82 WOUND TREATMENT 



dling the tissues with the fingers can be avoided. While 

 such hands still harbor and deposit infections, they 

 touch only the handles of instruments; the blade of the 

 scalpel and the jaw of the forceps are not soiled, and 

 thus do not convey hand contaminations. By exercising 

 a little care to prevent the handles of instruments thus 

 soiled from touching the parts of other instruments on 

 the tray that will be subsequently used on the raw 

 tissues, the infection of wounds with the hands becomes 

 negligible in veterinary surgical operations in spite of 

 the fact that they are all the while badly contaminated 

 with bacteria. In addition, however, we must not forget 

 the assistant's hands. These come into even closer con- 

 tact with the wound while baling blood than those of 

 the surgeon himself. In handling sponges the assistant 

 must endeavor throughout to keep the part of the sponge 

 he touches with the fingers from touching the wound— 

 a plan easy of execution — and under no circumstances 

 should he bring his fingers directly into contact with 

 the wound. When he hands instruments to the surgeon 

 he should touch only the handles or convey them with 

 forceps. The rules we have put into operation to pre- 

 vent wound infections from the hands are as follows: 



1. Avoid all unnecessary handling of raw tissues with the 



fingers. 



2. Einse the hands with mercuric chlorid (1 to 500) after wash- 



ing them with soap and water. During the operation rinse 

 them frequently in a deep basin provided for the purpose. 



3. Wear gloves while scouring the patient. 



4. Touch only the handles of instruments that contact raw sur- 



faces, and so arrange them on the tray that the handles will 

 not come into contact with the blades of knives or jaws of 

 forceps that will subsequently be used on the raw surfaces. 



5. Handle needles and sutures with the forceps only, or wear 



sterilized skin-tight gloves while suturing. 



6. Soak sutures previously sterilized in tincture of iodin so that 



soiling will be less harmful. 



7. Where digital manipulations are needed, as in spaying or 



ridgling castration, the hands cannot be made entirely :safe. 

 Washing with water, rinsing in mercuric chlorid solution, 



