Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/535

 MEDIOAL By MARY WESTAWAY (Associate of the National Health Society) In cases oE Haemorrhage Steps should be Taken Promptly to Minimise the Loss of Blood— Measures to be Adopted— How to Treat Lung Bleeding, Nose Bleeding, and Stomach Bleeding— Varicose Veins— Wounds and Their Treatment A LLtoo frequently disease or accident causes ^ haemorrhage of a kind which cannot be controlled by pressure ; yet, so serious are the consequences of great loss of blood, that prompt steps should be taken to minimise the danger while awaiting the arrival of the doctor. The rupture of a blood-vessel which lies within the trunk causes the blood to flow into the cavity of the chest or abdomen, or into the stomach, and in such circumstances pressure on the injured vessel is clearly impossible. Such bleeding may be recog- nised by well-defined symptoms. The patient is pale and faint, the skin is cold and clammy, the pulse is feeble, the breathing is hurried and laboured, and there is a great restlessness, with constant yawning and sighing. The first thing is to place the patient in a recumbent position, so as to retard the action of the heart ; windows should be set open, tight clothing loosened at the neck and waist, and one helper should gently fan the patient. A small piece of ice should be given to the patient to suck, or he should sip cold water with a little vinegar added to it, if ice cannot be obtained. A cloth wrung out of cold water and vinegar or chips of ice in an ice-bag, extemporised from a sponge-bag or a piece of mackintosh, should be placed over the seat of haemorrhage. Cold water sprinkled on the face, eau de Cologne or spirit and water rubbed on the forehead, or smelling salts held to the nose are serviceable, and if the patient is reduced to a state of collapse, the feet should be raised and the legs and arms firmly bandaged. Lung Bleeding and Stomach Bleeding When haemorrhage occurs in the lungs or in the stomach, the blood soon makes its First aid treatment. Bleeding from the lungs appearance. In the former case it is frothy and of a bright-red colour, and is coughed up in small quantities by the patient. In the latter case the blood is vomited in large quantities as a dark red clot, with which is often mixed particles of undigested food. The general treatment for internal haemor- rhage must be followed, the cold application being made over the chest in cases of lung bleeding and over the pit of the stomach when the haemorrhage is in the stomach. Keep the patient as quiet as possible, and do not allow any form of exertion. Nose Bleeding Nose bleeding may arise from an accident or may be caused by con- stitutional disturbance, and be the sign of disease. Pressing the nostrils firmly just below the bridge will check a slight flow of blood,- but with severe haemorrhage other remedies must be tried. Make the patient lie down in a cool place, and apply a cold body, such as a piece of ice, a large key, a pebble, or a marble paper-weight, to the back of the neck. If possible, place small pieces of ice in a rubber bag or piece of flannel, and apply them to the bridge of the nose, or syringe the bleeding nostril with ice-cold water or cold tea. If this fails, take a small conical pad of lint or cotton- wool, dip it in a styptic, such as perchloride of iron or matico powder, and press it gently yet firmly, into the nostril. If this fails, medical assistance must be summoned, so that the nose can be plugged at the back and at the front. With nose bleeding the patient should breathe through the mouth, so as not to disturb the injured blood-vessels. Hemorrhage in the Mouth Some people are so constituted that they bleed very freely, and even such a trifling operation as the extraction of a tooth may