2. Clean the patient’s mouth of mucus, blood, chewing gum or other extraneous matter by a stroke of the finger. The prone position facilitates the removal of liquids from the mouth by causing the tongue to fall forward.
3. Kneel astride the patient, facing his head, and place your hands on his lowest ribs, with your fingers curving close to his body. Be careful to avoid pressure on the pelvis and to keep your hands away from the spine.
4. Lean forward, keeping the arms straight, and put the weight of the upper part of your body on your hands. The pressure should be applied gradually, not in a sudden thrust. The Boy Scout Book suggests saying alternately as the hands go down and back again, “Out Goes the Water,” “In Comes the Air,” exerting and relaxing pressure to suit the words.
5. Keep this up steadily about twelve times a minute. Follow your own regular rate of respiration—count or use a watch. The downward pressure forces the diaphragm up into the chest cavity, decreasing the air space and forcing the water out of the lungs. When the pressure is relaxed the diaphragm goes back into place and the air rushes in.
6. Do not cease your efforts as soon as your patient begins to breathe. Continue until the breathing is quite regular. Then when the patient is able to sit up, stimulants, such as aromatic spirits of ammonia, may be given in spoonful doses. The stimulant should be given in water. After this the [[130]]wet clothing should be removed and the patient put to bed.
If the patient is not revived at the end of an hour do not give up. Keep him warm and continue. Many persons have been resuscitated after two hours and more of uninterrupted effort.
It will be a good plan, if the camping place is near the water and any swimming is to be done, or even bathing only, to practice the prone pressure method as a game until practice makes perfect. With children the method may be dramatized and made very interesting to them.
The prone-pressure method of resuscitation is the best to employ in case of unconsciousness from lightning stroke, other electric shock, or poisoning by the inhalation of gas.