A manual of instruction in the principles of prompt aid to the injured : including a chapter on hygiene and disinfection, designed for civil and military use / by Alvah H. Doty.

  • Doty, Alvah H. (Alvah Hunt), 1854-1934.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of instruction in the principles of prompt aid to the injured : including a chapter on hygiene and disinfection, designed for civil and military use / by Alvah H. Doty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

    166/256 (page 144)
    the air is still, or snow is falling, it is favorable to the one •exposed. Snow is a bad conductor of heat, and offers con- siderable protection; but when the wind is blowing, the warm air close to the surface of the body is rapidly re- moved, and the destructive effect of the cold is consider- ably increased. An exposure of one or two hours, inade- quately clad, to intense cold may be followed by a fatal result. Those who are thus unfortunately situated are soon overcome by an irresistible sense of drowsiness and desire to sleep; to yield to the inclination is usually fatal. This disposition to stupor is due to the great diminution in the blood-supply to the surface, and consequent conges- tion of internal organs. In this condition the brain is unable to properly perform its function and drowsiness follows. In those who are frozen, the limbs become stiff and the skin white; the latter is preceded by a blue or purplish tint, which may still be apparent at the tips of the nose, toes, and fingers. This change in color denotes that the circulation and nourishment of the surface of the body are profoundly interfered with, and is commonly followed by excessive reaction and inflammation or gangrene. Treatment.—A person who is frozen should never be taken to a warm room, or have warmth applied to the body. An abrupt change in temperature would be almost necessarily fatal. The temperature must be gradually raised. Consequently, the patient should be carried to a cool apartment, the clothing removed, and the body rubbed with snow or cold water. After a short time, par- ticularly if consciousness returns and the limbs lose their rigidity, the use of a piece of flannel, or, still better, the hand, can be substituted for the cold application. The continuous rubbing may now be discontinued, and oc- casional friction resorted to. These measures must be pursued very gently, as rough manipulation might destroy the skin. It may be necessary to resort to artificial res- piration in extreme cases.