The St. John Gazette (October 1947)

Confidence • In Antisepsis

Dettol is an efficient bactericide. It is persistent. It is stable. It is non-poisonous, non-staining. Clear and clean, it is even pleasant in use. These properties have combined to distinguish Dettol and to win professional confidence. Dettol can be used at fhlly effective strengths without danger or discomfort. Moreover, germicidal efficiency is maintained when blood or puseven in considerable quantity-is present.

Special sizes for MIt/ita/ and HospilaluJe.

D E T T 0 L'

Regd.

Jt's difficult to "void II HEADACHE but eas1l to elear it with

antlseptz"c and antz"pruritz"c. prz"ncz'ple zn WRIGHT'$ COAL TAR SOAP

The unique preparation, Liquor Car- The continuous application of new bonis Detergens, was first intrcduced by methods in research and manufacture Wright's in r862. It isolates, from the makes Wright's Liquor Carbonis Det@rinert non - therapeutic substances, the gens to-day a product improved both in valuable antiseptic and antipruritic agents appearance and antiseptic value. known to be in Coal Tar. Since its intro- This preparation gives Wright's Ccal duction Liquor Carbonis Detergens has Tar Soap its renowned health-giving achieved a high piace in dermatol@gkal qualities. S@@thiE.g to the te1).derest skin, practice, and is repeatedly chosen as and thorough in its cleansing, Wright's is the foremost medi- in every way the safest COAl r. carnent for skin toilet and nursery r? diseases. soap for daily use.

COAL TAR SOA/ IDEAL FOR TOILET AND NURSERY

Hand"

Try Germolene )'OUfte1f - and J'OU will be conrinced of i t. pawer to toOthe and reline akin complaints. Under the healing hand of GermoIcne ,.amehmaoyakioafHietion. in • few da)'l- or eftD houri. Make. trial fIl Germolen. today I 1/' 6: 1/1 per till. IacludiolPurchaec Tu. OF clears up M'II' SERIOUS LEI TROUBLES

WALL CHARTS ,..NATOMICAL DIAGRAMS AND OSTEOLOGY for LECTURES BOOKS FOR AMBULANCE WORKERS

H. K. LEWIS & Co. Ltd. 136 GOWER STREET. LONDON, W.C.I EUSton 4282 (S lines,

BAND GUIDE

Givlm: hints on the Drum and Flute. alsoParadeFormatlons. use of Parade CaMe. staff. etc.. 6d. post paid

DRUM HEADS

(Broken.) POI t flelh hoop. Ready lapped head returned lame day .1 received. Henry POTTER " Co. 36/38 West St., Charing CIiiOSS Rd. LONDON, W.C.l.

tlJ£ Oi ranlt JriorJ! in V t1Je Realm of ijtb'e E'enerahle @rber 0'£ tlJe 0'£ Julrn 0'£ Jeruzaltm Bdited by GBORGB B. CRAFT. O.S,.' .• F.R..S.A.

PRAc:rrCAL experience be>th in military hospi.tal.s in great relief the x:eed for a true phySIOlogIcal tome. This IS mterpreted in day-to-day as for a liquid food which completely meets metabolIc need, IS read.lly accepted by the patient and is immediately assllmlated.

O:,altine ' is a delicious food fueverage which meets this necessity in a highly satlsfact?ry manner, as an emergency measure and as a regular routine. The and of Oval tine ' are rapidly assimilated, every dIetary essential and, at the same time, allaying nervous tensIOn 10 a me>st helpful manner.

Oval.tine' is a fO<Dd tonic prepared from milk, eggs , and malt extract. Supplies are avaIlable to hospitals in special packings and at special prices.

For further particular s wri te to-

A . Wamder, Ltd ., 5 a md. 7, Albert Hall Mansions, London, S .W.7 .

NE W PLASTIC SU RGICAL DRESSING

Repl a ces Bandages anti Plasters

"PORTEX" PLASTIC SKIN was originated for as a after blood transfusion. Later, surgeons discovered its special q1tiilities made it an ideal preoperative surgical barrier. T0-day it is supersedmg bandages md plasters as a dressing for cuts, abrasions, and small 19m-os. Not only js it neat, fiexibl@, wat@rpreof,

transparent, and self-sealing, but because of its \ high phenol content it also greatly accelerates healing. " Portex" Plastic Skin is now available through all chemists. In tubes, priee IS. 8d., including tax, and in larger size bettles. In case 0f difficulty, write direct to the proprie1r0Jrs, givmg the name of YOW' pharmaceutical suppliers.

FORMULA

T h e q u estion i s oft en a sk ed w h eth er the v olun t ar y or ganizations of this countr y are now r e qu ir ed; or w h ether they w ill be a llowed t o slowly pass out of existence. W ill t hey in these d ays of cris is b e able t o continue their go od work ; w ill t hey be ab le to comman d the same r espect an d goo d w ill of the general publi c ; and w ill the general pu blic still contri b ute t o the fin a n cia l side of the w ork ?

T h ese a n d other s u ch q u estion s a r e m u ch t o the fore , and whilst the organizations concern ed a r e natu rally co nfident tha t they can carryo n , it is up t o each and every indiv idu a l member t o e n sure tha t on ever y p oss ible occasi on the obj e cts of the or gan ization concerned a r e made known

T hi s is certain ly t he case of the Order of St. J ohn In times of war the Cross of the Ord er was to be seen on h oardings , on prison er-of- w ar parcels, and on other p ackages . S ince t he cessation of hostilities this si gn of volunta ry service has s l owly disap p eared u ntil n ow it is seen b ut ve r y seld om When the H ealth Act come s into b eing a nd ever y p er so n employe d h as t o contributy a wee kly sum for w h a t is known as a free h ealth service, w ill m emb er s of the gen er a l public still reali ze tha t the vo lu n t a r y spirit of St. J ohn is not only still in exist ence but carry ing out vo lunta r y wo rk for the goo d of the community at large?

It <;:ann ot b e emph as ized t oo g r eatly tha t the Ord er of St. J ohn a n d its Foundati on s a nd Est ablish m ent still st ands f or th a t S pirit of Ser v i ce w hi ch imbu ed the Knights of o ld . Th er e w ill still b e wo r k w hi ch ca n only b e carried out by th e vo lunt eer; it vvill still be n ecess a r y for p u b lic- spirite. d men an d wo m en, b oys and g ir ls t o . g ive t heir time in p erfor m ing wo rks w hich m eans g iving up free tim e t o b ecome efficient ; ther e w ill still b e man y item s wbich cannot b e cover ed efficiently b y any Government ord er.

T h elie can b e n o d oubt, the volun t a r y organizati on, providing it can g ive service w hich i s of u se, will conti n u e t o find wo rk t o d o It may b e h a rd, it may no t b e ea sy , it m a y m ean that work w hich the memb ers have b een doing for years will be t a k en a w ay bom th em; but still the volunteer will be a ne cessity for the well-b ein g of this co untry.

It is ther efor e the duty of all me mb er s of the Order to further the w ork by inter esting their fri e nds; by giving full particulars of the work undertaken by the Order; b y getting more and yet m ore m emb ers of the gen eral public to take up the subj ects of first aid and h om e nurs ing and so b ecom e eligible to join the St. John Ambula nce Brigade .

The White Cr oss of w hich w e a r e so proud is the sy mbol of v oluntary service ; for over 8 00 y ear s it h as m eant tha t h elp is at hand. Will th e pres ent day w earers @ f t h a t Cr@ss fee l that t hei r task is d €m e ; that they can Il (i)W lay down the ir emblem? Th e a n.swer is 'to b e fou n d in the ever increasing calls w hi ch are b eing ma d e and a mswe r ed w ith that bu e St. J oh n sp irit to-day

333

ijtlJt <itanb 'riatU in tlJt af . lrtnerahle ®tbtr af tlJe '1ozpital af . . .it. of 3Jtruzaltm

His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to sanction the following Promotions in, and A PP(!)intments to, The Venerable Order oj the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.

PRIORY FOR WALES

FOR PROMOTION TO THE GRADE OF KNIGHT

Edmund Lawrence Hann, (from Commander)

Richard David Thomas, L.R.C.P. & S.Ecd., (from Commamler)

The Viscount Tredegar (from Commander)

FOR PROMOTION TO THE GRADE OF COMMANDER (EROTHER)

Brigadier-Genel'al Lewis Pugh Evans, V.C., C.B., D.S.O.

Gwilym Pari Huws, M.B.

Professor Thomas David Jones, C.B.E

Sir Charles Bingham Lowther, Bt., D.S.O.

Major George Stanley Phillips, M.D., M.R.C S ., L.R C.P.

George John Rowlands. (All from Officer)

FOR PROMOTION TO THE GRADE OF COMMANDER (SISTER)

Cynthia Juliet Grant Duff, The Hon. Mrs. John H. Bryce.

Violet Maud, Mrs. WhiteheaGi. (Prom ©ffi.€€l'.)

FOR PROMe>TION TO THE GRADE OF OFFICER (BROTHER)

William David, M.R.C.S., L.R.C P.

PhiliP Thomas Jenkins. -

Gwyn Rocyn Jones, M .D.

Harold John L€wis, D.C M., M.M.

David Roger Williams.

Graham Pow€r Williams, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. (All frem Serving Brother.)

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF OFFICER (BROTHER)

ClifforGi Arthl'lr Bence, M.R.C.S , L.R.C.P.

Alilders Erie KIilQS Cu,]!.

Captain WiUiam Herbert CedI Daniel.

Geoffrey £ibberililg Morgan GeOl,ge Traherne.

Major Henry Ware.

FOR PROMOTION TO THE GRADE OF OFFICER (SISTER)

Nora, Mrs. Anaerson.

Catherine Mary Lewis, Mrs. Evans. (From S€rving Sister.)

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF @FFICER (SISTER)

Hilda Mary, Miss ]nge

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF SERVING BROTHER

William Arthyr Carter.

Albert Vict0r Chamberlain, M.B.E.

Pea'rson Edward Creswell, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.

David Evans.

Daniel Idris Evans, M.R.C S., L.R.C.P.

John Evans.

Clifford Montague Harris.

William Henry Jones.

William John Jones.

Henry Gethin Lewis

Jenkin David Lewis.

Richard Callaway Morgan.

Ivor Rees.

Cha.rIes Lethh>riGige Ernest Morgan- Richardson.

William Harold Syff.

David Lake Thomas.

William Williams.

Lieut.-Colonel William Jones Williams.

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF SERVING SISTER

Margaret Dorothy, Mrs. Cave, A.R.R.C.

Margaret Mary, Mrs. Clothier.

Irene Phyllis, Mrs. Hammond. Gwladys, Mrs. Pritchard.

INDIA

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF ASSOCIATE KNIGHT

The Hon. Mr. Justice Ghulam Hasan.

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF ASSOCIATE COMMANDER (BROTHER)

Colonel Abani Mohan Chaudhuri, O.B.E.

FOR PROMOTION TO THE GRADE OF COMMANDER (SISTER)

Dorothy, Mrs. Stanier, M.B.E. (from Officer).

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF ASSOCIATE OFFICER (BROTHER)

Khan Sahib> Saiyid Amir Ahmad.

Khan Bahadur G. Faraque, C.LE., O.B.E.

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF ASSOCIATE SERVIN.G BROTHER

Arjun Hari Savant.

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF SERVING SISTER

Isa Boyd, Mrs. Gifford. Dorothy, Miss Davis.

Marjorie Maud, Mi ss Willmott, M.B.E., R.R.C.

MALAYA. UNION

FOR ADMISSION IN THE GRADE OF SERVING BROTHER

The Rev. Sidn€y Smith Adams.

PIT EXPLOSION AT ANNFIELD PLAIN

At the explosion which occurred at the th N . Louisa Old Pit early on August 23 rescue .e atIOnal Coal Board have paid k tnbute to the work carried out by Mr. wor was Garried with distinction by Younger and his two brav e colleagues, three :me n, one of whom was William aU of whom are likely to be recomme"'ded Younger, Area Cadet Officer for West f 11 u D h f 01' ga a ntry awards. Ten men were got ur .am 0 the Brigade. Mr. Younger t th b tt had ]u.st retuBiled from assisting in Fescue 0 e 0 of the drift, and the t resc mers camiffied OID. :for. abo ut fo ur opera wns at the Wh:iteh aven dl.isaster; hOlUS , 334

ST. JOHN COUNCILS IN THE COUNTIES

WEST RIDING OF At the Jast quarterly meeting Sir Frank Brook (Chairman ) referred to the lame ntable death of the President (Th e Earl of Harewood) and all present stood in silence as a token of Iespect.

The Council discussed specific points, and the Chairman's propo sed programm e dealing with the activities of th e Council was supported.

Capt. H. Studdy (Chief Constable of the West Riding) , ;vas appointed Liaison Officer behveen the County and the Centres and Branches throughout the County. He would find out where the Centres and Branches were and what they were r eally doing. ,

The County Commissioner (Mr. H L. Thornton) reported that the Brigade ' might r e tain control of the Ambulance Service, under the H ealth Service Act, 1946 , in outlying districts, but the County Coul1cjl are not pre pared to accept t he Brigade machines on an auxiliary basis where they themselves have main ambulance depots. Dr. Frazer-Brockington Medical Officer of Health) hoped that there "vould be voluntary support forthc oming from the Brigade.

The question of first aid equipment to be carried by motorists was discussed, as was that of propaganda.

SUSSEX Owing to ill-h ealth Dr. W. C. Bentall has resigned the Chairman ship of the Council. Lord Leconsfield has accepted the invitation to b e President of the St. J ohn Council in the County of Sussex.

It was reported at the quarterly meeting by the Propaganda Committee that as th e r esult of the Festival Sunday held at Brighton on May 18, there was a flllancial balance of £295 It was decided to forward £2 0 to the Hospital of th e Order, and to present th e Brigade in the County with £200.

Mr. C. Simpson (County Brigade Secretary) is combining his office with that of County Secretary of the Council; and an appreciation of work carried out by Mr. Bevington (who had undertaken the secretarial duties since the ince ption of the Council) was placed on record.

:rhe County Commiss ioner (Mr. David Bryce) reported that out of 49ambulances r equired by the County und er the National Health Act, the Brigade had b een aske d to supp l y 39 and a lso p ersGnnel in two other centres.

A BOOK MARKER

It is now possible to obtain from the Stores Department, St. John's Gate, London, E.C. 1, a book marker printed in blaek and white. with a red silk cord attached. On one side of the b@ok marker is an announcement that classes of instruction in First Aid, Home Nursing, Hygiene, Child Welfare, an d Sanitation can be arranged und er the auspices of the St. John Ambulance Association, whilst on the other side is an afiTI.OUnceme'nt that holders of First Aid Certificates are eligible to join the St. John Ambulance Brigade.

The cost of these book markers is Is. 3d. per dozen, post extra; and they should make excellent advertising propaganda among works peoiPilie and a 'lliose wll1!o a[read!y h®]d a certincate but have not joined the Brigade:

"OLD PEOPLE'S WELfARE

A second edition of this booklet has been issued by the National Council of Social Service for the National Old People's Welfare Committee, and although it has been re v ised and enla['ged copies can still be obtained at Is. 6d , post free, from 26 Bedford Square, London, W.C. 1. The book gives some interesting and instructive details of the work carried out and how help can be given to old people. Chapters on Visiting, Domestic Help, Communal Meals, Clubs, Occupational Interests, Housing Schemes, Voluntary Residential Homes, and the Formation of Housing Associations are included; whilst the appendices d eal with Organizations, Ccmstitution for Old People's Welfare Committees, and Smmmary oil' Legislatruo!l'l affectling OJd Age Pensioners. A list of suitable books is' also given. 335

THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN,

:By J. S'FANDINGiF0RD

(Extracts from a talk given to memb ers of the Ho spitallers' Cl ub)

(Continued from page 302, Septembe'Y, 1947,

Prior to their settling in Malta the Knights were cloistered, t,hey were separated from the civil population by a around bUlldmgs facilitating supervision and control, but in Malta thIS was not practIcable, and consequently they had more freedom. , "

In I30c;J, the Order was organized in Tongues accordmg to the natIOnalIty of the Knights, and each Tongue had its own dwelling or Auberge, In these buildings were throughout the town, and therefore supervISIOn was more difficult.

The Auberge was a large building of three floors, On the top floors were th e _ dormitories whiGh were austere and bare, with only just the necessaries, Very like a banacks. On the first floor was the Assembly Hall. This was richly decorated, and here they took their meals . The Pillar of the Tongue, seated on a velvet-covered chair, with a carpet for his feet, and cushions; the Knights with cloth-covered seats, and the Serving Brothers on bare wooden forms, The Assembly Hall was also used for discussions on various subjects, and there they conducted the business of the Tongu e, while sometimes they exceeded their authority by discussing matters concerning th e Order, much to the annoyance of 'the Grand Master.

On the ground floor were the bakery, stores, mills, stables, cowhouse, slaughterhouse, and other offices.

The Knights lived well. They had veal and chicken in all seasons; mutton chops, partridges, pigeons, and game. They had good bread and abundant fruit with plenty of wine.

They ate off silver plates, and they lived ve ry much like college students tG -elay. .

Discipline within the Order was, on the whole, strict. But since promotion was by seniority it sometimes that Grand Masters were in the early stages of senile decay before appointment, and they were not equal to maintaining discipline. On the other hand, some Grand Masters retained their faculties unimpaired to the end, and ruled their charges very sternly. Punishment for offences was very crude and barbarous, and the penalties, if sometimes savage, were mildly humorous. For instance, taking one's meals on the ground, at the same tim.e refr:aining from driving away the hungry dogs who wished to share it, Among the forms of punishment were corporal punishment administered publicly in St. John's Church by the Grand PFior; the Forca, a wooden horse, into the back and sides of which had been driven spikes, and the delinquent made to sit in the nude for one or two hours a day. We may guess h e didn't wish to sit for the rest of the day; solitary cGllfinement in the dungeons of St, Elmo, only being allowed out to attend Mass at certain times. The heaviest form of punishment was d€priving the Knight of his Habit-this was sometimes inflict ed fo: duelling. The death sentence was never passed by the Order, but a Knight mIght be in a dungeon for a lom.g period during which h e became insane and died.

There were ways of avoiding th e penalty for duelling, as for a mere" brush" the extreme penalty was forty days of fasting and ccmtinelnent; if it were not a bad case perhaps only seven days might be considered sufiicient to meet it, It was easy to stage an accidental" brush" in the narrow streets of Valetta and get away before Y01.!lF adversary knew h e had beem hurt.

The KJ?-ight who challenged a brother Knight to a duel on a billiard table rather overlooked the possibilities of the penalty, and was condemned to make amends in St. John's Church for 45 days, and afterwards was confined in a dark dungeon for five years. . ,

There is a story which illustrates the firmness and fairness of the administration of justice.

336

A dragon some twenty feet long appeared, and used to rush from its cave at nig!l:i1it aRd devour tfue lambs, bullocks, and horses botl: to the alld the Civil Severa[ had tnedl. to kIll the Intruder WIthout success and in the attempt had lost theIr lIves. The Grand Mastel" became very at the loss of his Knights, and issued a decree that no more of t,hem should attempt to go out to fight the dragon. However, one young Kl11ght, Dieudonne de Gozon, thought that he could kill the beast, and much sideration decided to try. He was successful, much t.e the delIght of the CIVIl poputation who acclaimed him a Hero. But he had dIsobeyed the order of the Grand Master, and although the Order of St. John had as much as the people by his brave act disobedience c?uld not go unpul11shed, so he was placed in a dungecm for some years. In thIS case, however, the Grand Master, remembering that the Order ?ad benefi.ted. from this disobedient act, had him brought out of prison and m the Order.

When deprived of his HabIt the Kl11ght was usu,ally handed over to ,the Civil Authority, who were not too friend,ly, ,:"ho mIght round off the pUl11shment by sewing him in a sack and castmg hIm mto the sea., .

The foregoing list of punishments suggest that there were pUl11sh, and among the various misdemeanours recorded are the followmg: LIb el, rape, turning Moslem, running away fr?m forgery, dressing up as a woman and mmglI?g WIth the faIr sex at mldl11ght Mass, breaking into a nunnery, and seductIon. , "," .

We have already spoken of the questIon of theIr smcenty th,elr vows, and we must remember that they were hum.an, apd ,the tI.mes m, whIch they lived were not graced with that refinement whIch we expect to-day. The records which appear to us to dIsplay a pIcture living may also disclose to us how far, under the mfluence of we have advanced our moral code. Judged by their own times, and considenng the temptations to which they were exposed, they. no, than the people around them. It is said, " Satan finds somes mIschIef still for Idle to do " and this was true in the case of these young men full of healthy VIgour and ;poiling for a fight. Between the fighting time, must have passed very heavily, Only in the summer did the galleys , go ,Qut m search of the Moslem. In the winter the weather was too bad for thIS kmd of boat, Hovvever, there were frequent crossings to Sicily and Naples for provisions when ,the weather permitted, and on these a Carayanners would. be taken. higher ranks in the Order had them offiCIal dutIes tG perform, the embaSSI€S, important charges, and Commanderies, One not fill all the dull moments with church going and Pater Nosters, and exceSSIve energy had to be worked off by means not prGvided for in ,the of the Order. , Dramatic performances in WhICh the Kl11ghts were actors and, sor:nebmes authors too, were arranged for carnival week and the Grand s Rabbit hunting and shooting of birds were mild to mdulge m, horse Facing was the chief feahl'l:-e of all great festIvals-the liJ.GFSeS n1l1l11ng without saddle or bridle-and was viewed by the Grand Mastel" and a great crowd of people, , ' .

The Carnival, the supreme @) the year, WIth. balls, masques, and Illummations, was always an anxious time for the Master.' for no one , knew what new devilment would be devised by these mfiammable young warnors. Many weFe the decrees pl!lt forth to curb their excesses. , Wkten the Carnival was the Convent settled down to its routme. There was nothing to do but to go to Mass, play bowls, and gOSSlp. And they certainly gossiped incessantly, while gossip turned to scandal. T? this and to give them. something better to do, Lascan,s mtroduced a kind of football called Pala-maglia, to provIde matenal for senousness and the profit of valour". No one now knows just how it was played.

][i)! the sGl1001 of Maval and MHitailiY Science training was of the finest m worl<dl. Any Knight who had pass€@ through it was sure of being able to obtam a good post ill his own country, subject, of course, to recall by the Grand Master 337

in case (1)f war. Sonae th ere were who acted as Ambassadors, King's Messengers, and posts of In our own country, Gral1d Priors of England served as Admmals of the KUllg s fleet and also as Treasurer to the King- the equivalent of our Chancellor of the ExchequeF. There was the case of Brother Robert Hales was Grand ,PdGr at di11e time om tifue Wat 'Tyler r eibelli0Jil1i a mid whQ was ;ulhl'illi1 ate cal!1se 0] He was tlire Krul!ilg 'S 1r!l"eaSiNlDer, a[1l!cl had eilrll trlllste @l WIth the task of col1ectmg the lntated P oll Tax. His metih@ds were net approved by tlae peGple,. w IDO caned him " Hob be the rob bey ". It wiD be rem emb eren how h € l €Js t hIS h ead on Tower Hill in company with Archbishop Sudbury. A very poor reward for und€rtaking an unpleasant task.

(To be con chtded)

N EvV ZEAJLAND

A rep ©d has beelil ©f exccel[emt work cal'riecd ou t hy me!ll'lbers of the Bri gad e of tJrr e Oamaru Divisiolll. Mr. H. W Mee.han, sur:reying new ground at WhIte Pme HIll , shpped over a cliff and suffered £evere injuries. He was not found until. 2.6 hours lat er and a rescue party consu;tmg of a doctor, nurses, p e> liGe, and mem.bers orr: th e Brigade were sent out, but It was not possible to proceed with the ambulaN ce nearer thalll four miles from tbe a cciillelillt. The ;party set @liM-if: ©ver roug'fi <W'tlluhy, runccludi!Flg marl!Y steep rn GC0Se ro cc k faces, and streams .with wateJi up to 3 deep After havm g attention the patient was transported on the return j ourney by torchlight. The going was very dIfficult and although a rope was u sed to help those carrying the stretcher, the party spent hours to cover approximately It mil'"es. First theFe was a steep rock face c!ltimb al'ld trav e[ a sharp liidge. Whilst g<?mg algng the ]atter a Srtr. J ®h n meJ![1©eF am <ll altlhougJrr he some dIstal1lC€ down tJrre steep b ce, he was very bec a use had he slipped t o the other SIde he would have fallen over a 50 ft. <cliff the rescue party r eached a cleanng and the injured man transpClTted in a truck to Mount Mlsery boundary gate where he was transfe.rrecd to the ambulance which the j OlHlll ey Tih.e wfIDole operati@lll took llline 'bEours; an @[ biJbHte 11las been paid th.e excellent WOiJiK (GaiJiiJiiJecdi out by the Fescue paFty.

I N DIA.

annual r eport of the Chief CommIsslo.ner for the Empire of India gives so me lllteresting data on the worlf' ?ut by of the Brigade Overseas that DIstnGt. Throughout tke year in of the COUllltry me mbe!rs m m ereasilllg l1lumber to) pn[)vide WIthout orr: caste, {Gr eecdi, 0; n rst al.d t o t ih®se ti])l meed of it a t pubbc gatill,ermgs w11ether of Fe]igtioiM-s devotee£, sports fans, or lP©litic a l

338

and marsing for those wh!om

J.[OJ. Junes a l1ld sickness had confined to hospitals or their hom es.

For th e first qu a rt er of the year th e Bombay Nursin g Divisions we r e fullv occupied in looking after the Rap wi passll1g through th e port. The Amb ulan ce Divisions of No. 111 (Bombay) Districts r endered first aid to nearly 1,800 cases transported over 3,500 sick a nd ll1Jured to They r en d e r ed gr eat aSSIstance durm g the disturbances caused! by the RI.N. ratin gs; an d one of the Parsi Division performed a brave service when in a nswer to a call he drove his ambulance through an excited and transported t o hospital some mJured m emb ers Trained personnel of the B.B.& c.I. Railway gave first aid to a record numb er of 26 , 746 cases during the year, and thos e of the G.I.P. Railway to 8 , 257 cases.

Throu ghout th e r ep ort su ch instances as q uo ted a bove are g iven; and m emb e rs of t ilwe Brigade A t Home wish their col]eagues O verseas continu ed success in the wo rk of St. Joh n. CYPRUS

Major. J.. V. Abel a (Com miss ion er, D1stnct) sp e nt days in Cypru s dunng ll1spectll1g Police AmDI:VIslOns and witnessed demongIven by the Cyprus Police at N Ic.osla Larnaca H e a l so visited P?hce statwns a t Famag u sta, Lefkonio, L][ilTh assQ[, 3JIUiGl KY!liel1lia, whel-e h e met memlgel-S of tilue 1Pohce are also memoel-s of t liill@Brigade Overseas.

Majo.r congra tulated the members on. effiClency in first aid and their SplFlt of service which induced them t o take up such humanitarian work. -

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PEEPS BEYOND THE SYLLABUS (IV) JUST SALT AND WATEf\!

By MAjfOR Ri. C. STEWART, M.D.

(Divisional Surg eon , 58/5 UWe stern Postal and St. Maryleb @ne Division) S.].A.B.)

Sitting on a cliff looking out to sea, what more appropriate subject to 'write about than- just salt and water. Having swallowed plenty in m y time, I can fairly claim some in side knowledge on the subject! But what about you, how dull, how uninter esting many may say if I read those thoughts aright, and how many, I wonder, with this point of view can read mine-" what--s" ; how important, even vital, a matter to us is just salt and water. But to come mown to earth, or should I say sand, why are salt and water so important? w en, let's start at the beginn ing and remind emrselves Qf the rehtionship between these t wo substances. We lUse taib le sait at our m.eals, nGt because it is better for us- or tastes nicer than common or cooking salt, but because the latter has a great afiinity for water, which it gets from the moisture in the air. It goes sticky like s u gar and corrodes the salt spoon if it is metal, so we commonly u se ones made of g lass, bone, or plastic ins t ea d. Now apply the same rule to our own b o di es.

We are composed chemically of all sorts of different substances but, whether we like it or n ot, by far the greatest amount of our tissues are made up of water. This water is constantly changing. A fr esh supply is taken in each day in the form of var ious drinks and, of course, many of the fruits and vegetables we eat contain 90 p er cent or even more of water, while other common eatables, although n ot lookin g very watery in appearance, in fact almost invariably .cQntain over So per cent of water, while even, butter and margarine contain about IS p er cent; in other wor ds , zi oz. of every lb. you buy, is-just water. Now all this wat er intake is necessary in order to make up for the water loss daily, which is consid erab le.

Every day we get rid of about zi pints of urine, to say nothing of the fluid lost in our breath as wat er vapour (1 pint), and in the form of inv isible sweat (i pint). In a ddition, a furth er 4 pints of water if we perspire much, visibly, making in ali 7-8 pints of fluid lost each day under hard working conditions . In this fluid is lost also i oz. or more of salt. W e all kn€Jw the $alty tal'ilg of €JUT lips willen it is v.e r y hot and we have b een p ersp iring free[y, and can even f eel the powd ery r emain s of the salts when the sweat dries on our face s.

Now ju s t as th e sa lt in the salt- ce llar on the dinner-table takes up moi sture and b ecomes sticky, so the salt in our bodies is essential for many purpos es, one of the chi ef of which is the retention of water in the body So yo u see, th e old common-or-garden salt as it is called really is important, and this is surely recogni ze d in the express ion" the salt of the earth".

In the body water is both inside the cells and in the tissu e spaces outside the cells. This particular typ e of sa[t is associatecil with water outside the cells, while al1otihe!lf type with whicln we cue mot ()O[lcenmed, yesides mainly within the cells.

If €J n e , t he r ef €J!lfe, over a peri€Jd Gf tim e eats 0@Ilsi stenHy t€JO i(]ilUlch $alt, water will b e r etain ed! in t he bo d y and we ight will tend t (1) in c!I.-ease , so that the salt intake in those overweight or with dropsy, becomes of importance R(1)ck salt is commonly given to horses and cows in their stalls, and is esp ec ially good for the latter after calving.

Ther e are two little glands about the size of thimbles 'which are pyramid shap ed and sit one above eacll kidney, and are called the supra-renal glands (or adrenal for $hort). Thes e are essential tQ life and play an important part in this water and salt cQ[iltrol, aide d b y t [ile ip>i'tiuitail.-y gland in the b yain. If both supra-renal glands a iFe ciD211!liiliil agedi runepaiFab lliy, Gr !Fe mGved at @i]IDe ratiOilm , tible person or animal will die i!liil ilG ecaUise iti!ffi!e @@dy wiD l!]i}J1i!cn IDGre W211te!lf 2ll1i'ld! salt tham. it can spaTe; muclliil niilJ([i) re umiJilile than n mma[ w ]ill[ be pass ed containin g tlnis l€Jst salt. 011 t he other balld, when this happens, life can be maintain ed and h ealth r es tore d 339

by giving salt and water and injections of an extract of .the .supra-renal gland. The latter is essential as otherwise the water and salt WIll slInply run through the body and be lost 'in the urine, the body being powerless to retain it for its needs, unless the gland extract is available to help it. If we go to otheli extreme and give too mlach gland extract, then we should expect tion of salt and water in the body, which in :fact takes place wIth Illcrease III weight and waterlogging of the tissues which often shows first as cedema of th e hmgs.

In the mouth, the tongue is used to help us to chew our food, on one SIde then on the other, finally to belp in swallowing. At the same bme, there are taste huds which help us to appreciate the flavours in our food . Of these, there are four main tastes, salt, acid, bitter, and sweet. It is surprising how different things may taste in different circumstances; swill your mouth out with normal saline solutiqn (r teaspoonful of salt to a pint of water) and then dnnk some water and the latter will taste quite sweet, by contrast. When you cut your finger accidentally and suck it, the taste is not very salt, but th ere is the same amount of salt present as in saline used for transfusion purposes, i.e. only just less than r per cent. Try this interesting little test sometime on one of your practice nights, Or at home, and you will be convinced. Make up a little normal saline (solution as above), and then compare the taste of this with a solution of exadly the same stFength only made up in milk. Sip the milk first, roll it round your mouth, judge the degree of salt taste, then spit it out and rinse the mouth with Now rep eat with the saline, and you may @e surprised how much more salt it tastes. The reason is that the fat (cream) and protein in the milk mask the salt taste as do the seifum pmteins in blood.

Salt and water taken by mouth is a good old-fashioned emetic and soon makes you sick. Any strong solution ef this type, sea-water for instance, will have this effect; sugar also, as .the child who eats too many sweets well knows.

The acic:il in the stomach is manufactured from salt which speaking chemically. is sodium chloride, or the sodium. salt of hydrochloric acid. The separation of th e latter acid from the sodium and its 'secretion into the stomach for digestive purposes is carried out by certain special cells for this purpose only. The r ed cells in blood especially adapted to exist in the surrounding medium ot saline, and if they are washed free of their plasma, as they can be, and re-suspended in this saline they retain their normal shape and size. If, however, the saline is too strong, the extra salt sucks water out of the red cells and they beceme crinkled If the saline is weaker than normal, the opposite occurs, water into th e red cells which swell up and may even burst. The importance, therreiore, of the strength of saline solution is at once apparent in connection with saline transfusiop-s.

In many conditi0!lls there is serious water loss from the body which must be replaced, and usually salt loss as well. They occur commonly in such cases as diarrhcea and vomiting, only t00 C0mmO]l unfortunately at this time of year in babies and small children; in cases of food poisoning in adults, and in that unpleasant tropical diseas€, cholelia, whi<;h trGlilJ.bled S0 many troops in th e late war. An astonishing d egree of d ehydration can be caused in this way, accompanied not only by loss in weight but also prostration and great weakness, which may lead to death. The mouth is very dry and tongue furred, lips are parched and cracked as commonly occurs in fevers. There is littl€ m no saliva, whose properties normally prevent the onset of these changes. Swallowing WIth throat mouth b ecomes imp€lssible, and explailils why nothing but lIqUId food can be gIven for nourishment. No amount of treatment of the cause will save these lives if the urgent replacement of the fluid and salt loss is Gmitted. Likewise, in extensive burns, copious exudation from the raw areas causes loss of salt, water, and proteins, all of which must be lieplaced. Some years ago r:niners ir: African goTd mines sufferec:il greatly from cramp. A famous BntIsh phySIOlogISt, Professor Haldane, went out to investigate this and f01md the oomJd be by givi.ng them a drink with a salty taste. Everytbmg went smoothly unbl the miners found the great cure was34(;)

j Llst salt and water! What in [a,ct happened was this. The heat was intense in the mines, the work very heavy, and the miners sweated profusely-lost wa'cer and salt. When they came up to the surface they slaked their thirst with water drinks on.ly. h1l Gther words, they only took water in to replace a salt and water deficiency-hence the cramp.

Without pursuing this .matter fudher just now, it is not difficult, I think, to understand the importance that lies in two such simple substances. I hope, also, that some of you l11ay perhaps agree with me that salt and water a,re not quite sneh uninteresting substances after all.

THE BRIGADE SURGEONS' CONFERENCE

The third Annual Conference of Sur- announced that the Lay Instructor's geons was held at Bonnington Hotel, Certificate is now out of existence, and London, on September 27 and 28, when stressed the need, especially to Divisional the Surgeon-in-Chief (Dr. N. Corbet Surgeons, to obtain copies of- Brigade and Fletcher) presided over the gathering. County Orders. Dr. Corbet Fletcher conThis was the first post-war conference of cluded his address of welcome with the surgeons and the response had been quite words: "Once again, I am happy t<D good although some counties were not welcome yo u, and I thank you eacb. and represented. all for the support which you have

At the opening session the Chief Com- given me throughout my term of office. missioner (Lieut.-General Sir Henry Pow- Perhaps you may be interested to know nan) gave an address of welcome. It was, that I am the first general practitioner to he said, remarkable that so many busy occupy this post." people can find time to come all these long The programme drawn up fm the COFldistances to a conference on St. John ference was then started, and the Surgeonmatters. I am a newcomer to the Brigade, in-Chief called upon Major A. C White having served eighteen months, but I have Knox (Commissioner No. 1 District) to seen quite a lot of the work and am give a talk on " The Brigade Peace-Time enormously impressed with the amount of Set Up " which gave his hearers something assistance which the lay members get from to discuss. This was followed b y an you members of the medical profession. informative talk by Maj€lT-General Sir Without your help we could not exist- Heneage Ogilvie (Guy's Hospital) on without it we should prove ourselves "Shock-Its causes and. effe€:ts". A inefficient. So you see that it is really special Canadian Army Film was shown useless for me to say I am grateful-you and it was interesting to note that many are essential to us. 3,750 members of the items given in the film were covered by medical profession are helping us every the St. J ohn Textbook. day and every week in the year, and I am This concluded the first afternoon, and sure that you realize the Brigade does a the evening was given over to a dinner and useful work otherwise we should not get dance at which the Surgeon-in-Chief 3,750 busy people helping us. I am sure received the guests. Following the" Loyal you will have an enjoyable conference Toast" and that to H.M. The Queen, and I hope it will be a fruitful one. I am Mr. R. S. (Hon. Surgeon to the very glad to see you here to-day. Middlesex Hospital) proposed the toast

The Surgeon-in-Chief thanked the Chief of" The Venerable Order of St. John". Commissioner for his words of welcome. The reply was in the hands of RearThis was the fourth conference that had Admiral Sir Cecil Wakeley who, in a taken place since he became Surgeon-in- "nautical" sp.eech, referred to many St. Chief, the first being for County Surgeons. John instances he had come across with It was a great pleasure to revive these the Royal Navy. Th'e toast of " The St. conferences. The Brigade has always John Ambulance Brigade" was given by rather tended to treat its Surgeons as Mr. F. W. Lindgreen who remark€d that :figureheads. The Brigade wants no members of his profession (chartered passengers. There is a tendency to forg€t aCCOUiPltants) also dealt with figures. the fact that we all in the Brigade work Straight ones (figure I), curved ones for nothing. This fact should be driven (figure 3), and waist€d ones (figure 8). He home whenever the general public are expressed thanks for the work being done being addressed. Th e Surgeon-in-Chief by members of the Brigade and t1wen went Ol1l t0J speak of the duties of the to the pleasure it gave him to be associated surgeons. Not all of the surgeons were with their work as an auditor. Major keen, but there was a circle F. G. Darvil-Srnit1J. (Brigade Secretary) \ of them doing splendid work for which respond ed and. announced that it was they alone are responsible and for which 31 years ago since Dr. N. Corbet Fletcher the' Brigade is intensely thankful. He joined the Brigade. 341

County Commissiol1{;!r F. Edwards (Shropshire) proposed" Our Friends", to which Mr s. Patey repli{;! @.

The to ast of "The Chairman" was given by County Surgeon B. Hart (W.R. Yorks;h.ire) who paid ttriIDl!l.te tG tilhe WGlfk of the Surgeon-in-Chief over a nlJl!mber of years. He was an inspiration to them all amd they were [orhm.ate to halve h.im as th{;! Chief. On rising to reply the SurgeoJil.in-Chief was greeted by song, and he was much moved by the glowing tributes mad.e by Dr. Hart.

Those present at ·the dinner included Brigadier \!If. B. G. Barne (SecretaryGeneFal of the O:rder) and Sir Clive Lidd{;!Jl (Director of Ambulaflce).

The Sunday morning s{;!ssion opened with "Aids to Teaching ". DF. Hoby (Kent) gave particulars of the use of the

Service. It is of interest to note that Dr. IBankes was for some tirile a Corps Surgeon ot tifue Post Office Corps of the B!lfigade.

Other matters dealt with were Reexaminations of Divisions (by Dr. Stoker, Lond on), and Standatrd of Examinations (by Dr. B Steele, London). Thus came to an end the first post-war Conference <il£ Surgeons, and Dr. Cotrbet Fletcher exptress;ed his thanks to th ose who had supported the gathering Dr. H. Povvell (County Commissioner, Somerset) proposed a vote of thanks to the Surgeon-inChief which was supported by Dr. Gladys Wilkinson, of Cheshire, and carried with acclamation.

REPORT ON CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE

Quiz, whilst a letter was read from Dr. During the past six months the Brigade Natharn (London) who was unable to get has b een represented at numerous COl1alemg, regarding obtaining from hospital ierences, and the following give particulars authorities a report of the cases which. St. of those attended. John members take tG hospital. Dr. D. J. April 26, 1947, at Gloucester.-" The Nicol (Birmingham) demonstrated theuseof H ealth Visitor in a Comprehensive Health plaster casts in competition and other work. Scheme," organized by the Royal College This was followed by a joint talk by of Nursing. St. John was represented by County Commissioner Edwards and Dr. Lady Boyce, Vice-President, Gloucester Nicol on "Th{;! Standards of Marking ". Nursing Division.

Many m{;!mbers took part in the discussion April 29 to May 1, 1947, at Nottingwhich followed and it was the opinion <Df ham.-Short Course on Rehabilitation run those present that some directive should by the British Counicl for Rehabilitation. be issued for the use of surgeons of the This was attended on behalf of St. John Brigade who undertake competition by County Officer Miss M. A. Lee (Notjudging so that (;!ach would be in agree- tinghamshire). She visited various m{;!nt with each other. Centres and Settlements and heard Dr. M. l\tI. Scott (London), a member Qf addresses on Rehabilitation, mostly dealthe Textbook RevisiGJ1l Committee, gave ing with the Industrial angle. a talk on " The Supplement of the Text- June 25 to 27, 1947, at Friends' book ", putting forward the reasons why House, Euston Road, London.-Interthe Slllpplemeflt had been isshle@i; the national COIiference on Maternity and manner in which it had be en prepared, Child Welfare, at which St. John delegates and the work which was being undertaken were Mrs. Girouard, the Countess of at the present time by tIDe Rev[s i<Dllil Com- Brecknock, and Miss Cunard. A Child mittee. This subject drew many rnembe1"s Welfare Exhibition was staged by No. 1 to their teet, but unfortunately there was District. not enough time to 9Jiscwss ;the matter at July 5, 1947, at Sheffield.-Open length. , Conference o;rgamized by the Royal College Dr. Gordon Wallace (Dorset), who is of Nursing, St. John being represented by also a M{;!dical OrffiJlGe!lf Hiealth, gave an County Officer Miss AShberry (West interesting talk on " The Co-operation gf Ridling of ¥oiFkslilitre), who sent in a most the BFigade with Local Authorities ", a nd interesting r eport showing that the Conthis was; followeGL by ciliscussiGn on the ference was divided into two sessions, fractured spin{;! (introduced by Dr. Rees, OJJie o:m PililbarnlG H ealtih and one on Industrial Priory for Waies), Red Piping on Uni- Nursing. Prominence was given by :timms, @y IDir. iHebbijethwaite, and Orde[, speakers to the recent International Congrades on correspol1@ence. It was t lruJe :tieliemDe America, Miss Durramt (Distrid unanimous wish of those present that Nursing Officer, No.1 Disbict) gmving an lied p rnpi11l!g sflil!ou[d be wom by all surgeons account of her visit as a delegate. of the Brigade (whether executive (0[' Juay 9, ]947, at Cemtrai Hall, W es tadministrative) and that they should all minster.-National Associliabon for th.e pla:ce their grades in Ule Otrder on their Prevention of Tuberculosis Conference notepap{;!r. entiUed "CGmmonwealth and Empire Following lunch Dr. A. L eslie Bankes H ealth and Tubetrcul0Jsis Comfetrencce ", at (Senior Medical Officer, of which St. John was represented by the Health) gave a talk OIil the Natwna1 Heaml Countess Btrecknock.

342

NAVIGATION ON THE ROAD?

When the Queen Mary enters a busy port, she and all the other vessels obey the recognized lights and signals on which safe navigation depends.

We, too, obey lights and signals - and rely on them for safety - whe'n we drive or ride or walk on the roads.

We are, in fact, "road navigators." Modern traffic simply could not work without a set of rules which we all accept.

Why, then, are there still acciden ts - far too many? '

Partly because we don't all know and understand the rules and principles of Road Navigation. And even if we know

we forget or ignore them. And partly because some of us don't yet realize that the rules apply to everyone walkers as well as cyclists and drivers. Any of us can cause an accident in which we or other people get killed or maimed.

If we all understood the principles of g€.wd Road Navigation (based on the Highway Code) and obeyed them all the time, traffic would flow faster and more smoothly. We should all get about more easily an d, above all, more safely . By learning to be skilful Road Navigators, we can help ourselves and everyone else to get home safe and sound.

GET HOME SAFE AND SOUND

Issued by the Ministry of Transport

343

HEADQUARTER NOTES

Appointments.-The fonowing ments have been approved b y H.R.H. The Grand Prior :Captain Frederick Lubovious Richard, lYLB., to be Acting County Commissioner for Staffordshire.

County Surgeon Anacletus ByrneQuinn, M.B., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., to be Assista:nt Commissioner, Southern Area, County of Staffordshire

LANCASHIRE DISTRICT

At a meeting OJ the District Staff, held on September 20 at the Park Hotel, Preston, the Commissioner, Major BurtHamilton, presented to Mr. VV. G. Smith, his predecessor in the office of Commissioner, a beautiful silver tray suitably engraved with the Brigade Badge and facsimile 'signatures of his quondam colleagues. The Commissioner spoke in glowing terms of th e work and that of the Distri<1:t's former Chief, and express€d the hop€ that his retirement would!. 'be blessed with good health and happiness.

In mis response Mr. Smith thanked a ll for th€ir kindness to him during the twenty-ene years he worked in the District-fourteen as Commissioner, as well as for the splendid gift which would be a constant reminde:r of happy days in LanGashire. Mr. Smith added that he was still Galled upon in Ireland to do a little Brigade wOFk, bl!lt that it was not quite the fMll-time job he had in LanGashiFe.

The annua[ JUistriGt CO!l'l.JereIiJ!ce, attended byaibout 500 delegates, was held on September 27 in the Cambridge Hall, Southpert, through the kindness of the Mayor and Corporation of the County Borough. The Mayor, aCGompanied by the Mayoress, we1com\Old the members and was thanked by the Commissioner, Major E S. Burt H a milton. A period of silence was observed for those who had passed away during the year.

Th.e financial statement was by District Officer Han[s , who appealed to Divisions to send in their subscriptions before the end of the year.

The Commissioner reviewed the year's' work and expressed satisfaction with the supp.ort received. Whilst desiring maXImum freedom for every unit, he stressed the need of team work which meant strength. After giving ali account of functions of the new St. John CmmcIl, he urged the revival OJ road patrols an@. phltting in repair and use omce agaim the roa<;l. huts

District Officer Fl-ederick George Porter tID be Assistant County Commissioner, County of Staffordshire, vice Captain F. L. Richard.

District Officer Percy Houghton Ellis to be Assistant County Commissioner, 'West Surrey, vice Assistant County Commissioner J. P. Flavin, appointed County Headquarters Staff.

culties experienced after 1918, the Commissioner felt sangume of the future and asked for an all-out effort to obtain the right type of member whose reward would be the satisfaction of helping the sick and injured.

Blackpool.-In Blackpool 's big entertainment houses, packed almost every night with holiday-makers and residents, many mishaps occur. Unobtrusively , states a recent issue of the Blackpo ol Ga zette and Herald, mingling with the theatre, cinema, and ballroom patrons, are members of the Blackpoo l Nursing Division of the St. John Ambu l ance Brigade. The report goes on to pay tribute to the work of these members who last year dealt with 1,471 cases. This year, at their Promenade First Aid Post a l one, over 6,000 cases have been treated.

Asst. Commissioner W. H. Gastall spoke on First Aid in the N.F.S., and County Surgeon Dora Wheeler referred to the Nursing Competitions and the wearing of the caps, pointing out the danger of hair when dealing w ith wou nd s.

District Officer Miss Lamb superintended an instructive demonstration on the wearing of uniform, pointing out fault s noticed by the Nursing Staff at recent inspections. She added: "old uniforms don't matter, if they are patched, clean, and worn as they were intended to be."

D istrict Shlpt. Miss Moore reviewed the of the Nursing Divisions, competibo ns, trophies awarded and donated, and appealed s]Decially for Lancashire to b e !"aised from third to first position in the Medical Comforts' list.

District Officer Mrs. Bayley gave a brief address on. Cadet Work, pointing out the need for lllsurance and mentioned the Musicians' and Authors' trophies and the scheme lor :pen friends overseas.

Comparing the present with the JPiropaganda and reerl!litment difficulties 10rmed the genera!l. theme in jpGiIDlts raised by .delegates a!lild a suggestion that pro'0atwtlary members be allowed in ad!.ult diffi.- di v isions was received with acclamation 344

The County Borough of Southport and the Southport Cmps were thanked by District Officer Cel. O'Grady, a congratulatory cable was sent /to Viscountess MOl!lntbatten, and the proceedings cOl1l:ciluded with the singiliilgof the National Anthem.

COUNTY OF {;UMBIllRLAND

The annual inspection OJ the Ambulance, Nursing, and Cadet personnel was Neld in Fitz Park, Keswick, and taken by County Commissioner Dr. Lamberton.

COUNTY OF DERBY

Derby and District Corps.-County Commissioner H. C. Chambers carried out the inspection of the Corps which was held on the Rolls-RoY<1:e Si]Dorts Grem nd. He was accompanied by County Siupt. Miss Sutherland. Corps Supt. Major H. B. L. Mills was in command with Corps Officer E . G. Florence as Adjutant. The Rolls-Royce Work's Band supplied the music. After the inspection and march past, the Inspecting Officer presented thirteen Service Awards to members .

COUNTY OF ESSEX

Chelmsford Area.-The combined annual inspection was held (0n the Chelmsford Cricket Ground, where SOHae 250 members paraded. County Commissioner Col. J. L. Hamilton was the inspecting officer; others present b,eing the Mayor of Chelmsford, Sir Adrian and Lady Richie, and members of the County Staff

COUNTY OF HEREFORD

A combined inspection of personnel from all parts of Herefordshire, together with contingents from Shropshire, Worcestershire, and Monmouthshire, was held on August 31 in the Castle Green, Hereford. An impressive parade was

inspected by the Chief Commissioner, (Lt.-General Sir Henry Pownall), who was accompanied by Lady Dunbar-Nasmith (Deputy Superintendent-in-Chief), Sir James Sleeman (Chief Commissioner Brigade Overseas), and the H(0n. Mrs. CoplaNd -Griffi ths (iLady Su perintem.den tin-Chief, Ba-igad!.e Overseas). A special service was held in the Cathedral where the Dean of Hereford (The Very Rev. Hedley Burrows) conducted the service, the Chief Commissioner reading the lesson. Some 1,000 members were on parade, and the music was supplied by the City Band and the Drum and Fife Band of the Ebbw Vale Cadet Corps.

On the previous day methods of dealing with aCG[de:m.ts under ali. conditiom.s were demoliilshated at the . Castle Green. Demonstrations and displays were given before an enthusiastic crowd, and a running commentary helped the general pu blic to realize what exact ly was being done. The Hereford City Nursing Cadets gave a figure marching exhibition, whilst the boys gave a display of P.T. In addition to the first aid demonstration an exhibition of Medical Comforts was present.

The parade was under the c0Jmmand of County Cemmissioner G. N. BulloGk, who was accompanied by County Supt. Mrs Hopton. Asst. Commissioner H. J. Harris was responsible for the programme of events.

COUNTY OF LINCOLN

Scunthorpe and District Corps.-Asst. Commissioner M. C. Lavin inspected members of the Corps on September 13, when some 250 personnel paraded under Corps Supt. J. H. Theaker. The :parade was led by the Scu:m.thorpe Corps Drum and Bugle Band. Those present included the Mayor (Counci.llor C. Todd) a.1'l.d the Mayoress, Corps President Ald. M MQrgan,

l'awe Pressed! Stee[ C©. D[vision (Oxford Cmrps), Nol@ers of the" Furley enW ", iprese:m.ted by tme W[ciI!IDw of Sm J(0hn Ftufley a.1'l.d competed let' atmuaUy by Ambulance Div[sions in (Jd0Jnil County 345

Vice-President Councillor R. Gough, and members of the County Staff. After the inspection and t€a, the parade attend€d evening service at St. John's Church whe:ce the sermon was loy the Rev. J. E. Swaby, Vice-President of the Corps

COUNTY OF N@TTINGIIAM

The first post-'war County Parade took place at '.iVelbeck Abbey on September 14, when 91 Division , comprising 193 Officers and 1,096 other ranks, paraded under the command of District Officer L. 'IiVard "Walters. The Inspecting Officers were Lt.-General Sir Hemy PO 'wnall (Chief Commissioner) and Lady Dunbar-Nasmith (Deputy Superintendent-in-Ch.ief), and they wer€ accompani€d by Co n!'1!missioner G. E. Hardy, Wmifred Dlllchess of Portland, the Mayor and Mayoress of Mansfield (Ald. Mrs. E. '.iVainwright and Miss D. Wainwright), County VicePresident C. H. Geathcote, and Mr. J. Sanderson (r€presenting the L.N.E.R. ambulance movement). County Staff present included County Surgeon P. M. Gettlesom, County Supt. Miss Gibson, and others.

Followimg the insp€ction aJJd lnanch past Sir HenFY preseNted S€rvice Awards amd acl!dr€ssed th€ parade. He cONgratulated the members on their turnout, the marching being unusually good. He referred to the Brigade generally and mentioned that there was now extra work to do and increased personnel was necessary to carry out this work. Sir Henry hoped the Cadet Movement in the County would continue to flourish. Lady Dunbar-Nasmith also addressed the parade. They all F€alized that t1il€ cQliImhy was fac€d with a crisis, and those who had not m.uch iNfl.w.ence on important events wondered how they could help That question was very easily answer€d by members of St. J ohIi, for the task of the Brigao.e at the moment was to do all in its power to assist in maintaining the health of the nation. The mew h€alth services were so vast that if they were to be carried out efficiently th€re must be a volumtary movement mam:rl!ed by traimed! personnel to assist

COUNTY OF NORFOLK

Lady Albemarle, Assistant Commissioner Dr. Rutledge, and C. B. Andrews, County Supt. Dr. May Rutledge,County Cadet Officers H. C. Denny and Mrs. G. E. Portal, and (DtheF COU1!lty Staff members.

Blakeney.-A successful fete was held at "I-bl'fway ", by k in@. permissiom of Colclllel and Mrs. G. E. Portal, the latter, who is Coumty Officer for Nursing Cadets, being responsible' for the organization.

Sennowe Park.-There was a large attendance of Ambulance, Nursing, and Cadet personnel on the occasion of the presentation of awards by Air ViceMarshal F. P. Don. Those present included County Commissioner Sir Thomas Cook, COlllnty Pr€sident Lady Cook , and members of the County Staff.

COUNTY OF OXFORD

Banbury.-The importance of training received in the Cadet Movement is shown by the fact that Banbury has s ix Grand Prior Cadets, five of whom are members of the Adult Division. Two were mobile V.A.D s during the war; A/S. Beryl

Grand Prior

Division.

Davis served in Naval Hospitals in this country, A/S. Lily Jones volunteered to gQ to India in 1944 and is now doing her training at Horton General Hospital. The @tbers al"e doing very good work with the Nursing Division.

West ClxfoFd.-We West Oxford Div ision in preparing and pu blishiNg a Divisional Programme which Over 100 Officers attended the County covers activities from August 25, 1947, Conference held at Sennowe Park on to September 11, 1948. By this means September 21, when many aspects of members can see exactly what is to be future activities of the Brigade were done at Divisional meetings, and also what discussed, including inter-area Gompeti- public duties have to be covered. The tions and co-operation with the National programme arranged is an interesting one. Fire Service. In addition to first aid and home nursing County Commissioner Sir Thomas Cook classes, there will be special talks Oli1 presided, belmg smppoiJj teC!il by Comntr sulDjects such as "'Emergency C'hildPresident Lord Albemarle, County Pres[- hirth ", ancl. vis!i.ts to ffi1il!iI!!lS eUms an@! dent Lady Cooik, County Cadet Presi€illemt im.:filJrmaries: 346

COUNTY OF SURREY

Addiscombe. - Cou nty Commissioner Vi. G. Pape carried o ut tIle annual inspection of tl1!e Acldiscombe ' Division which paraded under District Officer E. J. Prew. Coam.'1missiomer CO[1Jgratulated the Division upon its efficiency and smartness,. making particular reference to the work undertaken by · members during the war. Also present was County Cadet Officer F. 'IN. Steel and ' Div. Surgeon F. H. Sparling. .

COUNTY OF WILTSHIRE

Corsham.-An impress ive ceremony was held on September 6, vvhen a new ambulance, received through the Home Ambulance Committee, was dedicated and handed over to the Corsham Division. The Vicar of Corsham officiated at the

OBITUAR,Y

'\iVe regret to announce the death of the following :-

District Supt of Stores (R) S. B. Piers, who died on September 2 at Hastings in his 84th year. Mr. Piers, kno,vn affectionately as " Grandpa ", joined No . 1 District of the Brigade in March, 1891, and served until 1909 when he resigned owing to ill-health. He rejoined in 1915 and continued his membership until September, 1936, when ' he trans£erred to the R ese r ve. He served with the St . .John personnel in the South African \Var and was awarded the South African Medal in Bwnze (of which very few were struck) for his services in training personnel. He held the Service Meda1 of the 01"der and five Bars; and was an Ofiicer of the Order. At his funeral Asst. Commiss ioner Heywood (East Sussex), District Staff Ofiicer Burton, S. /Se rgt. Woodward and Hon. Sergt. Barclay (who served under him in the Stores Department of No.1 District from 1915 to 1936), together with members of the Hastings Corps paid tribute to one whose service to others was his first consideration.

District Officer P. G. BeHison, willo died on September 9. Mr. 'Bettis on enrolled in the Homsey Div is ion (No. 1 Di.strict) ilJl July, 1926, transferring to the Homsey British Legion Division in 1930 becoming Superintendent of the Division a few months later. After serving with the Ealing Division from 1933 he was appointed Area Cadet Officer in 1945 and District Officer, Central Area, in 1946. He held the Service Medal of the Order. At his fun eral Asst. Commissioner Capt. Steele aam.c,j] malwy offi@ l de :f!riends w©re present, also representativ€s the Post Curam OtrHm LO€llge of Free-

dedication, whilst County Commissioner A. R. Towerz ey handed the vehicle over to Supt. Shillaker. In doing so the Commissioner Ct:ongratulated the Division on the excellent record which. had enabled tihel1l:\l to 3ljpply syocessfully for th.is most up-to-date ambulance to augment the original Ol'le which had already conveyed 1,180 patients to hospital. Members of the Di vis ion had provided £4 00 themselve s towards the cost.

Melksham.-The third annual Horticultural Show and Gymkhana proved a great s uccess. The Horticultural Section attracted a record entry of 520. Those present included County Commissioner Towerzey, Mrs. ]'owerzey, who presented the cups and awards to the successful competitors, County Vice-Presidents Lady Fuller· and Mr. L. F. Moss, and County Cadet Officer Mrs. G. E. Moss.

Superintendent David Stitcher, whopassed away on September 9. Mr. David Stitcher was the "Father of the East London Family" of the Brigade, which he joined in 1902 He took charge of the No. 30 Division in 1919 and was responsible for the forrhatio!tl. of the East London Nursing Division, Tower Hamlet Ambulance Divisio n and also the Ambulance and Nursing Cadet Divisions. He was an Associate Officer of the Order.

Mr. Albert Wright, who was VicePresident of the Littleport Ambulance Division. He always showed great interest in the work o£ St. John, and when the ].v\1 0. Ambulance was given he made personal attendances at the local cinema for funds, which now stand at over £ 1,000 His death will be a great lo ss to the Brigade and to the Division.

Sergeant A. Boyer, who joined the Brigade 35 years ago at Ilkeston and was a member of the Markham Main Corps for the past 21 years. He held the Service Medal and Bar. Full Brigade honours were accorded him at the interment.

Corps Cyril Wood who di©d on September 18. Mr. Viood joined the Brigade in 1906 and rose from th€ ranks. At his death he was C01'pS Officer and Treasurer of the Morley and District Corps. He admitted a Serving Brother of the Order in November 1938. The Corps and Ardsley Division have lost a loyal and esteemed member.

Canon J. F. Clayton , a Chaplain of the Order and a valu ed friend to the work of the Brigade in the City of Norwich for years.

Private A . J. Gray, who died whilst o£J. holiday. He joined the Highbridge i[1J 1943 an@. sho\>ve@. mu<>:h enthusiasm and energy , for the of the Bniga@e. Many local orgalllzatlOns were present at his funeral.

347

RAILWAY AMBULANCE NEWS

LONDON AND NORTH EASTERN

North-Eastern Area.-During the period ended August 31, 1947, thirty-six members of the Area became entitled to the, Long Service Medal of the Company, whilst 15 Bars were also gained. The latter include twelve for 20 years' service, two for 25 years', and one for 35 yectrs'. Owing to the restriction on the use of gold in 1941 certificates were issued in lieu of gold awards. As the position is not likely to improve for some t,ime it has been decided to iss ue silver gilt medals and bars, and these will be available in six months' time for the Staff bec;ame entitled to them during the 1941 to 1947 i:m.clusive. During that tIme the number of awards gained by mem bers in the North-Eastern Area were 488 Me dals, 176 Bars for 20 years, 77 Bars for 25 years, 33 Bars for 30 years, 16 fQr 35 years, and 10 Bars for 40 years.

SOUTHERN

Ashford.-Over 300 members and friends were present at the concert and

social arra n ge d by the Ashford Works and Motive Power Ambulance Classes . Mr. F. A. Trott (Centre Secretary) presided in the unavoidable absence of Mr. Chitty (Welfare Officer) at the presentation of awards and before calling on Mr. J. E. Bell (Works Manager) to present the awards, he paid tribute to Drs. Gray and Hod gson for their services and the tremendous' assistance received from Mr. ]. T. H enneker and Mr. H. Bowes, the Class Secretaries.

Portsmouth.-Presentation of awards to the Portsmouth and District Ambulance Class was made by Mr. Corney (Goods Agent) who promised all support ;to further the movement. Mr. West (Station Master) referr.ed to the efforts of Mr. Chedzey, Class Secretary

District 4A.-A First Aid Quiz was held at St ] ohn Headquarters, Horsham, and provided instructional entertainment . Dr. Pitt adjudicated, whilst Mr. Trott acted as Question Master. Four rounds were held and Horsham were declared the winners over Brighton No.2 by one mark. Mrs. Illston presented the prizes.

" DEWAR" FINAL COMPETITION

13EARERS Nos. 2 AND 3.

INTRODUCTION TO TEST.

Late one evening you two are home after do wn a quiet in Jonsgate. you across a man lymg on the pavement Just outsIde a house from WhICh you can hear sounds of laughter.

You aTe carrying a haversac; and you know that your Divisional Surgeon lives about 3 minutes' walk from thIS house. Act as you see fit.

Time limit 15 minutes. Warning at 10 r'ninutes.

STAGING AND ACTION OF TEST.

. Arrange fwm door. of and sitting room furnished with couch and chairs . Mark on patient sImple fraetures Jeft nbs a?d n&,ht fo!earm. The if summoned, sends back word that bearers sho,uld treat pallent hIS arnval. He comes Just as test ends, takes report, and arranges for .F>atlent te @e sent to h0SpItal. N@ tele.F>hone is availamle.

IMMEDIATE A CTION.

PrGlmpt advance; speak to patient (replies)

Ask what happened (st1;lmbled and felI)

Ask if in pain (left chest and right forearm)

Ask if any bystanders in street (no)

Knock at fr,on.t door and for help

And permISSIOn to brmg m patient (certainly) •

Ask what help available (man and wife)

If they are qualified first aiders (no)

Consoling words; and warn not to move

Deciae Garry patient into h01;lse.

Method @f carrying and of pladng on CGluch •

Ask if tele.F>home availamle in F1ol!lse (a@)

EXAMINATION OF PATIENT.

Ask colo1;lr of face (pale); breathing (shallow)

Test pulse at wrist (weak); skin (cool)

Ask of pain in chest (sharp, cuttIng).

Ask if pain worse on breathing (yes).

If any .blood coughed up from lungs (no)

Feel Irregularity (seventh and eighth left ribs)

Ask if clothing damp or signs of wound (no) . . . . .

Diagnose simple fracture of left rims

Examine right forearm for l@ss of (yes)

Swelling (yes) ; (yes); wound (no)

Diagnose simple fra cture right forearm

Method of excluding injuries elsewhere (none).

TREATMENT OF PATIENT.

Consoling words; again warn not to move fiat; loosen clothing: keep wa rm

Wnte report; ask wife t ake to surgeon

Apply two broad bandages round chest

Centre ?f first above, of second below, seat of pam

Lower overlapping upper to half extent . Knots tiee?- in line on opposite side

SUPPo!'t lImb 1ll arms ling

Place :.:orearm at nght angles to arm

Across chest, palm of hand towards body

Two padded splints on front and back of forearm.

Two bandages round both splints

One .above fracture and the other round as figure-S and

Support in sling used for fractured ribs OF PATIENT.

Awalt aoctor; ask if hot water bottles (no)

Keep warm; ask for and give cup of hot tea

.

Proper use of

of man 'and

SOME MEDICAL OF AND MINE FIRST, GASES

By Dr. J. TREFOR WATKINS

ASPECTS

(Synopsis of a Lectwre given in Neath and Cardiff under the First A id in 1\11 ines . Campaign, organized by the Priory for Wales)

Mine air no't differ from atmospheric air, except that in its passage through the mme the ventilating current yields a certain amount of oxygen to th.e coal and the various processes of combustion, and receives in place a certam amount of other gases. These replacements are the mine gases.

From a practical view point these gases of medical and first aid interest fall i l1to two main groups :-

(I) The Common Group, which consists of Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, and Methane.

(2) The Rarer Group. This consists of :-

(a) The Hydrocarbon Group

The Ethanes and Paraffins

The Ethylenes and Olefins

.(b) The Nitrogen Oxides . (c) Hydrogen Sulphide.

(d) Sulphur Dioxide.

Each gas of significance is considered under the following headings :-

(I) Its properties in brief.

(2) The cond itions of its occurrence.

(3) Its effects upon life.

In v iew of the fact that in so many cases the causative factors glvmg rise to mine air contamination are similar, one gas may be associated with another.

The commonest causes of pollution of mine air are in brief:-

(a) The R esp irato ry processes of men and animals.

(b) The Combu stion processes associated with the technical operations of a mine, especia lly the use of explosives and spontaneous combustion of coal.

(c) Th e decay of organic matter, e.g. timber.

(d) Ox idation of coal and other organic substances.

(e) Gases d erived from the surrounding strata .

Generally these causes, either alone or in combination, account for the occasions when the mine atmospher e has become so contaminated that it offers to those expose d, danger which may b e so great as to take life.

THE COMMON GROUP- CARBON MONOXIDE

This gas is usually described as a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas, supporting neither life nor combustion. However, it burns with a peculiar bright bluish flame, and 'when mixed with air in the proper proportions (from behveen 14 per cent and up to 75 p er cent) is explo sive.

The presence of Carbon Monoxide below ground indicates the immediate need fo r and remedy of the cause.

Carbon Monoxide is rightly considered the most dangerous of all mining gases. Its effect upon life is the result of its affinity for HCBmoglobin, that all important constituent of Blood which is the vehicle which tran.sports oxygen to the tissues for their vital processes. The Carbon Monoxide acts solely by displacing the oxygen from its combination with HCBmoglobin forming a stable compound for gas-carrying purposes.

Carbon Monoxide has no specific effect on the lung tissues and it is only po isono"Us because we are dependent upon functionin.g HB for oxygen transport. The symptoms of CO poisoning are clearly the symptoms of oxygen lack and vai'y according to the depee of saturahon r eached i@y the blood HCBmoglobin .

This depends upon the concentration of gas in the air breathed, the length o f time it has been breathed, and the capacity of breathing, which dep ends upon 349

the violence of the person's exertions. It also depends upon the shortage. of oxyo'en and the presence of inert gases in the mine air. A:-tmospheres contammg CO common after dust explosions, and call for specIal care on the part of rescue teams entering areas of this type.

Usually CO poisoning dem.onstrates itself an IliIDpamilnent of senses, power OJ judgment, of movement, before the perwn IS aware. of being ·wrong. There is palpitation and shortness of breath. SometImes there IS excitement -but often drows inesfS and stupor. .

The explosive mixture called Whitedamp contains and CH4 and IS dangerous. In severe cases death is rapid, but even m very severe cases, wIth treatment, recovery occurs, but may be slow, with unpleasant sequelce.

THE EFFECTS OF OXYGEN LACK

The fundamental purpose of breathing is to supply oxygen for the of the body. The effects of oxygen shortage differ according to how s,;<'Tlftly the oxygen shortage is prodlilced. . .

(r) If tl1e shortage is very slildden and severe as might occur when breathmg black dan:ilp, the blood becomes de-oxygenated, and within 45 there IS sudden striking unconsciousness due to oxygen sl10dage to the bram.

(2) If the oxygen shortage is less severe, the effects depend on h.ow it is induced. The effects become noticeable when the oxygen 111 the msplred arr falls below 14 per cent.

(3) When the oxygen lack is very gradual and ample tIme IS avaJlable, then all the compensatory activities of the body come into play. . .

The practical application of these observations is most important, and IS well summed up in a paragraph of Haldane and Priestly:-

" Danrrer Jfises from the gradlilaJ. and insensible :failure of judgment. A man sufferingb from anoxcemia will usually go on, and insist on going on, with what he set out to do. An airman wil] very probably continue to ascend, oblivious to danger; and a miner engaged in rescue work or in dealing with an underground fire will insist on going on when he is suffering from anoxcemia. of carbon monoxide poisoning and will even fight anyone who tnes to make hIm desist.

CARBON DIOXIDE

.This is commonly termed Blackdamp, Chokedamp, Stythe, etc., and is a colourless, odourless, :non-combustible gas. In ordinary underground working conditions the amount added to the 'll!!llderground atmosplileJfe is not significant.

As long cas the efforts of the lungs to exert themselves to the effect of CO 2 in the air are not attended with discwmfort, the person is in no danger. There is a noticeable difference to the individual w hen the CO 2 concentration in inspired air rises over 3' 0 per cent. With higher percentages more toxic results show.

NITROGEN

This is an odourless, tasteless, and colourless gas suppor:ting neither life nor combustion. It is distinctly negative in its action on life, and non-poisonous. The effect of gradually increasing the percentage of nitrogen is the same thing as decreasing the proportion of oxygen, and could cause death by suffocation.

The NitrG'I!ls FiUmes gDO 'ttlP: wfuen explliosives conitaining Nitro-glycerine and Nitro-Glycerine group compcmnds burn rather than explode, their gases of combustion conitain large quantities of CO and Nitric Oxide, which latter is quickly converted into Nitrogen Dioxide.

It has been claimed that Nitrous fumes can be more poisonous than H 2 S, and th at there is no gas in mining more treacherous in its effects. The fumes act as an acute irritant to the eyes and upper respiratory tract, which, if the fumes are breathed in a sufficient conoentration for a long enough time, after a varying laten t pefriod, may result in acute Bronchitis, the consequences of which may be serious. .

- SULiPlHiUR ID]@XIDiE

This arises generally from the combustion of coals containing Pyrites or other sulphur-containing matters-usually in the presence of Oxygen. The gas is 350

colourless, i11combustible, and heavy, and has a very irritating smell. It is a great irritant to the eyes and upper respiratory tract, even in small concentrations.

HYDROGEN SULiPlfHDE

This is a colourless, sweet-tasting gas, with a distinctive and offensive od our. It arises chiefly from the decay of animal and matters containing sulphur, and also in association with the combustion of sulphur-containing explosives. . .

It is highly poisonous, exerting first an irritant effect, and then tOXIC effects on the human body. Permanent after-effects may result from poisonous doses

METHANE

This gas is not concerned with respiration, and is without active .on life. One aspect of methane to be emphasized is its frequent assoclatIon WIth carbon monoxide.

The importance of a full knowledge of the anatomy and physio.log.y of the respiratory system is emphasized in order that the pr0cess Of. be adequately understood. This knowledge is essential for the nght appreCIatIon of the principles and the importance of Resuscitation.

The Respiratory process is not a simp le one, but put 111 ItS fO.rm .IS the matter of the effect of pressures exerted by Oxygen and Carbon 111 the blood and in the tissues. When the gas tensions in the alveolar aIr and in the blood are compared, it is found that the pressure differen.ces are such as to enable a gaseous interchange to take place because of the dIfference of. gas tension on the two sides of the Pulmonary epithelium (the alveolar Im111g). Oxygen is taken up and Carbon Dioxide is given off..

The aim of all treatment in cases of poisoning from tOXIC gases IS to. r.ecreate the normal gaseous exchanges which take place under normal cond ltlOn s in ordinary atmospheres in the lung alveoli. ,

The principles of First Aid in relationship to the dangerous gases can be summed up very briefly. .

The First principle is the principle of SWIft removal of the sufferer. to a safe environment The Second-th e principle of Rest. The casualtIes .should be oarried out on a stretcher. The Third principle is the prmclple of Resprratory freedom. It should be asce rt ained immeciliately that there is no mechani.cal obstruction to breathing. The Fourth principle is the principle of combatmg Shock. If breathing has ceased artificial respiration must be. comm.enced immediately, together with the administration of Carbogen. ThIS IS a mIxture of 7 per cent CO 2 and Oxygen.

On no account shou ld a person so found be left unwatched and not at rest, even after apparent full recovery.

All rescuers should be aware of the danger to v"hlch they are exposmg themselves and thu s take obvious precautions. .

All First Aid men shou ld be familiar and expert with the different techmques of artificial respiration, and be able to apply is most suitable m:-der the paJfticubr circumsbnces wi:tlh.@uil: Th!ls ef1&Clency can only be ob t amed by constant and repeated practioe on the ?ody"

It is suggested that it is good. practice to ma111ta111 wlthm the underground workings at strategic central pomts,. a .apparatus..

The importance of speed skill m. the mltIatlOn of all first aId measures 111 connection with toxic gases IS emphaSIzed.

NOTICE TO READERS

THE ST. JOHN GAZETTE is published on the 15th of each month. The Annual Subscription is 5s. post free; · s iingle copies 4d., by post 5d. REPORTS AND PIIOTOGRAPNS shauld be addressed to The Editor, St. John'S Gate, London, E.C.I, and should reach him not later than the z8th of the month .

SUBSCRIPTIONS a.nd, ADVERTISEMENTS should be forwarded to British Ltd., 46-47, Chancery La·ne, London, W\ C. z. 351

Headquarters: Priory House, 4 Cathedral Road, Cardiff.

INTEREST

Welsh Home Service Ambulance Committee.-The Hon. John H. Bruce (Chairman) presided at a meeting held on September ·29 at the Shire Hall, Shte:'Vsbury, which was attended by the fol1owmg representatives of the two constituent bodies :-St. Joh n: Brigadier General L. P. Lewis Evans, V.C. (Card), Lieut.Col. G. W. Wilton-Higginson (Den), Mr. H. C. L. Riggs (Flint), Dr. Gwyn Jito<t:yn Jones (Mom), Mr. G. M. McIl11tylfe (Caern), and Mr. H. J. Peacock (Glam). B.R.C.S.: Dr. M. M. Basham (Mon), Miss B. Carr (Merion), Miss A. Fletcher (Den), Miss A. J. , Stepney-Gulston (Carm), Mr. A. H. Jenkins (Glam), and Mrs. Williams-Ellis (Caern). The Honorary Secretary, Miss G. Ross, and Honorary Engineer, Mr. C. H. Smith, were present.

The Committee is resp onsible f©r 48 Home Servi«:e Ambulan<t:e StatioID.s in Wales, the w-ordinated service iflhe Priory, beiNg affiliated. The number has

. been increased during the past two years by the alloeation of war service ambu-

lfeSeal"<t:h had !Fesulted in many reforms towards the suppression of coal-dust diseases in mines both at home and abroad' and a constant desire to serve his men found expression in his unstinted services to the Priory for Wales, which was recogni ze d this year by promotion to the grade of Commander. Although he had recently acceJ?ted. am. appointment at h!i.s interest and partIcIpatIon III Pnory affairs wou!l.d have continued.

Uniform for Sale.-The foll owing items of second-hand uniform available for purchase from the Stores D epartment at Priory House may interest purchasers lacking the necessary clothmg coupons to buy new :-Jacket, trousers, shirt, Order tie, gloves (white kid, size 8i-), cap 7 in., Sam Browne belt and brace. The measurements are 46 in. ; il;J.side ieg, 31t in. ; waist, 44 in.

CENTRE REPORTS

CAERNARVONSHIRE

lances converted where funds ha ve been Cadet Inspection.-A parade of 130 made available for the purpose to :mit Cadets was drawn up und er the command civilian requirements. of County Cadet Officer W. Cliffe, in the

A report was given on the progress of grounds of Vaynol, the residence of Sir negotiations with the county councils Michael Duff, Bt., Chief Officer Ambulance for the incmporation of these servi<t:es in Cadets, Wales, and COl;n missioner for the schemes fOlfmulated for consideration Caernarvonshire, for annual inspection by ulllder the National Selfvice Health Act. the Cmmnissioner for Wales (the Hon. Tlue prosp€d of national provision is John H. Bruce). The Deiniolen Silver making it extremely difficult to maintain Band was in attendance. In addressing voluntary services, and the Chairman the parade the Inspecting Officer stressed urged up on those present the necessity the importance of Cadet work and comfor keeping the ambulance contribution plimented units present on their smartness. schemes in being until such time as the He thanked Sir Michael for all he was Act becomes operative. doing as Chief Cadet Officer as well as Priory Christmas Card.-Members of the the service rendered by him as County Priory will be receiving by post details of Commissioner. Tea was pro v ided for th e the Card which win be available for Cadets and their friends by Sir Michael. plH<t:hase by members of the Ord€lf in who also presented numerous prizes which Wales , the Brigade, Association, and were won tly the Cadets in the sports Committees. following the inspection.

Obituary.-The Priory has sustained an First Aid Well Done.-A report has irreparable loss by the sudden death of reached Priory House on an incident Professor T. David Jones, C.B.E., M.Sc., reflecting great credit upon the efficiency Ph.D., F.G.S., who was killed in a car of Corps Secretary H. Neville, Arfon Corps. accident on August 30. Dr. Jon€s was At about 2.30 p.m. on August 14 an accione of Britain's foremost authorities on dent occurred on Mostyn Broadway. mining and metallurgy and was mainly Ambulance Officer G. Edwalfds was on responsible for the inal!lguration al'ld the rear of a bus and looking back saw a organization @f the series of speCi:ial calf smashed against a tram standard. He lectures by experts ananged by the First was unable to do anything. having p asse d, Aid in Mines Committee of the Priory hut at the Next stop jumped off his bus given to large audiences of colliery first and ran across to Corps Secretary R. aid men, in South Wales. His advanGed NeviUe who immediately rushed to tl1e 352 ·

scene of the accident. He found the driver of the car had injuries of the chest through the steering wheel hitting him, an old lady with a lacerated wrist , broken forearm, and a suspected fractured femur, a lady with a badly cut faoe, and another lady with cuts and shock. He remleredl first aid and saw the patients removed to hospital. Four reports were sent in paying tribute to the skilful and sympathetic handlin g of the casualties

GLAMORGAN

Ogmore Valley Recruitment Campaign.Ambulance and Nursi n g Divisions from Ogmore Vale, Blackmill, and Nantymoel combined in organizing a public parade and demonstration of first aid which took place at Ogmore Vale on September 20. The object was to attract public interest in the work with a view to enrolling new students into the first aid class es commencing in the various Ambulance Halls on September 22. The Divisions were "marshalled by Corps Sergt. -Maj or C. Keen and the procession, which was in the charge of County Officer G. Barnett, was headed by the Ogmore Valley Silver Temperance Band At the Recreation Ground, Ogmore Vale, the members gave a display of first aid to a large crowd of spectators whose int erest was attracted also b y a striking tableau. Officers present included Asst. Commissio ner D M. Jones, Lady Cou nt y Officer Mrs. vVaters, Lady

Corps Supt. Mrs. Rees. and Corps Officer E. J. Roberts, who was chairman of the J oint Officers' Committee responsible for the organization of the event

Bridgend Divisions.-Ambulance ali1d Nursillg membel"S have given valued service throughout the summer months at the First Aid Huts erected at Ogmcre by Sea and Southerndown, which have been staffed on Sundays and Wednesdays throughout the season. In particular, praise is due to Nursing Sister Mrs. Cummings who has not failed to be in attendance on any Sunday, as well as participating in the weekday duties. The number of minor accidents occurring from time to time at these :popular res0Tts make the provision well worth while.

Caerphilly County Area.-The Commissioner for 'Wales (the Hon. John H. Bruce) inspected units of the three Corps in this County Area on September 20, in the grounds of Ystrad Fawr, Ystrad Mynach, where he was accorded a civic welcome by Councillor Samuel Lewis, Vice-Chairman of GeUygaer V.D.C. Addressing the parade, the Inspecting Officer said that with very little effort tlilJe ambulance movement in the Area would reach the 800 mark. He welcomed Mr. W. J. Skyrme, the new Assistant Commiss ioner in succession to the lat e Dr. S. B. Turner, and took the opportunity of welcoming those who had returned from

353

the armed forces. There was n o n eed, h e said, to emphasize the esse:qtial import a nce of first a id in a mining district such as this and he assured them that the Priory was backing up the efforts of the N a ti@nal CoaJ Board in its eJj]'oeav@U1!1fs to save life and limb, allev iate suffering, and promote The CCDrnmissioner present ed Dr. Lionel E. Jones with a Priory Vote of Thanks and a warrant of appointment to Cou nt y Office r S. H. Sharpe. The Hon. Mrs. Bruce hand ed Service Medals to Lady COl-PS Officer Mrs. E. M. D eaco n, Sgt. A. H opley (Gellygaer Divi sion) a nd Corps Secretary H . Jones (Riches Corps).

CITY OF CARDIF F CENT R E

Special Duties.-Civic occasions have added to the u:m a l cal[s for dutv in the . City of Car di iff at spods gTO umd s , etc., ouTing the past lTlOJ.1l!th. A twelve hour rota of Gluty was arra n ged for September 10, an historic day in the a nna ls of Cardiff w h en t h e Castle was formally hand ed over to the City b y the Marquis of Bute. The" Battle of Britain" Display on September 20 called fo r specia l a rra n gements , 'wh ich were carried out satisfactorily

Annual Presentation.-The Dowlais VVGl rks Divi.sion spent a n e nj oyable day, on the occasion of the annual p r esentation 0] awards, @n a tour which terminat ed a t Newport, where a dinner was held a t the Wes t gate H ote l. Those present includ ed the General Manager Dowlais \ iVorks, Captain C. G. Treharne (Commissioner), Dr. E d gar Llewellyn, Ass ista nt Surgeon-in- Chief for Wales, Counc ill or Jenn y Llewellyn (Vice-President), a nd Dr. Mary MacKenzie Evans.

BOROUGH OF NEWPORT CENTRE

Assistant Commissioner Retires.- A perso nal letter of thanks for long continu ed services has been received by As sis tant Com missioner Bernard Evan Maberly, fr om the Prior, the Earl of Powis, on the occasion of his retirement. Mr. Maberly has a proud record of St. John Service d ating back to 1896 when he took his First Aid certificate, three years after bein g appointed Divisional Superrntendent of the mewly fGlnJiIl.ed H a lll. dJswQFth. D ivision, transferred to th e Ailied Com miss io n, Austria.

Birmingham. For service in the South All Div is ions in Newport combined in African vVar, from 1899- 1903, he holds carryin g out the duties in vo lved in the the Queen's Medal and three Bars, the R oyal Gwent H ospital Fete throughout King 's Medal and ' two Bars, and the August Bank Holid ay week, during t h e Brigade Overseas Medal. On demobiliz g.- co urse of w hich over 100 cases were dealt tion, Mr. Maberly l ost n o time in g iving w ith at the Brigade tent in the Fete the Brigade the benefit of his war-time grounds. Ambulance Cadets gave u seful experience in the training a nd instruction service as messengers to the Fete of classes In 191 G, h e was tra nsferred, as organizers; and Brigadier G. N. Gaske ll, a Co unty Officer, to Cardiff and placed 011 of the Blood T ransfu sion Service, has the sifa ff o;fi t he f CDif Wales expresseCill! than ks fo r t ihe assi.stance of the for inspection purpo ses. From that time Brigade in giving publicity to t h at cau se. onwards h e gave va1Ned service as a On the occas ion of th e Newport Sh ow at County Office r u'ntil 1940 when he was Caerl eon Race Co u rse on August 28, 29, appointed to the office of Assistant Co m- and 30, m embe r s were a lso on dut y in the missio ner f or Cardiff. During the course jumping and parade rin gs , an d the Main of his Brigade career, his work was F irst Aid Post was st affed by members of recognized, in 1920, b y admission to -th e the Newport Nursing Division, w ho also Order as Serving Brother, the award of carried out duty there for Messrs. a Vellum V Gte of Tha nks following in 1929, Ma r k s and Spenc ers' Staff Sports on a Priory V ote of Thanks in 1937, a nd in September 14. 1943 ]i>Tofiiiloti @:w. to th.e gra([]e offic eili- l'wo !IID@;trGli-c oadl od! m embers and. (Bmt her). their wives held what it is h op ed will be Mr. Maberly 's lieco[-d adGls a s tron g [ink the first of an:w.ual o utilll.gs to vVestonto a :family chain of Brigade Service super-Mare on September 14 , leav in g started by his f ather, the late Dr. F. H Nevvport at 9 a.l11. and arriving at vVeston Ma b e rly, County Surgeon for Staffordshire, for lunch. , and now continued b y his daughter, Miss Miss J oyce Screen had th e good fortune Jean Mabedy, a Cadet Officer, Cardiff to be selected f or a ttend a nce at the - E m erge ncy Nursing Division, who went afternoon party a t St. John 's Gate in abroad in 1943 as a Nursing Ass istant in reco gn ition of serv ice s rendereci to the an Overseas R elief Unit under the Joint \ iVar Organization. Th e day was f u ll of \ iVar Organization, in which capac i'ty her and hke aU t1'1@se wh@ W@lie t he work in Gl-eece was rec ognized by the b a dge OT the Ord e.r of St. John, Mi ss a waro of the Greek Red! CiI:GlSS M'eCiilaL;In S.creen !lfetUlillliedi 'ifee[ing mO!Fe eve!F June , 1946, she und ertook duties as a proTId oi the organization to wh ich s he Social Sel- vice Vlorker, and in 1947 b elongs . 354

A IR T RANS PORT

The Count y of Somerset h as taken a keen int erest in th e possibilities of Ailr A mbulance work as a d evelopment of Brigade Service in the future.

The Post-War Reconstruction Committee drafte d a simple scheme with a r ecommen dation that the Brigad e should own a nd eq uip a emergency work; and that m the special ?f a Ir transport work, nursmg, a nd actual fl yi ng experi ence, should b e carried out.

It is interesting to note that Corps Transport Officer of Weston-super-Mare has demonstrated the valu e and importan ce of Air Amb ulance work.

first was a brain injury The Brigade was g Iv en one hour 's notice to a r:angements for the transport of thIS patIent to Cardiff. A plane was charter ed and within an hour and a quar ter the patient, a ch ild, was in the hands of a specialist . A doctor accompanied the case.

The second case was a brain tumo ur. A small p lane was used as the patient cou ld be as a siti ing case. The tnnmg of tllls case was 10 a.:n. h osp it a l to airport, plane waiting four mmutes to get patient from ambulance -and settled in comfort, eight minutes' Journey across Channel to Cardiff waiting at landing ground : fifteen mmutes from plan e to hospital and brain specialist. Two months aft er the oper a tio n the patient was flown from Card iff to W eston-super-Mare on a stret cher. Th e time talk:en fWill th e in Cardiff to the patient's home 1ll Weston-super-Mare was within a n hour; the j ourney by road would h ave taken four hours plus the crossin g by A u st Ferry.

For the third case the Transport Officer a plane for a patient in a senous condition requiring transport from \i\Teston-super-Mare to Glasgow. The St. John Ambulance l eft t ihe 110spitad WIth th e stretcher patient at 9.45 a.m., the plan e took off at 10 a. m. and a rrived at Renfrew a t 12 15. As the plane l an d ed the St. Andr ew's Ambu la n ce came through the gates, t ook off t h e patient and completed th e journey to Glasgow by ro a d The .Transport Officer an d a St . . J olm Nursll1g p er sonn el accompanied this case. Th e journey would h ave t a k eli 15 hours by ro a d . On these journeys St. John a n@. eqNipnlle!lilt were ilil£ed an d the were t hose u se d in ordinary adapted f @ r a stiFe tc ih,er. Tifle eost of 'the small prane is Is Gd. per mile, for the larger pla[1le 2 5. Gd. per m ile

355

THE ASSOCIATION IN INDIA

In the annual r eport for 1946 it is state d that durin g th e year 35,441 p ersons attended 1,954 courses of lectures in hGIiJ.'le mursi!lilg, h ygien e and s a mtatlOn, domestic h ygien e and mothercraft.. .Of that number 25,369 gained ASSOCIatIon awards. In addition 2410 qualified for first aid vouchers, I, i for medallions, and 1,390 earn ed labels. R e-examinations in other subjects gained 231 further awards At the Mackenzie School Course 5,805 received instruction whilst 4,826 gained awards . . '

Over 4,000 m embers of the various railways attend eo classes; whilst Courses arranged for army p ersonnel catered for 477 Officers and other ranks. The police a lso assisted with training a nd organized classes. Cours es were organized in prisons, reformatory schools, and other institutions, whilst th e St. John training co urs es to the yo uth interested over 18,0 00 stud ents. The number of those qu a lified in Domestic H ygien e and Mothercraft was more than treble the previous year's total.

Textbooks were supplied printed in Eng lish , in HinGli, in Punj a bi, in Urdu, in Gujrati, in Marathi, and Bengali. On e new Centre was formed in Burrabazar, making a total of 416 Centres.

FOR.THCOMI N G EV ENTS

OCTOBER

Cadet County Officers Conference, Amersham.

NOVEMBER

Welsh Railways AmbNIance C01 mpetition (organized by the Priory for Wales), City H a ll, Cardiff. Southern R a il way R edbridge Cup Competition, Southampton. No 1 District, Central Area, Cadet Bazaar.

Da.nce of the Shoreditch Ambulance and Nursing Cadet Divisions, St. Monica's H a ll, Hoxton Square. Annual Dinn er and Dance of the Hos]plitallers' Club, Cora Hot el, London.

25. Annual Social · of the Western Area No. 1 District, S .J .A B., smith: 31 an d Nov. 1 a nd 2. G 8. 15. 22 28. No. 1 an d 2 R egion s (Counties of Durham, Northumberland, East, North, a nd \iVest Ridings of Yor kshire), Week-end Conference, Harrogate

Fiirst Nat!ional St. John Cadet Competitions, R oyal Horticultural Hail, London.

UNUSUAL ACCIDENTS

The following are taken from the Industrial Accident P r eventi on J:J u ltetin to show how if proper precauti<0ns are taken, may be

Jammed Window causes Injury.-

During a spell 'of hot weather a factory worker tri.ed to ojplem a wa. l!1G1! ow. Tfu,e sash. had not Deen raised for some and had stuck. The man's hand slipped, plunged through the glass, and was cut in several plaees.

To prevent such occurrences the maintenance staff of the works concerned has now been instructed to make a routine check of all doors and windows to ensure that they @pen properly.

Office Hazards.-Office workers are not exposed t<0 a high accident risk 3Jiild the nale by which they are exc[uded from works injury statistics is a sound one. At the same time, there are a certain number of hazards even in office wQrk, as rece nt r eports o nce again demonstrate.

An office clerk, carrying a large ledger that obscured his vision, failed to see a partiy-op(med drawer. He bumped into it and the injury to his knee resulted in

a permanent stiffness of the j oint. In anot her offioe a typist fai led to notice th.at was causing her typewri.ter to shift a lon g the smooth surface of t ihe desk. Fi nally it slipped off the desk altogether and fell into her lap, causing bruises.

Wrench Accidents.-Two accidents recently reported in National Safety News are typical of many that occu r in this country as well as abroad.

A maintenance man was tightening a pipe connection with a pipe wrench when it sli.pped, striking him in the mouth, cutting his lip, and breaking off a tooth. Inspection showed that the teeth of the pipe wrench were worn and dull.

Another maintenance man, tightening a nut with an adjustable wrench, used a piece of pipe to extend the handle for greater leverage. When the wrench slipped he fell against an adjacent machi n e and fractured a rib

AN UNUSUAL CALL

When members o£ the L ewes Division we r e on duty at the Plumpton Horse Show and Gymkhana they were called to attend a horse which had a very badly torn flank and injured muscle which the flies were worrying. In the absence of the Veterinary

the tackled a difficult job aJ.il.d made an excellent band aga.ng ope·rati@n. Reportmg the mCld ent states that (( a lthou gh tine ho.rse was y01!lng a nd only r ecently .m, It must have kl?,own we were trying to do our best, for thro l!lgh Glc:t operatIon n.ever mo,:,ed OlF flmch,ed. I cam assure you th.ait ibandagrn!Flg a horse WIth. Its smooth. h.alF ve!Fy cilliffe.remt ibamoagiil9lJg a hill1ma!ro. ibeil1lg " We congratulate th e members on theIr resourcefulness. 356

against Pain

Some of the oldest prescriptions known to medical science engraved upon pillars of stone by the Egyptians, about the seventeenth centurv B.C. From these prescriptions no physician was to d€viate, upon pain of held responsible if the patient died.

,-r It· took many years for medical science to realise that knowledge is not static hat progressive.

,-r One recent discovery, for instance, is tI:at a small quantity of a powerful drug will do the work of a large dose if it is backed up by the right combination of other drugs.

,-r A direct outcome of that discovery is , Cogene " a scientific combination, in tablet form, of four separate drugs, three being pain relievers and the fourth a stimulant. Because a minute quantity only of each is present, there can be none

of the harmful after-effects that might attend the taking of a larger dose; yet the combinatiol'l. of all four in scientifically balanced proportions is so effective that , Co gene will ' reach ' the most harassing pain more rapidly than could any smgle drug. Supplies are limited, but your chemist will see you get your share. Price Ijltd. a tube.

COGENE

THE HOUSEHO'LD PHYSICIAN

A few of the Subjects treated First Aid Lessons

Influenza, Calds, etc.

Sick Nursing from A to Z Measles, Mumps, Catarrh Corns and Warts

Physical Culture

Beauty Hints

What to Do in Emergencies

Treatment of all Skin Diseases

The Lungs, Pleurisy

Diseases af Women

Hygiene, Anatomy, The Principles of Nursing

The Eye, the Ear

The Throat, the Nose

The Chest, the Heart

The Stamach, the Liver

The Teeth, the Muscles

Infant Welfare

Homoeapathy" lSIeurasthenia

375 Presc:riptions, etc., etc.

Describes in simple language with helpful coloured plates and diagrams

The COMPLAINTS OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, Their Cause, Treatment and Cure

THE YOUNG WIFE will find just the information sne requires who wish their daughters to develop naturally WI". find exactly the teaching they need.

WOMEN OVER 40 will find their difficulties regarding health frankly discussed.

PRESCRIPTIONS-375 praved remedies. There are hundreds of subjects. The musdes, teeth, digestien, hair, feed values, Ju-ji t su, Phrenelagy. How to diagnese diseases frem appearane:e af head, face, neck, tongue, throat, chest, pers piratien , etc.

To VIRTUE & CO., LTD., S3 Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham.

Please send me Prospectus on THE HOUSEHOLD PHYSICIAN without any obligatien ta pUrl; hase.

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INTERESTING CASE REPORTS

CASE R EPORT No. 33 r. - The Officer -in- Ch a r ge of the No IV (Lancas hir e )

D istrict , S J. A .B ., ["ep orted the effici ent p erfor ma nce of first ald b y a n1em b e'l!" of the Ard w ick Nurs ing Div i£ion in the f oHow in g circumst a n ces :-

On Sund ay, July r 3, Am b ul3Jnoe Sister Mrs. E. Simmon ds, w hile on . a da'y's outing , was inv olved in an a cci de nt w hich r es ulted fr 0!ll. a coach Jumplllg a h ed ge an d crashing d own a n emb a nkment aft er co lhdlllg WIth a a t

Ben t ley, D er byshir e . T h ou gh b ad ly bruised h erself and only a sma ll amount of a mbulance m a t eria l , AjS Sim mo nd s s u cceeded In arrestlll g h cemorrhage fro m the p a lm a r arches of h er son and in treating her dau ght er-inlaw for con cu ss ion of the b r a in for w hich sh e was la t er co mplime nted by th e su rgeon at h ospita l. Fo urteen other p a£s;e n ger s wer e treat ed for fract ures, h cemorrh age, a nd sh ock , a nd of thes e three were detained in h ospita l.

C OMMENT.-'-This repor t plJloves onc'e again h ow va luable a knowledg e of first aid

C(iJ,n be both to nealJl 9 1 e Za tives and also to ol(;trselves; and it wins J011 Ambu l ance Sister 1Ilhs. E Simmonds colJl d i al cong91 atula tions on good w011 h well doneN. CORgET FLETCHER .

CASE R EPORT No. 332.-Th e Officer- in- Ch a r ge of t he County of Kent S. ] .A B. rep ort s the efficient performance of fi r st a i d by a member of t h e Tunbr idge Wells D ivision in t h e fo llowing circu mst ances :-

At 8 p. m. on May 30 Privat e J. Ke lly went on a v is it to a farm at Penshurst w h er e h e was t old tha t a b oy w a s d r o"\'VIl ing in the river Dashing t o t he scene

h e fo u n d tha t the b oy h a d b een cau ght in a w hir lp oo l a n d drawn u nder t he w ater. Without d elay h e w hipp ed off h is clothes, enter ed the water, and mad e h is; way to the e d ge of the whirlpo o l; and h olding on to a r op e he sear ch ed the a r ea w ith h a nd s a nd f eet u n til h e h a d t o g ive up h is a ttempt s a t resc u e.

Privat e K elly then issu e d instru ction s t o th e byst and ers t o commen ce d r agging op erations Then, 'p a rtly dresse d, h e m a d e sure tha t the b ysta nders wer e carrying out his inst r u ction s and hast en ed t o t eleph one f or d octor , am bulance, a n d po lice . H e then r etu rne d t o the s cen e of th e. e m er ge n cy a n d assist ed with the dragging op er a tion s u n til w ith the onset of nightfa ll the p olice gave up operations. The b oy's bo d y was r ecover ed next day

C OMMEN T .-Cordial cong11 atu l a tions a11 e ' tendered to Private j. Hell)' who courageously did h is duty a s a firs t aider i n exemjJ l a11Y J ashion and was 'mos t 'u,11JZ'u,chy ,in th at he was no t able to save th e liJ e oj h is young patien t. -N. C. F.

QUERIES AND ANSWERS

Artificial Respiration

W . W. (Southb ourne) . - The coast g uan:l m emb er s of t he Coast Life Savin g Corp s , in 'th e r est or a tion of the a pparently drown ed , u se S ch afe r 's m eth od, a nd our fir st instru ction is t o r e mo ve patient to a p osition a b ove high wat er ma r k. This oft en m eans moving the patiel1!t a c@!ffisider ab]e di st ai1'llicce.

On page 144 of the l'ext b00k ins tr lil ction s a r e g iven h ow t o r oU a pati ent int o a pron e position. One o f m y co llea g u es cont ends (a) tha t this means th a t t he p a tient sh ould be r e m oved t o a b ov e the h igh wat er mark ; an d (b ) t ha t unless the arms a r e place d as d es cr ib ed they w ill be broke n.

My per son a l opinion is th a t in view of f act s (r) t hat the ma j ority of o u r cases a r e r escued d uring shipwr ecks and in b ad weather; a n d (2 ) t hat the patient m ay h ave interna l injuries a nd fr a ctures , the a b ov e m ean s o£ tra n sp ort w ould be ver y dan ger ou s. I w ould b e -gr a t eful for y()Ur opinion on t hese points and t h ank yo u in' an ti cipation o f yo ur r ep ly .

r, he instructions of th e Tex1ib@@,k q'llb(') teit @')1 Y@l(;t r eJelJl 11!@t YO ti'be tlJlarnspolJlv vi the to a pO'bnt above tlve w a ter mark , but to t he p osition in w h ic h th e p at ient must be placed as a p 'Jle lude t o the performance oj artifici al respiration. 358

HUMAN OSTEOLOCY, ANATOMY, ETC.

Made Under the ----New J Supervision of Just Professor Issued c. F. v. SMOUT,Birmineham University.

First Aid Fracture Chart

Size 28 x 40 inches Price 17/6

First Aid Dislocation Chart 20 x 15 Inches Price 7/6

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Two Charts, coloured, on cloth, with rollera

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affords rapid relief of COMMON COLDS INFLu,ENZA AND CATARRH Umtaining the antIbodies of the germs common to infections of the n0Se and pharynx (Sta ph ylococci stre ppneumococci, Ji>neumoB.Pfeiffer ), Rbino-Antipeol IS not Just a p al liative, but is a t;he of the During epidemks It IS the ideal preventI ve of mierobic deve.lopmeat.

OPHTHALMO-ANTIPEOL

Is a semifluid ointment, more convenient than tile enlinary Antipeol ointment for ocular infections an4 lesions. Eyes affected by smoke and dust ace soothed almost immediately by the application at Ophthalmo-Antipeol, and the anti!m'liS prevents germs from developing

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The reJerence to th e h ig h waie?' ma'rk does not, ,in my oj) in,i011. , m,ean car1'y i1'bg the patient a quarter oj a mile (as wou ld be a,t some resorts ) but to a spot which th e wa te11 would no t reach wh1,le ar tific1,al r es p1,ratwn was bemg performed Furth er , the T exth@()k on the same page tells you {( artificial means oj restoring the breathing must be 1"esorted to at once".

IJ the patient is tU'Yned on to hi $ Ja ce as described in the T extbook.there is ab so lutely no risk oj causing j'Ya ct ures oj the upper li11'!'bs. even iJ the patient ha s already sus ta ine d fra ctures and mternal mJunes , artific1,al respu'atwn is still necessary because it affords him hi s one chance oj 1 ' ecovery. - N. C. F .

Compound Fracture of Leg

F. B. (Melbourne , Australia). - I am writing on b ehalf of the c?mpetition t eam of the Melbourne Div ision, Brigade Overseas. \V"e a r e competmg for th e Victorian Champicnlship of th e Brigade and wo uld like a r ulin g on the following t est case :-

Both 'bGIileS are :fractured iill the lower pa lft of the leg; the fra ctur e b eing compound and complicated with arterial hcemorrhage and :with protrudin g. A rubber bandage a few inches above the wo und would be meffecbve over two bon es below the knee and if the rubber bandage was applied above the knee ho w would you r elax, or tighten, bandage if bleeding r ecurred during transport after the limb had b een splinted? We would be very grat eful if yo u give us the correct se qu ence of treatment for this job. Also, wo uld it be incorrect "vith this injury to apply indirect digital pressme first t o co ntrol h cemorrhage before pads and bandages are placed in po sition ?

It is incfJrre ct to say that h cem@Jrrhage would notJ be cont1 1 0ll ed an el a s ti c bandage was applied below the kn ees; and it is equally incorrect to suggest tha t h cem011 rhag e would reCU1' during transport iJ the qandage w as properly applied above th e knee. Incid en tally, grave risks are in curred when the circulation is completely cut off in a lim b as it would be by an elastic bandage

P ersona lly , I can see no reason w hy d igital p 'yessure on the Jemoral arte11Y should not be applied whi l s t the dressings are being prepared and applied this being one of the arteries, the p'Yes51M' e point of w hich a11 e retained in the S upplemen t to the Textbook.-N. C. F.

Treatment of Brusli'l BUrA

P. V',1. (Birmingham).-We 'have been discussing th e treatment of a brush burn caused by a r evo lving wheel, the hand being dirty a nd the skin unbroken. My treatment was to clean the hand with salin e so lution as n o ' b icarbonate of soda was available and to put on' a bum dressing. M eanwhil e, I thank yo u in advance

Cleaning the hand w as a wise move and enabled you to be sure t hat the skin was unbroken. Fi>nding that th e skin was intact Y01,L need not have done m011 e than protect the inju'Yed part wit h a clean dressing and bandage.-N . C. F.

Hwmour in First Aid

R. H. (Luton). - Our Di. v isional Surgeon was giving us a final brush-up before the annual re-examination and was asking questions round the class. H e had got on tG wounds and the different types of hcemorrhage and asked on e member to name the hcemorrhage which was bright r ed in colour. The member was ve ry ll€lf VOUS and r emained sil€nt. So our Surgeon, in an effort to assist, said: " You know the an swer sU'Ye ly. It is ihe whirzh spu'Yts." Tbe member imme diately replie d: "Oh! You mean artillery bteeding I " and we all burs t (JUt

Good I Next pZease ! I-N C. F . 360

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Rounded by Nurses fOf Nurses. Carlyle Chambers, Stockport and Branches

INTER-RAILWAY FIRST AID COMPETITION

INDIVIDUAL TEST$

INo. 2. CARD.

Your b0Y, aged 14, has been experimenting with a chemistFY in the wath room. hear a as if someone had fallen. On entering the wathroom yo.!:! find hIm lymg on the floor. There IS an appallmg smell of rotten eggs.

Time allowed 6 minutes. Warning at 4 minutes.

Any further danger? (yes). '

Quidcly remove boy from bathroom

Protection to self

Lay pati(mt on his back.

Speak to patient (no reply)

Is he wreathing? (yes)

Any further assistance available? (wife ' aownstairs) . . . . .

Call to her; ask her to brimg firs t aid kit

And to telephone for doctor.

Reassure wife . . . Nature of breathing (shallQw)

C<;>nditi@n of p1!llse ama weak)

Colour of face (pale).

Condition of skin (cold and clammy)

Temperature of body (lowered)

Do pU)jlils react to light? (yes)

D0 eyeballs 0bjec;:t t @ t @u c;:lil? (yes)

Are pUIOils equal? (yes) ; sire? (moderately dilated).

Diagnose state of stup@r TREATMENT.

Keep low, rurne€!. t@ ome siede.

NO.4. CARD.

Unao tight clothing, neck, cl:est, and wais t

Apply smelling salts to nostrils, first tested

Ens1!lre abundance of fresh air

COND ITION OF PATIENT NOW

IMPROVES " HE I S CONSCIOUS

Eneouraging words, warn .him .to lie still

Examine for any further ll'lJunes (ml)

PATIENT VOMITS.

Preserve vomited matter

Test pulse (feeble) . .

Give hot strong tea or coffee, plenty of sugar

charge.

Retlarn to bathr oom, open windows

Keew door clQsed

Warn no entry for time being

General efficiency and grasp of

You fined this boy, aged 12, impaled on a spiked railing. A spike has penetrated the floor of the mouth, and also the roof of the mouth. Act.

Time allowed 6 minutes. Warning at 4 minutes.

Rapid approach warn patient not to move

Speak to him and reassure him.

Any further assistance (man approacloles).

Solicit his help

Support patient efficiently.

With bystander's help unhook patient

Lay gel'ltly on grOlmd

Any first aid availlab>le (mo).

Ask bystander if he has any material (two clean handkerchiefs)

Note bQy wearing scarf. 0f bleecding (mixed; m@€!.eraM sever-ity)

Ascertail'l no fracture of jaw

Ascertain patient conscious (yes)

Condition of (quick and weak)

Respirati@n (shallew) .

Skin (cold and clammy) • Temperature of body (lowered)

Nature of weather (fine and dry)

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Ensure no further injuries

Apply handkerchiefs to wound

Keep in position by scarf

Ensure bleeding arrested. Medical Assistance (hospital minutes walk).

Is doctor available? (at hospital)

Nearest teleplolone (art hospital)

Decide to patient to hospital

By seat

Explicit instructions to bystander

Gentleness and care of patient en route

Keep patient's head bel'lt forward

Obtain patieFlt's name and address.

Arrange for tactful message to parents

Thank bystander for assistance

General efficiency and grasp of case. Total

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This book sets out to help the First-Aid Competitor and particularly the Team Leader. The information and, advice it contains is based on actual experience. There is nG other bf)ok wfrJich sets out competition procedure in such a helpful manner. it should lead to a standardisatifim of competition work afld an increase in the number of efflcient First Aiders.

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