Re: [at-l] Third World First Aid Question

["W F Thorneloe, MD" <thornel@ibm.net>]

Again, newsprint, like most things, creates ash when burned. Ash is a base 
and tends to cause an astringent reaction when placed on acid tissue.

The cleanliness of the fan blade was not too much of a problem. It wasn't 
likely to harbor anything nastier than the floor, probably less as few 
people spit on a fan. I think that the ash helped staunch the few remaining 
bleeders, and this healthy well fed and immunized American dealt with the 
bugs on his own.

Now, if the ashes were still hot and glowing, it is well known that you can 
stop bleeding by burning and searing the bleeders. That was how amputations 
were managed before this century, and how bleeders are managed in the OR 
and ER today (usually with the patient numbed in some way).

Heck, salt in the wound would have worked as well, but probably would have 
hurt worse.

OrangeBug

At 05:36 PM 9/15/1999 -0400, OIdMaster@aol.com wrote:
>I wonder why newspaper ashes halted the
>bleeding, and why (if) they prevented infection? ( That fan blade couldn't
>have been strerile! )

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