The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-27
Home Nursing
External Application
By NJ. IEsslE lEIIcH

Gold applications never do my throat bit of good, doctor," complained the woman who always knew more than the doctor about her ailments.
 Why" asked the doctor, regarding heg quizzically. ,. a nice hot water bottle against my neck or a hot iron. But never cold cloths, with the water trickling down my spine and getting me all cold and wet. It's a wonder people don't get chilled to death with cold towels and ice bags on them" :"
 Gold and heat have two distinct missions in relieving pain.' explained the doctor. Gold, applied in inflam- matory conditions, contracts the blood vessels, soothes the nerve endings and is most comfortably used over small areas, such as the eye, the ear or the neck. Ice reduces temperature, too, the general temperature of the body, and if properly applied the patient will never be either chilled or wet. Dry cold Is applied with an ice bag. Moist cold is applied with compresses-towels wrung from ice water.
 Heat, on the other hand, dilates the superficial blood vessels, increases the blood supply to other parts of the body and relieves congestion in the deeper seated vessels. One may apply dry heat by means of a hot water bottle, or moist heat by lamentations or poul- tices. In applying heat, however, there are many things to be considered. When the person giving the treatments is not a trained nurse or doctor, it is very Aecessdry to watch carefully to avoid hprninE the patient"
 Ut 3Odness gracious, I never heard of slch thing. I've used hot irons, hot bakeC onions and hot rags wrung out of tm1entine and hot water often and oftAn and never once burned myself" said tine sufferer.
 Heat acts as an anaesthetic. If the pain has been very severe, applications of heay can be endured that would ac- tuaily urn the tissue if there was no pain tnere,' explained the doctor. "Otten after being worn out with pain, perSun gets such quick relief from heat that he falls asleep. The water bottle may be too hot and too close and he awakens with painful burn. Water bottles should never be filled with boil ing water. They may burst and scald the patient. They should always be covered with flannel or towel. Be- loTc pldclIS d not water DOttle Tn a bed near patient it should always be care fully examined as it may leak around the stopper.
 If lamentations are applied they must be very hot, carefully made, and not so wet that they scald.
 That is why ice, I always feel, and cold congresses are safer than heat in the hands of an inexperienced person.
 Ice congresses should be very cold. but wrung very dry so that no water trickles down the neck. A dry towel placed on the pillow saves much dis comfiture, for the cold compress against the hot skin causes rapid evaporation. The towel is absorbent, so no dripping is possible"
 Tn the case of your throat I think you will get quicker relief with cold ap- plications than with hot" The doctor waited and the woman on the bed looked at him.
 My throat does feel pretty hot" she sald. Perhaps if you tell my daughter how to fix these ice congresses prop erly they would feel better
 And they did, because for the first time in the woman's life cold com presses were properly applied.