October 19, 2003
Epistaxis Treatment
Apparently, in 1881, only men got nosebleeds:
Keep the patient erect or sitting, with his head thrown a little backwards, take off his cravat, unbutton his shirt collar, and expose him freely to the cold air; apply ice or cold vinegar and water to the back of his neck.Hey, and if there is too much blood just reduce the pressure:
If the pulse be full, bleed him from the arm.But more entertaining is this part of the treatment:
If these are not sufficient, moisten a plug of linen or cotton with brandy, roll it in powdered alum. and screw it up the nostril. A piece of catgut may also be passed through the nostril into the throat, drawn out at the mouth, and a bit of sponge be fastened to it and drawn back again, so as to make the sponge block up the posterior nostril. In doing this it is necessary to leave a piece of the catgut so as to be got hold of, in order to withdraw the sponge.Actually, there is a lot of interesting material in this 1881 Household Cyclopedia and lest we laugh too much just remember what folks 120 years from now will be thinking about material from early 21st century encyclopedias.
Via Circadian Shift.
Posted by Steve on October 19, 2003
