In a broad sense,
every challenge in outdoor survival is a medical problem. Whether it’s
hypothermia, dehydration, drowning, malnutrition, heat stroke, a venomous snake
bite, lightning strike, or a cougar attack … whatever it is that causes you to
cease to survive is related to a medical problem.
And that brings me to this: DISCLAIMER — I’m not a doctor. I don’t even
play one on TV. My years of service as an EMT notwithstanding, discussion of any medical procedures contained on this site is
for information purposes only. Medical procedures change from time to time, and
the responsibility rests with the reader to obtain the latest information about
emergency medical diagnosis and treatment. The information provided here should
not be used to diagnose or treat any medical problem. A licensed physician
should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of all medical conditions.
Now that I've said all those words, good luck finding a doctor to perform a diagnosis or treatment when you're 30 miles back in the wilderness trying to save your life or the life of someone else. There is wisdom in obtaining all the emergency medical training you can, then equipping yourself with an honest-to-goodness first aid kit. After all, in an emergency, you might be the closest thing there is to a doctor. Be ready.
If you can find enough of them cobwebs are good for sealing some wounds, or coffee grounds. A few weeks ago I got a second or maybe a first degree burn on my right hand during a 'black powder' experiment.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I screwed up, but it's healing fine without any help, I tend to heal well so that is a plus.
Back in the good old days, not that doctors of the time approved of it, men would put a little black powder on a wound and light it off, painful but it was effective for some things.