Category: First Aid/Medical

With all of the injuries that we learn to treat in the Army’s combat medic training program, there are two killers that must be addressed immediately after any contact with the enemy. The first is the sucking chest wound… and I have to say, these quite frankly, suck. Forgive the humor but they do just that. The medical field describes these wounds as this: Sucking Chest wound- a wound received by way of penetration or laceration to the thoracic cavity which causes air and or blood to be trapped in the pleural space. Air is sucked through the wound during …

I have to agree with the recommendations for using Ichthammol for treating splinters and abscesses.  Put it on the toughest, tiniest sliver and overnight it is out.  Another extremely helpful use is to treat ingrown toenails, a condition that might necessitate minor surgery otherwise.  It is truly wonderful stuff!  Anything that smells that bad has got to be powerful medicine. – Maine Cruiser

Hi Mr. Rawles,  I am happy to see the additional information to address abscess drainage in a SHTF situation. Thanks to Dr. Prepper for the  drawing salve idea. I did a pub-med search and found the icthammol does have antibiotic properties although I could not find the mechanism for white cell migration to the surface. I know ranchers use this stuff and modern medicine doesn’t always have all the answers. Thanks. Ladydoc is exactly right about using a big enough incision to get wide drainage without going into healthy tissue-very good addition. I also liked the fact she clarified that …

Dear Mr. Rawles: A few comments, in no particular order, regarding the recent article “How to Drain an Abscess, by Lonestar Doc”.   Lonestar Doc is absolutely correct that an incision and drainage (I&D) should be handled by someone with the appropriate training and experience to perform the procedure.  However if you are in a situation where you as a non-medical person need to drain an abscess, such as described by Lonestar Doc, it is important to proceed with the I&D whether you have Lidocaine for anesthesia or not.  The pain of an I&D without anesthesia does not outweigh the …

JWR: Another great use for Gentian Violet is non-surgical treatment of onychocryptosis, the twenty-five cent word for ingrown toenails. I discovered this old treatment one bored night on Emergency Room call at an Indian reservation hospital, flipping through some hundred year old surgical textbook. Just paint the nail folds and nail liberally. If antibiotics available, and they weren’t when the book was written, I usually use some erythromycin. The Gentian Violet desiccates the nail fold and toughens it, treating the ingrown nail. While it’s not a 100% cure, it works well enough I still use it in my practice. I …

James Wesley: At a slide show about extreme trekking in the tropics, I asked the speaker what they used as a topical antibiotic and antifungal medicine while on the expedition.  The speaker said they relied on Gentian Blue, an antibiotic that was used in World War I and II. Gentian Blue (or Crystal Violet) is used as a clothing dye.  The early chemical industry put a big emphasis on the development of dyes. In the race to discover the first antibiotics, every chemical on the shelf was tested, and Gentian Blue was found to have powerful antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitical …

Mr Rawles, The letter from Lonestar Doc about skin abscesses is both appropriate and essential. I would like to add a few points that may not have been clear. 1. Never squeeze (pinching between fingers with force) an abscess trying to get it to pop (remember your mother’s admonishments about pimples?) Squeezing may be successful in getting pus to come out, but you force the bacteria and toxins into deeper tissues and possibly blood vessels which may cause distant secondary infections. In certain areas like the face, it could be a lethal complication. If an area seems to be draining, …

Most of us have heard of them and many of us have had to creep surreptitiously to the nearest emergency room to have one drained. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, someone is going to have to do the dirty deed and take care of the darn thing. This is a short description on how to try to fix an abscess and to determine when do you really need to break into the antibiotic storage? I must warn you you up front, do not do this if there is any other option. If there is medical care available, they are the ones …

Background: I converted my wife to prepping, working on the “kids”. Thirty Five years in EMS and 22 as an Emergency Medicine physician: prior work with Appleseed and Western Rifle Shooter’s Association travel course on Grid Down Medicine at its inception. Some austere medical and rescue training and operations, no military (I failed the physical).  I fully endorse your previous recommendations for the various medical education/training resources cited.   I would like to confirm Walker’s position, that for a mobile/bugout situation humping the ruck, his kit and strategy make a lot of sense. Protection from environmental factors, sanitation, water, and …

Dear Editor: Regarding primitive means of extracting insulin, I direct your readers to this article (PDF and images available here.)   Note that the term ‘spirit’ in the paper means pure ethyl alcohol, and modern ethyl rubbing alcohol is not suitable as it contains denaturing poisons. It’s known that the mixtures must be kept at ice water temperatures or the insulin will be degraded. This is not intended for a kitchen chemist, some knowledge of chemistry and lab technique is preferred.   Referencing this article is not intended to give medical advice. – A.N. Onymieux   Hey Jim, I read …

First a little background: I am an Army Medic with combat experience. I have been a prepper since before I knew what prepping was. I teach wilderness survival and self reliance to the youth in my community as well as hunt, smith and homebrew. This is my personal take on the medical supply situation on a thirty six to seventy two hour bag basis. I have noticed that there have been several articles not just on this site but just about every other site I frequent about first aid kits and the ideal supply list. First off I have to …

Mr. Rawles, I’m writing this because there has to be a better way to prepare for everyone that feels the responsibility to do so without leaving type 1 diabetics behind.  I’m hoping you or someone reading this may have answers or can help in the search.  I had been prepping for a year or so in small but steady ways.  We had covered a lot of ground, everything from food storage to medicine, woodstove, small solar, guns, gardens, you name it and we continued to punch away at our personal list.  Then it happened, my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  It’s …