FIRST AID AND FIELD SANITATION

This chapter will help you understand the importance of first aid to an injured person and will provide you with an explanation of the first-aid measures that you can apply to yourself and to other persons before trained medical personnel arrive. How-to instructions in lifesaving measures are provided for clearing the upper airway, giving artificial ventilation, stopping bleeding, controlling shock, and protecting the wound. In addition, the fundamentals of field sanitation are presented.

First aid is the emergency care given to sick or injured persons. Emergent y care must not take the place of proper medical or surgical treatment but should consist only of furnishing temporary assistance until competent medical aid is available.

The purposes of first aid are (1) to save life, (2) to prevent further injury, and (3) to preserve vitality and resistance to infection.

Everyone in the Navy must know when and how to apply first-aid measures. They also must be prepared to provide competent assistance to persons injured in battle, collision, fire, and other accidents that may occur on land, on sea, or in the air. A real knowledge of first aid and its purposes, when applied properly, can mean the difference between life and death, between rapid recovery and long hospitalization, and between temporary disability and permanent injury.

When administering first aid, you have three primary tasks. They are (1) to maintain breathing, (2) to stop bleeding, and (3) to prevent or reduce shock You must work quickly, but do not rush around frantically. Do not waste time looking for ready-made materials, but do the best you can with whatever is at hand. Also, send for medical help as soon as possible.