84 WOUND TREATMENT 



way are preferable. These may be resterilized for future 

 use. 



Sponge sponges are very effectual in absorbing blood 

 from wounds, and on this account are defended as best 

 by some veterinarians. By keeping them in a strong 

 antiseptic solution they can of course be sterilized, but 

 unless these are used like the gauze and cotton sponges, 

 being cast aside when soiled, their use cannot be recom- 

 mended under any circumstance. It is best to dispense 

 entirely with the sponge and at once eliminate a very 

 common source of wound infection. 



Solutions and Their Containers 



There is no material about veterinary surgical opera- 

 tions more erroneously used than the antiseptic solution. 

 I find that veterinarians are still placing too much 

 dependence upon the microbicidal value of chemical 

 substances dissolved for surgical use. Unless the water, 

 the basin, and even the drug are sterilized, no antiseptic 

 solution is safe. In fact, antiseptic solutions are one 

 of the commonest sources of wound contamination. They 

 soil more than they are capable of disinfecting. They 

 carry bacteria into wounds where none previously ex- 

 isted, and they are ineffective against bacteria lodged in 

 the tissues. The statement that pathogenic bacteria are 

 more viable than the cells of the body cannot be too often 

 repeated. The explanation of the stubbornness of wound 

 infections against antiseptics is found therein. The 

 simple truth is that antiseptics injure, devitalize, and 

 even kill cells to the advantage rather than to the dis- 

 advantage of bacteria growth. 



From these facts it is evident that the antiseptic solu- 

 tions we use should be more intelligently prepared and 

 handled than is customary in veterinary surgical opera- 



