322 



ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. 



jerk, an artery is severed, and at once 

 should pressure be made on the parts by 

 the finger (between the cut and the heart), 

 until a compress is arranged by a tight 

 ligature above the wounded part. Then 

 the finger may be taken off, and if the 

 blood still flows, tighten the handker- 

 chief, or other article that forms the 

 ligature, until it ceases. If at this point 

 ithe attendance of a physician or surgeon 

 cannot be secured, take strong silk thread, 

 or wax together three or four threads, 

 and cut them into lengths of about a foot 

 long. Wash the parts with warm water, 

 and then with a sharp hook or small pair 

 of pincers in your hand, fix your eye 

 steadfastly upon the wound, and directing 

 the ligature to be slightly released, you 

 will see the mouth of the artery from 

 which the blood springs. At once seize 

 it, draw it out a little, while an assistant 

 passes a ligature round it, and ties it up 

 tight with a double knot. In this way 

 take up in succession every bleeding 

 vessel you can see or get hold of. If the 

 wound is too high up in a limb to apply 

 the ligature, do not lose your presence of 

 mind. If it is the thigh, press firmly on 

 the groin; if in the arm, with the hand- 

 ed or ring of a common door-key make 

 pressure above the collar-bone, and about 

 its middle, against its first rib, which lies 

 under it. The pressure should be con- 

 tinued until assistance is procured and 

 the vessel tied up. If the wound is on 

 the face, or other place where pressure 

 •cannot effectually be made, place a piece 

 of ice directly over the wound, allowing 

 it to remain there until the blood coagu- 

 lates, when it may be removed, and a 

 ■compress and bandage be applied. 



After the bleeding is arrested the sur- 

 rounding blood should be cleared away, 

 as well as any extraneous matter; then 

 bring the sides of the wound into contact 

 throughout the whole depth, in order 

 that they may grow together as quickly 

 as possible, retaining them in their posi- 

 tion by strips of adhesive plaster. If the 

 •wound be deep and extensive, the wound 

 itself and the adjacent parts must be 

 supported by proper bandages. The 

 position of the patient should be such as 

 will relax the skin and muscles of the 

 wounded part. Rest, low and unstimu- 

 lating diet, will complete the requirements 

 necessary to a speedy recovery. 



DEATH, How to Distinguish. — As *, 

 many instances occur of parties being I 

 buried alive, they being to all appearance ( 

 dead, the great importance of knowing 

 how to distinguish real from imaginary 1 

 death need not be explained. The ap- [ 

 pearances which mostly accompany death, ' 

 are an entire stoppage of breathing, of 

 the heart's action ; the eye-lids are partly 

 closed, the eyes glassy, and the pupils 

 usually dilated; the jaws are clenched, 

 the fingers partially contracted, and the 

 lips and nostrils more or less covered 

 with frothy mucus, with increasing pallor 

 and coldness of surface, and the muscles 

 soon become rigid and the limbs fixed in 

 their positions. But as these same con- 

 ditions may also exist in certain other 

 cases of suspended animation, great care 

 should be observed, whenever there is 

 the least doubt concerning it, to prevent 

 the unnecessary crowding of the room in 

 which the corpse is in, or of parties 

 crowding around the body ; nor should 

 the body be allowed to remain lying on 

 the back without the tongue being so 

 secured as to prevent the glottis or orifice 

 of the windpipe being closed by it ; nor 

 should the face be closely covered ; nor 

 rough usage of any kind be allowed. In 

 case there is great doubt, the body 

 should not be allowed to be inclosed in 

 the coffin, and under no circumstances 

 should burial be allowed until there are 

 unmistakable signs of decomposition. 



Of the numerous methods proposed as 

 signs for real death, we select the follow- 

 ing: i. So long as breathing continues, 

 the surface of a mirror held to the mouth 

 and nostrils will become dimmed with 

 moisture. 2. If a strong thread or small 

 cord be tied tightly around the finger of 

 a living person, the portion beyond the 

 cord or thread will become red and swol- 

 len — if dead, no change is produced. 3. 

 If the hand of a living person is held 

 before a strong light a portion of the mar- 

 gin or edges of the fingers is translucent 

 —if dead, every part of it is opaque. 4. 

 A coal of fire, a piece of hot iron, or the 

 flame of a candle, applied to the skin, if 

 life remains, will blister — if dead, it will 

 merely sear. 5. A bright steel needle 

 introduced and allowed to remain for half 

 an hour in living flesh will be still bright 

 — if dead, it will be tarnished by oxyda- 

 tion. 6. A few drops of a solution of 



