THE FAMILY DOCTOR.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 348, 8 August 1885, Page 4

THE FAMILY DOCTOR.

BURNS AND SCALDS. Burns and scalds form injuries which present excellent opportunities for first aid being given, because much may be done both to relieve pain and to assist the procees of healing when the accident is properly treated. Very varying degrees of injury are seen in the case of burns 7 while a serious accident of this kind becomes a matter for anxiety, not ruerety on account of the actual injury itself, but also on account of the shock which inevitably follows. When a burn or scald has been inflicted our first care is that of removing expeditiously and promptly, but with great care, the coverings of the injured part. No time should be lost in discharging this duty. The clothes should be cut off as near to the burn as possible, but on no account should any covering which has become fixed be torn or stripped off the burn itself. Then the burnt part should be immersed in warm water of the temperature of the body itself (about lOOdeg. F.) If blisters have formed, the fluid should, as a

rule, be let out. The dressing, which should meanwhile be prepared, consists of oil of any kind — olive, linseed, salad, cod liver oil — no mineral oil, such as paraffin, should ever be used as an application to a burn. The best dressing for a burn is carron oil, which is a mixture of equal parts of linseed oil and lime water. Into this (or the plain oil, where carron oil is not at hand), strips of lint or rags are to be dipped and saturated with the composition and applied to the burnt part. The dressing will consist. of cotton wool or flannel, and a bandage. The patient is to be made comfortable in bed or on a couch, pending the arrival of the surgone. -— > Where the burn or scald has been a severe and extensive one, the shock to the system which follows must be treated by wrapping the patient in a blanket, and by giving him stimulants. It should be borne in mind that in such a case the patient is really suffering from cold and collapse, and has to be protected against the consequences of the lowering of his temperature which has ensued. If medical assistance is not forthcoming in due time, and the pain is very severe, an opiate of some kind nrast be given. Where oil is not at hand, what, it may be asked, should be done in the case of a burn or a scald ? Such substances as flour, vvhiting, or chalk, made into a thick paste with water, should at once be applied to the injured part. For the severe pain, it may also be remembered, a strong solution of carbonate of soda in water is a capital application. If near a druggist's shop, the collodion flexile of the Pharmacopoeia, painted on the surface with a large brush, should be obtained. The principles to be observed in treating a burn are thus three in number: — 1. To avoid tearing the clothes off the burn. 2. To exclude the air from the burnt surface. 3. To guard the patient against shock and collapse.