410 HEALTH AND DISEASE 



trouble. They invariably give rise to profuse suppuration and discharge of 

 matter, which only ceases when the offending body has been removed or 

 passed away. 



In some instances wounds containing fragments of foreign substances 

 will heal over, only, however, to break out again after the formation of an 

 abscess, either at the seat of the original wound or in the more immediate 

 vicinity of the impacted body. 



To bring the divided parts of a wound into their original position is a 

 most important step towards effecting a speedy reunion, but it is only in 

 the case of incised wounds, where the surfaces are level and clean-cut, that 

 this is capable of being efficiently carried out, and even here the greatest 

 care is sometimes needed lest the advantages offered be lost. This is 

 especially the case in deep wounds, where some difficulty is experienced in 

 keeping the deeper parts of the apposed surfaces together. If for want of 

 support they should fall away from each other, while the more superficial 

 part of the wound closes over, an opportunity is offered for matter to 

 accumulate between the disconnected parts below, and ultimately to break 

 through the united tissues above. 



SPECIAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS 



Incised Wounds. — Of the several descriptions of wounds, that which 

 is "clean-cut" lends itself most readily to adjustment and rapid healing. 

 The divided surfaces are regular, smooth, and easily brought into exact 

 apposition, and the tissues being but slightly damaged should, under 

 favourable conditions, heal by the first intention. 



In the treatment to be adopted it will be neces-sary, in the first place, 

 to arrest haemorrhage by one or another of the methods referred to under 

 that head. Then with sharp scissors the hair is removed close to the 

 skin, or, if possible, shaved for a considerable distance round about the 

 wound, and the skin thoroughly washed with soap and Lister's " Strong 

 Mixture", consisting of a 5-per-cent solution of carbolic acid and '2 

 per cent (1 in 500) of corrosive sublimate. Brushing at the same time 

 with a pretty strong nail-brush will assist in rendering the cleansing 

 efficient. 



The soap should then be washed off with the antiseptic solution, and 

 all adhering blood removed from the wound, together with any foreign 

 matter that may have entered it. This will be done at fii'st with the 

 fingers — picking off" any tangible particles, and then by flooding the 

 wound with a 5-per-cent solution of carbolic lotion. The two surfaces 

 of the wound are now brought together, and this must be understood 



