OK folks these simple chemical tests may help Medics in the field out there. This is latex glove time; as most involve smears of the patient's body fluids.
MICROSCOPE SLIDE STAINS: As well as characteristic shape many bacteria are shown clearer and identified by their reaction to certain Stains. GRAM'S STAIN: A sample may be called gram-positive if this stains readily, gram-negative if it does not stain. Also gram-variable if results are mixed. 1. blob on center of microscope slide and air dry 2.Heat fix by gently warming slide underneath with match. 3.One drop crystal violet (gentian violet) on specimen for 1 minute. 4.Mist wash with distilled water 5.Stain with one drop Grams'Iodine for 1 minute. Formula:1 part iodine, 2 parts potassium iodine, 300 parts distilled water. 6. Wash again with water. 7.Mist spray with decolorizer (ethyl alcohol) for 3 to 5 seconds. 8. Spray again with water. 9. One drop Safranin OR Fushine OR Eosin for 30 seconds. 10. Wash again with water. 11. Air dry and maybe slide cover. WRIGHT'S STAIN: 1.Air dry slide 2. Wright's stain 2 minutes. 3. Drop of distilled water as buffer for 2 minutes. 4. Water spray wash. 5. Air dry and maybe cover slide.
THE FOLLOWING TESTS ARE FOR FECES: The Fecal Guaiac test identifies internal bleeding into stomach or bowel by a shit sample. Bright blood is usualy hemorrhoids; not true internal bleeding; which seems to look like blackish shit. 1.Smear small bit of feces center of filter paper. 2. 1 drop gum guaiac in 95% ethyl alcohol. 3. 1 drop glacial acetic acid 4. 1 drop 3% hydrogen peroxide. Results: Positive (yes blood!) when blue or dark green colour in 30 seconds. Negative (no blood) with other colour or delayed reaction.


[This message has been edited by k9girrl (edited 03-23-2001).]

a few questions
1. do you mean microscope? (mocroscope?)
2. can i use this to determine internal bleeding in friends or me instead of going to the hospital if i want to avoid public attention to an event?

Yes SLEEPWALKER; I meant microscope I am sending these segments from a public keyboard with no time to spellcheck. These tests can be used to indicate bleeding INTO the stomach or bowels. Bleeding BETWEEN body walls and outside digestive organs will not be shown. However the test is a useful reassurance and worth doing. Similarly bleeding INTO lungs will be shown by coughing blood. Bleeding BETWEEN thorax walls and lungs will not be so obvious but can compress lungs flat (called Hemothorax). These injuries are often caused by the pressure wave from an explosion; and are called blast-lung or blast abdomen. If your community has a street medic, I will suggest a couple of good American books at the end of this article.

TEMPORARY DENTAL FILLINGS: The loss of a filling is a common field emergency. This can be plugged with a temporary filling that will reduce pain and save the tooth for a few weeks. As soon as possible it should be replaced with a real filling by a Dentist.
There are kits available with zinc oxide and eugenol that are NOT recommended as they can kill the tooth in a deep cavity. The best temporary mix is calcium hydroxide and dycal.
1. wash cavity with warm salt water. Mix VERY stiff putty of dycal and calcium hydroxide. Pack into cavity with small clean stick such as small bamboo barbecue skewers. The official tamping tool is Woodson Plastic Instrument #3 or #3. Do not chew for several hours.

NORMAL SALINE SOLUTION:
Another useful item is sterile saline sol. used to wash out (called IRRIGATE) wounds. This ancient method (originally sea water) has come again to replace chemical washing as the preferred cleaning treatment. Wounds are irrigated by squirting from a large syringe body or a new garden/janitor's spray-squirt bottle with the pump trigger. This bottle can be adjusted from a fine mist for surface washing, to a pressure stream for deep wounds. A normal saline can be made with .9% salt in freshly distilled water. Using British Imperial measures; that's 1/16 ounce weight salt into 1 pint of water. Normal saline is used for IV to replace bloodloss and treat shock, but most people lack quality controls to make saline safe for injection. However, saline with sugar enemas can be used to treat minor shock. *ROLLING ON GLOVES* I have a funnel and rubber hose right here! lol
An oral version to treat heat exhaustion is Moyer's Solution: small pinch salt sodium chloride, small pinch salt substitute potassium chloride, large pinch baking soda sodium bicarbonate, all in quart of water with sugar and flavoring.

STERILIZATION OF INSTRUMENTS: We mean suture scissors, hemostats, etc. A steaming basket inside a pressure cooker may be used. The instruments are loosely wrapped and tied in clean cloth and steamed at at least 15 psi or 250F. for 15 minutes. There is a good chemical dip solution that will kill ALL bacteria AND SPORES; whilst simple boiling water is unreliable. 700 ml ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, 37% formaldehyde solution 25 ml, sodium nitrate 1 gm, sodium bicarbonate 1 gm, distilled water to make up 1 liter. Open joints of metal instruments and dip for 3 hours.

Riots are my favourite contact sport next to sex. For those of you dodging tear gas and rubber bullets; there is considerable medical info at www.corpreform.org/a16_medical_collective.html

OK thats about it unless someone wants some good book titles. I will leave this posted in Tips for a week or so then move it to WEPS forum. The Mod there is a chemist.