First-Aid Kits

Making a kit. From your reading of this chapter, you know that many first-aid measures do not require any equipment. However, the cuts, scrapes, and scratches that occur in a large proportion of all accidents do need some treatment. You should remember that poisonings, sprains. wounds, and shock also require some equipment. You may need to have it handy.

A first-aid kit should be large enough to contain all of the supplies necessary to treat an emergency situation. It should be small enough to be portable, and inexpensive enough to be practical.

If you like, you can purchase a pre-packaged first-aid kit. You will probably need two kits, one for the home and one for the car. The following list of contents is intended as a basic guide and may be lengthened at the desire of any first-aider, provided that no items are dangerous.

First Aid for Fainting

Causes of fainting. Cartoons often show women shrieking and fainting at the approach of a mouse, or a snake, or a singing star. It is not very often that you will have to give first aid for this sort of a condition. How­ever, fainting can be caused by great fear or any other condition which causes blood to drain away from the brain.

Perhaps you have heard of someone who has fainted after sitting for a long time in a stuffy room. The stuffy air was probably only one of the causes. Lack of sleep, tension, fatigue, and poor diet might have been other causes.

Helping a victim. You can treat a fainting victim by laying him down and elevating his feet slightly. This will help the flow of blood to the brain. If the person is sitting and feels faint, he should place his head between his knees to help revive circulation to the brain.

Women are not the only ones who faint. Soldiers who are forced to stand at attention in the heat of the sun for long periods often faint. The heat causes the blood vessels to expand. Because of the soldier’s inactivity and the tension he is under, the blood collects in the lower parts of the body.

If a person faints from any of the
previously mentioned causes, the first-aid measures already described should revive him within a few minutes. If the person does not respond quickly, there is probably something else wrong. The alert first-aider should then check for an injury suffered during a fall or some other complication. If simple first aid does not produce a quick recovery, a doctor should be consulted at once.

First Aid for Poisoning - Part 2

Universal antidote. Another method of treating many poisonings is to give the universal antidote. This substance counteracts poisons by inducing vomiting and by slowing absorption of the poison by the system. The antidote can be made by combin­ing two parts burned toast, one part strong tea, and one part milk of magnesia. If prepared beforehand, it may be administered immediately with the water or milk. Most drugstores now carry it, and it is a valuable addition to any first-aid kit.

Strong acids and alkalis. The most common victims of poisoning are children too young to read. Sometimes they swallow cleaning preparations such as toilet bowl cleaner (a strong acid), or lye or ammonia (strong alkalis).

In the case of a strong acid, give plenty of milk or egg whites to dilute the acid and protect the lining of the stomach. Do not induce vomit­ing. Call a doctor or an ambulance immediately.

In the case of strong alkalis, give plenty of water and some vinegar, with egg whites or milk. Do not try to induce vomiting. As in all poisonings, call a doctor or an ambulance as soon as possible.

Try This
Dissolve a teaspoonful of ammonia in a half cup of water. Test the solution with both red and blue litmus paper. Which paper changes color? If the solution is an acid, the blue litmus paper will turn pink. If the solution is an alkali, the red litmus paper will turn blue. Make the same test on some household chemicals such as toilet cleaning powders, chlorine bleach, and aspirin dissolved in water.

Gasoline and petroleum products. These substances are dangerous because they can cause pneumonia or death if their fumes are inhaled. If you suspect a person has been poisoned from swallowing kerosene, gasoline, oil, or some other petroleum product, lay him down and keep him warm. Do not try to induce vomiting since damage to the lungs may result from the victim’s inhaling the fumes of the poison. Call a doctor or an ambu­lance right away. Make it clear that the poison is a petroleum product.

Poisoning by gas. Asphyxiation may occur if a person has been exposed to high concentrations of certain gases such as carbon monoxide. Leaky heaters and stoves and gasoline engines are the major culprits in this kind of poisoning. Once a victim has been safely rescued from the contaminated area, give him artificial respiration and call a doctor and the fire department rescue unit. Give artificial respiration even if the person is breathing a little by himself. Keep the person lying down and quiet until he is under medical care.