A manual of minor surgery and bandaging for the use of house surgeons, dressers and junior practitioners.

  • Christopher Heath
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of minor surgery and bandaging for the use of house surgeons, dressers and junior practitioners. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    frictions to tlic trunk and extremities. Tlic Marshall Hall metliod of artificial respiration, as it is called, is that coiiuuouly put in practice, and consists in laying- the patient on his face with tlie right arm doubled under the forehead, so as to prevent obstruction of the mouth, which should be seen to be open. The assistants, grasping the left slionlder and hip, should then turn the patient on his side, and half-way on to ]iis back, when the motion is to be reversed, and the patient placed again in the prone position. This series of manoeuvres should be repeated from sixteen to twenty times a minute, and the difficulty in prac- tice is, to prevent the too rapid movements of over- zealous assistants. Another mode (Dr. Sylvester's) is to lay the patient on his back, and having pulled the tongue forward, to draw the arms slowly up. over the head, by which means the I'ibs are elevated hy the pectoral muscles, and inspiration is produced • the arms are then to be brought down to the side of the chest, which they are to compress in a slight degree. These movements are to be repeated as slowly as in the other method, and it is said that they give a more com2:)lete charge of air to the lungs. AYhichever method is preferred should be put in force without a moment's delay, and be persevered in without intermission for not less than half an hour. Frictions with warm towels may be had recourse to in addition, the direction of the rubbing being as far as possible towards the heart. The galvanic battery, or the more convenient electro- magnetic machine, may be had recourse to in despe- rate cases, but is rai'ely of much service. The poles may be applied over the base and apex of the heart, or over the diaphragm ; but the artificial res])iration must never be relaxed, as upon it the chief reliance is to be placed. In cases of hanging, and occasionally of drowiiing, the face is turgid, and the head evidently enormously congested; and under these circumstances it will be 4