ESSENTIALS OF FIRST AID

[Music] so of all the men in the united states navy none are more important for your own well-being than the navy's men of medicine its surgeons its pharmacists mates and its hospital corpsmen wherever they are needed you will find them on men of war and at shore station and attached to hospital ships where blue jackets and officers receive as skillful treatment as in great naval hospitals onshore whether at sea or on land the navy's men of medicine want you fit and well for their prime objective is to keep as many men at as many guns as many days as possible as wartime emergencies make heavy demands upon the medical department's personnel and resources it is of vital importance that you and every one of your shipmates know first aid you must learn how to render first aid and you must prevent needless accidents one of the simplest of safety devices is your life jacket always wear it when working over the side and at other times when there is a chance that it might be needed you must have a safety line properly secured when painting or doing other work a lot protect your eyes with goggles when using the chipping hammer your eyes are invaluable if you get something in them report at once to sickbay stand clear of tort lines and cables they can be dangerous men who work in the hot fire rooms and engine rooms must take special precautions to prevent heat exhaustion and muscle cramps when a man shows signs of heat exhaustion take him immediately to a cooler place have someone call the sickbay at once the medical staff wants to know of every emergency case as soon as it happens until medical assistance can be given it is imperative to keep an injured or sick person lying down heat exhaustion is often due to lack of salt in the system following a period of excessive perspiration those whose work exposes them to high temperatures can help prevent heat exhaustion by taking the salt tablets placed by the scuttlebutt one of the most simple safety devices is plain absorbent cotton put small wads of cotton in your ears as you man your gun or battle station get the cotton into your ears before commence firing if you don't broken ear drums on deafness may result during violent enemy air attack if you are ordered to take cover do so immediately always lie down flat keep face down and hold your arms beneath the chest your arms will act as a shock absorber never crouch crouching can be extremely dangerous if a bomb explodes nearby blasts of air from high explosives particularly bombs can injure a man severely without even scratching his skin a man injured this way is called a blast victim move him only far enough to get him to shelter keep him lying down moving him too much or too soon may be fatal cover him warmly and as soon as possible have a medical officer see him if every blue jacket knows essential first aid techniques you can help your shipmates and they can help you one of the first rules is to move an injured man on a stretcher if one is available the most useful kind of stretcher is the navy type a large wire basket into which the patient may be comfortably strapped with the use of guidelines the strapped in patient can be moved easily even from inaccessible parts of the ship at sea the wire stretcher provides a safe and sure way to transfer a sick man from a small boat to a large vessel [Applause] never move an injured man unless it is necessary if a stretcher is not available don't try to carry him lay him down carefully and drag him by the collar to some nearby shelter [Music] keep him lying down and keep him warm a blanket or a piece of canvas can be used to move an injured man [Music] roll him carefully on the blanket and drag him along the deck if help arrives the blanket will serve as an improvised stretcher on which he can be carried to a dressing station or to the sick bay [Music] carrying an injured shipmate on your back is generally unwise but in an emergency it may have to be done this is the safest way to do it [Music] if there is no one around to help you and the man can't stand up by himself he can be raised to your back in this manner [Music] should you ever be caught in a fire or smoke-filled compartment you must crawl along the deck keep your head down and a wet handkerchief or a piece of cloth against your nose and mouth the best air is closest to the deck [Music] the rescue detail is equipped with special oxygen breathing operators and special clothing don't attempt to rescue without this special equipment the ordinary gas mask is useless for fire and rescue work men assigned to the rescue detail need special instruction and training in the use of the breathing apparatus before anyone is sent into a smoke-filled compartment a safety line must be secured around his [Music] waist in cases of suffocation electric shock or apparent drowning if the victim is not breathing artificial respiration must be commenced immediately [Music] turn him on his stomach pull his tongue forward see that there are no obstructions in the mouth note the position of the victim's head and arm straddle one leg place the palms of your hands over his lower ribs move your whole body slowly downward and forward and by pressure force the bad air out of the lungs simulate natural breathing to time this operation say to yourself slowly now the air goes out now the air comes in keep repeating now the air goes out now the air comes in now the air goes out now the air comes in never give up hope unless someone in the medical department pronounces the man dead in thousands of cases men have been brought back to life sometimes after hours of artificial respiration by the prone pressure method when you begin to tire have another man ready to take your place without losing the rhythm [Music] the reward for your hard work will come when your stricken shipmate starts to breathe again [Music] keep him warm and keep him lying down until a stretcher arrives to take him to sickbay learn all the details of artificial respiration now with this knowledge you may be able to save lives many blue jackets are alive today because some shipmate knew how to give this all-important first aid treatment the first aid material you will have to work with is packed in gun bags and first aid boxes which are distributed over the ship in a first aid box you will find gauze bandages of various sizes a roll of adhesive tape there is a triangular bandage for a sling scissors for cutting dressings or cutting clothing from around the womb there are packages of battle dressing some of the small sized dressings are sealed in a waterproof metal case dressings for a wound must be sterile never let them drop or allow them to come in contact with any part of your clothing or your body the danger of infection from the fingers is especially great avoid handling that part of the dressing which comes in contact with the wound the larger battle dressing is like the smaller one except that it has four long gauze tails that can be tied to hold the dressing in place this packet contains a powder which you may be instructed to sprinkle into an open wound it is one of the new and effective sulfur drugs which are being used today to combat infection [Music] another packet has tablets of the sulfur drug to be given by mouth as directed for burns on the body there is a tube of tannic acid jelly this helps relieve the pain and forms a protective film over the burn [Music] the roll of wire is for use in splinting broken arms and legs there are also wooden splints the rubber tourniquet is used to stop rapid bleeding from an arm or leg wound [Music] there are paper tags and a pencil for writing down important medical data and here is a small bottle of iron [Music] this packet contains cigarettes of morphine used to relieve pain you must learn how to use them for if a shipmate is badly hurt or burned morphine can relieve his suffering almost immediately [Music] when you discover that a man has been hurt try to find out what is wrong with him examine his clothing to see if he is bleeding anywhere if he is unconscious find out whether he is breathing [Music] if he is breathing and regains consciousness keep him lying down until you are sure he has no serious injury go over his body thoroughly feel his neck for sore places examine his head look carefully for cuts and gashes [Music] find out if he feels a sharp pain when you lift up his back this is often the only indication of a broken back examine his chest thoroughly broken ribs are painful when you press them press around the hips to see if they have been hurt when you come to the legs feel for sore spots and move each joint if the man is not able to move his legs by himself he probably has a broken neck or back [Music] broken bones are indicated when it is difficult to move the joints or if an arm or leg seems crooked or there is intense pain [Music] any man suffering intense pain whether from broken bones wounds or burns should be given morphine if possible paint the skin with iodine or alcohol before injecting morphine [Music] pick up the morphine ceret remove the cover from the needle force the wire down into the needle until it breaks the seal pull out the wire stick the needle all the way into the skin squeeze the tube empty mark an m on the patient's forehead to show his had morphine and tie on a tag to show the time it was given [Music] when an arm or leg is broken the sharp bone ends may cause severe damage to the muscles nerves or blood vessels sometimes a broken end may actually pierce the skin before a patient is moved splints must be applied so that the broken bone ends will cause no further damage the wire splint is very useful in this case of a badly broken arm unroll it and make a mold by first fitting it to the good arm when the broken arm has been carefully laid on the splint it is ready for bandaging be sure that the bandage is not tight enough to interfere with circulation [Music] for this break below the elbow wooden splints may be used while one man holds the arm the splints are laid on so that they extend out beyond the fingers they are tied firmly in place with cloth strips [Music] for a break at the elbow if you use wooden splints the splints must be long enough to reach from the shoulder to the wrist in this case a wire splint would serve equally well short wooden splints may be used for breaks between the elbow and shoulder do not confuse the emergency measure of splinting a broken bone with the eventual setting of the broken bone when an arm has been splinted it should be supported with a sling [Music] sometimes it is difficult to tell on examination whether a man has broken his ankle or has just sprained it the best rule to follow is never take a chance put on a splint and let the medical officer determine the extent of the injury later the procedure to be followed in splinting a broken leg is similar to that for a broken arm always remember that the purpose of a splint is to prevent the sharp ends of broken bones from damaging the tissues while the patient is being moved for serious fractures of the thigh and leg the thomas ring splint should be used the application of this flint requires experience and practice you must learn how to adjust the traction so that it will pull just enough to keep the sharp and jagged bone ends from doing damage when no splint is available you must use your ingenuity improvised flints like rolled up newspapers and broom handles have saved limbs and life an unloaded rifle makes a fairly satisfactory substitute splint for a broken leg or thigh [Music] a bayonet and scabbard will serve to split an arm [Music] no splint is used either for a fractured neck or a broken back [Music] the patient is carefully lifted onto the stretcher keeping his head body and legs in as straight aligned as possible he should be covered warmly and taken to a medical officer for x-ray and treatment morphine must never be given in cases of head injuries [Music] burns are serious and common injuries in modern warfare the hot flash of high explosives can seriously damage any exposed skin area clothes will help protect you short sleeves and tropical shorts are definitely dangerous the burn victim suffers severely he must be kept lying down cover him warmly and try to get him medical attention as soon as possible meanwhile give him more fiend to ease his pain [Music] cut or gently tear away the clothes around the berm if pieces of cloth or lint stick to the burn surface do not try to remove them [Music] don't apply anything to the burn but jelly from the tube cover over the entire burn with jelly put it on thickly [Music] when the burn is well coated apply a dressing gently before attempting treatment of burns on the face and around the eyes wait if possible until you can get medical advice the doctor may be able to prevent unnecessary and disfiguring scars because many men may be hurt in battle you should know how to dress all kinds of wounds even the smallest wound requires pumped first aid above all try to prevent infections keep out dirt and germs in opening up battle dressing always be careful not to touch the surface which goes next to the wound ordinarily if the dressing is bandaged against the wound bleeding will stop in five or ten minutes when the blood begins to clot [Music] if a man is wounded during battle keep him lying down cut or tear away the clothes around the wound have first aid equipment open and ready unless blood is spurting out very rapidly you do not need a tourniquet the special sulfur wound powder which helps prevent infection should be sprinkled into the womb [Music] a large dressing is opened and bandaged on [Music] the pressure of the bandage dressing against the wound will stop the bleeding in most cases if suffering is severe morphine is given if the wound continues to bleed don't take the dressing off prepare a second dressing bandage it on firmly keep the man covered warmly [Music] as further protection against infection the man may be given sulfur tablets by mouth as directed wounds of the chest are particularly dangerous especially if the lung is punctured quick action is necessary in case of chest wall and if the lung is punctured you will not even have time to use sofa powder plug the wound immediately with a dressing and seal it with adhesive tape to make it airtight [Music] so heart pulsing regularly forces blood through arteries and veins into every part of the body many of the arteries are well protected being buried deeply in the body others come near to the surface and have little protection [Music] this artery carries blood down the inner side of the arm and then dividing into smaller branches it passes into the forearm the artery lies near the bone at this point and arterial bleeding can be stopped by compressing the artery against the bone just as you would squeeze a rubber hose the artery on the other side lies in a corresponding position the pressure point is here and spurting arterial bleeding in the area below can be stopped by hand pressure use both hands fingertips over the arteries squeeze hard in the neck just above the collarbone is another pressure point which can shut off the blood flow to the shoulder and arm the pressure point on the other side is in the same location the artery which supplies blood to the head and face passes up the side of the neck here is the pressure point and by squeezing here bleeding from head wounds on this side can be stopped [Music] here is the artery on the other side [Music] here is the pressure point pressure here must be held until medical help arrives or you can't put a tourniquet around the neck pull the bleeding in the arm until a tourniquet can be put on the rubber tourniquet is stretched and then wrapped around the arm taking two overlapping turns secure the free end by tucking it under a previous turn if the tourniquet has been properly applied the pulse at the wrist will be stopped [Music] if you don't have a rubber tourniquet use any strong cloth such as a neckerchief fold it and tie it around the arm put your knife in the knot and twist it until it is tight enough to stop the [Music] bleeding if blood and should be tagged with the time of application of the tourniquet for every 20 minutes you must loosen the tourniquet just long enough to restore circulation if the wound still squirts blood while the tourniquet is loose in battle you may have to treat men who have not only torn arteries but broken bones and ferns as well this man is losing blood rapidly every heartbeat pumps it out first aid promptly and properly rendered can save his life [Music] with both hands squeeze the artery tightly against the bone until bleeding stops when a tourniquet from a first aid kit is applied and secured the hand pressure can be released sulfur powder battle dressing morphine tags and the wire splint will be used from the first aid kit [Music] prompt and efficient first aid treatment will save lives it will also speed the recovery of those who have been injured what you do in an emergency may prevent a shipmate from being disabled for life the more efficient the first aid treatment the quicker the victim will be well and back at his post first aid techniques have been tested and approved they are not hard to learn learn first aid now to know how to prevent suffering and to save lives is not only your responsibility but it is your duty your duty to yourself to your shipmates and to your country you