BURNS Burns are caused by contact with fire, the rays of the sun, very hot bodies, or chemicals. Filcher divides them into three classes, according to their degree of severity: (1) Mere painful redness; (2) formation of blisters; (3) charring. In severe burns there may be considerable de struction of tissue and great shock.
To treat a burn: first remove the clothing by cutting it away with a pair of scissors. If it sticks, do not pull it off, but flood it with oil.
If blisters are present, let the water out by pricking them with a needle after passing it through a flame to sterilize it. Take care not to break the blisters, so as to avoid exposing the tender surface to the air.
Promptly exclude the air by apply ing a compress wet with water, in which is dissolved a liberal amount of baking soda. Apply any oil, such as olive oil, sweet oil, fresh lard, un salted butter, vaseline, etc. One of the best oils to use is a solution of equal parts of linseed oil and lime water.
In the absence of oil, dust boric acid over it or apply clay. Cover the wound with cotton or some soft ma terial. If the wound is wet, always see to it that oil has been used freely before using cotton, as when dry the latter will stick and reopen' the burned surface when an attempt is made to remove it.
Burns caused by acids should be thoroughly washed with water, then with a solution of baking soda and water, and then treated like an ordi nary burn.
Burns caused by alkalies, such as caustic potash, caustic soda, or am monia, should be washed with vinegar or some other dilute acid.
Treat shock as explained under " Fainting." Cover severe burns as quickly as possible, so as to exclude the air. An application should be ready to apply immediately. Do not expose the wound, as it may prove fatal. If burn is extensive, dress but a small portion at a time.
The bicarbonate of soda and oils are best applied by dipping cloths into them, ointments by spreading on cloths and then applying.
In burns of the mouth or throat, apply the oil or white of an egg by drinking them. If caused by chemi cals, the mouth and throat should be rinsed by the proper antidote--vine gar or dilute acid in case of caustic soda, potash, ammonia, or lye, and a solution of baking soda for acid burns.
In severe burns summon physician at once, as there may be considerable destructio.n of tissue and danger of great shock. Burns often heal slowly, and are frequently attended by fear ful scars and deformity.
Sunburn is a burn of the first de gree and should be treated as such.
A person whose clothing is burn ing should be made to lie down—if necessary, thrown down—as the tend ency of the flames is to rise upward. When the patient is lying down the flames have less to feed on, and there is not so much danger of their reach ing the face or inhaling the fumes. The person should be quickly wrapped in a shawl or blanket of wool, not cotton, and the fire ered by pressing on the burning part.