444 



BACTERIA IN SURGICAL LESIONS. 



Fig. 28. 



factious disease was in the first instance developed 

 de novo. 



The purulent discharge from wounds not treated 

 antiseptically always contains micro-organisms. 



These are mainly micro- 

 cocci and short rods like 

 those shown in Figs. 28 and 

 29, which are copied from 

 Cheyne's recent work on 

 "Antiseptic Surgery." 



The micrococci repre- 

 sented in Fig. 28 were ob- 

 tained by cultivation in cu- 

 cumber infusion, from a 

 wound treated asept'cally. 

 The or g a sms represented 

 in Fig. 29 are from a case 

 of compound dislocation of the thumb not treated 

 aseptically. The rod-bacteria in this figure are 

 doubtless septic bacteria, properly so called, which 

 give rise to the putrefactive decomposition of albu- 

 minous fluids. The observations of Cheyne show 

 that these may be excluded from the secretions of 

 wounds by antiseptic treatment, and that, in this 

 case, the pus discharged from such wounds pre- 

 sents no evidence of putrefaction, although, in 

 certain cases, micrococci are found in this pus 

 formed beneath antiseptic dressings. This is ex- 

 plained by the greater resisting power of micro- 

 cocci to antiseptic agents. Cheyne says : 



" Micrococci prefer acid fluids ; most bacteria prefer 

 alkaline or neutral fluids. 



