Category: First Aid/Medical

Two Letters Re: Questions on Blood Clotting Agents

James: See this link for a PDF that provides a short article by two medical doctors concerning the different clotting agents. Anyone contemplating a [blood clotting agent] purchase should read the article. – Bill N. Dear Mr. Rawles, I may be “just a dentist,” but hopefully I can offer some insight into the gentleman’s question regarding ferric sulfate as a coagulant. He is correct that it is a coagulant. I use it every day in a 15.5% aqueous solution to control minor intraoral bleeding (modern dental impression materials and tooth colored filling materials don’t do well in the presence of …


Six Letters Re: Questions on Blood Clotting Agents

Sir: In reply to Bill H.’s questions about Ferric chloride to stop bleeding. In the U.S. Ferric Chloride is recognized as a styptic in veterinary medicine and should be used at a concentration of 10%. Lower concentrations are progressively less effective as a styptic but become useful as an astringent. Ferric subsulfate is currently used in the U.S. in human medicine as a styptic. I see it used frequently in our hospital in the surgery department. The typical use is at full strength or 20%. Alum is another potential styptic used at 0.5 to 5% solutions (yes, the stuff for …


Letter Re: Questions on Blood Clotting Agents

Sir: As a hobby machinist, I spent some time prowling sites catering to the hobby. Did, when I was out of work for a while and had the time. A most interesting reference showed up on several “foreign” sites. (Outside the u.s.) Posters were recommending the chemical Ferric Chloride as a coagulant. According to the texts, it would stop heavy bleeding on contact. Presumably, it chemically cauterized the wound. I have spilled it into minor scrapes, by accident. It felt like a cautery iron, or worse. I lack knowledge of biochemistry. But I am aware that both iron and chlorides …


Disaster Proof Your Home, by “Decay”

In today’s survival forums much emphasis is placed on issues such as Bug Out Bags (BOBs), Main Battle Rifles, or Bug Out Vehicles (BOVs) These are important but I feel that it is critical that we also remember to return to the basics in an emergency situation. It was through my neighborhood Emergency Training program that I was reminded how fragile our homes, apartments, and neighborhoods can be during and after a disaster. Before flooding, hurricanes, tornados, famine, pestilence, plague, war or martial law. You and your family should get prepared so that you will be ready for anything that …


Letter Re: Eye Protection, Flushing, and Infection Treatment

One thing I haven’t seen on your blog is eye treatment. Nothing can put you out of action faster than an eye problem. Recently, I developed a bacterial infection in my right eye which was treated with a prescription oral antibiotic. I also used eye drops to help lubricate the eye and relieve some of the irritation. There are many different eye drops available. I used Allergan Refresh Tears which I bought at Costco. For my situation, my doctor said it was a good choice. My doctor informed me that I could have acquired the infection in many ways including …


Letter Re: Constructing a High Efficiency (Low Current Draw) Refrigerator

Hi Jim There was an article on your blog a few weeks ago about converting a chest freezer into a low wattage refrigerator. I decided to make one of these as it is a great idea. I purchased a 7 cu ft freezer at Home Depot for $200 and then bought this device (the Johnson model) and that was all that I needed. I first used it as a freezer and put a Kill A Watt [current monitor] on it. It averaged 1.13 KW per 24 hours. I then used the thermostat and used it as a refrigerator and tested …


Raising Goats for Self-Sufficiency, by Freeholder

It seems like more and more people are becoming aware of the need to grow some of their own food. Usually they start with a garden, and maybe some chickens or meat rabbits. But eventually, if the family has room for them and the zoning allows, they decide that they need their own milk supply (with a little home-grown veal or chevon [goat meat] as a bonus). Cows have their place, but in many situations goats are a better choice. They are smaller and easier to handle; less expensive to purchase; require less room; and can eat, and even thrive …


Reader Poll Results: Your TEOTWAWKI Resume — 100 Words and 100 Pounds

Some of these stretched the 100 word limit. (I skipped posting one that rambled on far beyond the limit.) The poll’s premise in a nutshell: “If someday you went to the gates of a survival community post-TEOTWAWKI and pleaded the case for why you should be let past the barricades and armed guards to become a valuable working member of the group, would you get voted in? Taken objectively, would you vote yourself in?”   I am a shoe maker (not just a repairman) can repair saddles tan leather have done ranch work mechanics weld gardening skills set a broken …


Letter Re: A Get Out of Dodge Physical Fitness Test

Jim, First of all as a reader of your SurvivalBlog and a purchaser of your “Patriots” novel, your Rawles on Retreats and Relocation book, and a copy of your “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. I wanted to offer my thanks for your information and insight. I am only a few months into the preparedness way of life but was hit hard this last week by an object lesson that I don’t feel gets the priority needed in some preparedness writings. My current physical fitness was tested as I re-shingled my roof and the realization I had at my lack …


Letter Re: Chemistry Knowledge is One of the Keys to Survival

JWR: I’ve been thinking about a recent Internet writer who argued that we aren’t headed toward the 1890s [technology/infrastructure] (we should be so lucky); we’re headed toward 10,000 BC! (Due to oil depletion and resultant social chaos and die-off). Regardless of “where we land,” it seems that among all the technologies at the disposal of humans, sustainable and not, chemistry is ubiquitous. Everything, or most everything we do or use involves use of chemical technology. The survival issues involving chemistry are obvious: soap, diesel fuel, disinfectants, water purification/decontamination, powder for ammo, etc, beer and wine, to name just a few. …


Reader Poll: Your TEOTWAWKI Resume — 100 Words and 100 Pounds

S.F. in Hawaii suggested another poll topic: “If someday you went to the gates of a survival community post TEOTWAWKI and pleaded the case for why you should be let past the barricades and armed guards to become a valuable working member of the group, would you get voted in? Taken objectively, would you vote yourself in? I suggest the following poll. Put together your survival resume in 100 words or less. The resume is what you would present to a panel of tough as nails judges who would decide if what you offer is worth what you will consume …


Letter Re: Questions from a Newbie–Where Do I Start?

Mr Rawles- I’ve been a reader of your blog for maybe the last nine months or so and I know I need to stop reading and get to doing something. So I was wondering if you could advise me on where I should start my preparations. I’m a city boy so I don’t have many of the skills that I think would be useful in a TEOTWAWKI situation. I don’t know how to shoot or farm or fix a diesel engine. While I could start buying equipment in order to be prepared, I think that the first thing I should …


Poll Results: Why are You Preparing to Survive?

Here is the second round of responses to this question: Those who are well educated enough to see a societal collapse of some sort or another in the making fall into two groups, the merrymakers and the preparers. The merrymakers don’t see life worth living post-SHTF, so they live it up now. We on SurvivalBlog are the preparers and have chosen to survive, but why? Our children? To rebuild civilization? Because the collapse will only be temporary? Because we can and we’re stubborn with a stronger than normal will to survive? The following is the second batch of responses. A …


Letter Re: Be Prepared to Perform Tooth Extractions

The recent discussion on dental care started me thinking, and I had to again survey and inventory my supplies. My medical supplies are in good shape but my dental supplies were sadly lacking. Consisting of only Eugenol, temporary filling material and dental wax. So I started by downloading “Where There is No Dentist” from this site: http://www.inteldaily.com/. It is on the right under free books. After reading a bit and seeing the book advises the same tools as the previous post. I started searching for dental tools. The auction sites, and supply houses have some high prices. $45-to-$90 per tool. …


Letter Re: Be Prepared to Perform Tooth Extractions

Hi Jim, A late night espresso kept me from sleeping, so I dove into some analysis of my dental office [records] for 2006. I practice in northern Idaho, so you know the population base I serve. My numbers surprised me. On average, I pull four teeth per day, perform three root canals per day, and fill 11 teeth per day, four days per week. So in my office I treated about 1,350 people in varying degrees of pain in 2006. Those cavities I filled if left untreated would eventually cause mild to severe pain. Combine those numbers with all the …