Royal Army Medical Corps training, 1908 / War Office.

Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Royal Army Medical Corps training, 1908 / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Printed label of directions for inside cover :— War Orrice, Mepicau Division. First Field Dressing. Directions :—Tear open this envelope, and apply in the following order :— If one wound :— Ist.—Gauze. 2nd.—Wool pad. Fasten lightly with bandage and pins. Lf two wounds :-— 1st.—One piece of gauze to each. 2nd.—Split wool pad. (Maker’s name, date, month and year.) (sic) Surra & Co., May, 1906. 143. How to apply first field dressing.—In applying the first field dressing, care should be taken to place it directly on the wound without in any way touching with the fingers either the wound or the surface of the dressing which will be in contact with the wound. This may best be done by taking hold of the dressing by pinching it up at the back, everting it, and applying the fresh surface direct to the wound. No attempt should be made on the field to clean up the wound. 144, Healing of wownds.—The way in which a wound heals is as follows :— (1) The blood escapes. (2) The ends of the divided blood-vessels draw back, contract, and clots of blood form in them, thus stopping the bleeding. (3) The fluid part of the blood continues to ooze out, finally gets jelly-like, and sets, forming a scab or crust. (4) New blood-vessels gradually make their way from side to side of the wound, the circulation is thus restored, new tissue is produced and unites firmly the cut surfaces, and aj] that remains is a scar. This is what happens in a cut when the surfaces of the wound touch one another, and is called “healing by first intention.” When the wound is large and the raw surfaces cannot touch one another, it is said to suppurate, and small rounded pro- jections, called granulations, grow, come up to the level of the skin and a new skin is gradually formed over them. In the end a scar forms, which, when the wound is quite healed, is slightly drawn in; this is called healing by granulation. The main object in the dressing of a wound is to protect it from the entry of small bodies, called germs. These not only prevent healing, but lead to the formation of matter, and, possibly,