Emergency First Aid Thinking
During my youth Medical Doctors made house calls. There was a responsibility of the householder to provide the Medical Doctor with general medical supplies. This usually, from my 1940’s experience, consisted of a closet shelf filled with items such as scorched sheeting for bandages. The scorching killed bacteria and the sheeting was placed in paper bags. In addition were gauzes, lint, tongue depressors, sulfur powders, splint sticks for broken limbs, tape, band aids, ammonia for reviving the faint, scissors, iodine, aspirin, various herbal supplements, vitamins, Kotex pads, and many households had a yellow small can with a screw top lid labeled: Ether.
Perhaps you had purchased the recommended text: Peoples Home Library from the early 1900’s about what Medical Doctors used in house visits and medicines of the time. There was also a chapter on proper dining, and a chapter on buying horses. This text gives a clear insight to the times and was available on Amazon.com.
Herbs were often prescribed, but not all herbs were really helpful, and some were toxic along with the mercury compounds and advice; you have to be careful about old advice in books and from stupid people who want to blow their own horn. Yet, this is a treasure book of historical outdated medical information for historical scholarly research. The section on dining room place settings and the horse buying was great.
Often I have encouraged Dear Readers to take First Aid courses and study in their spare time modern approaches to injuries and illnesses. You can not depend upon Emergency Medical Services to get to your home, or business, in time to save your child’s life, nor deliver babies, save heart attack and stroke persons, arterial cuts, major burns; and the list goes on. Weather conditions, natural disasters often hinder Emergency syervices and only YOU can make the difference in life threatening situations. Time is of the essence!
Currently Citizens Phone Company in Floyd now offers: Medi-Alert. Just like the Life Alert as advertised on National Television commercials. You do not have to be an elderly person subject to fallings down, but on the advise of your physician, perhaps you or a loved one, would do well to have this small 600’ radius land line phone link device as a pendant around your neck, or clipped to your belt, lapel, or worn like a watch. Easy to use; push a button and speak through your Medi-Alert to communicate with an Emergency Service Technician who will be able to converse with you. Quite often, as an example, elderly, or ill people can fall down, become confused, and lay dying in the basement, bath, or freezing weather, unable to get on their feet for days. My physician stated that with age when using the toilet your legs become numb and when you stand up- you fall face forward-clunk! Some people have the misguided view that they “might” have a Cell Phone in their pocket to call for help. The Medi-Alert is simpler. It is always with you. Push a button and they know where to find you.
I discussed this with my wife and her first response was “Get it”.
Snow has recently fallen and I, and other old men are out snow throwing with their Blacksburg Power Company, Toro snow thrower. I was testing this machine on my 1500 foot gravel 35 degree angle drive way. Yes, I am back in the sticks. I did notice that the machine, and others also, have the balance at the center of the wheels. This is great for level surfaces, but for up and down hills that we have in Floyd, the machine requires a front-end weight. Otherwise you are lifting the handlebars to keep the machine blowing snow. This is tiring, although not as bad as shoveling, which takes most old men away. I called Blacksburg Power Co in Christiansburg, and behold, yes, the factory does offer a front-end weight system for hills. I ordered one.
My wife insists, and with good reason when I am outside, to carry a two-way receiver from Wal-Mart™ at $29. 00.
Hitting a deer is quite common these days. I was looking at deer damage to a car at Gearheart’s garage. The deer was thrown up over the hood and through the windshield into the back seat. The car was sorely damaged in the front end. Surprisingly the driver was not physically injured but I suspect PTSD was a result. If there was a passenger the injuries could be worse. Cattle and horses are also a concern on the roadways in this rural community; if you hit one you pay.
Years ago while attempting to visit a friend in Willis, my truck slid a bit off the road into a wide ditch. Lacking 4X4 at that time I was stuck for 6 or 7 hours in the cold and not a car came down the road. This was before cell phones. The learning lesson this past cold Christmas season was that people are not home; they were visiting other people. Next is to carry blankets, or a sleeping bag, in the vehicle-and today if you have cell tower connection-use a cell phone. Today I carry two down sleeping bags in my 4X4 Van.
Good luck, and may God Bless you.
Old Timer,
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