548 Sir William Macewen [June 7, 



one of these, and that the most vigorous of his career, when he 

 evolved the theory of antiseptics, and when he had to defend his 

 thesis. 



Prb-Antiseptic Days. 



In liister's early surgical days in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary 

 he encountered the same phenomena, which prevented the healing 

 of wounds, in all hospitals throughout the world. Suppuration in 

 wounds was the rule, and very profuse it generally was. Dressing 

 of . the wounds had to be done daily, and sometimes several times 

 a day. 



The handling of higlily-inflamed wounds was a source of pain, 

 and the dressing was anticipated hy the patients with an appre- 

 hension akin to terror, especially as the exhausting process, with its 

 accompanying high fever, reduced the resisting powers of the 

 individual to a low ehh. The suppurative process invaded the 

 deeper tissues, affecting the blood-vessels, and produced septic 

 thrombosis, from which septic emboli were carried to distant parts. 

 The dissemination of the septic material was soon shown in the high 

 temperature, the violent rigours, the profuse sweats, the sweetish, 

 sickening odour from the breath, the yellow cachexia, emaciation, 

 and final delirium which all too frequently ended in death. Some- 

 times every patient in a ward who had a serious operation performed 

 upon him would lie swept away. The wards would then be emptied, 

 lime-washed, well ventilated, and reopened, soon to be the scene of 

 further pyaemic ravages. 



All this was most depressing for the attendants, and many of the 

 young student dressers had at times to retire to the restoring in- 

 fluences of the open air, and there debate within themselves whether 

 it were physically possi])le for them to continue their work in the 

 midst of such scenes of suffering. 



Surgeons and patients alike dreaded operations, owing to their 

 terrible results, and only operations of dire necessity were permitted 

 to be performed. Severe compound fractures were treated by 

 amputation of the limbs, as to attempt to save them was to court 

 disaster. Consequently amputations in those days were common. 



Inflammation supposed to ue necessary to 

 Wound Healing. 



Surgeons were ever at work, attempting to discover the cause of 

 this excessive inflammation, and many were the theses and volumes 

 written on the subject. It was fully recognized tliat, if one could 

 discover the cause of this excessive inflammation, it would be the 

 first step toward eradicting the serious conditions attending wound 

 healing. The minds of men, however, were obscured by an initial 



