Surgical emergencies, together with the emergencies attendant on parturition and the treatment of poisoning : a manual for the use of general practitioners / by Paul Swain.

  • Swain, William Paul, 1834-1916.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Surgical emergencies, together with the emergencies attendant on parturition and the treatment of poisoning : a manual for the use of general practitioners / by Paul Swain. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Eepeat these movements from fifteen to twenty.times in a minute, and persevere in them, if needful, for one or even two hours. The expiratory act is much aided by an assistant pressing on the lower border of the ribs and the diaphragm. 4thly. During these efforts, have the wet clothes removed from the body, and let the limbs be rubbed in an upward direction with hot flannels. Dash hot and cold water alternately on the chest. If a warm bath is procurable, the body may be immersed in it for five minutes, Sylvester's method being still pursued. If there is much congestion about the head and face, the external jugular vein, or the temporal artery, may be opened. The operation of bleeding from the external jugular vein is thus performed :—Select a spot where the vein passes over the sterno mastoid muscle. Compress the vein just above the clavicle with the left thumb, and open it with a lancet, making the incision in the direction of the fibres of the sterno-mastoid. Care must be taken not to admit air into the vein, by keeping the thumb well pressed on it during the operation until the wound is closed by a firm pad. The external wound in the skin should be rather larger than that in the vein, to avoid the formation of thrombus. 5thly. As soon as natural respiration is established, the patient should be removed to a warm bed, the room being kept thoroughly well ventilated, and free from all crowding. An enema of brandy and beef-tea may be administered. If any fluid is given by the mouth, it must be in very small quantities, and with considerable care, lest suffocation should ensue. In cases of suffocation from hanging, the treatment is substantially the same as is adopted in case of drowning. The body should be instantly cut down, the ligature taken from the throat, and Sylvester's method commenced. Bleeding from the external jugular may also be useful, and a galvanic current may be passed from the nape of 4