SURGERY 



5641 



SURVEYING 



healthy skin on raw wounds or burns, trans- 

 fusion of blood, straightening of crooked legs, 

 and transplantations of healthy organs, pieces 

 of bone and tissues to take the place of dis- 

 eased parts. The knife is still the most impor- 

 tant means of cure for cancer, and surgery is 

 successfully applied in numerous cases of goiter 

 disorders that tax the skill of the physician. 



In the days before the development of anti- 

 septic surgery many lives were lost because of 

 the unavoidable after effects fever, abscesses, 

 blood poisoning, gangrene, etc. Such compli- 

 cations as these were the result of ignorance. 

 Surgeons were not particular about the state of 

 cleanliness of their hands, clothing, instruments 

 or bandages, to say nothing of the patient, and, 

 furthermore, they did not understand the ne- 

 cessity for precautions in this respect. Con- 

 trast the old methods with those of the modern 

 operating room. The skin in which the in- 

 cision is to be made is scrubbed with soap and 

 water, then with ether and then with a power- 

 ful antiseptic solution like corrosive sublimate 

 and water. Until the operation takes place 

 this surgically-clean area is kept covered with 

 an antiseptic dressing. The instruments are 

 thoroughly disinfected, and during the opera- 

 tion, whenever they are laid down they are 

 placed either in a tray containing an antiseptic 

 solution or upon disinfected towels and sheets. 

 If a sponge or instrument happens to fall on 

 the floor it is laid aside until it is again disin- 

 fected. Surgeons and nurses scrub their hands 

 and nails in soap and water, alcohol and an 

 antiseptic solution, and their linen aprons are 

 likewise surgically clean. All bandages and 

 dressings receive the same careful attention, 

 so that the dangers of pus formation and simi- 

 lar after effects are reduced to a minimum. In 

 other words, wounds are kept free from germs. 

 The efficacy of modern surgical methods was 

 tested on a large scale in the War of the Na- 

 tions, when the wounded were cared for by 

 the thousands. In the base and field hospitals 

 maintained by the belligerents all that science 

 could bring to bear on the subject was put to 

 the test, and marvelous were the results 

 achieved. One of the discoveries that attracted 

 much attention was a new method of irrigating 

 wounds, the idea of Dr. Alexis Carrel (which 

 see). Though many men left the hospitals per- 

 manently maimed, large numbers were saved 

 from terrible disfigurement by means of mod- 

 ern surgery, and untold numbers of lives were 

 saved through operations conducted on scien- 

 tific principles. S.C.B. 



Consult Fowler's The Operating Room and the 

 Patient; Ashhurst's Surgery. 



Related Subjects. The subject of surgery is 

 closely connected with the following topics in 

 these volumes. Since a number of these have 

 extensive indexes the range of reading indicated 

 is a wide one. 



Amputation 

 Anatomy (with list) 

 Anesthetic 

 Antiseptic 

 Bacteria and 



Bacteriology 

 Bandage 

 Disease (with list) 



Fracture 

 Granulation 

 Lithotomy 

 Medicine and Drugs 



(with list) 

 Tourniquet 

 Trephining 



SURVEYING, surva'ing, the art of ascer- 

 taining the shape and area of any portion of 

 the earth's surface, or of running lines and 

 determining angles to fix boundaries. Land 

 surveying, with which most people are familiar, 



'riff* 



lilford 



urner 



HOW AN AREA IS SURVEYED 

 Starting with a base line, as between Sparta 

 and Kent, in the drawing, other lines are laid, 

 completing a triangle. With one of the new lines 

 as a base line another triangle is laid out. This 

 process is continued until aH the objectives have 

 been gained. 



is for the purpose of fixing boundaries and de- 

 termining areas of comparatively small plots of 

 ground. In the United States and Canada the 

 boundaries and divisions of public lands have 

 been fixed by government surveyors. The land 

 surveyor uses two instruments for running his 

 lines a surveyor's compass or a transit, and a 

 chain for measuring distances. The above dia- 

 gram deals with land surveying. 



Surveying for fixing boundaries is often 

 called plain surveying. Topographical survey- 

 ing is conducted on a much larger scale and 

 includes the measuring of altitudes and mapping 

 the elevations and depressions of the region. 

 Topographical surveying is used in making 

 surveys for maps, and is usually under the 

 direction of the national government. Survey- 

 ing requires a thorough knowledge of mathe- 

 matics and ability to use delicate instruments 

 with a high degree of accuracy. 



