TREATMENT OF WOUNDS 95 



ten days the wound varnish or powder used to protect 

 the wound will be desquamating and can easily be re- 

 moved to gain a good view of the sutures. These are 

 removed without pulling the outside dried part through 

 the needle tract. Lifted from the surface with the tissue 

 forceps, they are cut with the scissors and then pulled 

 through from the other side. 



The aseptic incised wound is now healed. It requires 

 no further attention. What a goal to strive for ! Y/hat 

 a reward for good work ! And what a wonder it is not 

 of tener sought ! To find a wound healed when the sutures 

 are removed is a good surgeon's pride. To have them 

 "kick up" is a nightmare — a reflection on his cautious- 

 ness, his skill, or even his knowledge. 



Wounds with Loss of Underlying Tissues 



This type of wounds, that can be bridged over with 

 the skin and whose cavity can be drained by gravitation 

 of the discharges, is one of the very commonest encoun- 

 tered in veterinary practice. It is much more common 

 than the incised wound without loss of substance. This 

 class includes the wound of many surgical operations 

 as well as almost all of the accidental traumata sus- 

 tained about the legs, trunk, neck, and head. Whenever 

 a tumor or other object is excavated from the body the 

 surgeon always plans to bridge the excavation over with 

 the skin, or in the case of an accidental wound it is 

 always desirable to bring the skin and other integuments 

 into apposition over the underlying cavity. The aim 

 here is to reduce corporal blemishing to the minimum 

 by prompt surface healing, and to avoid the dangers of 

 anaerobic infections by keeping (in surgical wounds) 

 or making (in accidental wounds) the tissues thus cov- 

 ered over perfectly aseptic. 



