SECONDARY TREATMENT 429 



patient, and place them at his feet, sides of the body, and 

 back of the neck. If no water-bottles are available, boil a 

 quantity of water and get flannel cloths ; failing these, big 

 towels wall do. Seize the ends and twist them up. Then dip 

 the middle part in the boiling water, wring thoroughly and wrap 

 the patient's feet in one of these hot cloths ; put another over 

 his abdomen and one at the back of his neck. These should be 

 renewed after ten minutes or so. Be careful not to burn the 

 patient's skin. To avoid this, spread a thin cloth over the parts 

 previous to the application of the hot fomentation. If the 

 patient seems to be sinking, apply hot and cold fomentations 

 alternately. Keep each on for five minutes, and persevere for 

 half an hour or more, as this treatment tends strongly to rouse 

 the patient's nerve centres. These fomentations should be 

 applied over the lower portion of the abdomen, the stomach, 

 the back of the head, and the feet. At aU of these centres the 

 nervous system can be effectually acted upon. Cover up your 

 patient immediately you apply the fomentations. 



In the early stages of snake venom poisoning, in addition to, 

 or in the absence of any drug or serum treatment, the patient 

 should be made to vomit any food there may be in his stomach. 

 This can be accomplished by giving him a teaspoonful of mustard, 

 or salt, stirred in a pint of warm water. If there is no mustard 

 or salt, or any means of heating water, then make him drink a 

 lot of water and thrust his finger down his throat, so as to irritate 

 the entrance to the gullet. This will induce vomiting. The 

 mustard and warm water is the best, for it strongly irritates the 

 lining membrane of the stomach, causing it to pour out a watery 

 mucous, in wliich there may be some of the venom, which is 

 harmless when inside the stomach. Then a quick-acting pur- 

 gative should be given, such as castor oil. This flushes out the 

 bowels, and also causes a watery discharge through the walls 

 of the intestines, which will also tend to drain off some of the 

 venom in the blood. Then every effort should be made to induce 

 perspiration. The patient can be soaked in a bath of hot water, 

 adding still hotter water, as he is able to bear it. The water 

 should be as hot as he can endure. In ten or fifteen minutes 

 take him out, and instantly cover him with blankets. 



