~ Backwoods Surgery & Medicine ~
{Chapter Five}

"The Camper's Medicine Chest"
By Charles Stuart Moody, M.D.
112 pages; 1910


Intuition  ~  Creativity  ~  Adaptability
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER  I. How to Treat Fractures, Sprains and Dislocations

CHAPTER  II. Caring for Burns, Cuts, Drowning, and Minor Accidents

CHAPTER  III. Medical Treatment of Camp Diseases

CHAPTER  IV. Serpent Wounds and Their Treatment

The Camper's Medicine Chest





WARNING: The text and methods described herein are 100 years old! (or more) Please keep this in mind at all times.

The reason we include this (as well as any "dawn of technology" or pre-industrial age texts is threefold:

1.) Historical context ~ to see how far we've come;
2.) Uncertain future ~ to realize where we may end up once again if we are not more careful in choosing our political leadership ... and finally,
3.) JUST IN CASE we do find ourselves, once again, in primitive times or conditions - without hope for anything better - then it is good to know how we took care of things when it was do-or-die.

These techniques, except where parallel to and confirmed by modern methods, should only be considered under the most dire circumstances where access to more modern methods is impossible and the hope for rescue is non-existant.
 

CHAPTER V
THE CAMPER'S MEDICINE CHEST

	[SSRsi Note: You may (and probably should) DISREGARD all of the medicines in this 
	text. Most of them are now considered deadly poisons. Consult with a modern-day 
	M.D. for appropriate modern substitutes and BONE-UP ON YOUR HERBAL REMEDIES 
	for your specific area. Herbals may not be as effective, but they grow by themselves 
	and are often better than nothing.]

Surgical Supplies
	One instrument roll, 	
			80 cents.
	One paper medium size safety pins, 
			10 cents.
	One paper medium size common pins, 
			5 cents.
	One-half dozen assorted gauze bandage, size one- to three-inch; 
			10 cents each.
	Two yards sterilized plain gauze in carton, 
			20 cents yard.
	Four ounces sterilized absorbent cotton in carton, 
			20 cents.
	One roll three-inch adhesive plaster, 
			$1.
	One-fourth dozen silk ligature braided, in glass tube fitted with half curved needles,
			30 cents a tube.
	One card braided silk ligature, assorted on one card (white), 
			about 30 cents.
	One-half dozen assorted egg-eyed surgeon's needles, half to full curve, 
			50 cents.
	One ounce Squibb's surgical powder, 
			50 cents oz.; 
	or a like amount of camphophenique powder, 
			$1.
	One hundred Bernay's antiseptic tablets (blue), 
			25 cents.
	Two five-inch hemostatic forceps (Kelly's), 
			about $1 each.
	One pair straight, sharp-pointed surgeon's shears, 
			about $1.25.
	One needle holder (Emmet's), 
			$2.50.
	One splinter forcep, may be used also for dressing forcep. This forcep should neither have mouse 
	tooth jaws nor serrated jaws, and should run to a fine point; 
			50 cents.
	One hypodermic syringe, all metal, in metal case, 
			$1.50.
	One one-minute clinical thermometer in metal case; will cost according to reliability. The best 
	registered instrument is cheapest. 
			about $1.25
	One number 9 soft rubber catheter, 
			25 cents.
	One cake surgical soap, in metal box, 
			75 cents.

The above will comprise practically everything that may be found absolutely necessary. With them the ingenious 
man can perform practically every minor surgical operation that he would care to undertake. If he cares for a more 
elaborate outfit he may add the following:

	One yard oiled silk, in tube, 
			75 cents.
	One pure rubber fountain syringe, 
			$1.75.
	Four ounces creolin, in metal screw-cap bottle, 
			25 cents oz.
	One or more first aid packages at 
			50 cents per package.
	One emergency tourniquet, 
			$1.25.
	Eight ounces carron oil for burns, 
			25 cents oz.

The size of the surgical outfit will depend, of course, upon the size of the party. The dressings and things that will be
destroyed will necessarily have to be increased in proportion to the number of the party.

Medical Stores
The suggestions here will be based upon a party of four staying one month. In the case with the hypodermic place 
one tube strychnia sulphate, gr. 1/30, price 20 cents. Use as a powerful stimulant hypodermically one tablet every 
four hours, if needed, watching the action of the heart carefully.

One tube cocaine muriate, gr. 1/4, price 50 cents. Use as a local anesthetic as suggested in chapter on surgery 
and for toothache. Can be used to control vomiting one tablet followed by swallow of hot water every four hours, if 
needed. Solution of one tablet in spoonful of hot water dropped in eye to deaden so as to remove foreign bodies.

One tube morphine sulphate, gr. 1/4, and atropine sulphate, gr. 1/100, combined, price 25 cents. Use as a sedative
for pain, one tablet hypodermically repeated every two hours to effect; 

Digitalin, gr. 1/100, price 25 cents. Use as heart stimulant where action of heart is deranged, one tablet not oftener 
than thrice daily. 

One tube apomorphia hydrochlorate, gr. 1/10, price 50 cents. Use to induce vomiting in cases of poisoning, one 
tablet hypodermically only. 

One tube glonoin, gr. 1/100, price 15 cents. Use as heart stimulant in shock and great depression due to cerebral 
anemia ; not in loss of blood, however.

One sole leather medicine case with screw cap glass bottles, numbers etched on bottles, price from $1 to $3, 
according to style and finish.

Book to slip in pocket for keeping list of remedies and their therapeutic application, cost 25 cents.

The bottles filled as follows: 

The numbering need not adhere strictly to that here given:

No. 1. Aconitine gr. 1/134. 200 at 25 cents per C. Use in cases of high fever where heart is full and bounding and 
there is great congestion as shown by headache, backache, etc. Use in beginning of all colds. Take in all cases 
one tablet every fifteen minutes for an hour then one tablet every two hours, or better still take every half hour
until pulse becomes soft and surface of skin is moist.

No. 2. Dosimetric Trinity No. 1. 200 at 50 cents per C. One tablet every half hour to effect. The effect will be to 
reduce all fevers much the same as above except that it may be continued over a longer time and becomes a 
routine treatment in typhoid, pneumonia, grippe, bronchitis, rheumatic fever, and in all cases of fever where the
heart seems to need a slight stimulation.

No. 3. Intestinal antiseptic. 500 at 50 cents per C. One tablet every three hours as routine treatment in typhoid, 
diarrhea, colic, dysentery, and all disordered fermentative conditions of the intestinal tract.

No. 4. Quinine sulphate, gr. 5, either in tablet or capsule form, cost about 10 cents a dozen; take 100. Use in 
malaria, one tablet every four hours during attack and not less than fifteen grains daily as a preventative. In
decidedly malarial countries this amount will have to be taken daily, consequently the amount carried should be 
materially increased. Is somewhat valuable in colds, bronchitis, etc.

No. 5. Sun Cholera. 100 at 50 cents per C. One tablet every four hours in cases of watery diarrhea, after bowels 
have been cleaned out by purgative. Of use also in colic, flatulence, intestinal pain.

No. 6. Chlorodyne. 100 at $1.00 per C. Take one tablet every two or three hours in extreme pain, vomiting from 
fermentative processes, summer diarrhea, etc.

No. 7. Calomel, gr. 1/4. 200 at 10 cents per C. Use one tablet every thirty minutes or every hour for eight doses, in 
all cases where bowels need thorough cleaning out. As beginning treatment in all cases of fever, vomiting, diarrhea,
in fact about everything that happens.

No. 8. Phenacetine, gr. 5. 100 at 50 cents per C. One tablet every four hours to reduce fever as in colds, some 
forms of dysentery, and in severe headache. To be discarded when case bids fair to become prolonged.

No. 9. Elaterin, gr. 1/16. 25 at one cent each. Use one tablet only where it is necessary to secure an immediate 
watery passage from the bowels in order to sweep out offending masses.

No. 10. Dover's powder, gr. 5. 100 at 50 cents per C. Use one tablet every four hours in sudden acute colds. Its 
most valuable field is in the colds and bronchitis of children. Continue until perspiration ensues. In case the 
medicine case holds more than ten bottles the additional bottles may be filled with brown mixture, 100 at 25 cents
per C. One tablet every four hours to one three times a day in cases of indigestion, flatulence, "sour stomach," etc.

Headache tablet consisting of acetanilid, sodium salycilate, ammonium bromide. A choice tablet to be given every 
four hours where persons are subject to congestive headaches. The least objectionable of all the "coal tar" tablets. 
These may be had at about 25 cents per dozen, and the case should contain at least 100 of them.

Tonsilitis tablet consisting of menthol, thymol, phenol, potash, chlorate, and sodium chloride. Take 200 at about 
25 cents per 100. Use as a gargle in tonsilitis, sore throat, and pharyngitis. Dissolve tablet in half pint hot water and 
gargle several times a day.

It will be noted that in the above unnumbered list acomtine and Dover's powder have been substituted for 
apomorphia hydrochlorate and digitalin recommended in Chapter III. Either list is good, and will be found
comprehensive for all ordinary emergencies.

End of Text
Jump to Chapter 1: How to Treat Fractures, Sprains and Dislocations or back to Chapter 4

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