88 



CICATRIZATION OF WOUNDS 



rapidly with the dimensions of the wound and that, when the 

 area is inferior to 5 square centimetres, the wounds cicatrize 

 at about the same rate between twenty and forty years of age. 

 In this case, as in the case of large wounds, age and area lose 

 their importance. In wounds less than 5 cm.^ in size, the 



4 & n /b 10 2U 2S J2 36 i>0 «♦ ♦« SZ 56 60 6i 64 72 /j6 



Time in da/s 



i 



\ 



f^qe : 20vear5 30 veara 40years 



FIG. 20. RATE OF HEALING AS A FUNCTION OF THE AGE OF THE 



PATIENT 



edges are so close that almost all the work of reparation is due 

 to epidermization. Towards the end of this book we will see 

 that many years later^ in 1933, ^ eliminated the area so as to 

 obtain a new index depending only on the age. 



To recapitulate the foregoing pages clearly it suffices to 

 glance at Figs. 20 and 21. The first expresses the role of 

 age in the rate of reparation of a wound of 40 cm. 2. The 

 second, the role of the area, the age and other conditions being 

 identical. 



In reference to the problem propounded by Prof. Tuffier, 

 I pointed out that it had been necessary to introduce a correc- 

 tion in the case of long and narrow wounds resulting, for 

 instance, from longitudinal incisions along the muscles. We 



