CHAPTER VI. 

 WOUNDS AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



WOUNDS. 



350. A wound is an injury to any part of the body involving a 

 separation of the tissues of the affected part. 



Wounds are classified as incised, lacerated, punctured, bruised, and 

 gunshot. 



Incised wounds are clean cuts made by a sharp instrument. 



Lacerated wounds are injuries in which the tissues are more or less 

 torn. They are made by blunt objects, such as hooks and the teeth 

 of horses and mules. 



Punctured wounds are made by pointed objects, such as nails, 

 splinters, thorns, and the prongs of forks and rakes. 



Bruised wounds are injuries in which the skin is not broken, 

 such as are caused by falls, kicks, the bumping of various parts of 

 the body against blunt objects, and by pressure from the saddle and 

 collar. 



Gunshot wounds are those made by bullets or pieces of shell. 



DRESSINGS. 



351. A dressing is a form of local treatment producing a contin- 

 uous action. It consists in the methodical application, upon the 

 eurface^of a wound, of medical substances, and the use of such 

 protective agents as gauze, cotton, or oakum, suitably arranged 

 and held in position by bandages or other means. 



Wounds are not healed by treatment. The object of treatment 

 is to keep the injured parts clean and protected, and nature repairs 

 them. Cleanliness is, therefore, the all-important principle in their 

 handling. Not only should the wound itself be clean but also the 

 dressings, the instruments, and the vessels in which these are con- 

 tained. 



The person doing the dressing should have his hands thoroughlfi 

 clean, and should procure in a clean basin or bucket an antiseptic 



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