Fig. 106.—Dr. Horace Swete’s village ambulance or sick carriage.
Carriage for transporting the Sick.
The army ambulance and the carriage of the Invalid Carriage Society are excellent means for transporting sick from their homes, or wounded persons from the scene of injury to the hospital. As their cost is somewhat considerable, a cheap carriage (see fig. 106) has been devised by Dr. Horace Swete, of Weston-super-Mare, for the use of the district in which he is residing, and which may be kept for use at workhouses, hospitals, and in remote districts. It is constructed of varnished wood and iron, and in the following manner.
The dimensions of the carriage are—length, 7 feet 6 inches; breadth, 3 feet 9 inches; height, 4 feet 9 inches. Its weight is under 3 cwt., and its total cost 21l.
The body is like a skeleton hearse, without fixed floor or sides. The sides are closed by vulcanised india-rubber curtains, or by glass sliding panels. The back, a wooden panel, opens like a door. A wooden tray slides on three rollers at the bottom, and on this a mattress covered with vulcanised india-rubber is placed to receive the patient. For infectious cases straw should be used instead of the mattress, as it may be burnt when the patient is removed. The tray is narrow, and fitted with handles, that it may be carried up a narrow staircase. The vehicle runs on four wheels, is fitted with lamp, handle, shafts, and driving box, and is well hung on good springs. The material of the carriage admits of being washed, and thus readily purified, after conveying an infectious case.
Cupping—Dry, and Bleeding Cupping.
Apparatus.—1. A series or nest of exhausting glasses.
2. Different sized boxes of lancets for incising the skin, called scarificators.
3. A spirit lamp (fig. 107).
The glasses are 6 oz., 4 oz., 2 oz., and 1 oz. in size, of rounded shape, with thick smooth edges.