3. _Bleeding_, if from an artery, will be of red blood, and will come
in jets; [Footnote: The elasticity of the arteries (p. 114) is a physical
property, as may easily be shown by removing one from a dead body. If they
were rigid and unyielding, a considerable portion of the heart's force
would be uselessly expended against their walls. Their expansion is a
passive state, and depends on the pressure of the blood within them; but
their vital contractility is an active property.--The intermittent
movement of the blood through the arteries is strikingly shown in the
manner in which they bleed when wounded. When an artery is cut across, the
blood spurts out with great force to a distance of several feet, but the
flow is not continuous. It escapes in a series of jets, the long, slender
scarlet stream rising and falling with each beat of the heart, and this
pulsation of the blood stream tells at once that it comes from a wounded
artery. But as the blood traverses these elastic tubes, the abruptness of
the heart's stroke becomes gradually broken and the current equalized, so
that the greater the distance from the heart the less obvious is the
pulsation, until at length in the capillaries the rate of the stream
becomes uniform.] if from the veins, it will be of dark blood, and will
flow in a steady stream. If only a small vessel be severed, it may be
checked by a piece of cloth held or bound firmly upon the wound. If a
large trunk be cut, especially in a limb, make a knot in a handkerchief
and tie it loosely about the limb; then, placing the knot on the limb,
with a short stick twist the handkerchief tightly enough to stop the flow.
If you have a piece of cloth to use as a pad, the knot will be
unnecessary. If it be an artery that is cut, the pressure should be
applied between the wound and the heart; if a vein, beyond the wound. If
you are alone, and are severely wounded, or in an emergency, like a
railroad accident, use the remedy which has saved many a life upon the
battlefield--bind or hold a handful of dry earth upon the wound, elevate
the part, and await surgical assistance.
4. _Scrofula_ is generally inherited. It is a disease affecting the
lymphatic glands, most commonly those of the neck, forming "kernels," as
they are called. It is, however, liable to attack any organ. Persons
inheriting this disease can hope to ward off its insidious approaches only
by the utmost care in diet and exercise; by the use of pure air and warm
clothing, and by avoiding late hours and undue stimulus of all kinds.
Probably the most fatal and common excitants of the latent seeds of
scrofula are insufficient or improper food, and want of ventilation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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