DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 167 



more or less affected. A good example of contused wound is 

 "speedy cut" (interfering). A black eye, quite common among 

 certain classes of men, is a good example of a contused wound. 



Gun-Shot Wounds are seldom seen except in times of war, 

 when they are quite common. Such wounds should be thor- 

 oughly probed to be sure that the bullet is not lodged somewhere 

 in the body. If the ball should strike a bone it is usually shat- 

 tered and splintered to such an extent as to warrant us in hav- 

 ing the animal destroyed. 



Poisoned Wounds most frequently result from the bite of some 

 venomous reptile, as the rattlesnake, copperhead, viper, etc., in 

 America, and the cobra, etc., in India. This kind of wound may 

 also be caused by the careless and improper use of certain poi- 

 sonous medicines, as arsenic, etc., getting into a sore or cut and 

 poisoning it. 



Treatment. The treatment of wounds varies considerably, and 

 is governed by the nature, variety, situation, and extent of the 

 wound under consideration. When bleeding to any considerable 

 extent follows a wound of any kind, we must first of all stop the 

 flow of blood before attempting to close the wound itself or ap- 

 ply any other treatment. This object is effected in different 

 ways, according to whether the bleeding is from an artery or a 

 vein. If from an artery, the blood will be bright red or scarlet 

 in color, and flows in spurts, spouting out with every beat of the 

 heart. If from a vein, the blood is darker in color and flows in 

 a regular stream. Bleeding from large vessels may be stopped 

 by either compress bandages, torsion, hot iron, or ligatures. 



By Bandages. If the blood is from an artery, the pressure 

 should be applied between the wound and the center of circula- 

 tion, that is, towards the body; if from a vein, toward the ex- 

 tremities. 



