DROWNING, signifies the extinction of life, by a total immersion in water. In some respects there seems to be a great similarity between the death occasioned by immersion in water, and that by stran gulation, suffocation by fixed air, apo plexies, epilepsies, sudden fainting, vio lent shocks of electricity, or even violent falls and bruises. Physicians, however, are not agreed with regard to the nature of the injury done to the animal system in any or all of these accidents. It is, in deed, certain, that in all the cases above mentioned, particularly in drown ing, there is very often such a suspen sion of the vital powers, as to us bath the appearance of a total extinction of them ; while yet they may be again set in motion, and the person restored to life, after a much longer submersion than hath been generally thought capa ble' of producing absolute death. It were to be wished, however, that, as it is now universally allowed that drown ing is only a suspension of the action of the vital powers, physicians could as unanimously determine the means by which these powers are suspended ; be . cause on a knowledge of these means the methods to be used for recovering • persons apparently drowned must cer tainly depend. We shall, in this place, give some directions on the subject, which have been recommended on re spectable authority, and have been sane tioned by long experience.
Mr. Hunter observes, that when as sistance is soon called after immersion, blowing air into the lungs will, in some cases, effect a recovery ; but when any considerable time has been lost, lie ad vises stimulant medicines, such as the vapour of volatile alkali, to be mixed with the air ; which may easily be done, by holding spirits of hartshora in a cup under the receiver of the bellows. And as applications of this kind to the olfac tory nerves tend greatly to rouse the living principle, and put the muscles of respiration into action, it may probably, therefore, be most proper to have air impregnated in that manner thrown in by the nose. To prevent the stomach and intestines from being too much dis tended by the air so injected, the larynx is directed to be gently pressed against the oesophagus and spine. While this business is going on, an assistant should prepare bed-clothes, carefully brought to a proper degree of heat. Heat, our author considers as congenial with the living principle ; increasing the necessity of action, it increases action ; cold, on the other hand, lessens the necessi ty, and, of copse, the action is dimin shed : to a due degree of heat, there fore, the living principle, he thinks, owes its vigour. From experiments, he says,
it appears to be a law in animal bodies, that the degree of heat should bear a proportion to the quantity of life ; as life is weakened, this proportion re quires great accuracy, while greater powers of life allow it greater latitudes. After these and several other observa tions on the same subject, our author proceeds to more particular directions for the management of droWned people. If bed clothes are put over a person, so as scarce to touch him, steams of volatile alkali, or of warm balsams, may be thrown in, so as to come in contact with many parts of the body. And it might probably be advantageous, Mr. Hunter observes, to have steams of the same kind conveyed into the stomach. This, we are told, may be done by a hol low bougie and a syringe ; but the opera tion should be very speedily performed, as the instrument, by continuing long in the mouth, might produce sickness, which our author says he would always wish to avoid. Some of the warm stimula ting substances, such as juice of horse radish, peppermint water, and spirits of hartshorn, are directed to be thrown into the stomach in a fluid state, as also to be injected by the anus. Motion, possibly, may be of service ; it may, at least, be tried ; but as it bath less effect than any other of the usually prescribed stimuli, it is directed to be the last part of the process. The same care in the operator, in regulating the proportion of every one of these means, is here di rected, as was formerly given for the application of heat. For every one of them, our author observes, may possibly have the same property of destroying entirely the feeble action which they have excited, if administered in too great a quantity : instead, therefore, of increas ing and hastening the operations on the first signs of returning life being observ ed, as is usually done, he desirts they may be lessened, and advises their in crease to be afterwards proportioned, as nearly as possible, to the quantity of pow ers as they arise. When the heart be gins to move, the application of air to the lungs should be lessened, that when the muscles of respiration begin to act, a good deal may be left for them to do.