Accidents and emergencies. A manual of the treatment of surgical and medical emergencies in the absence of a physician

Front matter

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ACCIDENTS

EMERGENCIES

Preface to First Edition

Whoever has seen how invaluable, in the presence of an accident, is the man or woman with a cool head, a steady hand, and some knowledge of what is best to be done, will not fail to appreciate the desirability of possessing these qualifications. To have them in an emergency, one must acquire them before it arises, and it is with the hope of aiding any who wish to prepare themselves for such demands upon their own resources that the following suggestions have been put together. They are not meant to be elaborate, but simple and practicable. They cannot take the place of calling a physician or surgeon, but may fill up with helpful action what might otherwise be a period of inaction and despair, before skilled assistance arrives. With this view I trust they may prove of some value to the public, to whom they are offered.

Extract from Preface to Second Edition.

If the author may be permitted to suggest the way in which the instrument he has constructed ought to be used, it is as follows : Let it be read over, at least once, as carefully and as studiously as possible, so that the reader may make the acquaintance of its suggestions ; and then let it be kept in some handy place, where it can be referred to immediately when an emergency arises. In order to make it available for sudden necessity, pains have been taken to make the index as complete as possible, and the typography has been so arranged as that leading words may catch the eye on every page.

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Preface to Fourth Edition

The call for a fourth edition of this little book has afforded an opportunity for a very thorough revision of it and the addition of much new matter and of new illustrations, which, it is hoped, will enhance its usefulness.

In sending it out, the author invites its readers to favor him with any suggestions which may be used to make the book, in later editions, better fitted for the work it is intended to do.

4101 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, August, 1892.

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