HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 June 1942, Page 4

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

FIRST AID TREATMENT. SOME SIMPLE DIRECTIONS. (By the Health Department). In these tense days a little knowledge about first-aid should be part of everyone’s equipment. Anything is liable, to happen, and for the first time in your life you may be called upon to perform unexpected emergency treatment—the sort of thing you have safely left to-others in the past. Knowing what to do and how to do it until the expert help is available may save much suffering and many lives. First aid treatment of wounds consists of stopping bleeding and preventing germs from getting into the wound. Sterilised cloth only should touch the wound. It is a doctor’s job to clean it. Pressure from a folded pad and tight bandage will usually stop severe bleeding, but a tourniquet may be necessary. This can be improvised out of a belt, tie or bandage tied loosely above the wound and twisted with a stick. It should, however, be relaxed a little every ten or fifteen minutes. Small cuts and scratches should be disinfected. Leave fractures alone until the experts arrive. If you have to move the victim, however, splint the bones until the broken parts are immovable. Treat burns immediately. For those requiring hospital attention apply saline treatment—lint strips soaked in a solution of salt (one teaspoon to one pint of water). For others not so serious, vaseline and eucalyptus make a reasonable dressing, so does codliver oil, or codliver oil and vaseline. Tannic acid is good except for serious burns on the face or hands. For a faint, put the person flat on his back, and leave him there for a little while before allowing him to get up. In the case of shock, the skin becomes pale and is covered with a clammy sweat, the pulse is rapid and hard to find, and breathing is feeble. Lay the victim down and keep him warm, and send for medical aid.