Aiming to give first aid a new look, the American Red Cross last week began distributing a new edition of its First Aid Textbook (Doubleday; $1, or 75¢ in paper covers), completely rewritten for the first time since 1945.* Notable changes:
¶ The tourniquet is now "mentioned principally to discourage its use," which should be only for "severe, life-threatening hemorrhage that cannot be controlled by other means," i.e., only for massive arterial bleeding, never for venous bleeding. Once in place, it should not be loosened every 15 minutes (as formerly advised), but left tight until a physician takes over. Alternative...
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