A man who falls is apt to lose his breath, particularly if he is not very careful, and has not presence enough to stop it the moment he finds himself fall; and the instant he loses his breath, he loses also his mental faculties; consequently comes motionless and exposed to every fatality. Thence we generally find a man, who has fallen from a considerable height, lays motionless like death on the spot, even though he has not received the least injury otherwise.
When I have been called to such an accident, and found my patient motionless; I have untied his neckcloth taken him by the coller of his jacket, and shaken him heartily; which in the space of half a minute has brought him to, with a heavy sigh. Next I have bled him without loss of time, but not too copiously; after which I have examined him, and acted according to circumstances.
A person falling is liable to a number of dangerous consequences, not mentioning immediate death. The consternation, the shock, fright, terror &c. are as alarming and dangerous as the external hurt itself. The brain, and the blood vessels in that part are very delicate, and by the shock, as well as the want of respiration, they often burst; thence an apoplexy is liable to hurry the patient from the stage.
A fever generally attends a fall, which ought to be strictly attended to; after, therefore, the patient is bled, and seems to have recovered his reason, he should have every six hours a dose of the _Fever Powders_, (L.) and drink some balm tea, in order to get into a gentle perspiration, which will in this respect soon recover his health again, and enable him to do his duty.
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A Wound is an unnatural separation of any part of our body, whereby the order of circulation is hindered, the solids divided, and the fluids let out; suddenly caused by some violent means or other. But when such a separation becomes ulcerated, it loses the apellation of wound, and is called a sore, or ulcer.—This distinction is requisite to be taken notice of; for wounds and sores are often confounded, which shews not only ignorance, but as their nature is materially different, their method of treatment is not less so; and ought therefore previously to be understood.