126 Vrefeni Stale of Surgery hi Turkey* 



with another. If, when the (welling fubfides, the cavity i* 

 too large for the limb, a hole or holes being left, liquid 

 gypfum plafter may be poured in, which will perfectly fill 

 up the void, and exactly fit the limb. A hole may be made 

 at firft by placing an oiled cork or bit of wood againft any 

 part where it is required; and when the plafter is fct, it is to 

 be removed. There is nothing in gypfum injurious, if it be 

 free from lime ; it will foon become Very dry and light, and 

 the limb may be bathed with fpirits, which will penetrate 

 through the covering. Spirits may be ufed inftead of water, 

 or mixed with it (or vinegar) at the firft making of the 

 plafter. 



I faw a cafe of a moft terrible compound fracture of the 

 leg and thigh, by the fall of a cannon, cured in this man- 

 ner. The perfon was feated on the ground, and the plafter 

 cafe extended from below his heel to the upper part of his 

 thigh, whence a bandage, fattened into the plafter, went 

 round his bodv. He reclined back when he flept, as he 

 could not lie down. During the cure, where they faw 

 matter or moifture appear through the plafter coating, they 

 cut a hole with a knife to drefs the wound, or let out the 

 matter more freely. 



On this occafion I cannot help mentioning the treatment 

 of parts frozen in Ruffia, not by the furgcons, but by the 

 common people, the fuccefs of which I was an cye-witnefs 

 to in feveral cafes, as well as to the failure of the common 

 mode of treating frozen parts by the moft able furgcons of 

 the army. I fhall limply ftate the facts I relate to. 



After Ochakof was taken, I received into my fubterranean, 

 lodging as many prifoners as it would contain, all of whom 

 were either wounded or had a limb frozen. Among them 

 were two children, one about fix and the other about four- 

 teen years of age ; the latter had one of her feet frozen to 

 the ancle, the other all the toes and the fole of one of 

 her feet. The fecond day the parts appeared black, (the firft 

 day they were not much obferved.) The French furgeon, 



7 whom 



