wser.
Masters and crews of wrecked vessels should bear in mind that the
success in landing them may in a great measure DEPEND UPON THEIR
COOLNESS AND ATTENTION TO THE RULES HERE LAID DOWN; and that by
attending to them many lives are annually saved by the Mortar and Rocket
Apparatus on the coasts of the United Kingdom.
The system of signalling must be strictly adhered to; and all women,
children, passengers, and helpless persons should be landed before the
crew of the ship.--BOARD OF TRADE, 22nd _December_ 1859.
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Note 2. It is of immense importance that every man in the kingdom
should possess some degree of knowledge on the subject of the
restoration of persons apparently drowned, for no one can tell at what
moment he may be called upon, in the absence of medical aid, to act in a
case of this nature. We therefore make no apology for here giving in
full the rules which have been adopted by the National Lifeboat
Institution. They run as follows:
I. Send immediately for medical assistance, blankets, and dry clothing,
but proceed to treat the patient _instantly_ on the spot, in the open
air, with the _face downwards_, whether on shore or afloat; exposing the
face, neck, and chest to the wind, except in severe weather, and
removing all tight clothing from the neck and chest, especially the
braces.
The points to be aimed at are--first and _immediately_, the RESTORATION
OF BREATHING; and secondly, _after_ breathing is restored, the PROMOTION
OF WARMTH AND CIRCULATION.
The efforts to _restore breathing_ must be commenced immediately and
energetically, and persevered in for one or two hours, or until a
medical man has pronounced that life is extinct. Efforts to promote
_warmth_ and _circulation_ beyond removing the wet clothes and drying
the skin must _not_ be made _until_ the first appearance of natural
breathing. For if circulation of the blood be induced before breathing
has recommenced, the restoration to life will be endangered.
II. TO RESTORE BREATHING.
TO CLEAR THE THROAT.--Place the patient on the floor or ground with the
face _downwards_, and one of the arms under the forehead, in which
position all fluids will more readily escape by the mouth, and the
tongue itself will fall forward, leaving the entrance into the windpipe
free. Assist this operation by wiping and cleansing the mouth.
If satisfactory breathing commences
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