First aid manual.

  • Great Britain. Civil Defence Department
Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First aid manual. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    204/212 page 176
    Of the many methods which have been devised it will suffice to describe three here, of which the first is the method of choice. Both the Holger Nielsen and the Schefer method have the advantages that they can be carried out by one person, need no equipment other than the operator’s hands and can be begun without delay. The patient Lies face downwards, a position which facilitates the drainage of water and other fluids from his mouth ; this is particularly valuable in treatment of the apparently drowned. (a) Holger Nielsen Method. Experiments have shown that this method provides a more efficient ventilation of the lungs than others. It can be carried out for long periods without fatigue. Instructions to Operator. (Reproduced by kind permission of the Royal Life Saving Society.) (1) Begin immediately, every second counts. (2) Place the patient face-downwards, with forehead resting on hands placed one over the other. The mouth and nose must be kept free of the ground. (3) Bring the patient’s tongue forward by firm blows between the shoulders with the flat of the hand. (4) Kneel on one knee a little in front of and to the side of the patient’s head, with the other heel at the side of the patient’s elbow. The operator’s mid-line should then be in the same line as the patient’s and his extended arms should slope obliquely forward so that his hands lie on the patient’s shoulder blades and his wrists over the spines of the shoulder blades. Figs. 53A and 53B
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