FLESH WOUNDS. 363 



sonic part above, from whence the water may gently trickle over the 

 wound ; but the abraded surface itself should never be touched. Any 

 large particles of gravel or dirt may be carefully removed by the forceps. 

 It is, however, a mistake to irritate a wound by over-anxiety to cleanse it 

 thoroughly. Nature will by her own processes remove, with less irrita- 

 tion than man can do, any foreign matters which will not come away by 

 the simple means recommended above. 



742. Accidental Haemorrhage. 



Accidental Haemorrhage arises from violence of any kind, frequently 

 self inflicted. It is either arterial or venous or both. If the blood is of 

 a bright scarlet colour spurting out, we know it is Arterial; if of a dull 

 red colour flowing in a steady stream, we conclude it is Venous ; if mixed 

 we know that both kinds of blood-vessels are injured. 



To arrest the Haemorrhage three things are necessary : 1st, careful, 

 very careful removal of foreign material. More harm than good is often 

 ignorantly done by probing the wound in search of such material. 2nd, 

 the application of pressure. 3rd, copious application of cold water or ice. 



To arrest arterial bleeding in the legs, the pressure must be applied 

 above the wound, whilst in venous bleeding it must be applied below, as in 

 the one case the blood is being carried from the heart, whilst in the other 

 case it is returning to the heart, i. e. flowing in opposite directions. 



As a matter of fact ordinary haemorrhage in the extremities, can after 

 cleansing be arrested by the application of a plug of wood wool, or lint 

 (not linen) on fine tow, around the fibres of which the blood speedily 

 clots. The plug must be kept in position by a clean linen bandage, and 

 over the whole a continuous stream of cold water should be played. For 

 more serious bleeding as from the groin, the jugulars, etc., the prompt 

 attendance of the Veterinary Surgeon is an absolute necessity. In the 

 meantime treat as above. 



Bandages and compresses must be removed or loosened, when the bleed- 

 ing is arrested. Erysipelas may follow from neglect of this attention. 



743. Dressing fur Wounds capable of being healed by Direct Union. 



The best dressing for wounds, which comply with the conditions re- 

 quired for direct union,, is carbolic acid paste spread on tow. It effectu- 

 ally excludes the air, and is supposed to destroy those atmospheric germs 

 which hinder the healing process. (See Disinfectants and Deodorizers, 

 par. 277, Chapter 16.) Scarcely any suppuration takes place in wounds 

 when this disinfectant is employed under the above favorable circum- 

 stances. Hence direct union, or at least union by adhesion, is likely to 

 occur. The bandages which retain the dressing should not be removed 

 for some days. The dressing of course must not be applied until the 

 bleeding has ceased and the wound has been cleansed. It will be neces- 

 sary to remove the hair round the part before the dressing is applied. 



