Book Description

First Aid Treatment for Survivors of Disasters at Sea is published for use by all Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine personnel as a guide in giving emergency first-aid treatment to shipwreck survivors. It is recommended that it be given the widest distribution possible, particularly to those ships and stations where "survivors of ship disasters at sea" are likely to be picked up and where there is no medical attention immediately available. A copy should be made a part of the standard equipment for all types of lifeboats and rafts, and a quota based upon complement should be issued to all vessels. First Aid Treatment for Survivors of Disasters at Sea covers an entirely different field from that to which the usual understanding of "first aid" applies. These procedures are based upon the experiences and needs of 9,114 survivors of 167 ship disasters; the points emphasized are blast and submersion injuries, immersion foot, frostbite, sunburn, eye inflammations, starvation, thirst, and mental disturbances.