Manual of popular instructions, for recovering persons apparently dead from drowning, suffocation, lightning : to which are added, remarks on the accidents incident to children and cautions, hints &c to persons exposed to the accidents and diseases for the prevention and cure of which this tract is designed / drawn up under the sanction, and with the assistance of Dr. Hawes, institutor and treasurer of the Royal Humane Society, London.

  • Hawes, William, 1736-1808.
Date:
[1806]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Manual of popular instructions, for recovering persons apparently dead from drowning, suffocation, lightning : to which are added, remarks on the accidents incident to children and cautions, hints &c to persons exposed to the accidents and diseases for the prevention and cure of which this tract is designed / drawn up under the sanction, and with the assistance of Dr. Hawes, institutor and treasurer of the Royal Humane Society, London. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    45/48 (page 49)
    43 try, who had been drowned a considerable time. This very interesting occurrence came to my knowledge d.iring my late stay at St, Petersburg, and took place between Kovna nnd Wilna (in Lithuania) on the banks of the H^tk rivet VVilia, from whence the last mentioned town d-erives it-9 name. The emperor, from gome cause or other iinmmatenal to the present subject, had considerably advanced his atte;idi» ants; and, being led by the wmding of the road witiiia a short distance of the above mentioned river, and perceiv- ing several persons assembled near the edge of the vvate/, out of which they appeared to be dragging something, he m» stantly alighted, and, on approaching the spot, found it to be the body of a man apparently lifeless. Prompted by liumanity alone, and without any other assistance than that of the ignorant boors around him, to whom he was no o - therwise known than that his uniform indicated an officer of rank, he had him conveyed to, and laid on the side of a bank, and immediately proceeded with his own hands to as- sist in taking off the wet clothes of the apparent corpse, and to rub his temples, wrists, &c. which his Imperiai Majesty odntinued fur a considerable time, using every other hieans, though destitute of every medical assistance, that appeared at the moment most likely to restore animation, bat all without effect In the midst of this occupation, the Emperor was loined by the gentlemen of his suite, among whom were the Prince Wolkousky and Count Liewen (two Russian-noble- men) and Dr. Wcilly, his Majesty's Head Surgeon, an En^/isA Gcnthmaii, whose professional abilities are so well known (at least on the continent) that they need no comment; which latter always travels with, and indeed never quits his Majesty at any time. . Their exertions were immediately added to those of the Emperor; and on the Doctor's attempting to bleed the pa- tient, his Majesty held and rubbed hi:; arm, and gave every other assistance in his power; that, however, and all other means they could devise, proved equally ineffectual; so much so, that after above three hours fruitless attemps to recover him, the Doctor declared, to the extreme chagrin of the En,peror (who was by this time become very anxious about 'it) to be his opinion, that life was quite gone, and that it