84 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
CUTS, SCRAPES, AND SMALL WOUNDS
Cleanliness is of first importance in preventing
infection and helping wounds to heal.
To treat a wound . . .
First, wash your hands very
well with soap and water.
If the wound is bleeding or oozing,
wear gloves or plastic bags on your
hands. Wash the skin around the wound
with soap and cool, boiled water.
Now wash the wound well with cool,
boiled water (and soap, if the wound has a lot
of dirt in it. Soap helps clean but can damage
the flesh).
When cleaning the wound, be careful to clean
out all the dirt. Lift up and clean under any flaps
of skin. You can use clean tweezers, or a clean
cloth or gauze, to remove bits of dirt, but always
boil them first to be sure they are sterile.
If possible, squirt out the wound with cool
boiled water in a syringe or suction bulb.
Any bit of dirt that is left in a wound can
cause an infection.
After the wound has been cleaned, apply a thin layer of antibiotic cream like
Neosporin if you have it. Then place a piece of clean gauze or cloth over the top. It
should be light enough so that the air can get to the wound and help it to heal. Change
the gauze or cloth every day and look for signs of infection (see p. 88).
If you have a dirty wound or a puncture wound, and have never had a tetanus
immunization (see p. 388), get one within 2 days.
NEVER put animal or human feces or mud on a wound.
These can cause dangerous infections, such as tetanus.
NEVER put alcohol, tincture of iodine, or Merthiolate
directly into a wound; doing so will damage the flesh
and make healing slower.