86 DRESSING OF ACCIDENTAL WOUNDS. 



lating surfaces. A new dressing, with or without drainage, may 

 be applied, or the wound may be left open and treated with anti- 

 septic liquids or powders. The latter absorb wound discharges, 

 check the growth of germs on the surface, and diminish the absorption 

 of toxic products. 



The above are the measures required absolutely to prevent 

 infection of operative wounds. Minutiae and superfluous details have 

 been omitted. 



The Veterinary Schools of Europe contain operating theatres 

 provided with installations and appliances for facilitating the practice 

 of aseptic and antiseptic surgery. But it is not indispensable 

 rigorously to follow in every case the technique, which has been 

 indicated, to obtain good results. Without a large array of instru- 

 ments, vessels, antiseptics, and dressing materials, asepsis in many 

 operations can be nearly assured. Degive, who performed a series 

 of one hundred castrations of cryptorchids without a single casualty, 

 certainly did not conform in every respect to the rules of asepsis. 

 Moreover many operations must be performed on the spot, and with 

 the means at hand, if the patient is to be saved. 



The treatment of incised, lacerated, punctured, and other acci- 

 dental wounds is very similar to that required for operation wounds. 

 Some wounds, particularly those of the upper parts of the limbs 

 where bandages cannot be secured in position, may be treated by 

 the open method and frequently dressed with antiseptic lotions or 

 powders. Arterial bleeding usually demands immediate attention, and 

 it should be arrested without delay. In some penetrating wounds 

 the injured artery may be difficult to find, and in that event the 

 wound may be stuffed with a styptic tampon of gauze or cotton 

 wool and sutured. To remove foreign bodies and infective materials, 

 and to promote early healing, accidental wounds must be thoroughly 

 cleansed and disinfected. Where infection is feared or in doubt 

 the wound should be swabbed or scrubbed and afterwards flushed 

 with a warm solution of hydrogen peroxide, or tincture of iodine. 

 Before closing the wound the necessity of providing drainage should 

 be considered. Many accidental wounds are so situated as to drain 

 naturally, provided a small opening is left at the most dependent 

 point. Efficient drainage is most important in the treatment of 

 punctured wounds, which frequently are infected by the wounding 

 instrument. In many cases a counter-opening will be found to 

 furnish the best outlet for discharge ; or the puncture may be 

 enlarged, its track carefully disinfected, a drain inserted, and the 

 whole wound covered with an absorbent dressing. In all accidental 



