sake, the bearers are called by numbers. The bearer who marches in front is No 1, the one who marches behind No. 2, and the one who looks after the patient No. 3. 2. As regards Placing the Stretcher. Nine out of every ten persons who had never been instructed in stretcher drill would place the stretcher in the wrong position. It should be brought close to the patient, and not be laid at his side, but placed at his head, and the length of the stretcher should be in the same direction as that in which the injured person is lying. If otherwise placed it gets in the way of the bearers' feet, and there is a chance of stumbling over it, and perhaps letting the patient fall. 3. Placing a Patient on the Stretcher. As soon as you have your patient ready for moving, as, for instance, the broken leg put in splints, etc., No. 2 gives the word of command, "Fall in." Nos. 1 and 2 now take up their positions, facing each other on the opposite sides of the patient, near the hip bones, and No. 3 falls in on the side of the injured limb. No. 2 now gives the word "Ready." Nos. 1 and 2 stoop down and get each one hand under the back of the patient, near the shoulder blades, and lock them; and their other hands are now passed under the upper parts of the thighs and clasped; No. 3 all this time attending solely to the injured limb. The word "Lift" is now given, and the bearers slowly rise, and when upright, and at the word "March," they slowly march by short steps until the head of the patient is over the pillow on which it is to rest. The order "Halt" comes now, followed by "Ready" and "Down," when the bearers slowly lower the patient on to the stretcher. 4. Starting with Stretcher.-After the patient is on it the word of command is given, "Fall in," and Nos. 1 and 2 then get into their positions at the head and foot of the stretcher, and at the word "Ready" they adjust the shoulder straps and take hold of the handles of the stretcher. Then comes the word "Lift," and they slowly and steadily raise the stretcher. 5. Marching with the Stretcher.-Unless a simple rule be always observed in carrying a stretcher, the poor patient may be rolled about from side to side, much to his discomfort and increase of pain; for if each of the bearers march off with the same foot, what happens? Why, of course, at each inclination of the bodies from side to side, the stretcher rolls slightly over. How, then, is this to be obviated? Simply by the bearers "breaking step," i. e., If No. 1 marches off with the right foot, No. 2 must march off with the left, and vice versa. By doing this the stretcher is kept comparatively steady. The step, in marching, must be a short one, and there must be no springing from the feet. The knees should be kept slightly bent, and the hips should move as little as possible. The gait of the Italian hawker carrying a large basket of images on his head, is the one to be copied by the bearers of a stretcher. 6. Halting and Laying Down a Stretcher.-The word of command "Halt" is given, then "Ready," and the bearers now get into the position to stoop. The word "Down follows, and the stretcher is slowly and steadily lowered. "Fall out," and the bearers get themselves free from the stretcher. The patient is lifted from the stretcher in the same way that he is lifted from the ground on to it. A few additional rules are of importance. (a) Never allow a stretcher to be carried on the shoulders, for you may easily have an accident by the patient rolling off; or again, the poor creature might die during the transit without your knowing it, and also the patient would be too high up for No. 3 to pay proper attention to the injured limb. (b) Avoid, if possible, crossing fences, ditches, walls, &c. (c) In going up a hill let the patient's head be in front, except when he has a broken leg or thigh, and then the order is reversed, so as to prevent the weight of the body from pressing down upon the injured part. (d) In going down a hill let the patient's head be behind, except in cases of a broken leg or thigh, when this position is reversed, for the reason given above. (e) Always try and get bearers of the same height; if not, be sure they adjust the shoulder straps so as to carry the stretcher as level as possible. If the patient has to be taken any considerable distance it becomes impracticable that he can be carried by the stretcher. HOW TO REMOVE SPOTS OF BLOOD, MUCUS, ETC. NATURE OF THE SPOTS OR STAINS. ON SILK GOODS. ON WHITE GOODS. ON COLORED Goods. Blood and albuminous spots...... Mucus, mucilage, sugar, jelly.. Simply washing out with lukewarm water. From woollen goods of tender colors, blood-spots may be removed by rubbing with the inner side of a crust of bread. Washing out with lukewarm water. Washing out with soap Beating, brushing, and allowing water to fall from an elevation upon the wrong side of the goods. Oil of turpentine, alcohol, benzine, and then soap. Strong, red wine, fruits, Sulphurous vapor or hot red ink.. Alizarine inks.... Rust, and spots of ink made of nut galls..... Lime, lye, and alkalies in general.. chlorine water. Tartaric acid-the older! Hot oxalic acid, dilute pure its of hartshorn, |Benzine, ether, spirmagnesia, chalk, clay, yolk of eggs. Benzine, ether, and soap, very carefully and in a very weak solution. alcohol. Washing out with lukewarm As with the preced- If the color permits, dilute without increasing the evil. a tin spoon. Rust may Citric acid to be tried; or, in Nothing can be done Simply washing. Much-diluted citric acid, drop for drop upon the Superficial loss of Rub over thoroughly Whenever possible, coloring Nothing can HOW TO PREPARE STAINED SECTIONS OF ANIMAL TISSUES.1 The staining of tissues by the more simple tinging agents, as carmine, logwood, and the anilin dyes, etc., is so easy, that it has always been a matter of marvel to me that, of the thousands of slides one sees (I refer now only to those of stained animal preparations), scarcely any are ever stained so as to show the structures to their best advantage; indeed, most of them are utterly useless. The causes of this failure in producing good and useful stains are several, and in many cases may be due even to the condition of the material when it first comes into our hands; therefore, though this paper is nominally devoted to stains and staining, I shall treat of 1. Material. 2. Methods of preserving and of hardening it. 3. Cutting of the sections. 4. Tinging agents. 5. Method of staining; and 6. Suggest a few points to which sufficient attention is not generally given in the mounting of the sections, after all the other processes have been satisfactorily completed. The Material. This, in all cases, should be as fresh as possible, and I am confident that much of the want of success in staining is due, not so much to inattention to the details of the staining process itself, as to a want of care in having the material quite fresh. It should always be borne in mind that, though for the knowledge of human histology it is advisable to study it from tissues obtained from the human subject, still it 1 Read before the Quekett Microscopical Club by J. W. Groves, May 23, 1879, and published in the Amer. Journal of Microscopy, Feb. 1880. |