Stopping Hemorrhage 161 
blood-vessels contract and the blood collecting in the 
wound coagulates, forming a clot, which effectually 
checks the flow. In ordinary wounds the treatment 
is to hasten the formation of a clot. This can be 
done by bringing the edges of the wound together and 
binding them there. Any finely divided substance 
applied to the wound serves to gather and hold the 
blood, and so hastens clotting. Absorbent cotton is 
excellent. Cobwebs should not be used on account of 
the large amount of dirt and germs which they con- 
tain. Finely powdered substances also stop hemor- 
rhage, but they should be clean and not irritating to 
the wound. Ordinary flour is good. So is a mild 
astringent solution, as of alum or tincture of chlorid 
of iron, just enough of the drug being used to make 
the solution “puckery” to the tongue. Cold water 
applied to a wound will also check bleeding. The 
astringent solutions are especially useful when there 
is oozing of blood from a large surface. After the 
hemorrhage is checked, the wound should be carefully 
cleansed and all foreign bodies removed, such as sticks, 
nails, ete.; the wound will not heal with these present. 
Extra care in this particular should be exercised in 
punctured wounds. 
Barb-wire cuts occur most frequently about the legs 
or just above the feet in places where it is often im- 
possible to stitch up the wound. In many instances it is 
difficult to tie the cut blood-vessels; in such cases, the 
best treatment is to take clean soft rags, or, better, 
absorbent cotton, and bind on firmly over the cut; if 
plenty of material is used a clot will soon form and 
K 
