Fourth—On signs of life, or when breathing is restored, remove the clothing, dry the body, wrap the patient in warm blankets or hot cloths. To encourage circulation briskly rub his limbs under the blankets toward the heart; brandy or aromatic spirits of ammonia may be given in small doses, with care to avoid strangulation.
Another Method
Another simple method of restoring breathing, one that is being rapidly adopted, is that known as the Schafer, or prone, method. It has the great advantage that it can be performed by one man alone. This method has just been endorsed as the preferable one by a commission representing the American Medical Association, the National Electric Light Association, and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
First—Lay patient on stomach with his head to side and withdraw his tongue, which itself then will hang out if teeth are held apart with small object. The operator then kneels astride the patient's thighs and with his hands across the lower ribs swings his body back and forth rhythmically, pausing about two seconds as his weight falls upon and is removed from patient. This movement is to be continued at the rate of about fifteen times a minute.
To Prevent Drowning.—The human body weighs, in the water, about one pound; that is, it is approximately one pound heavier than the water which it displaces. A stool, chair, or small box or board will overcome the tendency to sink and will keep the head above water. The feet, and the hand which is not clinging to an object, should be used as paddles. Every one should learn to swim. If he can take only a few strokes, the chances of death by drowning are small, for he is likely to be able to reach something which will support him. So much do I believe in the necessity of knowing how to swim, that I consider it a crime not to understand this art.
Electrical Accidents.—Immediately shut off the current, but do not handle the wire with your naked hands. If rubber gloves are not handy, cut the wire with an ax or knife, with a piece of woolen cloth wrapped around the handle. If you pull the sufferer away from the wire, do not touch him with your bare hands, but cover them with woolen cloth, or wear rubber or woolen gloves, or remove him by the use of a rope. The ordinary electric shock will not cause death unless the patient continues to receive it. Summon a doctor at once. Place the patient in the open air, with something under his shoulders. Loosen his clothing, open his mouth, and pull out the tongue. Clear the mouth from saliva. Force air into his lungs by pressing the base of the ribs about once in four seconds, then attempt to resuscitate him as you would a drowning person.
Emergencies with Children.—If the child suddenly suffers from vomiting, purging, and prostration, send for a doctor at once. In the meantime place him in a hot bath and then carefully dry him with a warm towel and wrap in warm blankets. If the hands and feet are cold, apply hot water bottles to the feet and hands. A poultice made of flaxseed meal (3/4) and mustard (1/4) should be placed over the body. Five drops of brandy in a teaspoonful of water may be given every 15 minutes. For sudden diarrhœa, administer one teaspoonful of castor oil or of spiced syrup of rhubarb. Allow the child to drink freely of cold water that has been boiled. Always summon a physician.
Emergency Medicines ..
The writer would emphatically discourage self-medication and dosing, and would oppose the taking of medicines of any kind, except the simplest remedies, without the advice of a physician. Hundreds of thousands of people have been made sick, because the wrong medicine was administered to them, and many more have taken medicine when they didn't need it.
The following emergency medicines are presented, with a distinct understanding that they should not be used except in simple cases: