First aid in illness and injury; Medicine, Popular
This trough was lined with blankets until it was quite soft. Two poles
twelve feet in length were lashed to either side and the man securely
lashed in the contrivance. When we were ready to start two steady pack
animals were brought out and the litter with its burden swung in such
manner that the animals could wind down the steep rocky trail with the
burden between them. In this manner we jogged down the mountainside all
day, our patient laughing and enjoying his pipe as though he were the
guest of honor in some triumphal procession.
While cedar was mentioned as having been used in the above case, the
reader will appreciate that any sort of timber with a tough bark will
answer equally well.
There is one important fact that should always be borne in mind in the
treatment of all fractures, and that is that at least the two adjoining
joints should be fixed. If it is the thigh that is fractured, the hip,
knee, and ankle should be included in the splint. If the leg, then the
knee and ankle. The same rule holds good with fractures of the forearm
or arm.
If timber with tough bark is not available, or in open countries where
no timber grows, a broken bone may be nicely splinted by using small
round sticks. Never use a clapboard unless it is extremely well padded;
even then it is undesirable from the fact that it is liable to press
upon some bony point and cause trouble. Also it is very liable to slip
and permit your fractured bone to become displaced.
To fix a limb by using round sticks, wrap the limb well in soft cloth;
then, having cut your sticks the right length, place them at regular
intervals about the limb and bind as before. In the absence of anything
better, two leather gun scabbards make quite effective splints.
What has been said with regard to fractures of the lower limb will
apply with equal force to breaks of the upper except, of course, that
the case is one of far less gravity. In cases of fracture of the arm,
either above or below the elbow, the injured person can make himself
quite comfortable by pinning the bottom of his coat to his shoulder
and placing the injured arm in the V-shaped sling thus formed.
The treatment of compound fractures is one that requires some "nerve"
on the part of the acting surgeon and a great deal of fortitude in the
injured person. A compound fracture of the leg or thigh is the most
terrible accident, short of death, that can befall a man in the woods.
Unless great care is exercised the man will die, either shortly from
septic poisoning, or almost immediately from shock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account