PART II.
THE MEDICAL DRAWER.
ow many of our readers know how to perform artificial respiration? Only a very small proportion, we are afraid. Yet everyone ought to know how to do it, for rarely does a girl go through her life without encountering a situation where a knowledge of how to perform artificial respiration would be the means of saving the life of one of her fellow creatures.
Every girl ought to be taught how to perform artificial respiration when she is at school. This immensely important aid ought to be able to be rendered by every man, woman or child in the world. It is the most important, and perhaps the easiest of all measures for the saving of life.
Let us see if we can explain to you how to perform artificial respiration. Two persons are required. Place the patient on her back, open her mouth, pull her tongue forward and wipe out her mouth and throat, so as to clear it of any blood or whatever it may contain, which would hinder the air from entering her chest.
Each of you must then take hold of one arm, with one hand grasping the forearm and the other grasping the upper arm. Now start. Slowly draw the arms away from the chest and elevate them above the head. Pull the arms as high above the head as you possibly can. Rest for two seconds, then slowly bring the arms down again to the side of the chest, cross them over the chest, press upon the chest, and gently press upon the pit of the stomach. Again rest for two seconds, then elevate the arms again and repeat the performance as long as necessary. Never be in a hurry. The performance is no good at all unless it is done slowly.
Now we will tell you where artificial respiration is necessary.
Suppose you are on the scene when a person is dragged out of the water after drowning. The person is unconscious, but not dead. What are you going to do? Place her on her chest, and squeeze out of her chest any water that you can. Wipe out her mouth and throat. Pull out her tongue, turn her on to her back, and perform artificial respiration. Get someone else to wrap her up in blankets, and apply warmth to the extremities. But do not discontinue the artificial respiration until a surgeon arrives, or until the patient breathes regularly in a normal way, or until some other pair of philanthropists relieve you.
If you find a person hanging, cut her down, wipe out her mouth and perform artificial respiration at once.