Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/2102

1892 arm, and tying the two ends into a reefer knot at the back of the neck or on the shoulder. The apex of the triangle should then be brought around the elbow and pinned. (See Nursing Illustration No. 2, fig. 2.)

Care should be taken in arranging this or any sling that it gives the required support to the arm, and cannot slip or give way.

If the sling is to support the hand, the part of the triangle that goes in front of the hand should be passed over the shoulder on the side of the neck opposite to the injured limb. If it is intended to support the elbow (as in the case of a fractured collar bone), the reverse should be the case, the outer part of the sling passing over the shoulder on the same side as the elbow that is to be supported. The sling should always be arranged so that the hand is raised a little above the level of the elbow. (See Nursing Illustration No. 2, figs, 1, 2 and 3.)

In cases of emergency, umbrellas, walking sticks, or broom sticks make excellent splints. Tie one of these to the side of the limb by a handkerchief and bandage as shown in Nursing Illustration No. 2, fig. 4.

The bandage shown in fig. 1 is a simple head bandage, consisting of a couple of turns round the forehead and occiput, and to prevent these from slipping a turn under the chin is taken and the ends knotted over the place where pressure is required.

As an application for a simple fractured jaw the four-tailed bandage shown in fig. 2 is very efficient. All that is required is a strip of calico 4 inches wide and about 1 yard long; split each end into two, leaving about 7 inches in the middle of the bandage undivided, in the middle of which make a short longitudinal slit into which the point of the chin is placed. The two lower tails are tied on top of the head and the two upper ones are tied behind the back of the head. To prevent slipping the upper and lower tails are tied together.

The Capeline bandage shown in figs. 3 and 4 is very useful for keeping dressings on the head or for pressure on the scalp. Two bandages are knotted together and the knot placed just under the external occipital protuberance; they are then drawn round to the centre of the forehead and twisted on themselves, one being carried straight back over the top of the head, and the other continued round to the back of the head to fasten this one down. This is repeated till the entire scalp is covered.