98 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



182. Burning clothing. If the clothes catch fire, they 

 are very likely to burn a person to death. The great 

 danger is that the fire may be breathed into the nose 

 and lungs. So a person whose clothes are on fire should 

 lie down at once. This will also keep the flames from 

 spreading over his whole body. If he now roll over and 

 over, he will be very likely to smother the flames. At 

 any rate, they will spread slowly, and will not reach his 

 face. 



If you see a person's clothes catch fire, at once throw 

 him to the floor and roll him about. You can also wrap 

 your coat or the carpet about him, and thus smother the 

 flames. 



183. Effects of cold. When a person is exposed to very 

 intense cold he becomes drowsy, and finally falls asleep. 

 Then he is near death unless he is aroused. So when 

 a person is very cold you must not let him rest, but keep 

 him moving about. 



When a part of the body, as a hand or an ear, is very 

 cold, it becomes numb so that it cannot feel. Then we 

 may think the part is warm, since we no longer feel the 

 cold. But soon it may freeze. 



Freezing is very apt to kill the part frozen. Rub it with 

 snow, or place it in ice water and let it grow warm very 

 gradually. If it is thawed quickly, it will surely die, but 

 if it thaws slowly, it may finally get well, but it will be 

 sore and will smart and itch for a long time. 



184. Catching cold. When one part of the body is 

 colder than another, the blood is driven from the cold part 

 and collects in other parts of the body. This disturbance 

 is very apt to injure the cells and make us take cold. For 

 this reason damp and cold feet are liable to cause sickness. 

 We ought to wear thick-soled shoes or rubbers on every 



