THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



299 



FIRST AID TO THE INJURED.* 



By A. Ernest Gallant, :m. D. 



Examiner for the Society for Instruction in First Aid 

 to the Injured, New York. 



"Friendships blind service in the hour of need, 

 Wipes the pale face, and lets the victim bleed ; 



Science must stop to reason and explain, 

 Art clasps his finger on the bleeding vein." 



The Babylon express has left Garden 

 City behind. After the heat and turmoil 

 of a hot summer's day in the city, how 

 cool and refreshing the air, how grateful 

 to the eye the long flower-beds on both 

 sides of the track. A sense of quiet rest- 

 fulness steals over us, occasionally broken 

 by the musical hum of a blood-thirsty 

 mosquito. What was that ? Get off the 

 track! Down brakes. The engine re- 

 verses and the train comes to a sudden 

 standstill. Walking back a short dis- 

 tance, we find a group of fellow passen- 

 gers gazing at a poorly dressed man, 

 bleeding from the scalp, moaning, mum- 

 bling, "only a tramp." The skull is 

 fractured at the base, the leg broken; he 

 cannot live. The train backs, the body 

 liited into the baggage car, and we are 

 once more on our way. How many of the 

 onlookers realized their utter helpless- 

 ness to render aid under similar circum- 

 stances. It is my purpose to point out 

 the proper thing to do in fracture cases. 



FRACTURES — HOW TO HANDLE THEM. 



Injuries resulting in broken bones 

 without damage to the skin are designat- 

 ed simple fractures. On the other hand 

 when the skin has been lacerated with 

 or without exposure of the subjacent 

 structures, they are classified as com- 

 pound fractures. 



When called upon to render assistance 

 in a case of a compound fracture, the in- 

 jury must be treated as described in a 

 lecture on "Wound Treatment," Alumni 

 Journal, vol. II, 1895, page 118, viz.: 



*Delivered before the Alumni Association of the New 

 York College of Pharmacy November nth, 1896. 



Cut away the clothing, stop the bleeding 

 by thumb pressure, figs. 29, 38, 39, a 

 pad, fig. ,'37 or the improvised tourniquet, 

 figs. 30-40. If the wound is dirty allow 

 water to trickle over it, then apply on a 

 bunch of absorbent gauze a mixture of 

 Bals. Peru. Mxxx 

 01. Ricini 5i 

 the oily side to be placed directly over the 

 wound. Cover the dressing with oil silk 

 or rubber tissue, and fix in place with a 

 triangular bandage, figs. 7 to 16, then 

 put on a splint as for a simple Iracture. 



UNCONSCIOUSNESS. 



To restore to consciousness apply smell- 

 ing salts or ammonia to the nose, rub tha 

 legs briskly toward the body, loosen the 

 clothing around the neck and waist in 

 order to facilitate breathing. As soon as 

 the patient can swallow give whiskey or 

 brandy in very hot zvater, about one otince 

 in eight; the hot water acting more 

 promptly and replaces the blood lost from 

 the system. 



Do not give stimulants when the head 

 has been injured. 



Apply heat to the body; hot water 

 bottles, placed outside the blankets, hot 

 bricks around the body and between the 

 legs, heat in any form, will aid in over- 

 coming the effects of the injury. 



FRACTURES. 



When a limb has been broken, splints 

 mtist be applied to avoid causing pain and 

 further injury. Any material which will 

 prevent the ends of the bone rubbing 

 together or protruding through the skin, 

 such as a strip of cigar-box, soap-box, 

 card-board, newspapers, tin, tree-bark or 

 fence rail will answer. Splints should be 

 about the same width as the limb. 



A splint for the hand, wrist or forearm 

 should be placed on the back of the fore- 

 arm long enough to extend from the finger- 

 tips to the elbow, and the arm supported 

 in a sling, fig. i. 



