Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/79

 ^J MEDICAL By MARY WESTAWAY (Associate of the National Health Society) When Accidents Happen— How to Bandage— Knots for First Aid — Restoratives— How to Use a Pocket Handkerchief as a Bandage — "When the Knee is Injured— Wounded Heads U'vER-iNCREAsiNG cfforts are being made to spread the useful knowledge which goes by the name of First Aid to the Injured. The St. John's Ambulance and other similar societies have done good service by means of lectures and demonstrations to impart this knowledge to the general public as well as to those, such as police- men, railway-men, and firemen, who may be regarded as in the service of the pubHc. The work of rendering first aid is not con- fined to men. Those who in times of peace prepare for war train women and girls also to help the injured, and so alleviate the fearful suffering of war-time. The Women Yeomanry Nursing Corps, the Girl Guides, and similar organisations train their members to assist the injured, and the knowledge thus gained stands in good stead when members are engaged in the routine of everyday life- How to Learn First Aid A course of training under qualified teachers is of inestimable benefit, but those who are not thus privileged can acquire definite serviceable knowledge from simple directions, clearly illus- trated, provided only that frequent practice makes the details sufficiently familiar to become matters of routine. It is not of much use to glance at a picture and see how a fractured limb should be bound up and how bleeding may be arrested and then to find at the critical moment that memory has failed. In first aid as in every other department of life it is practice that makes perfect. The Scope of the Work It must be distinctly understood at the outset that first aid does not encroach on a doctor's province, and that those who go through a course of lectures, cither oral or in print, are not aiming to become doctors, or even nurses. Excepting in the case of trifling accidents a doctor's aid must be summoned at once, and first aid, in filling up the time of waiting, lessens the suffering of the patient and prevents the injury from be- coming more serious through neglect and delay. As soon as the doctor arrives, he takes charge of the case, and those who are allowed to assist him must obey implicitly all his orders and directions. General Hint5 1. It is of great assistance to a doctor if the person who renders first aid can give particulars of the accident, but although the assistant should be observant, time must not be wasted in gleaning information. 2. Prompt action is the chief requirement, and particularly in cases where there is severe bleeding or where the injury is progressive, as in cases of poisoning, or where garments are alight, or where insensibility is bccomfng deeper. 3. The assistant's powers of observation must be brought into play so as to spare the patient the worry of thoughtless and tactless questions. 4. Fresh air for the patient is of groat conse- quence. When accidents occur indoors the windows should be set open, and in cases of street accidents the crowd must be kept from pressing round and preventing the circulation of air. 5. A patient must never be moved until the extent of the injury has been ascertained, then a restful position must be ensured and support given to the injured part. 6. Severe bleeding must be controlled as speedily as possible. Poisons must be got rid of or neutralised. Clothing must not be unneces- sarily removed, but when it is necessary to take it away, remove it from the sound side first, and never hesitate to cut the garments which cannot be taken off without dragging the injured side. 7. Remember particularly that every injury gives a shock to the system, which is m. irked by a falling of temperature according to the severity of the accident. The patient feels cold, and really is cold. Cover the body with light, warm clothing, and if there is pallor in the skin and shivering, and coldness and blueness of the extremities, apply warm blankets or hot-water bottles, rub the extremities which are uninjured, using gentle friction, and if the patient is conscious give him a hot drink. Hot tea, coffee, soup, or milk, or a teaspoonful of sal volatile in a wineglassful of cold water are safe restoratives, but alcohol should only be given under a doctor's orders, unless the shock i<: very severe and life seems to be slipping away. Even