water. The bath pre-
vents Inflammation. 1t is first adj
ministered to every type of severe
burn.
THAT is followed by a flushing of
the intestinal tract with a saline
solution. Many burns have a toxic
or poisonous effect and the intes-
tines close. The salt increases the
flow Of body fluids and permits the
working off of the poison. Then
potassium citrate is given internally
to help stimulate the secretion of
the kidneys. accompanied by doses
OF camphorated oil or digitalis.
Acetic acid is applied to the
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