Bleating

“ The little discomfort which the flowing of blood causes me, compared with the other pain, is like a fresh breeze after a blast from the infernal regions. It does me a real good to see my blood pouring forth: let it flow, it does me extreme good."
The stranger watched with an expression of delight the blood pouring from the wound, and the doctor was obliged to insist on binding up the hand. ”

“ In this period it was considered an art to hold the lancet properly and to support the arm of the patient with delicacy and grace. [57] Many patients had by [Pg 12] repeated bloodlettings become inured to its potential danger and unpleasantness. In the mid-eighteenth century one British physician declared: “People are so familiarized to bleeding that they cannot easily conceive any hurt or danger to ensue, and therefore readily submit, when constitutional fear is out of the question, to the opening of a vein, however unskillfully advised.” ”

“ We may just mention that as a general rule he approves of bleeding after any accident. He disapproves of bleeding both at the onset and the crisis of a disease. In constitutions requiring bloodletting he holds that spring is the best season for it. Even in cases in which there is a deficiency of blood, but there is congestion in some particular part, he permits blood to be abstracted, in order to produce revulsion, the patient’s strength being recruited afterwards by a nourishing diet. ”

“ Great Wounds are generally attended with a considerable Loss of Blood, which has already exhausted the wounded Person; and the Fever is often a Consequence of this copious Loss of Blood. Now if under such a Circumstance, Bleeding should be ordered and performed, the Patient's Strength is totally sunk; the Humours stagnate and corrupt; a Gangrene supervenes, and he dies miserably, at the End of two or three Days, of a Series of repeated Bleedings, but not of the Wound. ”

“ Little impression can be made on an acute disease by the slow removal of even a large quantity of blood, as the organs have time to accommodate themselves to the loss, which might, for any good it will do, as well be dispensed with. Either bleed rapidly or not at all. The nearer the commencement of an ailment, in which you employ bleeding, the operation is resorted to, the greater the chance of its doing good; no time ought, therefore, to be lost in using the lancet, when once it is known to be required. ”

“ It is a common notion that bleeding in the feet draws the humours downwards, and consequently cures diseases of the head and other superior parts: but we have already observed that, in all topical affections, the blood ought to be drawn as near the part as possible. When it is necessary, however, to bleed in the foot or hand, 573as the veins are small, and the bleeding is apt to stop too soon, the part ought to be immersed in warm water, and kept there till a sufficient quantity of blood be let. ”

“ Bleeding.—When a man is bleeding badly from a wound, press the wound or the flesh just above it—that is between the wound and the heart—press it hard with your thumb to try and stop the blood running in the artery. Then make a pad with something like a flat rounded pebble, and bind it over the wound. If bleeding violently, tie a handkerchief loosely round the limb above the wound, and twist it tight with a stick. ”

“ When this bleeding is spontaneous it comes from the mucous membranes, especially from the nose, but also from the mouth, bowel and bronchial tubes. Slight bruises are apt to be followed by extravasations of blood into the tissues; the swollen joints (knee especially) of a bleeder are probably due, in the first instance, to the escape of blood into the joint cavity or synovial membrane. It is always from the smallest vessels that the blood escapes, and may do so in such quantities as to cause death in a few hours. ”

“ Wounds made during life might show the suggillation peculiar to bruises or traces of inflammation. Besides, the gaping nature of the lips of the wound, the fact of hemorrhage [431] having taken place and the coagulation of the blood, the infiltration of blood into the cellular tissue, etc., are surgical facts that would leave but little doubt as to the infliction of the wounds during life.
The cause of death is often a difficult matter to determine, as it may have been accidental, suicidal, or the result of homicide. ”

“ Do not be afraid of the blood when you see any one bleeding, but hold the sides of the cut tightly with both of your hands. This will stop any bleeding until help comes. You may keep a person from bleeding to death by doing this when other persons are afraid of the blood. ”

“ When a wound is inflicted, the first and most important thing to be done is to arrest the flow of blood. Every one should know how to do this. The bleeding is to be stopped, and the wounded vessels to be secured, so that no further flow can take place. ”

“ If he is wounded, cut away the clothing covering the wound, but don't remove any more than is necessary. If he has been burned, pour lukewarm water, containing a little saleratus or bicarbonate of soda, over the clothing before you remove it. If he is bleeding severely, stop the bleeding before dressing the wound. After the wound is dressed there is nothing for the novice to do, except bring the patient to consciousness, if unconscious, and remove him to a place of safety and comfort. ”

“ Bleeding is necessary only in these four Cases. 1, When there is too great a Quantity of Blood in the Body. 2, When there is any Inflammation, or an inflammatory Disease. 3, When some Cause supervenes, or is about to supervene, in the Constitution, which would speedily produce an Inflammation, or some other dangerous Symptom, if the Vessels were not relaxed by Bleeding. It is upon this Principle that Patients are bled after Wounds, and after Bruises; that Bleeding is directed for a pregnant Woman, if she has a violent Cough ”

“ There is not in bleeding as in purging, conflicting and alternating effects of debility from evacuation, and irritation, [Pg 48] primary and sympathetic, from local stimulation; but a direct diminution of morbid action, more tranquil movements of the heart and capillary system, that is of the circulatory apparatus, and of the membranes, mucous, serous and cutaneous, &c. Bleeding, unlike most other remedial agents, produces a direct calmness and ease in the animal economy: it does not like them substitute one disturbance for another, or make the great appear the lesser evil. ”

“ There are certain general pathological or occasional conditions of the body in which the blood during life does not coagulate at all or only imperfectly, as in scurvy and in the case of the menstrual blood. Also blood in a serous cavity, especially if it be abundant or there exists inflammation, is found not to coagulate or only imperfectly. Post mortem the blood remains liquid long after death in cases of death by drowning, asphyxia, etc., and in such cases hemorrhage may be free in a wound made some time after death. ”

“ It is rather remarkable that the bleeding is not so profuse as might be expected from the severity of the torture, and soon ceases, probably from the fact of their extreme exhaustion and debility; the want of sustenance and sleep, checks the natural circulation, and is at the same time an admirable preparation for the tortures, and enables them to bear the infliction without the same degree of pain that might, under other circumstances, result in inflammation and death. ”

“ If there is no disease found which could be rapidly fatal the case is still stronger. The body should be pallid after fatal hemorrhage, but the same may be the case from death from other causes. In case the body and surrounding objects have not been disturbed, then the amount of clotted blood in the wound, on the body and clothes, and about the body, taken in connection with the foregoing points, can leave no doubt. ”

“ Capillary bleeding comes from injured small veins. It flows slowly, and such bleeding is dangerous only if it continues. Always summon a surgeon or physician, and put in a hurry call for him. Force the patient to lie down in a level position, preferably upon his back.
If the leg or arm is wounded, elevate it. Cut away the clothing quickly, so that it may be exposed. Press the bleeding places, but cover your finger with gauze or a clean handkerchief, or compress the part by using a strong cloth bandage. ”

“ The blood in bleeder cases is, as a rule, normal, so far as our present means of investigation enable us to decide. When a hemorrhage has continued for some time, it is thin and watery, but at the beginning of the bleeding the blood is usually rich in corpuscles and fibrin and coagulates firmly. ”

“ The poor wretch saw the instruments handed one by one by the assistant, and heard the surgeon’s calm directions and his remarks on the case. The barbarous practice of arresting bleeding by the application of red-hot irons to the surface of the wound had indeed ceased three centuries before, when that humane reformer, Paré, 90 displaced it with the method of tying the open blood-vessel, but the patient’s blood gushed forth before him until arrested, into the sawdust spread to receive it, and the sight and the hot odour of it oftentimes mercifully caused him to faint. ”

“ Blee, blē, n. (Mrs Browning) complexion, colour. [A.S. bléo.]
Bleed, blēd, v.i. to lose blood: to die by slaughter: to issue forth or drop as blood: to have money extorted from one: to feel great pity for, as in the phrase, 'the heart bleeds:' to be as red as blood.—v.t. to draw blood from, esp. surgically: to extort sums of money from:—pa.t. and pa.p. bled.—n. Bleed′ing, a discharge of blood: the operation of letting blood.—adj. full of compassion: emitting sap: terribly weakened by war: (Shak.) bloody. [A.S. blédan. See Blood.] ”

“ The hæmorrhages produced by bleeding are chiefly from the nose, hæmorrhoidal vessels, or uterus, and of course are, for the most part, safe.
Uncommon weakness, succeeding blood-letting, is the effect of sudden depression induced upon the whole system, by the cause before-mentioned, or of a sudden translation of the excitement of the muscles into the blood-vessels, or some other part of the body. These symptoms, together with all the others which have been mentioned, are so far from forbidding, that they all most forcibly indicate a repetition of blood-letting. ”

“ The immediate effect of the bleeding is to alarm the patient and family, no matter how slight it may be, inducing heart palpitation and other nervous symptoms. A small bleeding is not attended with any bad result, but large ones give rise to the symptoms of shock (sometimes immediate death) combined with anemia following the loss of blood. When the bleeding is large, blood by the mouthful may be ejected with each cough, and in these instances of such profuse bleeding is shown by dizziness, faintness, cold extremities, excessive pallor, sweating and rapid, small feeble pulse. ”

“ The loss of a sufficient quantity of blood is often prevented by patients being apparently worse, after the first or second bleeding. This change for the worse, shows itself in some one or more of the following symptoms, viz. increase of heat, chills, delirium, hæmorrhages, convulsions, nausea, vomiting, faintness, coma, great weakness, pain, a tense, after a soft pulse, and a reduction of it in force and frequency. ”

“ But sometimes the discharge of blood is so great, that if it be not stopt, the patient may die even before a surgeon, though at no great distance, can arrive. In this case, something must be done by those who are present. If the wound be in any of the limbs, the bleeding may generally be stopt by applying a tight ligature or bandage round the member a little above the wound. ”

“ Unless the blood is spurting in jerks from a cut artery, or bleeding very freely indeed, it is better to let the wound bleed, as this helps to wash out any dirt or germs that have got into it. When the bleeding has stopped, do not put on sticking plaster, because this keeps out the air and keeps in the sweat of the skin surrounding the wound, which is not healthful for the wound, and may also contain some weak pus germs. ”

“ But the converse is true for we believe that we are touching something cold and smooth when it is only wet. Hence the numerous mistakes about bleeding after wounds. The wounded man or his companions believe that they have felt blood when they have only felt some smooth metal, or they have really felt blood and have taken it for something smooth and cold. ”

“ There was one major difference between bleeding a man and bleeding a horse or cow, and that was the amount of strength required to open a vein. The considerable force needed to pierce the skin and the tunic of the blood vessel made the operation much more difficult to perform than human phlebotomy. ”

“ Bleeding or hemorrhage is the most constant symptom. The degree of hemorrhage depends on the kind, number and size of the blood-vessels severed. In arterial hemorrhage, the blood is bright red and spurts from the mouth of the cut vessel. In venous hemorrhage, the blood is darker and flows in a continuous stream. In abrasions and superficial wounds capillary hemorrhage occurs. Death may follow severe hemorrhage. ”

“ As theories supporting bloodletting grew more complex, so too did the instruments.
Spontaneous forms of bleeding, including nosebleed, menstruation, and those instances produced by a blow to any part of the body, apparently inspired the earliest human bloodletters. The Egyptians claimed that the hippopotamus rubbed its leg against a sharp reed until it bled to remove excess blood from its body. [1] The Peruvians noted that a bat would take blood from the toe of a sleeping person when the opportunity presented itself. A deer, and goat, would pick a place near its diseased eye for relief. ”