ANTISEPTIC GAUZE AND CATGUT. 285 



Antiseptic Muslin Gauze. Paraffin, 16 parts ; resin, 

 4 parts ; crystallised carbolic acid, I part. Melt to- 

 gether. Cheap muslin gauze is dipped into the mass 

 and well wrung or pressed while hot. This is a good 

 substitute for oakum as an antiseptic covering for 

 wounds, unirritating to the most sensitive skin, highly 

 retentive of the acid, and almost destitute of odour. 

 It should, when used, be folded in about eight layers. 

 It loses the paraffin and resin when washed in boiling 

 water, so the same gauze may be used repeatedly. 



Protective against local irritating effects of carbolic 

 acid in antiseptic dressings. Varnish oil silk on both 

 surfaces with copal varnish. When dry, brush over 

 with a mixture of starch and dextrine to give it a 

 film of material soluble in water, so that it becomes 

 uniformly moistened when dipped into antiseptic 

 lotion. When not at hand, common oil silk may be 

 used as a substitute for it if smeared with an oily 

 solution of carbolic acid, and used in two layers to 

 make up for its inferior efficacy. 



Antiseptic Catgut Ligature. Catgut of the thick- 

 nesses required is to be kept steeped in carbolised 

 olive oil (i part in 5) with a very small quantity of 

 water diffused throughout it. The small proportion 

 of water present renders the gut supple, and so 

 changes it, that it may be transferred to a watery 

 solution at the commencement of an operation, and 

 thus kept supple without swelling or perceptibly 

 changing in strength or bulk. 



