62 CIRCULAR 3 6 9, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



than the capacity of the canister; (3) the gas may have been absorbed 

 through the skin. 



Eecords must be kept to show how long the canisters have been in 

 use. The length of time the men slightly affected during fumigation 

 operations were in the gas should also be definitely known. If this 

 was only a few minutes and the canister is a good one, the concentra- 

 tion of gas was too high for the canister. 



It must always be remembered that concentrations of hydro- 

 cyanic acid gas too slight to be detected by any commercial in- 

 strument may still be deadly to human beings. Every effort must 

 be used to keep men from breathing even very slight concentrations 

 of the gas, as industrial medical men agree that the irritation of the 

 respiratory passages makes a person much more susceptible to respira- 

 tory diseases. 



Many commercial fumigators think that a man partially overcome 

 by hydrocyanic acid gas should be exercised vigorously. According 

 to Henderson and Haggard, however, a gassed man should under 

 no circumstances be allowed to exercise. "He should neither walk 

 nor even sit up, but must be kept recumbent and as quiet as possible 

 until all symptoms have passed off." 



He should not be given hypodermic injections or alcoholic 

 stimulants. No liquids should be given by mouth unless the 

 patient is fully conscious. He should not be allowed to return 

 to work until he has fully recovered from the effects of the gas. 



If the patient has ceased breathing, artificial respiration should 

 be begun immediately, with use of the Shaefer prone-pressure 

 method described below. 



Shaefer Prone-Pressure Method of Artificial Respiration 14 



1. Lay the patient on his belly with his face to one side so that 

 his nose and mouth are free for breathing. Place one of his arms 

 straight out beyond his head and the other under his head, with both 

 hands flat and palms down. 



2. Kneel, straddle one of the patient's thighs, and face his head; 

 rest the palms of your hands on his loins with your thumbs along 

 the index fingers and with fingers spread over lowest or floating ribs. 



3. With your arms held straight, swing forward slowly for about 3 

 seconds so that the weight of your body is gradually, not violently, 

 brought to bear upon the patient. 



4. Then, leaving your hands in place, swing backward slowly so as 

 to remove the pressure, thus returning to the position noted in para- 

 graph 2. Then remove the hands to allow the ribs to expand quickly, 

 filling the lungs with air. Swing slowly backward to upright posi- 

 tion, thus relieving the muscles of the back. 



5. Kepeat deliberately 12 times per minute, swinging forward and 

 backward without interruption until natural breathing is restored 

 or until the doctor arrives. 



Artificial respiration should be continued 3 to 4 hours if necessary. 



13 Henderson, Y., and Haggard, H. W. noxious gases, p. 159. New York, 1927. 



14 These directions are summarized from those given by other authors. Complete au- 

 thentic information concerning this method can be obtained from the U. S. Public Health 

 Service, Washington, D. C. 



