30 WOUND TREATMENT 



net contained twice as great a percentage of cyanid 

 of mercury as was present in the substance originally 

 used, it had no tendency to cause irritation. 



In 1907, in a note occurring in Sir Hector Cameron's 

 book. On the Evolution of Wound Treatment During 

 the Last Forty Years, w^e find what may be regarded 

 as the final utterance of Lister. In this note he "advo- 

 cated the use of the double cyanid of mercury and zinc. 

 He preferred the use of sponges for the absorption of 

 blood or other discharges from an operation wound to 

 any of the substitutes that w^ere proposed, while for 

 the purification and sterilization of such sponges, with 

 an especial view to the destruction of both the spore- 

 less Micrococci and the spore-bearing tubercle bacilli, he 

 preferred carbolic acid (1 to 20) to any other germi- 

 cide. For purifying instruments, the hands of the 

 operator, and the skin of the patient he used a similar 

 solution, except in the case of the eyelids, when a solu- 

 tion of corrosive sublimate, being less irritating, was 

 preferable. ' ' 



In circumstances where it was impossible to exclude 

 septic agencies, such as in operations upon the mouth 

 or in putrid sinuses, or in certain compound fractures, 

 iodoform might be dusted on the cut surfaces of a 

 w^ound "after mopping with a solution of forty grains 

 of chlorid of zinc in one ounce of water." The useful- 

 ness of iodoform was, however, rather limited. 



In the external dressing, gauze impregnated with the 

 double cyanid of mercury and zinc was advised, but be- 

 fore being applied to the w^ound this gauze must be ren- 

 dered damp with a solution of carbolic acid. 



To parts where there w^as very little space between 

 the wound and some source of septic contamination, 

 the double cyanid powder, mixed with a sufficient amount 

 of carbolic solution (1 to 20) to form a cream, mit^'ht 



