Old Books

    I have in my possession a book I got from my grandma, entitled Medical Soldier's Handbook. It's not in the best shape, in fact, a large portion of the front cover is gone, perhaps chewed away by squirrels or mice. It's not the cover that interests me, it's what's inside. That should be a metaphor, I'm sure. Never judge a book by it's cover, etc. That's not what this post is about though. It is about this book itself.

    Let's start with the Copyright, found on the back of the first page. It reads: Copyright 1942 By The Military Service Publishing Co. Harrisburg, Pa. Second Edition, August 1942 (3). This tells us a lot. 1) This is an old book. 2) It was published during World War II. Obvious, I know! But this is a historical document.
    The next page and a half are the foreword, which talks about being a member of the Army, the responsibilities that ensue, and obligations one takes upon oneself by becoming a member of the Army. Fairly standard stuff, but not something I have ever seen in a modern military publication.
     On page 5 is some information that makes this book very special. It is titled: Record of the Soldier.
Here is recorded Name, Army Serial Number, Height, Weight, Born (Place) and (Date). This information is as follows:" Pvt. Donald H. Coleman, 32477332, 5' 7 1/2", 140, Smyrna, N.Y., Aug. 5, 1916" in faded blue ink. This is the information of one of my ancestors on his entry into the Army Medical Corps. Maybe you think it's no big deal, but it shows a 28 year old entering the service of his country. This strikes a particular chord with me, because I was 28 when I joined the Air Force.
     The book itself is fascinating, containing many military discussions on relationships with NCOs, Officers and Civilians, Articles of War, Discipline and Courtesy, Insignia, Military Organization, Clothing, Equipment, School of the Soldier without Arms, Squad and Platoon Drill Without Arms, Interior Guard Duty, Marches, Camps and Bivouacs, Use of Compass and Maps, Security and Protection, Military Sanitation, etc.
      The part that I find most fascinating begins in Chapter 15, First Aid. The changes in medical knowledge from then to now are mind blowing. For example, page 178 shows pressure points to use to control bleeding of the head and neck, including: the carotid artery and the temporal artery. For those of you trained in First Aid, when were you ever taught to use the temporal or carotid arteries as pressure points?
      Page 176 discusses the treatment of shock. Number 6 treatment listed is "Stimulants given by mouth." "The best stimulants are hot drinks such as water, coffee, tea or chocolate. A spoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia in water is also valuable." Yeah, never given a patient in shock anything by mouth, let alone ammonia spirits in water. How 'bout you?
     On page 181, the reader is advised to lay someone with a back fracture "flat on their stomach."
     Section V, beginning on page 182 deals with artificial respiration, the precursor of rescue breathing and CPR. "The safest and most effective method of applying artificial respiration is the prone pressure or Schaefer method."
     For drowning, here is the technique, current in 1942:
     (1) Lay the patient face down, force his mouth open, pull the tongue forward, and remove false teeth, juice, vomitus, or debris from his mouth and throat.
     (2) Raise him by the hips in order to drain the water from his lungs.
     (3) Lay him on his belly, preferably at a spot where his head will be lower than his feet. One of his arms should be extended over his head, the other bent at the elbow so that his face can be turned to the side and rest on the hand.
     (4) Kneel astride the patient's thighs, with your knees placed at such a distance from his hips as will allow you to exert the pressure on his lower ribs as described below. Place the palms of your hands on the small of his back with your fingers on his lower ribs, your little fingers just touching his lowest rib, with your thumbs and fingers in natural position and the tips of your fingers out of sight just around the sides of his chest wall. The heels of the hands should be placed as far from the backbone as possible without slipping off.
     (5) With your arms held straight, swing forward slowly so that the weight of your body is gradually brought to bear on the patient. Do not bend your elbows. This operation should take about 2 seconds.
     (6) Now immediately swing backward so as to remove all pressure completely and suddenly. Leave the hands in place if possible.
     (7) After about 2 seconds repeat the operation. The cycle of compression and release should take about 4 or 5 seconds and should be repeated at the rate of 12 to 15 times per minute. 

   (8) Continue the operation without interruption until natural breathing is restored, or until the subject is unquestionably dead. Remember, many patients have died because artificial respiration has been stopped too soon. Always continue the operation for 2 hours or longer.

     I could go on and on, but 2 other quick illustrations will conclusively prove my point. Chapter 19 is Materia Medica. In it, it describes hypodermoclysis, "the introduction of solutions of saline into the loose tissues about the breasts, abdomen, and certain other portions of the body." I've only ever seen this used in veterinary medicine, never in humans.
     The last illustration is simply some of the medications listed in the Materia Medica. Wood alcohol, Ammonia water, aromatic spirit of ammonia, Arsphenamine (Contains not less than 30 per cent of arsenic), Boric acid, castor oil, cod liver oil, hydrochloric acid, Noearsphenamine (contains not less and 19 nor more than 22 per cent of arsenic), carbolic acid, Insulin, N.N.R (new and nonofficial remedies), lard, santonin, sodium perborate, sublimed sulfur, tannic acid, and tincture of ferric chloride. There are a few meds mixed in their we still recognize, such as aspirin, morphine and codeine. but the majority are meds such as those listed above. Aren't you glad you don't live in a time when arsenic was used as a medication?
     Hope you enjoyed this foray into the past.