Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 31.djvu/704

686 frozen, so that it is white, stiff, cold, and devoid of feeling or power of motion, the principal advice, not to be forgotten, is, not to warm the frozen part too quickly; rub the joint in a cold room with snow or ice until some sensibility returns; then rub it with cold water, and wrap it up in fine linen rags, which should be moistened with a mixture of five parts of Goulard's solution and one part of spirits of camphor, and then tie it up in a rubber sheeting or oiled silk. Quite useful, too, will prove, after some feeling has returned, a hand or a foot bath with bleaching-powder. For this purpose a tablespoonful of bleaching-powder is dissolved in a basin of cold water. In order to be sure of doing everything that can be done, on going to bed at night, wrap up the frozen joints in flannel, and drink something that will cause perspiration.

If a hand or foot, even though it may have been entirely frozen, be rubbed with snow until the return of feeling, and is then at night brought into perspiration, the injury will in most cases have been entirely cured, and no relapse need be feared.

The few directions that have here been given will, if carefully followed, suffice. Of course, there are legions of cures and curatives that are recommended for frozen joints. These, however, are in place only where, through careless treatment, after-effects of the freezing, such as ulcers, chilblains, etc., remain. The frequent occurrence of such ills proves how rarely a frozen joint has received the right attention in the first place, when it would have been entirely restored.

There are some physicians who believe it impossible to prevent chilblains when a joint has once been frozen. It is, of course, true that severe cases of freezing will occur where even the best of care is powerless to prevent serious trouble, and which may sometimes even involve the loss of some part of the frozen joint.

All things considered, however, it may be said that one can guard against permanent injuries through frost if the right treatment be adopted immediately after the freezing has occurred; and even that those injuries which have been caused by too rapid a warming and other wrong treatment can be materially improved by attentive and correct care.

For the removal of those red spots which appear principally on the nose, and which may prove quite disfiguring, we used to employ hotwater vapors, followed by washings with a solution of dilute hydrochloric acid (one to six), or a solution of bleaching-powder in water. Lately, however, I advise, and with better results, the application of hot-water vapors, and at night the putting on of a salve made up of one part of ichthyol and eight parts of vaseline.

Unfortunately, the ichthyol has a brown color, but this can easily be removed in the morning by using warm water and soap. If any one is particularly sensitive respecting his appearance, he may repeat the treatment with the ichthyol in the morning, after having employed