CHAPTER V 



CICATRIZATION OF WOUNDS (II)— 

 EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE— CURVES- 

 MATHEMATICAL STUDY 



It was first of all necessary to establish a precise technique 

 whereby wounds could be maintained sterile without irritation, 

 and the edges outlined as accurately as possible. Dr. H. D. 

 Dakin had already prepared a certain number of antiseptics 

 and Dr. Carrel had chosen the ones which bore the numbers 

 30 and 142 as giving the best practical results. '30', as we 

 called it, was the sodium hypochlorite solution which later 

 became famous under the name of Dakin Solution. 



This sHghtly alkaline antiseptic, rigorously titrated at 0-5 

 per cent of sodium hypochlorite, differs radically from other 

 hypochlorite solutions used for cleaning purposes (Javel 

 water). These latter fluids are very irritating and can determine 

 grave lesions of the tissues on account of their high percentage 

 of free alkali. Their antiseptic power, however, is not due to 

 their alkalinity; that is to say, to their causticity. The Dakin 

 solution possesses a strong antiseptic power without being 

 irritating or toxic, and this constitutes a tremendous advantage. 



It was furthermore necessary to avoid as much as possible 

 all disturbing influences on the wounds and, in particular, to 

 make sure, by daily checks, that their bacterial condition, 

 viz. the mean number of microbes per unit of surface, was 

 minimum and did not vary from the beginning to the end of 

 the experiment. 



The patients had to lie in bed, preferably immobilized by 

 a fracture, for example, as any movement always brings about 

 considerable delay in cicatrization. 



The bacterial condition of the wound was therefore con- 

 trolled every day by smears taken from different points and 

 examined under the microscope. If microbes were found, 



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