318 'HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY CHAP. 



person on his back with something under the shoulders 

 to keep them slightly elevated. See that his tongue 

 does not drop back into the pharynx. Take hold of 

 his arms near the elbows and slowly raise them up, so 

 as to bring them together over his head, and pull firmly 

 for a moment. Then lower the arms slowly until they 

 press against the ribs, pressing in firmly for a moment, 

 so as to expel some air from the lungs. Repeat this 

 movement about sixteen times a minute, for two hours 

 or more, or until natural breathing has been begun. 

 Keep the person warm all the time, using hot water 

 bottles or warm bricks and blankets. As soon as the 

 person can breathe, apply ammonia (smelling salts) to 

 the nose and give him a little hot water containing 

 aromatic spirits of ammonia. 



226. Choking. This is caused by some object like a 

 fish bone, a toothpick, a marble, a peach stone, a coin, 

 etc., lodging in the throat. A sharp slap on the back 

 between the shoulders may be sufficient to dislodge the 

 object. If the patient is a child, hold it up by the heels 

 and slap it on the back. Sometimes the foreign body 

 can be seen in the throat if the tongue is pressed down, 

 and can be easily removed with the forefinger. Do not 

 be afraid to reach well down the throat, for if the object 

 cannot be removed in this way you may induce the per- 

 son to vomit and thus dislodge it. Or you may have 

 the person drink water, swallow jelly, scraped apple, 

 mashed potatoes, or any such soft substance, so that the 

 object may be forced down into the stomach. The 

 object should be dislodged as soon as possible. 



