7 



[Reprinted from the Journal of New York Botanical Garden, i9: 203-220, Sept., 1918. 



THE SPHAGNUM MOSS AND ITS USE IN SURGICAL 



DRESSINGS* 



"Are you collecting Sphagnum Moss?" Such was the question 

 that appeared in bold type on the front cover of the London 

 Graphic for September 2, 1916. From this journal we learn 

 that the collecting and drying of sphagnum moss and making it 

 up into surgical dressings "has become a national industry" in 

 Scotland, and that "the work is being extended all over England, 

 Ireland and Wales." Within the past two years the sphagnum 

 industry has assumed large proportions in Canada, and in our 

 own country it is rapidly coming to the front as an important 

 phase of Red Cross work. 



One very serious handicap to the sphagnum enterprise in this 

 country is a lack of information regarding where to get material. 

 Abundant supplies of good surgical moss have been located in 

 the Pacific northwest, but the transportation of material from 

 this region to the east presents an obvious problem. At the 

 present time, therefore, we are scouring the east for sources of 

 supply which can be drawn upon in case of need. What can you 

 tell us regarding the sphagnum situation in your locality? Are 

 there any good supplies of surgical sphagnum? 



Now of course very few people are in a position to furnish off- 

 hand the sort of information that we require. To perhaps most 

 people the very identity of the sphagnum is veiled with mystery, 

 and of those who may know it as a kind of "bog moss" few 

 realize that there are a large number of different kinds. Even 



* Contribution from the Osborn Botanical Laboratory. 



203 



