DISEASES OF HORSES 171 



the distance the stitch is from the edge of the wound. The deeper 

 the suture the more tissue is embraced and the fewer the number of 

 stitches required. Closure of wounds by means of adhesive plaster, 

 collodion, and metal clamps is not practiced to any great extent in 

 veterinary practice. 



PROCESS OF HEALING. 



In those cases where perfect stoppage of bleeding, perfect coapta- 

 tion of the edges of the wound, and perfect cleanliness are obtained, 

 healing occurs within three days, without the formation of granula- 

 tions, pus, or proud flesh, by what is termed first intention. If 

 wounds do not heal in this manner they will gap somewhat and be- 

 come warm and painful. Healing then occurs by granulation or sup- 

 puration, which is termed healing by second intention. The sides 

 of the wound become covered with granulation tissue which may fill 

 the wound and sometimes overlap the lips, forming a growth called 

 proud flesh. Under favorable conditions the edges of the wound ap- 

 pear to grow together by the end of the first week, and the whole sur- 

 face gradually becomes dry, and finally covered with pigmented skin, 

 when the wound is healed. The cause of pus formation in wounds is 

 usually due to the presence of germs. For this reason the utmost care 

 should be adopted to keep clean wounds aseptic, or free from germs, 

 and to make unclean wounds antiseptic by using antiseptic fluids to 

 kill the microbes present in the wound. The less the injurious action 

 of this fluid on the wound, and the greater its power to kill germs, the 

 more valuable it becomes. All antiseptics are not equally destructive, 

 and some germs are more susceptible to one antiseptic than to an- 

 other. The most important are (1) bichloride of mercury, which is 

 to be preferred on horses. It becomes weakened in its action if placed 

 in a wooden pail or on an oily or greasy surface. It is used in the 

 strength of 1 part of bichloride to 1,000 to 5,000 parts of water, 

 according to the delicacy of the tissue to which it is applied. (2) 

 Carbolic acid in from 2 to 5 per cent solution is used on infected 

 wounds and for cleaning instruments, dressings, and sponges. It 

 unites well with oil and is preferred to the bichloride of mercury on 

 a greasy surface. A 5 per cent solution in oil is often used under the 

 name of carbolized oil. (3) Aluminum acetate is an efficient and 

 cheap antiseptic, and is composed of 1 part alum and 5 parts acetate 

 of lead, mixed in 20 parts of water. (4) Boracic acid is good in a 

 2 to 4 per cent solution to cleanse wounds and wash eyes. Creolin 

 and lysol may be used in a 2 to 5 per cent solution in water. lodo- 

 form is one of the most used of the antiseptics and it also acts as an 

 anodyne, stimulates granulation, and checks wound secretion. A 

 very efficacious and inexpensive powder is made by taking 5 parts 

 of iodoform and 95 parts of sugar, making what is called lodoform 

 sugar. Tannic acid is a useful drug in the treatment of wounds, in 

 that it arrests hemorrhage, checks secretion, and favors the forma- 

 tion of a scab. A mixture of 1 part tannic acid and 3 parts iodoform 

 is good in suppurating wounds. lodol, white sugar, ground and 

 roasted coffee, and powdered charcoal are all used as protectives and 

 absorbents on suppurating surfaces. More depends on the care and 



