204 



among botanists, who of all people should know it best, there are 

 comparatively few who can distinguish between one kind of 

 sphagnum and another, or, what is more to the point in the pres- 

 ent connection, who can discriminate intelligently between surgi- 

 cal and non-surgical material. In the account which follows, I 

 shall discuss some of the more important facts regarding the 

 sphagnum moss as related to surgical dressings. I shall try 

 particularly to answer some of the many queries which are con- 

 stantly being made by people who are eager to help in securing 

 information regarding our resources of surgical sphagnum. 



First of all, how did sphagnum come to be introduced into surgical 

 practice? Who discovered its adaptability in this connection? 



Along in the late seventies of the last century a workman at one 

 of the great peat moors in northern Germany accidentally sus- 

 tained a severe wound of the forearm. In the absence of any- 

 thing better to use, his fellow workmen wrapped up the wound 

 with fragments of the peat which happened to be lying near, and 

 it was not until ten days later that the man was able to secure 

 surgical attention. Imagine the surprise of the surgeon when, on 

 removing the improvised dressing, it was found that the wound 

 had almost completely healed.* 



With this incident the use of sphagnum in present-day surgery 

 may be said to have originated. As a matter of fact, however, its 

 use in this connection is not a new thing at all: it is merely a 

 modern and scientific revival of a very ancient practice. In 

 parts of Great Britain, according to Professor Porter, f from time 

 immemorial bog moss has been used by country people in the 

 treatment of boils and discharging wounds. In Scotland and 

 Ireland it was employed many centuries ago for exactly the 

 same purpose that it is being used today; and moss was "at 

 least recommended for use by army surgeons, both in the Napo- 

 leonic and the Franco-Prussian wars." 



We must acknowledge our indebtedness to the Germans, 



*This incident is related by Neuber (Arch. f. klin. Chir. 27: 757-788. 1882), 

 a German surgeon who at that time was connected with the surgical clinic at Kiel. 



t Porter, J. B. Sphagnum surgical dressings. Internat. Journ. Surgery 30: 

 129-135. 8 f. in text. 1917. This comprehensive paper has been reprinted as a 

 separate by the Canadian Red Cross. 



