Medicine chests, with particular directions / prepared by Samuel Hemenway, Salem.

  • Hemenway, Samuel, 1777-1823.
Date:
[1800]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medicine chests, with particular directions / prepared by Samuel Hemenway, Salem. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    to open a vein directly over it. After bleeding, put a Hltle Lint on the' opening and bind it up with any soft bandage. BROKEN LIMBS Should be replaced as soon as possible. If it be an arm or leg, let one person take hold of the limb below the fracture, and gently pull, another places his hand upon the fracture and places the bones in their right place. If the limb is strait, of equal length, and every other way corresponds with the other, you may generally conclude that the bone is reduced into its right place. Carefully bathe the limb with brandy and vinegar, or brandy ; then pass a flannel bandage a number of times round the limb 5inches above and 5 below the fracture ; upon the bandage place four spl ints, 10 or 12 inches long, covered with tow, at equal distance from each other, securing them with any convenient string ; bathe it ire- quently through the bandage with brandy, or Sugar of Lead water, and should it swell so as to make the bandage loo tight, loosen it occasionally as may be necessary. The limb lies easiest when bent to about hall a right angle, the patient Jying partly on the same side, if it be a leg. If an arm it should be slung up. In 4, 6 or 8 weeks, according to the bigness of the bone, and the badness of the fracture, the splints and bandage mayjbe left off, and a Strengthening Plaister applied. WOUNDS. In bad wounds there is often a profuse bleeding, which requires the first and mast particular attention. The application of dry Lint, and a bandage, will often succeed ; but if an artery of any considerable bigness is injured, and the blood spirts out largely, you must form some tight compression between the wound aud the trunk of the body, or heart, which will stop the discharge till you can find the bleeding, and secure it with your needle. If it be an arm or a leg that is wounded or taken oiij take a strong handkerchief or large cord, and tie it moderately tight sorr.e way above the wound ; if the injury is below the knee or eiboy., it will be best to fix the cord 2 or three inches above the. knee or elbov put a round short piece of wood or cane beneath the cord ; by turning the cane you tighten the cord till it stops the blood; let some person hold the cane in this position till you wipe the blood from the wound, then let him slack the cord till the blood spirts out, at which time fix your eye upon the vessel, order the cord again tightened, and keep sight of the vessel till you pass your needle, which is crooked, along side of the vessel, about a quarter of an inch deep, and draw the thread half through ; then enter the needle near where it came out, and pass it up the other side of the blood vessel, so that the point may come out near where you entered it; then draw the thread through and tie it tight, and you will find it will stop the bleeding of that vessel. If there be others that bleed, se- cure them in the same manner ; after which you must take off the cord, and dress the wound with Lint, bandage, Sic. After the first die; is best to let the wound go 3 or 4 days before opening it, after which it maybe dressed every, or every other day. If the discharge of matter be considerable, apply a little Lint over the wound, and over that a plais- ter of Basillicon ; but when there is little or no discharge of matter, ap- ply simply a plaister of Healing Salve. THE DISORDERS Which are most incident to people in India, are the bilious or remitting fever, and the liver disease. The first is known by the following symp- toms. It generally comes on suddenly, and begins with a sense of weak.