GOOD NURSING. 129 



Bandages should be about three yards long. The bandage should be 

 rolled up before it is applied, and the winding on should be from the 

 lowest part upwards. The bandages should be taken off two or three 

 times a day, or oftener if the legs are cold, and some friction should be 

 applied to restore warmth. When flannel bandages cannot be obtained, 

 a fair substitute may be extemporised out of hay bands. 



253. Cold bandages. 



Cold bandages are usually made of linen, and must be kept con- 

 stantly wet with water and be applied with moderate pressure. A 

 chamois leather bandage retains damp longer than any other. 



Cold may be conveniently applied to the feet by putting them in a wet 

 bran poultice, or by placing wet swabs round them and felt pads in the 

 soles. 



254. Sweating bandage. 



A sweating bandage is made by covering a wet linen bandage with oil- 

 skin. After it has been applied for some days, an ordinary cold bandage 

 should be substituted for it, as it is apt to cause the skin to become 

 scurfy. A sweating bandage has often a powerful effect in reducing 

 enlargements. 



254a. Fomenting bandage. 



In cases where it is necessary to apply heat and moisture to any part 

 of the leg below the knee or hock, the following is an excellent bandage 

 to apply after ordinary fomentation. A flannel bandage soaked in hot 

 water should be rolled round the limb. A dry bandage may be then 

 applied over all. By this means heat and moisture will be retained for 

 a long time. 



255. Fomentations. 



A steady man should be placed in charge of the patient. This man 

 should be accommodated with a stool. 



The fomentation should be continued for half an hour, and then the 

 part affected should be loosely covered with flannels, and after an inter- 

 val of an hour the fomentation may be re-applied, and so on according 

 to the requirements of the case. The temperature of the water should 

 not exceed 106°, or hardly as hot as the hand can comfortably bear. The 

 temperature must be kept up to this point by the frequent addition of 

 small quantities of hot water. The sponge or swab should not be allowed 

 to touch the parts affected, but should be applied higher ujJ, so that the 

 water only may trickle down over the inflamed or injured surface. When 

 the fomentation is discontinued, the parts should be loosely covered with 

 flannel in order to obviate the risk of a chill. If flannel is not available, 

 or the part is so situated that it cannot be conveniently applied, ammonia 

 liniment in cases where there is no abrasion of the skin, may be lightly 

 rubbed on. 



I When a servant cannot be spared for the tedious work of fomenting, a 



