TREATMENT OF WOUNDS 119 



in small repeated doses seems best. I have never actually 

 discerned any benefit from eccliinacea or any other in- 

 ternal antiseptic. Potassium iodid, in an article entitled 

 ''The Systemic Handling of Wounds," by Prof. W. L. 

 Williams, is highly lauded as helpful in controlling the 

 ravages of infections. Analgesics are seldom called for 

 in animals. Given in sufficient dosage to allow suffering 

 patients a few hours of rest, they are always apt to pro- 

 duce delirium or a blunted state that is prone to do more 

 harm than good by causing the animals to inflict physical 

 injury to the infected region. Purgatives must be ad- 

 ministered cautiously, as an uncontrollable diarrhea may 

 ensue upon the administration of a purge or even an 

 oleaginous cathartic in herbivora. In carnivora a good 

 saline is always indicated, and in these animals it may 

 be preceded with a cholagogue of calomel with good 

 results. Among the diuretics best suited for this purpose 

 is acetate of potassium given once a day during the 

 period of active inflammation. As for internal antisep- 

 tics for wound sepsis, "there ain't no such animal" so 

 far as the writer is aware. A drug that would actually 

 destroy focal bacteria, inhibit their activity, or in some 

 way dispose of their metabolic products, would be a 

 blessing par excellence, but unfortunately agents capa- 

 ble of performing this feat are yet undiscovered. 



Punctured Wounds 



A punctured wound is always more dangerous, or 

 rather more treacherous, than one with a wide open 

 cavity, because anaerobic infection is more grave, or at 

 least more uncertain in its terminations, than facultative 

 or aerobic infections. The punctured wound is also grave 

 because of the inaccessibility of its remotest point to 

 direct treatment. If the bottom of a punctured wound 

 could be reached for an effectual trimming that would 



