Medical manual of chemical warfare, 1943 / War Office.

  • Great Britain. War Office.
Date:
1943
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical manual of chemical warfare, 1943 / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    50/100 (page 50)
    30 First-aid treatment should consist in immersion of the affected part in water, or, in the absence of enough water, in the application of a thick pad soaked in water. This purely temporary measure should be followed at the earliest opportunity by removal of all phosphorus from the skin, according to the following directions :— (1) Bathe the affected part in sodium carbonate or bicarbonate solution . (two tablespoonsful of washing soda or bicarbonate of soda to the pint of water) fora few minutes, to neutralize phosphoric acid, which is formed when phosphorus burns on the skin, and to allow of the removal from the skin of any visible phosphorus. Fragments other- wise unobserved may be seen in the dark. (2) Immerse the injured part in a solution of copper sulphate (one heaped teaspoonful to a pint of water) for some seconds, after which all dark-coloured deposits which are formed by the action of the sulphate or any remaining phosphorus should be removed, with the aid of forceps, in clean water. If this removal is incomplete and free phosphorus is left, even in minute amounts, on the skin—detected by fuming and the typical smell of white phosphorus—these two stages should be repeated. Sulphanilamide powder, as a paste in water or dry, is a good first-aid application. The treatment, after a final wash in weak Dettol or other anti- septic, can then be as for any other thermal burn. Daily exposure of 1-14 minutes’ duration to ultra-violet HEHE i is of value in the treatment of a phosphorus burn from its inception ; more rapid healing is promoted, and the great pain always associated with skin lesions due to phos- phorus is lessened. If the eyes are affected, treatment should be as described in Section 67, except that, where practicable, initial lavage should be performed with a 1 per cent. “solution of copper sulphate. The particles rendered visible by copper sulphate may be picked out after instillation of cocaine. Symptoms of acute poisoning, such as _ restlessness, thirst, abdominal swelling and nasal discharge, may be shown by animals grazing on land con- taminated by phosphorus bombs or shell. Post-mortem examination reveals fatty degeneration of the liver, and acute congestion, or even necrotic patches, in the kidneys and small intestine. 73. Thermite. Thermite (aluminium and ferric oxide) is also used in incendiary bombs and in attacks on armoured fighting vehicles. In the first-aid treatment of burns of the skin, the field or shell dressing may be thoroughly soaked with water and applied as a pad, keeping it moist. Armoured fighting vehicles are supplied with morphine (Tubunic ampoules), which should be given in all severe cases. As soon as possible any obvious particles of thermite should be removed under water. The burn should then be treated as an ordinary thermal burn. 74. Fuel oil and creosote. Burns known to be caused by fuel oil or creosote mixtures, which are some- times used for incendiary purposes, should also be treated as ordinary thermal burns. Contamination of the skin with unignited fuel oil, however, deserves special notice, since people with highly sensitive skins (e.g. many of those with fair hair) may be rapidly affected. For removing the oil, soft soap is preferable to powerful solvents such as benzol and carbon. tetrachloride, neither of which