Waste of good brandy?
The CBB -> Anything Else
#1: Waste of good brandy? Author: Katiididit, Location: Gloucestershire PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 7:33 pm

Quote:
Eustacia lay very white and still, but not as he first feared dead. Her pulse beat feebly under his fingers, and she was breathing. Rapidly he stripped off her soaking wet clothes and wrapped her in rug he had strapped to his shoulders. Then he rubbed her temples and wrists and lips with brandy till the blueness left her and her breathing seemed deeper. Then lifting her in his strong arms, he bore her downwards for a hundred yards. Arrived at a convenient place, he laid her down again and proceeded to administer artifical respiration until his own arms ached badly and the sweat stood on his brow.


I am not the most educated person medically, but it certainly seems that first aid advice has changed over the years. How does applying brandy onto the skin help deepen breathing? Also, if Eustacia was still breathing then why did Gottfried adminster artifical respiration and more to the point, why did it make his arms ache?

Perhaps I should just enjoy the books!

Sarah reading

 

#2:  Author: Dreaming Marianne, Location: Devon PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:07 pm

Lol, Sarah I had never noticed that! Anyone else out there who would care to justify this truly terrifying EBDism?

 

#3:  Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:28 pm

Artificial respiration might not make your arms ache but chest compressions do.

...of course, EBD has already established that Eustacia has a pulse, but if Gottfried thinks it wise to give her artificial respiration when she's breathing, why not go the whole hog and do full CPR on her? Wink

 

#4:  Author: Kathryn, Location: Melbourne but who knows for how long? PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 12:29 am

Ann wrote:
Artificial respiration might not make your arms ache but chest compressions do.


The old style of artificial respirations meant that the non-breather was lying on their front (or back, can't quite remember) and the other was pulling the non-breather's arms from their, out and above their heads. This was thought to assist the movement of the lungs and aid breathing. Just picture yourself doing star jumps with jumping, but with the arm movements. That is what the older form of artificial respiration looked like (though the non-breather was lying down) Does that kame sense?

 

#5:  Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:07 am

Kathryn wrote:
Ann wrote:
Artificial respiration might not make your arms ache but chest compressions do.


The old style of artificial respirations meant that the non-breather was lying on their front (or back, can't quite remember) and the other was pulling the non-breather's arms from their, out and above their heads. This was thought to assist the movement of the lungs and aid breathing. Just picture yourself doing star jumps with jumping, but with the arm movements. That is what the older form of artificial respiration looked like (though the non-breather was lying down) Does that kame sense?


Well, it would do if Eustacia hadn't already been breathing! Wink

 

#6:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:37 am

I thik that the brandy was intended to act as a stimulant, though how it could do that through the skin, I don't know.

I prefer not to recover from a faint without a glass of brandy taken internally.

 

#7:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:06 am

Jennie wrote:
I prefer not to recover from a faint without a glass of brandy taken internally.


Now why couldn't they have that philosopy when i fainted after giving blood the last time...

 

#8:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 1:48 pm

Tell them that you will need it, really, these medical people!

 

#9:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 1:49 pm

As they are about to call me to give blood again I'll remember that! However it may be a good idea not to faint so comprehensively this time as they may decide not to take my blood again...

 

#10:  Author: claire, Location: South Wales PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 8:01 pm

That is a possility Nell.
Maybe it was the smell of the Brandy that roused Eustacia - if it's on yor skin it's pretty cose to your nose.
But why did he do CPR to someone who was breathing? (and why did I never notice that before?)

 

#11:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:13 pm

I thought that if you did chest compressions on someone whose heart is beating, you could kill them by altering the natural beat?

 

#12:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 2:10 pm

It's very dangerous to attempt CPR on someone if the heart is beating - that's why they have dummies to practice on!

I think the problem is that EBD was no doctor and didn't have good medical knowledge, and didn't do enough research - after all she was writing for young children and probably felt it was not neccessary! Not a POV I agree with as those children who read the books when she first published grew up thinking that the best way to rescitate was to rub brandy on the lips etc!

 

#13:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 2:28 pm

What about taken internally, Lesley?

 

#14:  Author: Katiididit, Location: Gloucestershire PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:43 pm

Ta for all that. It is interesting how medical advice has changed over the years; rubbing butter on a burn for example and liberal doses of various mixtures of revolting tasting stuff when one felt "out of sorts".

Sarah Very Happy

 

#15:  Author: Katiididit, Location: Gloucestershire PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 7:06 pm

One last thing from me on this topic...does anyone know what Gregory is?

The quote is from the Chalet School in Camp

Quote:
Guess I got the horridest mixture of the lot!" Thus, Evadne. "Elsie got the key of the medicine chest, and took some liquorice powder and Gregory-"



Sarah Question

 

#16:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 9:30 pm

My guess is that it was "Gregory's powder," a remedy containing powdered, dried roots of turkey rhubarb, magnesia and ginger. For an 1898 recipe, see http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/rheum_pulv.html. This page also describes a mixture of anise, the rhubarb and the magnesia. Yum Rolling Eyes .

 

#17:  Author: Katiididit, Location: Gloucestershire PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:48 pm

Think I will stick to paracetemol and haliborange.....

Sarah Wink

 

#18:  Author: MissPrint, Location: Edinburgh PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2004 5:28 pm

Victorian remedies like Gregory powder seemed to rely on the theory that everything was due to a digestive upset and so horrible purgatives like syrup of figs, gregory powder, castor oil were the first remedy reached for. Even my sis-in-law was given syrup of figs every Friday, whether she neeeded it or not, by her foster mum, and that was in the sixties and seventies. She thought it was a good preventative against all ills. Happily, my parents were much more enlightened, and our family is full of doctors, so such "remedies" were not visited on us.

 

#19:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:32 am

The Victorians, as MissPrint said, believed that a good clear-out once a week would keep you healthy, so children were dosed regularly on Fridays or Saturdays.

 

#20:  Author: Sarah_G-G, Location: Nr. Guildford PostPosted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 11:27 am

Maybe Eustacia had to die and be reborn before she could become a nice person so they killed her off by doing CPR and AV and then brought her back to life using the same method! Or possibly not... Wink

 

#21:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 10:25 am

Now, there's a thought!

 

#22:  Author: Ciorstaidh, Location: London PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 4:05 pm

Now, EBD may not have been referring so much to Brandy as to some liqueur - the stuff that Bach's Flower Remedies is diluted in is "brandy" - but it isn't (trust me, it isn't!) it's something like pear liqueur.

This still doesn't do much good - certainly I can't find any mention of this as a treatment in any Herbal Medicine book of mine. In fact, the recommendation is oil of rosemary or Camphor instead of smelling salts Shocked Ooh, says to sponge down with cider (1) and water (20) and to wipe face with Witch Hazel, and that recovery will be aided by Camomile tea.

But yes, one does wonder quite where Gottfried got his degree...?

 

#23:  Author: Katiididit, Location: Gloucestershire PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:22 pm

Hmmm, wonder what he would prescrible for my sore throat...?

Sarah Confused

 

#24:  Author: Katiididit, Location: Gloucestershire PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:25 pm

and also for my hiccups (double post) and bad spelling?

Sarah Embarassed

 

#25:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:37 pm

The 'dose a week' idea of a good clear out could be said to be revived by colonic irrigation - except syrup of figs was cheaper Shocked

 

#26:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:39 am

Please don't mention either, PatMac.

 

#27:  Author: Elisabeth,  PostPosted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:28 am

Maybe the brandy wasn't to get her breathing (although I know it sounds like it) but just to warm her up. I don't know how this would work but they do it in other books too (Tintin for instance Embarassed )

 

#28:  Author: Rachael,  PostPosted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 11:22 am

Elisabeth!!

Tintin is NOT, I repeat NOT embarrassing!!

 

#29:  Author: Ciorstaidh, Location: London PostPosted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 12:40 pm

Elisabeth wrote:
Maybe the brandy wasn't to get her breathing (although I know it sounds like it) but just to warm her up. I don't know how this would work but they do it in other books too (Tintin for instance Embarassed )


this is true......although I have to wonder in Camp, where Jo et al are given quarts of the stuff to make them fall asleep and they wake up hung over...... Shocked

 

The CBB -> Anything Else


output generated using printer-friendly topic mod, All times are GMT + 1 Hour

Page 1 of 1

Powered by phpBB 2.0.6 © 2001,2002 phpBB Group