14 WOUND TREATMENT 



that have already gained entrance to the animal body. 

 The latter concerns the surgeon, while the former is 

 a matter of primary interest to the sanitarian. 

 A veterinarian must necessarily act in both of these 

 capacities. The fundamental principles of disin- 

 fection are the same for both the surgeon and the 

 sanitarian, although each has peculiar problems that do 

 not concern the other. To the surgeon the question of 

 toxicity of the disinfectant to higher animal life be- 

 comes an important question, while to the sanitarian this 

 is not so important. The ideal disinfectant is one abso- 

 lutely non-toxic to the animal body but highly toxic to 

 bacteria. Surgeons are still looking for this ideal dis- 

 infectant. 



Disinfectant and Antiseptic 



For the sanitarian chemicals that kill bacteria are 

 ideal, and are known as disinfectants. Such agents are, 

 however, as a rule, too toxic for the surgeon, who uses 

 agents that prevent the growth of bacteria and are known 

 as antiseptics. The same chemical agent may be both 

 an antiseptic and a disinfectant, depending upon con- 

 centration. 



Cauterization 



The surgeon occasionally uses agents that are toxic 

 to tissues which are known as caustics. These agents 

 kill both tissue and bacteria cells, and conditions ob- 

 tain at times, such as bites from rabid dogs, when this 

 drastic method is of primary importance. 



Factors Affecting the Action of Antiseptics 



There are various factors that affect the action of dis- 

 infectants and antiseptics, as follows: 



