54 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Feb. 



be transported to the place of operation in various ways, 

 Bloch's method in double filtering paper being prefer- 

 able; it is, liowever: always safer to sterilize on the spot, 

 and, as only half an hour is required for the whole pro- 

 cedure, it is also practicable. In urgent emergency cases 

 a surgeon ought never to be taken by surprise, and as 

 time is valuable in such cases, he should always have on 

 hand a supply of sterilized articles. 



One more remark with regard to operations in private 

 practice, I will most emphatically impress upon all sur- 

 geons, with the possible exception of those few who are 

 masters both in surgical technique and in asepsis, to con- 

 sider every wound at the end of an operation of some 

 duration slightly infected, and therefore to combine 

 their asepsis with a judical antisepsis. Thus I am in the 

 habit of repeatedly dipping my hands during the opera- 

 tion in a weak, sterile solution of lysol (| per cent or 

 even less). The small amount of antiseptic which in this 

 way is carried into the wound, I have yet failed to find 

 objectionable, and I use lysol because it is at hand, and 

 because it is alkaline like the fluids of the tissues. And 

 when the operation is completed, I apply next to the 

 wound an antiseptic dressing, not exactly the customary 

 iodoform gauze, because its preparation requires extra- 

 ordinary facilities, but antiseptic, and at the same time 

 aseptic, hydrophile ointments. Anhydrous lanolin ab- 

 sorbs moisture greedily; it is first sterilized, mixed while 

 cooling with 2 per cent lysol and run into tubes. A gen- 

 erous quantity is expressed over the wound, and over 

 this the ordinary dressing is applied. Changing this 

 dressing is unattended by the disturbance of the wound 

 or the patient's comfort, as it does not stick like a dry 

 dressing. 



In the foregoing it has been my aim to dwell upon the 

 most essential points in surgical sterilization and sterili- 

 zers in private practice, points which I could stamp with 

 some degree of originality. — Journal Am, Med. Assoc. 



