526 GENERAL SCIENCE 



of this is to press the ribs downward and inward so as to decrease 

 the size of the chest cavity. By this means the air and water, if 

 there be any, are driven out of the patient's air passages. Then 

 swing backward so as to relieve the pressure on the patient's body, 

 but still keep your hands in place; the object being to allow the ribs 

 to spring back and thus increase the size of the chest cavity. Repeat 

 this forward and backward movement, pressure and relaxation of 

 pressure, every four or five seconds. In other words, sway your 

 body regularly forward and backward as described twelve or fifteen 

 times a minute without any marked pause between the move- 

 ments. 



Continue this procedure until natural breathing is resumed. 

 There may be no success for a long period; but breathing has been 

 restored by this method when the patient had been breathless as 

 long as two hours. 



If help is available, hot flannels may be applied to the limbs 

 and body and friction to the hands and feet for the promotion of 

 warmth; but on no account should the regular effort to restore 

 breathing be interrupted nor should any attempt be made to give 

 restoratives by the mouth until natural breathing has been estab- 

 lished and you have tested very carefully the ability of the patient 

 to swallow. 



When the patient begins to breathe, he may be turned on his 

 back and further treatment for promotion of warmth and circula- 

 tion may be adopted. He should be wrapped in warm blankets 

 or coats, and everything done to restore heat; hot flannels over the 

 abdomen, hot water bottles or any hot objects, properly protected, 

 in the arm pits, at the soles of the feet and so on. 



When the patient has regained consciousness and is breathing 

 regularly a teaspoonful of warm water may be given carefully to see 

 if he can swallow. If the power of swallowing has returned, a small 

 quantity of hot black coffee, beef tea, or warm brandy and water may 

 be given. The patient should be gotten to bed as soon as possible 

 and encouraged to sleep. He should be watched very carefully 

 for some time to see that breathing does not fail. 



The advantages of this method of artificial respiration over the 

 older ones are: 



