Usually only medical men should administer hypodermic injections. Frequently it is not necessary to give a hypodermic injection, for the hypodermic tablet will be absorbed, and act almost as quickly if placed under the tongue.
The traveller may be called upon to use one of the following hypodermic injections:—
Permanganate of potassium. See Snake-bite, [p. 281].
Morphia. An injection of a quarter of a grain of morphia may be necessary when there is much pain. The soothing action of opium and chlorodyne is due to this substance.
Strychnine. See Snake-bite, [p. 282].
Baths, etc.
Cool Bath.—Lift the patient gently in a blanket into a long bath containing water at about 90° F., add water as cold as can be obtained, keep the water circulating and running out; one boy must pour water on to the head all the time.
If a long bath is not at hand, put a blanket over a waterproof sheet, and let the patient lie on it; get six or eight boys to hold up the edges, and give patient his bath in that way.
A good plan is to dig a shallow trench in the sand and to spread a waterproof in it; it is less difficult then to keep the edges of waterproof up as the patient is lying in a groove. It is not necessary to make the bath really cold if the cool water can be kept running. I have hardly ever been able, in Africa, to get the water below 80° F.
Note the bowel temperature, and as soon as it falls to 101° F., remove the patient from the bath and put him between warm blankets, and feed with some hot soup. If there are any signs of faintness, ammonia, or equal parts of strong spirit and water, must be given. Weak spirit and water has little or no stimulating effect on the heart, therefore, in cases of fainting, shock, exhaustion, or collapse from any cause, give a little spirit, and give it strong.