BURNS ARE NOT FATAL ANY MORE

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 237, 7 October 1936, Page 16

BURNS ARE NOT FATAL ANY MORE

WAS THE EOAK of a gas explosion in the motor-plant and seven men ran shrieking, holding their hands to their faces.

The one who suffered tho most burns was J.M., a negro of 27 years; lie had his arms, his face and his ears burned to such a terrible extent that tho doctors diagnosed it as the third degree. One third of the entire surface of his body was burned which made it seem almost impossible to save him. Dr. Davidson commenced the routine treatment on this man. He injected morphia and put damp compresses of boracic acid on his head and rignt arm. Then ho departed from the usual in order to try an experiment. He applied to the left arm dry compresses, then impregnated them with a live per cent, solution of tannic acid. Both arms were equally badly burned. The following morning came tlie moment which is the most terrible for all who are suffering from burns —the moment for tho changing of the bandages. The doctor commenced to lift the boracic acid compresses. It was as usual a now ritual, more than half an hour ol agony for tho patient. Then tho le.ti arm. How much skin was going to come away? Davidson commenced to lift the tannic acid compresses very slowly. The compresses came away in an instant without any grimaces or cries from the patient. J.M. smiled: having forgotten the terrific pain of his right arm in the pleasure of not experiencing the same with tho left. It must have seemed like a miracle. The left arm did not suppurate. It was dry. It was black. It seemed to be encased in a black protective parchment. Davidson touched it very gently. ‘‘Does it hurt?” he asked. “No, doctor, it does not hurt at all,” was the amazing reply. That was the beginning of the killpain discovery of Davidson. That morning he changed all the boracic acid compresses for tannic acid and applied the same treatment t<» tho other six patients. It was a triumph. In the course of an hour tho colourless solution of tannic acid on the raw red flesh of tho burns became coffee-colour-ed, then hardened and finally turned black. Hone died, although from the

A Medical Discovery

gravity of the burns it was expected that at least three would have succumbed. These men were all negroes. Then came the disaster. An ambulance brought in to Dr. Davidson a white man who had committed the error of falling into a tank of boiling water. He had burns of every degree of severity over nearly half the total surface of liis body, l'onnerly there would have been nothing for this man but death. But now . . tannic acid—and the kill-pain crust formed •ke a black skin over all the burns. It was marvellous to see how this man recovered from the nervous shock eausby the burns. 110 did not need morphia and escaped all tho symptoms of poisoning and of fever. One could touch any part of the parchment-like skin without causing pain; it could be exposed to the air without danger, and us the days went past the only thing that happened was that the skin became more and more black. The man elt well enough to go home. They had saved liis life but now /so a problem which had not arisen ■vitli the negroes, flow were they going .0 get rid of the black skin? That was e question. The man looked* horrible. He could not appear in public. (Something would have to be done. Tho old compresses of boracic acid would perhaps remove the black armoui. They were brought and applied. Within two hours the man was in a fever, lie began to feel terrible pain. Bis wounds emitted vast quantities of pus, and three days later ho was dead. Davidson reproached himself bitterly for having interfered with the process of nature. At the same time no better proof could have been given of the wonderful power of his tannic parchment, than the effects which followed

its premature removal. Ko such mistake was made in the case of the next patients. Black as Ethiopians from the tannic acid they were kept in beds without sheets or coverings, protected by a small raised tent-like coverings, arranged so that nothing should touch their skins. It did uot matter that they did not look pretty, that they were black and peculiar. All that mattered was that they should have patience to waft day after •lay, no matter how long, to -see how uature would set about getting rid «t" the black coating with which tho tannic acid had invested them. Meanwhile their strength was carefully built up. After a considerable time thu blacw skin began to curl up at the edges. Soon it could bo lifted and peeled off like the peel of a fruit. And there, underneath, behold a new skin, punt and healthy! Tannic acid and patience—these comprise the new method by means of which the lives of the victims of burns tan bo saved. ~ 1