SUNSTROKE AND HEATSTROKE

The symptoms of Sunstroke and Heatstroke are high fever, dizziness, headache, dry, hot skin, red face, and rapid pulse. Unconsciousness may result.

Call a doctor. Put the victim in a cool place, and cover him with a sheet. Loosen all clothing. Apply cold water over the body quickly and in large quantities to reduce the high fever. Use a garden hose (in a gentle stream, not full force), or pailfuls of very cold water.

STROKE (Apoplexy)

Strokes occur either because an artery in the brain has burst (cerebral hemorrhage) or because a blood clot or other material has blocked an artery (cerebral thrombosis and cerebral embolism). You can suspect a stroke if a middle-aged or older person suddenly collapses or loses consciousness. His face may become very red and the eyeballs prominent. One side of the body may become paralyzed. Speech may be affected and the mouth drown ot one side.

Call a doctor or ambulance immediately. While you are waiting for medical help, place the person in a position halfway between lying down and sitting up, or at least prop up his head. Loosen ant tight clothing. It is important to maintain a calm attitude yourself. If the person should vomit, turn his head to one side to prevent his choking. Otherwise, do not try to move him.

HEART ATTACK

The common symptoms of a heart attack are extreme of breath, a feeling of suffocation, and pain in the chest that sometimes spreads down into the arms or up into the neck or head. The person may become very pale; he may feel faint and dizzy, and perhaps lose consciousness. Have him lie down, preferably in a position halfway between lying and sitting. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar or belt, and cover him lightly to prevent chills. Encourage him to breathe slowly and deeply. Send for a doctor or an ambulance. Talk reassuringly to the individual and have all excited and upset people go out of the room: any anxiety will only serve to aggravate the victim's condition. Do not give the person anything to drink or any medication. You should not place a suspected heart-attack victim in the shock position, since the pressure of the abdominal organs against the diaphragm may further with his breathing.

ELECTRIC SHOCK

If the victim is in contact with electricity (through a high-tension or type of wore or a defective home appliance), use a nonconductor, such as a dry stick, rolled-up dry newspaper, or heavy, dry gloves (rubber if available), to pull him away from the source of current as quickly as you can. It is sometimes possible to push the wire off the body with a dry stick. Stand on something dry. Electricity passes easily through moist articles and through metals. Avoid touching the person directly until he is away from the source of the shock.

Severe electric shock may paralyze the respiratory center in the brain and upset the nature rhythm of the heart. Once the victim is separated from the source of electricity, use mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration to restore his breathing. If the heart has stopped or is beating irregularly, apply closed-chest heart massage. If the person is breathing normally, keep him warm, quit, and in a half-sitting position until medical help arrives.

APPENDICITIS

Abdominal pain may be caused by any of various minor ailments, especially indigestion. However, you should suspect appendicitis if there is persistent pain and rigidity in the lower right side of the abdomen, especially if accompanied by fever and nausea. Never give anyone displaying these symptoms a laxative, an enema, or food. Have him lie down until the doctor sees him. Never apply a heating pad. An ice pack may be used if pain is severe.

CROUP

An attack of croup, which is an infection of the larynx (voice box), is apt to be very upsetting to both the child and his parents. The child coughs in a harsh, strangled manner and gasps for breath. Usually the attacks come late at night. Croup generally follows a cold, and it may occur for two or three nights in succession. To give emergency relief, place the child in a location where there is warm, moist air. If you do not have a vaporizer, you can make a croup tent by boiling water on a hotplate under a blanket or large umbrella placed over the child's bed You should stay under the tent with him to prevent accidents. A simpler method is to sit with the child for a time in the bathroom with the door closed. Turn on the hot water in the shower or tub - full blast - until the room is filled with steam. Keeping the door closed, sit with the child in the bathroom until his breathing becomes easier.

CONVULSION

Convulsions in children may be a warning sign of a serious illness, such as meningitis, or they may be due to a high fever caused by a less dangerous infection. The child's lips turn blue, his head is thrown back, and hes body is jerked by uncontrollable spasms. Put him on the floor or on a wide bed where he cannot hurt himself. Place a rolled handkerchief between hes back teeth on one side to keep him from biting his tongue. Otherwise, do not attempt to restrain him. Sponge his body with cool water or alcohol to reduce the fever. When the spasms have passed, or if they continue more than minutes, call the doctor.

FAINTING

When a person is about to faint, he becomes dizzy, turns pale, and feels weak. He may or may not become unconscious.

The best way to avoid fainting is to lower the head between the knees for about five minutes. If the person still feels dizzy, have him repeat the head-lowering.

If the victim is unconscious, loosen his clothing, and see that he gets plenty of fresh, cool air. Place smelling salts or a few drops of aromatic spirits of ammonia under hes nose until he revives. If he does not regain consciousness within five minutes, call a doctor.

NOSEBLEED

A slight nosebleed usually stops by itself. If bleeding continues or is severe, put the person in a chair and loosen any tight clothing around his neck. Apply cold compresses to his nose and the back of his neck. It helps to press the skin on the outside of the nostril against the bony carilage, in effect closing the bleeding nostril, for about five minutes. Or plug up the bleeding nostril with sterile cotton. Keep the person sitting, unless he feels faint. If bleeding persists, call a doctor.

CUT AND PUNCTURE WOUND

For small cuts and scratches, cleanse the wound with sterile cotton dipped in warm, soapy water, followed by plain warm water (water from the faucet is safe); then cover with sterile gauze. If the cut is very small, a Band-Aid will do.

If the wound is very dirty, or if it is a deep puncture wound or one caused by firecrackers, the injured person should have an injection of tetanus toxoid to prevent lockjaw. If he has previously been immunized with toxoid (this is true of all men in the Armed Forces), all he meeds is a booster dose. Gently squeeze a puncture wound to encourage bleeding, as this will help dislodge dirt.

Any cut that goes deep into the skin may heal better if it is sewn together. Let your doctor or the nearest hospital emergency room decide for you. Otherwise you may blame yourself, in later years, for an unsightly scar. As an emergency measure, you can draw the edges sr a gaping cut together (after washing it out) with narrow strips of adhesive tape until medical help is available.

SORE THROAT

Inflammation and soreness may affect any part of the pharynx (Pharyngitis) or the tonsils, or may extend through the entire throat. Throat infections may spread below the epiglottis and into the larynx (Laryngitis); the windpipe, or trachea (Tracheitis); or the esophagus (Esophagitis).

Sore throat is often one of the first symptoms of an acute infection, such as the common cold, diphtheria, influenza, STREP THROAT, infectious mononucleosis, measles, rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, and Vincent's Angina. If you have a very sore throat, be sure to consult a doctor immediately, especially if you have a fever as well.

Sore throat may also be due to air pollution, smoking, and misusing the voice.