FIRST AID TO THE INJURED 



331 



HEMORRHAGE, OR BLEEDING 



Hemorrhage, or bleeding, may come from the arteries, 

 the veins, or the capillaries. The arteries are the 

 channels through which blood flows from the heart to 

 the various parts of the body, and the veins are the 

 channels through which the blood returns to the heart. 

 The capillaries form the network of very minute tubes 

 through which the blood passes from the arteries to the 

 veins and by which all the tissues of the body are 

 nourished. 



Arterial hemorrhage is usually distinguished by the 

 bright red color of the blood and the regular pulsations 

 with which it issues from the blood vessels; venous 

 hemorrhage can be known by the dark-blue tint of the 

 blood and the steadiness of its flow; in capillary hemor- 

 rhage, the blood has a reddish tint and exudes from the 

 tissues or wells up from the surface of the wound. 

 Internal hemorrhage may exist without any external flow 

 of blood. 



After excessive loss of blood, the patient's face and 

 lips turn pale; he experiences chills, cold sweats, nausea, 

 frequent vomiting, irregular respiration, feeble pulse, 

 dizziness, buzzing in the ears, and finally unconscious- 

 ness, terminating either in death or in cessation of the 

 bleeding. In the latter case, consciousness may soon 

 return, but very often the tendency to fainting fits 

 persists for a time. 



Capillary hemorrhage is ar- 

 rested by bathing the 

 wounded part in cold steril- 

 ized water and bandaging it 

 with a pad, or compress of 

 sterilized gauze or lint. 



Venous hemorrhage is 



more serious and cannot always be stopped by binding 

 a pad over the wound; in this case, the limb must be 

 bandaged on the side of the wound away from the 

 heart. The limb should be raised and held above the 



FIG. 3 



