

TONSILLAR EXUDATES 197 



tube A is then tilted, the india-rubber tubing detached, and after passing it 

 through the flame the end A is plugged with wool. When the blood is clotted 

 the apparatus is inverted, the clot will be held by the points in B and the serum 

 will run into the bulb D. 



Centrifuging. The maximum yield of serum is obtained in the minimum of 

 time by centrifuging the blood (Camus). Collect the blood, without contaminating 

 it, in a number of sterile centrifuge tubes (vide infra), plug the tubes with wool 

 and centrifuge at once. The serum collects in the upper part of the tube and the 

 clot below. If the animal was fasting at the time of bleeding, the serum will be 

 clear and transparent ; on the other hand if digestion was going on the serum will 

 be milky and slightly opaque. 



5. Pharyngeal exudates. 

 Man. 



A. Puncture of the tonsil. 1. Get the patient to clean the surface of the 

 mucous membrane by thoroughly rinsing out his mouth with boiled water. 



2. Make the patient sit up and incline his head at a suitable angle, then 

 press the tongue down. 



3. Take a rather long stout-pointed Pasteur pipette with a sharp cutting 

 end, heat it well in the flame and then pass it rapidly and deeply into the 

 tissue of the tonsil. The heated end cauterizes and sterilizes the surface of 

 the gland and is itself cooled before reaching the deeper parts. Aspirate 

 lightly through the plugged end of the pipette and then withdraw the 

 instrument. 



4. The small quantity of material which will be obtained should be sown 

 at once into broth and the pipette washed out two or three times by aspirating 

 some of the broth and blowing it out again. 



B. False membranes. After the patient has washed out his mouth with 

 boiled water, press the tongue down and strip off the false membrane with a 

 pair of sterile forceps. If the membrane be friable it may be that the forceps 

 will not pick it up, in which case it can be removed by rubbing it with a 

 plug of sterile wool held in a pair of forceps or affixed to an iron wire. 



When the membrane is detached it should be blotted firmly between 

 two pieces of sterile filter paper to remove any contaminating organisms, 

 that may be on the surface. 



6. Abscesses. 



Man. 



1. Cleanse and if necessary shave the skin. 



2. Puncture the abscess with a needle of large calibre and aspirate the pus 

 into a sterile syringe. 



3. If the pus be inspissated and cannot be aspirated in this way, make a 

 small incision through the skin, introduce the end of a large Pasteur pipette 

 and aspirate the pus into the pipette, or collect some of it with a platinum 

 loop. 



Animals. 



1. Shave the hair and cauterize a small area of the skin over the abscess. 



2. Pass a Pasteur pipette through the centre of the eschar and aspirate 

 the pus. 



7. Aqueous humour. 

 Animals. 



1. Fix the animal so that it cannot move and keep the eyelids retracted 

 with a speculum. Wash the conjunctiva with warm sterile water. 



