A tourniquet may be extemporized by rolling a handkerchief into a cord and tying it around the limb, over a compress, between the wound and the heart. A stick should then be thrust between the handkerchief and skin and twisted around several times, until the pressure is sufficiently great to arrest the circulation of the blood in the wounded part. A representation of this operation may be seen in Fig. 1.
Flexion of the joint, as represented in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, is adapted to many cases of hemorrhage. As water cannot flow through a rubber tube bent at a sharp angle, so the acute flexion of a limb prevents the free flow of blood through the arterial tubes.
In some cases, styptics may be directly applied to the wounded tissues. Cold acts as a powerful styptic, and may generally be made available for arresting hemorrhage.
Poisoned Wounds. The treatment of these should chiefly consist in the prevention of the spread of the poison. This may be done by tightly applying bandages above the wound and scarifying or sucking the parts. Nitrate of silver may then be used and the ligatures removed. Alcohol, in any form, is an antidote to snake poison. For the stings of insects, apply aqua ammonia, fresh earth, raw onion, plantain, or spirits of turpentine.
FRACTURES AND DISLOCATIONS.
The treatment of injuries received from the fracture of bones and the dislocation of joints should never be attempted by the inexperienced, nor should the management be left to incompetent physicians but skillful surgical aid should at once be summoned.
SPRAINS.
A sprain consists of a sudden and forcible stretching of the ligaments and tendons connected with a joint, without there being any dislocation. It is attended with severe pain and is followed by rapid swelling.