170 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



further supported by the production of a scab, or crust, over the por- 

 tion seared. The iron should be at a red heat. If at a white heat, 

 the tissue is charred, which makes it brittle and the bleeding is apt 

 to be renewed. If the iron is at a black heat, the tissue will stick to 

 the iron and will pull away from the surface of the wound. Cold 

 water and ice bags quickly stop capillary bleeding, while hot water is 

 preferable in more excessive hemorrhages. Some drugs possess the 

 power of contracting the walls of blood vessels and also of clotting 

 the blood. A solution of the chloride of iron placed on a wound alone 

 or by means of cotton drenched in the liquid produces a rapid and 

 hard clot. Tannic acid, alum, acetic acid, alcohol, and oil of turpen- 

 tine are all more or less active in this respect. To check bleeding 

 from large vessels compression may be adopted. When it is rapid 

 and dangerous and from an artery, the fingers may be used for press- 

 ing between the wound and the heart, but if from a vein, the pres- 

 sure should be exerted on the other side of the wound. Tourniquet 

 may also be used by passing a strap around the part and tightening 

 after placing a pad over the hemorrhage. The rubber ligature has 

 now replaced the tourniquet and is bound tightly around the limb 

 to arrest the bleeding. Bleeding may sometimes be easily checked 

 by passing a pin under the vessel and by taking a horsehair and 

 forming a figure 8 by running it above and below the pin, thus caus- 

 ing pressure on the vessel. Torsion is the twisting of the blood ves- 

 sel until the walls come together and form a barrier to the flow of 

 blood. It may be accomplished by the fingers, forceps, or by running 

 a pin through the vessel, turning it several times, and then running 

 the point into the tissue to keep it in a fixed position. 



Ligation is the third method for stopping a hemorrhage. Seize 

 the blood vessel with the artery forceps, pass a clean thread of silk 

 around it, and tie about one-half inch from its end. The silk should 

 be sterilized by placing it in an antiseptic solution so as not to im- 

 pede the healing process or cause blood poisoning or lockjaw, which 

 often follows the ligation of a vein with unsterilized material. Some- 

 times it will be impossible to reach the bleeding vessel, so it is neces- 

 sary to pass the ligature around a mass of tissue which includes the 

 blood vessel. Ligation is the most useful method of arresting hem- 

 orrhage, since it disturbs healing least and gives the greatest security 

 against secondary hemorrhage. 



SUTURES. 



After the bleeding has been controlled and all foreign bodies 

 removed from the wound, the gaping of the wound is noticeable. It 

 is caused by the contraction of the muscles and elastic fibers, and its 

 degree depends on the extent, direction, and nature of the cut. This 



aping will hinder the healing process so that it must be overcome 

 y bringing the edges together by some sort of sutures or pins, or by 

 a bandage applied from below upward. As suture material, ordinary 

 cotton thread is good if well sterilized, as is also horsehair, catgut, 

 silk, and various kinds of wire. If the suture is made too tight, the 

 subsequent swelling may cause the stitch to tear out. In order to 

 make a firm suture the depth of the stitch should be the same as 



