Thursday 27 November 2014

LAY PATIENT ON BACK, SEND FOR DOCTOR. FIRST AID ADVICE BY THE ORDER OF ST. JOHN, 1946.
Douglas Fairbanks, Knight of the Order, 1958

I’ve just come across a POCKET GUIDE TO FIRST AID published by the Grand Priory of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in 1946. No, I did not make that up.
Here is some useful advice from that remarkable book.
  • Apoplexy: Lay patient on back. Send for doctor.
  • Drowning: Lay patient in prone position. Send for doctor as soon as possible.
  • Nose bleed: Place patient in sitting position head thrown back…Keep mouth open, no blowing of nose.
  • Shock: A serious condition which frequently follows severe accidents…Lay on back, loosen clothing, keep warm.
  • Frozen person: There must be no sudden application of heat to a frozen person…Thawing should be carried out in cool room with open window.

Okay, but do I lay the frozen person on the back or in the prone position?
  • Gas Poisoning: Remove from poison air.
  • Hysteria: Avoid sympathy, speak firmly.
  • Hanging: Do not wait for police…cut rope.

Okay, I’ll say it again: No, I didn’t make that up. It’s all in the book, which was published in Canada, by the way, and is therefore bilingual. En Français:
Apoplexie: Couchez le malade sur le dos. Envoyez cherche le médicin…


No comments:

Post a Comment