Pye's elementary bandaging and surgical dressing : with directions concerning the immediate treatment of cases of emergency for the use of dressers and nurses.

  • Pye, Walter, 1853-1892
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Pye's elementary bandaging and surgical dressing : with directions concerning the immediate treatment of cases of emergency for the use of dressers and nurses. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    extend deeply into the tissues. The mouth and jaws are usually covered with a white, leathery pellicle. The symptoms are those of poisoning by any corrosive fluids, but pain is less intense than in the case of other acids, owing to the anaesthetic action of the acid on the nerve terminations. The symptoms are less acute than in the case of the corro- sive acids, but collapse is likely to occur early and coma to supervene. Suppression of urine may occur. Treatment.—Saccharated lime-water should be given freely (one or two pints), since this converts the phenol into an inert compound (ordinary lime- water has the same effect, but more is necessary). The stomach should be washed out with warm water, or with the same alkaline solution, three or four times, half a pint or so of the solution being afterwards left in the stomach. In the absence of the stomach-pump, vomiting must be produced by mustard and water. Later on, demulcents, such as barley-water, olive oil, etc., may be given, or an ounce of castor oil. Shock is very often marked, and must be treated by frictional warmth, ammonia, etc., as before stated. Hypodermic injections of strychnine should be administered, and oxygen inhalations. The urine is often dark and scanty, and may be suppressed in acute carbolic acid poisoning. The carboluria is then a grave symptom, but it often happens in surgical cases that carbolic acid, not necessarily used in very large quantities, is absorbed and produces a similar inky urine. Some patients seem to be especially susceptible to this mild form of carbolic acid poisoning, which apparently does them no harm provided the source of the poison is removed as soon as possible. 2. For Corrosive Sublimate (perchloride of mercury), the acid nitrate of mercury, etc., albumen in any shape (even gluten of flour is better than none, but raw white of egg is best) should be freely given, as an insoluble albuminate is thus formed.