How Girls Can Help Their Country Part 29

If you have no surgical dressing, boil a folded towel fifteen minutes; don't touch the inner surface. Apply inner surface of the towel or a clean unused handkerchief to the wound.

How to Stop Bleeding

Keep a person quiet after severe bleeding from a wound as the bleeding may recommence, and give no stimulants unless patient is very weak.

There are two kinds of blood--that which flows from arteries and the blood which flows from veins; the latter is of a dark color and flows in a steady stream and goes back to the heart. A pad firmly tied on such a wound usually stops the bleeding.

Don't be afraid of leaving a wound exposed to air.

When wounds bleed use Red Cross outfit as directed on slip contained in outfit.

If an artery is cut a person may bleed to death in a few minutes. Girls should know that the blood from a cut artery is bright red and flows in spirts and jets.

There are arteries in the throat. The artery in the upper arm is about in a line with the inner seam of the sleeve of your coat.

The artery in the leg runs down from the center line from the point of the hip in the middle of the crotch in a line with the inseam of trousers.

Pressure should be applied by putting your fingers three inches above the crotch and holding it pressed against the bone. You can feel the artery beating under your fingers, but don't put your finger in the wound as it may infect the latter. While you hold the artery some one else should make a tourniquet easily improvised.

How to Make a Tourniquet

Tie a handkerchief loosely around the limb and place a cork or a smooth stone, just above your fingers on the artery. When this is placed, put a stick about a foot long under the handkerchief at the outer side of the limb and twist the stick so that the handkerchief gets tight enough to keep the stone or cork pressing on the artery just as your fingers did at first. Tie the stick in position so it will not slip.

Remember that cutting off the circulation for too long is dangerous; don't leave the tourniquet more than an hour. Loosen it and be ready to tighten it quickly if the bleeding recommences.

Another method to stay bleeding from an artery when the injury is below the knee or elbow is to place a pad in the bend and tie the arm or leg bent with the pad tight in the angle of the joint.

If an artery is cut at the throat, hold tightly together the wound to stop the bleeding or the person may die instantly from loss of blood.

The best stimulant in cases where the patient is very weak is aromatic spirits of ammonia. One teaspoonful in a half-gla.s.s of water.

Ivy Poisoning

Avoid poison oak or ivy. If poisoned use carbolized vaseline or baking-soda and water made into a thick paste. Apply alcohol first.

To Ease Itching of Midge-Bites

For midge and sand-fly bites use listerine and Eucalyptus--equal quant.i.ties--liquid carbonic soap--apply one drop on bite--or preparation sold by druggist.

Frost-Bite

To prevent frost-bite, rub the body when exposed to cold with too little clothing on, because rubbing brings blood to the surface. When the part that was cold suddenly has no feeling, then to restore warmth rub it first with snow or cold water, then gradually with warm water; if hot water is applied at first it may cause mortification in the frozen part.

Runaway Horses

Don't try to check a run-away horse by standing in front and waving your arms. The horse only dodges you and runs faster.

Electric Shock

Artificial Respiration should always be promptly given in cases of electric shock.

The rescuer must not touch the body of a person touching a live wire or a third rail unless his own body is thoroughly insulated.

He must act quickly. He should, if possible, insulate himself by covering his hands with a rubber coat, rubber sheeting or even several thicknesses of dry cloth. Silk is a good non-conductor. In addition he should complete his insulation by standing on a dry board, or a thick piece of dry paper or on a dry coat.

Rubber gloves or boots are safer, but they cannot usually be immediately available.

If a live wire is under a patient and the ground is dry it will be perfectly safe to stand upon it and pull him off with the bare hands.

But they should touch only his clothing and this must not be wet.

A live wire on a patient may with safety be flipped off with a dry board or stick. A live wire may be safely cut by an axe or hatchet with a dry wooden handle and the electric current may be short circuited by dropping a crowbar or a poker on the wire. They should be dropped on the side from which the current is coming and not on the further side as the latter will not short circuit the current before it has pa.s.sed through the patient's body. Drop the metal bar, do not place it on the wire or you will then be made a part of the short circuit and receive the current of electricity through your body.

From American Red Cross Text Book on Elementary Hygiene and Home Care of the Sick.

Part VI

PATRIOTISM

History of the Flag

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed. By this the united colonies dissolved all the ties that bound them to England and became an independent nation, the United States. It was immediately necessary to adopt a new flag, as the new nation would not use the union jack. Congress appointed a committee, consisting of George Washington, Robert Morris, and Colonel Ross, to design a flag. They got Mrs. Betsey Ross, who kept an upholstery shop at 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, to help plan and to make the new flag. They kept the thirteen stripes of the colonies' flag, and replaced the union jack by a blue field bearing thirteen stars, arranged in a circle. On June 14, 1777, Congress pa.s.sed the resolution adopting this flag.

Resolved: That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.

George Washington said: "We take the star from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty."

This new flag was first carried into battle at Port Stanwix, in August, 1777.

At first when new States came into the Union, a new stripe and a new star were added to the flag, but it was soon evident that the added stripes would make it very unwieldy. So on April 4, 1818, Congress pa.s.sed this act, to establish the flag of the United States.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted, etc. That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union have twenty stars, white in a blue field.

SEC. 2. Be it further enacted, that, on the admission of every new State into the Union, one star be added to the Union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July succeeding such admission.

In our flag today the thirteen stripes symbolize the thirteen original States, and the blue field bears forty-eight stars, one for each State in the Union. The five-pointed star is used, it is said, at Betsey Ross's suggestion. This five-pointed star is the seal of King Solomon, and the sign of infinity. Even the colors of the flag mean something: red stands for valor, blue for justice, and white for purity. The whole flag stands for freedom, liberty, and justice.