COLD WATER FOR BURNS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20598, 24 June 1930, Page 12

COLD WATER FOR BURNS.

Sir, —I do not know whom the prominent Auckland doctor is who scouts the cold water cure for burn'. Hut I will say he knows little or nothing of the effect of cold water treatment of burns. For instance, he says "cold water could not prevent the appearance of scars." That is simply a statement of a man who docs not know. He also says, of the Maori girl Mr. Gittos mentioneO, its probable explanation is '"that her burns were not as serious as they were made out to tie." The Rev. Gittos said she was burned from her neok to her fec-t. If as the doctor says these two, father and son of lluntly, had been put in tha Waikato River "they would have contracted pneumonia and died." will tho doctor e.\[ilam how it was that the Maori girl did not contract pneumonia and die? Will he explain why 1 did not catch pneumoniji and die when 1 was burned, my face, neck and under my chin, and had towels wrapped round my head which were wrung out of cold water every three minutes for three hours, then had cold bandages on my head all night ? A friend of mine to whom 1 mentioned the cold water treatment for burns had occasion to bless me. His child of ten months or so was standing near tho stove; the mother was pouiing boiling water into the teapot, when she knocked her arm and the water poured all over tl o child's arm. The skin was in shreds. They put her in a hath of cold water for an hour, then took her out and wrapped the arm in water bandages till the skirt was healed- In a very short lime after healing there were no marks on the arm. Tho mail lives in Avondaie, and his namo is Clias. 'J'rigg. 1 could give many inoro cases. I perhaps have had mure experience) witli the cold water treatment than any man in New Zealand. Many years before tho Auckland Hospital used cold water for typhoid patients I had used it for different kinds of fever, but certainly not in "the unscientific way 1 have heard of it being used in the hospital. lam willing to give a demonstration ot its effects before any doctor. S. L. P. Ci-VMiu.