Another child seven years old, fell against a stone and laid his forehead open.
Bandage applied, and wetted occasionally without being taken off; a dry one kept over it.
Another bandage at the back of the neck, renewed often.
Tepid sitz-bath fifteen minutes, three times a day. Feverish symptoms arose during the night; sitz-bath renewed.
Prince Ruspoli, Lord Anson, and another were galloping along a road at the dusk of the evening, not perceiving a drain, two of their horses fell into it. Two of the party were taken up insensible. On being brought into Freywalden, they were instantly put into tepid baths of 65°.
The prince having fallen on his temple was much stunned; four men rubbed him in the bath, in five minutes he became conscious and assisted in rubbing himself; in ten minutes he felt cold. After being in the bath twenty-five minutes he was taken out, well dried and put to bed, with bandages on his head and back of the neck, and but slight covering. After an hour’s repose, a tepid sitz-bath was administered for an hour. During the night patient suffered great pain in his head. Next day he was out of doors, but took three sitz-baths during the day; in the morning for an hour; the others, half an hour each time. Bandages always to the injured part. In a few days he was quite well.
The prince’s friend was threatened with congestion in the head, and had great pain in the stomach; the fæces were nearly black. He took many injections; three sitz-baths daily, an hour and a half each time, and one during the night. This treatment effected his cure.
Cuts and Wounds.—For a clean cut, it will often be sufficient to close the wound at once, and cover it with a dry bandage, so as to exclude the air.
A bruise, or jagged cut, should be bound up, and covered with a wet bandage; and this, when inflammation has subsided, must be covered with a dry one. Do not remove the under bandage, but pour water on it occasionally, and cover it again with the dry one. Let the bandage extend both ways beyond the wound, to conduct away the heat from it.
Calf of Leg torn off.—Dr. Scontetton, surgeon to the forces at Strasburg, states, “A soldier trying to descend at night from the walls of the barracks, fell, and tore the flesh off the calf of his leg. The doctor put the lacerated flesh together as well as he could, and bound the leg and thigh up in a bandage; a trough was then made in a slanting position in which he placed the leg. Over the man’s head he fixed a cask of water with a tube, from which the man was to keep the bandage constantly wet.[6] By this treatment alone a cure was effected in a fortnight, during which time the man suffered no pain, nor was even deprived of his appetite.”