﻿574 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  week 
  the 
  dressing 
  is 
  removed. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  ointment 
  is 
  

   found 
  to 
  have 
  disappeared 
  but 
  the 
  burn 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  soft, 
  pliable 
  

   protective 
  eschar. 
  Regeneration 
  of 
  new 
  skin 
  will 
  occur 
  under 
  this 
  

   covering 
  provided 
  that 
  infection 
  does 
  not 
  stifle 
  this 
  process. 
  

  

  Treatment 
  in 
  this 
  phase 
  follows 
  a 
  cardinal 
  principle 
  of 
  sulfonamide 
  

   therapy 
  — 
  maintaining 
  the 
  concentration 
  of 
  drug 
  in 
  the 
  infection 
  zone 
  

   as 
  long 
  as 
  any 
  bacteria 
  may 
  be 
  present. 
  This 
  is 
  accomplished 
  by 
  

   placing 
  gauze 
  impregnated 
  with 
  petrolatum, 
  paraffin, 
  and 
  sodium 
  

   sulfathiazole 
  on 
  the 
  burned 
  areas. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  skin 
  is 
  completely 
  destroyed, 
  skin 
  from 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  body 
  must 
  be 
  grafted 
  to 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  loss. 
  To 
  insure 
  that 
  the 
  

   grafts 
  will 
  grow 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  overrun 
  by 
  spreading 
  infection, 
  addi- 
  

   tional 
  sodium 
  salts 
  of 
  the 
  sulfonamides 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  grafted 
  areas. 
  

  

  This 
  brief 
  report 
  has 
  given 
  you 
  a 
  glimpse 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  uses 
  of 
  sulfon- 
  

   amides. 
  They 
  are 
  used 
  first 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  wound 
  or 
  burn 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   the 
  development 
  of 
  infection 
  ; 
  then 
  they 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  keep 
  down 
  infec- 
  

   tion 
  while 
  healing 
  occurs 
  or 
  when 
  skin 
  grafts 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  

   defect. 
  Recent 
  research 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  infected 
  wounds 
  become 
  

   acidic 
  and 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  acidity 
  is 
  overcome 
  the 
  drugs 
  are 
  "activated" 
  

   and 
  in 
  solution 
  in 
  the 
  infection 
  zone. 
  It 
  remains 
  for 
  future 
  research 
  

   to 
  discover 
  additional 
  improvements 
  that 
  may 
  further 
  reduce 
  the 
  

   present 
  low 
  incidence 
  of 
  infection 
  in 
  wounds 
  and 
  burns. 
  

  

  