456 WOUNDS. 



nient of bruises or contusions is that calculated to suppress 

 inflammation and prevent sloughing. If the bruising be very 

 great, there may not be much pain at the outset, and this is 

 calculated to deceive the practitioner ; he must therefore take 

 into consideration the character of the accident, if it be severe 

 or otherwise, and the general condition of the animal ; if there 

 be rigors, debility, or collapse immediately after the accident, he 

 may expect the reaction to be proportionally severe. 



The local treatment of contusions must be directed to soothe 

 and prevent undue inflammatory reaction. For these purposes 

 warm fomentations or poultices are to be employed. The con- 

 stitutional treatment during the stage of collapse must be that 

 calculated to stimulate and support, but when reaction has set 

 in, the antiphlogistic plan must be adopted. 



If much blood is imprisoned in the tissues, it will be neces- 

 sary to remove it ; and in those graver instances, where pulpifi- 

 cation and sloughing are present, the process of separation of 

 the dead tissue is to be assisted by warm poultices or fomen- 

 tations, and putrefaction confined to its lowest limits by anti- 

 septics. 



It need scarcely be stated that excessive haemorrhage must 

 be arrested by pressure, or it may be found necessary to cut 

 down upon the vessel, if it be an artery, and secure by ligature. 

 During the process of sloughing, the animal strength must be 

 supported by good food, beer, wine, quinine, and other tonics. 



Lacerated Contused Wounds. — ^When the skin is divided, 

 lacerated, and torn by the contusion, the lesion is denominated 

 a lacerated wound. The edges of such wounds, whether de- 

 pending upon tearing and dragging, or upon contusion and bruis- 

 ing, are ragged and uneven ; the parts being torn rather than 

 cut, and accompanied by much straining of the surrounding 

 tissues. This dragging and bruising weaken the vitality of the 

 parts; this loss of vitality and the depression of the nervous 

 system may prevent the manifestation of much pain until reaction 

 has been established. There is always less haemorrhage than 

 from an incised wound, because the vessels are irregularly 

 divided, torn, or even twisted. 



The treatment of wounds in which laceration is the chief 

 characteristic, or when the contusion is slight, is that by which 

 adhesion is best promoted. Sutures are not generally applicable. 



