Home › Some Kitchen Kinks › Some Kitchen Kinks: Burns

Some Kitchen Kinks: Burns

BURNS Burns are caused by contact with fire, the rays of the sun, very hot bodies, or chemicals. Pilcher divides them into three classes, according to their degree of severity: (1) Mere painful redness; (2) formation of blisters; (3) charring. In severe burns there may be considerable destruction of tissue and great shock. To treat a burn: first remove the clothing by cutting it away with a pair of scissors. If it sticks, do not pull it off, but flood it with oil.

If blisters are present, let the water out by pricking them with a needle after passing it through a flame to sterilize it. Take care not to break the blisters, so as to avoid exposing the tender surface to the air.

Promptly exclude the air by applying a compress wet with water, in which is dissolved a liberal amount of baking soda. Apply any oil, such as olive oil, sweet oil, fresh lard, unsalted butter, vaseline, etc. One of the best oils to use is a solution of equal parts of linseed oil and limewater.

In the absence of oil, dust boric acid over it or apply clay. Cover the wound with cotton or some soft material. If the wound is wet, always see to it that oil has been used freely before using cotton, as when dry the latter will stick and reopen the burned surface when an attempt is made to remove it.

Burns caused by acids should be thoroughly washed with water, then with a solution of baking soda and water, and then treated like an ordinary burn.

Burns caused by alkalies, such as caustic potash, caustic soda, or ammonia, should be washed with vinegar or some other dilute acid.

Treat shock as explained under "Fainting."

Cover severe burns as quickly as possible, so as to exclude the air.

An application should be ready to apply immediately. Do not expose the wound, as it may prove fatal. If burn is extensive, dress but a small portion at a time.

The bicarbonate of soda and oils are best applied by dipping cloths into them, ointments by spreading on cloths and then applying.

In burns of the mouth or throat, apply the oil or white of an egg by drinking them. If caused by chemicals, the mouth and throat should be rinsed by the proper antidote-vinegar or dilute acid in case of caustic soda, potash, ammonia, or lye, and a solution of baking soda for acid burns.

In severe burns summon physician at once, as there may be considerable destruction of tissue and danger of great shock. Burns often heal slowly, and are frequently attended by fearful scars and deformity. Sunburn is a burn of the first degree and should be treated as such. A person whose clothing is burning should be made to lie down if necessary, thrown down-as the tendency of the flames is to rise upward. When the patient is lying down the flames have less to feed on, and there is not so much danger of their reaching the face or inhaling the fumes. The person should be quickly wrapped in a shawl or blanket of HEALTH HINTS-WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCY 1127 wool, not cotton, and the fire smothered by pressing on the burning part. BLEEDING To be efficient in stopping a hemorrhage it is necessary to know that blood comes from two sources, namely, arteries and veins. It must also be remembered that blood in an artery comes from the heart, and that blood in a vein is on its way to the heart. Thus, in stopping the bleeding from an artery, pressure must be made between the heart and the wound, while in bleeding from a vein pressure must be made on the distant side of the wound.

It is not difficult to determine whether the bleeding is from an artery or a vein, as in an artery the blood spurts and pulsates, while blood from a vein oozes and flows without pulsation in a steady stream.

Bleeding from an artery, especially one of considerable size, is very serious, and prompt efforts must be made to stop it.

General Rules for Treatment.- Send for a physician immediately.

Have the injured person lie down and elevate the wounded part. This can be done readily if an arm or leg is affected. Remove clothing from the affected part-it may be necessary to cut it off. Keep the patient as quiet as possible. Apply pressure direct upon the bleeding point by pressing the finger, covered with gauze, upon it. If the bleeding is from an artery, make pressure above the wound, that is, between it and the heart. This can be done with an elastic band, a pair of elastic suspenders, or tightly wound bandages. In severe cases a tourniquet must be used. This can be made by first strapping the limb with a bandage, making a knot in it, which should be placed at a point above the wound directly over the artery supplying the bleeding point. The artery can be located with the index finger, as its pulsations can be detected. When the knot is made, a loop should be made also directly over it, through which a small stick can be placed. This can be twisted, and thus pressure is brought to bear upon the artery until the bleeding ceases. The bleeding point must be watched in the event that the flow may recur. Such a tourniquet must not be left on the arm or leg for too long a time. In minor wounds the bleeding will be arrested in 15 to 20 minutes, when the pressure can be reduced. In severe cases of bleeding, apply cold by means of ice bandages; in ordinary bleeding, pressure by means of gauze upon the wound is sufficient to stop it.

In excessive bleeding, general treatment of the patient is needful. The patient may faint or become very weak. In the latter case heat should be applied to the extremities and blankets secured. To overcome the fainting, see directions for this purpose.

After the bleeding has stopped, treat as a wound. Apply gauze which has been saturated in a mild antiseptic solution, then apply absorbent cotton and dress with bandages. Absolute cleanliness must be observed. There are some popular ideas that cobwebs, tobacco, and salves are good to stop bleeding. They should never be used, as they may cause blood poisoning.

DISLOCATIONS In dislocations the patient cannot move the limb; there is deformity, shortening, and pain. It is usually an easy matter to diagnose a dislocation, whereas it is often very difficult to always detect a fracture.

Treatment. Send for a physician immediately, and while awaiting his arrival place the patient in as comfortable a position as possible. Support the injured part with pillows or bandages, and apply hot towels to the part to reduce the pain and inflammation. Dislocations are not so serious if reduced immediately before inflammation has begun seriously.

Long delay makes the work of adjustment very hard, and in severe cases the swelling must be reduced before the dislocation can be treated.

Yet, while this is true, unskilled handling may prove very serious, and where it is possible to secure a surgeon the dislocation had better remain untouched until his arrival. Where, however, a surgeon cannot be secured for several hours, an attempt may be made to correct the dislocation, and a few hints are given how to act.

The most common dislocation, no doubt, is that of the fingers. This occurs very frequently in games of baseball. Often the first joint of the finger is thrown out of place and is turned upward and backward. The first act in the treatment is to grasp the tip of the finger firmly. Then increase slightly the deformity in order to loosen the impaction; at the same time press the dislocated end into place and pull forward firmly but not roughly. When reduced, it would be wise to use a small stick as a splint and bandage the finger, making it absolutely immovable. Frequent baths in water as hot as can be borne will help help to soothe and heal.