SWIMMING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 19093, 28 January 1932, Page 4

SWIMMING

RESCUING DROWNING PERSONS. | (Contributed by Department of Health). Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise. It stimulates the whole body, induces deep breathing and in general is beneficial to health. It is * thoroughly enjoyable in itself. During midsummer no better way of spending the hot hours of the day can be advised than by devoting them to bathing and learning the art of swimming. Not only as a form of physical exercise and a means to maintain healthy growth and vitality of the human body is swimming invaluable, but as a means of saving life. It should be the aim of every person, therefore, to learn to swim, and if opportunity occurs, to belong to a lifesaving club. i In swimming to drowning persons action along the following lines should be observed:— (1) When you approach a person drowning in the water, assure him with a loud and firm voice that he is safe. (2) Before jumping in to save him divest yourself as far and as quickly as possible of all clothes. (3) In swimming to a person in the sea if he is struggling do not seize him then, but keep off for a few seconds till he gets quiet, for it is sheer madness to take hold of a man when he is struggling in the water, and if you do. you run great risk. (4) Then get close to him from behind, and take fast hold of the hair of his head, or place the hands on either side of the face, turn him as quickly as possible on his back, give him a sudden pull and this will cause him to float, then throw yourself on your back also and swim for the shore, having hold of his hair or head. In this wav you will get sooner and safely ashore than by any other means. One yreat advantage of this method is that it enables you to keep your head up and also to hold the person’s head up you are trying to save. (5) After a person has sunk to the bottom, if the water be smooth, the exact position where the body lies may be known by the air bubbles which will occasionally rice to the surface, allowance being of course made for the motion of the water by tide or current. Oftentimes a body may be regained from the bottom before too late for recovery by diving for it in the direction indicated by the bubbles.

(6) On rescuing a person by divim to the bottom, the hair of the head should be seized by one hand onlv. and the other used in conjunction with the feet in raising yourself and the drowning person to the surface (7) If in the sea, it may be sometimes a great error to try to get to land. If there be a strong outsetting tide and you are swimming either by yourself or having hold of a person who cannot swim, then get on your back and float till help comes. Many a man exhausts himself by stemming the billows for the shore on a baclcging tide, when if he had floated a boat or other aid might have been obtained.

Apparently Drowned—Resuscitation. In the act of breathing the oxygen from the air is absorbed from the lungs into the blood vessels and purifies the blood. At the same time the impure matters picked up by the blood in circulating through the body are filtered out by the lungs, thus the whole object is to supply oxygen to the various tissues and to remove the products cf oxidation that are taking place.

When a person is under water he can hold his breath for a short time keeping out the water. Then lie swallows some water into the stomach and as his strength fails, water enters the lungs. The water in the stomach may do no particular harm but that in the lungs is of vital importance because it stops breathing, causes poisoning of the system and lack of purification of the blood and if allowed to

remain for any length of time produces stoppage of the heart and death The indications therefore in one apparently drowned are to remove the water from the lungs to make the patient breathe and to stimulate the weak heart. The following instructions should be followed to achieve this purpose:— Don’t Waste Time.—lmmediately after removal from the water, try r,o clear fluid from the patient’s lungs by turning him face and head downwards, so that it may run out of his mouth or nose. Open mouth and clear it of any weeds or foreign matter. Draw the tongue forward. Loosen or remove all clothing round his chest, waist, and throat, but no time should be lost in doing sc. If he begins to breathe, take off the wet clothing and w T rap him in any dry clothing or blankets. Rub briskly and move the limbs to promote circulation of the blood. Keep patient warm and quiet for some hours to avoid collapse. To Artificially Restore Breathing.— If breathing does not quickly commence, do as follows, and send for a doctor:— Turn patient on his front with the arms extended. Turn his face to one side. Kneel astride or to one side, facing his head. Place your hands on the small of his back, olie on each side, with the thumbs parallel and nearly touching. Bend forward, to bring your weight to bear on your wrists; make steady, firm downward pressure thus, while you count, slowly, one. two. Bend backward to ease the pressure, while you count slowly, one. two. Continue this pressing and easing, counting one, two. for each movement, until patient begins to breathe. Meanwhile send assistance to nearest house for blanket or hot bottles ! to apply to limbs and over region of heart, or get assistance to remove patient’s clothing, rub limbs, and do whatever else is advised herein. Do not give up trying this method of performing artificial breathing until a doctor arrives, or for an hour or even more.