684 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



follow tbis treatment up with very cold water. Then give a cold bath 

 in an unheated room, rub the chest and the region of the heart thor- 

 oughly with fresh water, and finally put the patient into a cold bed, 

 cover him with cold cloths, and give an enema of cold water. 



Some blow fresh air into one of the nostrils by means of bellows, 

 while the other nostril and the mouth are kept firmly closed. But, 

 as far as my experience goes, by this treatment the air is much more 

 likely to get into the stomach than into the lungs. If it is necessary 

 to induce artificial respiration, it is better to alternately press the arms 

 of the patient firmly to his chest and then to raise them above his 

 body, or, what is even more simple, squeeze together every two or 

 three seconds both chest and abdomen with the hands. 



As soon as faint signs of life, such as a twitching of the eyes, a 

 change in the color of the lips, or an attempt at breathing are noticed, 

 the nose should be tickled with a feather, and a few drops of some stimu- 

 lating fluid, either wine, brandy, or ammonia, should be poured into 

 the mouth and throat. When the symptoms of returning life become 

 more marked, pour a few teaspoonfuls of one of the above-mentioned 

 liquids into the mouth and give an injection with a spoonful of wine 

 or brandy, and also use one of the liquids to rub the skin ; then put 

 the patient into a warm bed. After this, some warm soup or a cup of 

 coffee will be in place. Should the excitement become too great, it is 

 advisable to give a lukewarm bath and some soothing potion. 



In the every-day happenings of our life such accidents occur but 

 rarely. However, complaints of frozen fingers, toes, ears, and noses, 

 and chilblains, are frequent. 



Many people think that fingers, toes, and noses are apt to be frozen 

 because they are so distant from the heart, and are in consequence not 

 so plentifully supplied with warm blood. Although I do not wish to 

 dispute this entirely, the main reason seems to be that these parts are 

 very thin and small and come more directly in contact with the air. 

 When such small parts are exposed to intense cold, the veins contract 

 and drive the blood toward the interior. The backs of the fingers and 

 toes freeze first ; they become pale and devoid of feeling, and the 

 joints benumbed and stiff. After a while the blood in the veins con- 

 geals, all tissues grow brittle and break easily. But frozen joints are 

 not dead. If gradually warmed they can be restored entirely ; if, 

 however, they have been exposed to intense cold and are then sud- 

 denly warmed, a strong inflammatory reaction sets in, the same as 

 when normally warm parts are exposed to a temperature as high as 

 that of boiling water. Cold alone can produce numbness and insensi- 

 bility ; but an inflammatory reaction is alone due to too rapid a warm- 

 ing. To such careless treatment only must the troubles which are 

 known as frozen joints, chilblains, etc., be ascribed. Chilblains, where 

 the skin and tissues are inflamed, cause a disagreeable itching in warm 

 weather. 



