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Some Kitchen Kinks: Pressure

Armpit.-Pack the armpit with a hard substance, such as a rolled or knotted towel, and then press the arm upon it; or if the latter is severed, bind the material tight to parts by running a bandage about the body or shoulder. Pressure should be made upon the artery which lies back of the collar bone.

Thigh and Legs.-In bleeding of the lower limb, pressure should be made on the inner side of the thigh near the groin, over the femoral artery. This can easily be found. Pressure can be made by the fingers, elastic bands, or tourniquet. Remember always that such pressure must not be kept on too long.

Bleeding below the knee can also be arrested by placing a stick back of the knee and doubling the leg back upon it tightly, binding it with a bandage.

Elevation of the leg assists in over coming the blood flow in all wounds of the lower leg.

Nosebleed.-Packing the nose with gauze usually is effective in severe cases. If bleeding continues, summon a surgeon.

Internal Bleeding. - Apply iced cloths to abdomen. Have the patient lie quietly. If faint, lower head. If bleeding is from lungs or stomach, give lumps of ice and apply iced cloths to chest or stomach. In accidents, bleeding from tongue or cut lips may sometimes deceive one, and it may be thought to come from the lungs or stomach. The mouth should be examined carefully. It seems needless to remind one that in internal bleeding a surgeon should be sent for at once.

Bleeding of Neck and Face.- Bleeding of the neck is very dangerous, as it is near the large trunk blood vessels. Pressure with the thumb should be made at the base of the neck, outside the windpipe and near the collar bone. Make the pressure against the spine. For bleeding of the face, pressure can be made underneath the lower jawbone. A little notch can be found about midway between the chin and back part of the jaw, on its lower portion, through which this artery passes and which supplies the face. Pressure on it shuts off the supply.

Bleeding of the Temple can be readily suppressed by pressure on the temporal artery, which can readily be seen on the outer side of the forehead.

HEALTH HINTS-WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCY 1125 Scalp.-Bleeding of the scalp can easily be stopped, usually by direct pressure upon the bleeding point.

Chest and Abdomen. - All that can be done is to apply direct pressure by means of a large supply of gauze, holding it there with the hand until surgical help comes, or possibly binding it on the wound by running the bandage about the body.

CUTS AND SCRATCHES For ordinary cuts and scratches precaution should be taken to wash the part with an antiseptic solution.

It is good to have collodion in the house, or handy, and apply to such abrasions, thus excluding dirt and making a bandage needless.

POISONED WOUNDS Insect Bites.-For mosquito bites, stings from gnats, wasps, bees, and spiders, ammonia is the best treatment. Oil may follow, or the parts washed in salt water. Baking soda dissolved in warm water is also good.

The sting should be removed. Benzine is said to be good for bites of harvest bugs. Camphor is a good preventive of bug and gnat bites.

Snake Bite.-Act quickly. When bitten by a snake the first thing to do is to prevent the poison from getting into the general circulation. This can be done by immediately sucking the wound. Precaution must be used in seeing that the mouth is not sore or the poison swallowed.

Shut off the circulation from the part by bandaging the limb-if such it be -tightly, or if in another part, by pressure over the vein. Open the wound with a knife blade and let the blood flow freely, and squeeze the poison out. Some advise use of a cupping glass. Wash the wound with an antiseptic. If a caustic can be had, burn out the wound with it.

This can be done also with a hot iron.

Keep the bandage on several hours, ◆and when releasing it do so gradually.

Whisky is recommended as a stimulant.

Dog Bite. The same treatment as used for snake bite can be used for dog bite. People frequently get very much excited over a bite from a dog.

Hydrophobia is rare. I would advise, if the dog shows no signs of being mad, that it be not killed, but penned up and watched. This will, if the dog is normal, relieve the patient and his friends from anxiety. Later, when the patient's condition is absolutely known, such measures may be taken with the dog as may assure the protection of society. In cities where antihydrophobia serum is provided, this may be used as a preventive measure. All animal and rodent bites should receive the same attention as has been recommended for dog bites.

POISON IVY AND POISON OAK Sumac, Etc.-When poisoned from these plants an irritating rash appears and is frequently accompanied by a painful swelling of the parts affected. A strong solution of baking soda is good. Zinc ointment is also recommended, or in the absence of these plain vaseline is good. Several authorities recommend bathing the parts two or three times a day with sweet spirits of niter.

Foreign Bodies in the Nose.- Blow the nose hard while holding the opposite nostril closed. Excite sneezing by tickling the nose or by giving snuff. Instruct the patient to take a full breath and close the mouth, then give a sharp blow on the back between the shoulders. The best way to remove a foreign body is with a syringe, but this should be done by an experienced physician.

Foreign Bodies in the Throat.- An obstruction can generally be carried down by swallowing pieces of bread or potato slightly masticated, or, better still, a raw egg, fresh from the shell and with its original consistency broken as little as possible. Slapping on the back sometimes helps. Sometimes the obstruction will go down too far to be reached by the fingers. In such cases copious draughts of water should be swallowed rapidly, and if this fails to remove it, give mustard water, or any other emetic. Should vomiting fail to bring up the obstruction, then mechanical means must be tried. Take a long spoon, bend it slightly, make the patient throw his head well back, and push the handle boldly down the throat. If it is kept well to the back of the throat no harm can be done. The same operation may more conveniently be performed by a bit of sponge attached to a piece of whalebone. Occasionally, substances will get into such a position in the throat as to necessitate a surgical operation.