TREATMENT 135 



After-care. — At the end of twenty-four 

 hours the sutures are removed and the packing 

 carefully lifted out. Harsh handling will cause 

 bleeding and should be avoided at this early 

 moment after the operation. We simply fill 

 the cavity with a cotton wadding dripping with 

 mercuric chlorid solution and replace the hood 

 for another twenty- four hours before attempt- 

 ing any systemic after-treatment. 



The subsequent after-care consists of smoth- 

 ering the w^ound secretions by the application 

 of abundance of boric acid and iodoform in the 

 proportion of 95 to 5. This should be applied 

 three times a day for the first five days and 

 later twice and still later once a day. 



Healing is usually complete in forty days. 



Accidents and Sequelae 



Hemorrhage is a common enough accident 

 of poll-evil. Always copious, it assumes seri- 

 ous proportions when the operation is in any 

 way delayed. When the anesthesia or the 

 restraint miscarries serious blood losses always 

 occur. Secondary hemorrhage is rare except 

 when the cavity is too hashly handled when 

 the packing is first removed. 



The hemostasia of poll-evil operations lies 

 in: 



1. Stretching the wound apart forcibly 



