Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES 427tree, or by boiling a knot of the wood and skimmingofi the surface. All of these resins are antiseptic,and the first two are soothing.Poultices may be needed to relieve the tension ofan Inflamed part and to hasten suppuration ("drawthe pus to a head"). They have no other curativeeffect than hot-water compresses, but act more efficientlybecause they hold the heat better and do notrequire so frequent renewal. A poultice is easilymade from cornmeal or oatmeal (flaxseed is notsupposed to be in the kit). Mix by stirring a littleat a time into boiling water, making a thick pastefree from lumps ;then spread on cloth to a thicknessof 3^-Inch, leaving a i^-lnch margin all aroundfor folding In. The poultice should be madethoroughly antiseptic by dissolving tablets in thewater. To prevent It from sticking, grease thepart or smear It wnth oil. Then put on the poulticeand, If convenient, cover w^Ith a waterproof material.Remember that a cold poultice does no good whatever,and that an old one should not be reheatedmake a new one. Renew a large poultice evervfour or five hours, a small one every one or twohours.The w^oods themselves afford—plenty of materialsfor good poultices. Chief of these Is slippery elm,the mucilaginous inner bark of w^hich, boiled Inwater and kneaded Into a poultice. Is soothing toinflammation and softens the tissues. Good poulticescan also be made from the soft rind of tamarack,the root bark of basswood or cottonwood,and many other trees or plants. None of theseshould be spread more than l4~i"ch thick. Ourfrontiersmen, like the Indians, often treated woundsby merely applying the chewed fresh leaves of alder,striped maple (moosewoody, or sassafras. You mayremember Leatherstocking (he was "Hawkeye"then) advising a wounded companion that "a littlebruised alder w^ill work like a charm." Saliva carriesr.erms: so don't chew but bruise the leaves.