198 THE COLLECTION OF MATERIAL 



2. Hold the eye firmly between the thumb and index finger of the left hand, 

 and with a screwing movement pass a fine Pasteur pipette perpendicularly 

 to the axis of the eye at the margin of the cornea into the anterior chamber. 

 The fluid will ascend into the pipette without aspiration. 



8. Pleural and pulmonary exudates. 



Man and animals. 



A small quantity of a pleural effusion can easily be collected with a sterile 

 syringe. Use a long needle (5-7 cm.) with a large bore. When the exudate 

 consists of thick and granular pus it is better to use a small trocar attached 

 to a suitable syringe. 



1. Asepticize the skin ; to make quite sure of the asepsis the site through 

 which the needle is to pass may be superficially cauterized. 



2. Pass the needle mounted on a syringe into one of the intercostal spaces 

 and aspirate the fluid into the syringe. 



3. Transfer the material to a sterile test-tube. 



These small punctures are quite unattended by danger and may, if necessary, 

 be repeated. 



The same technique may be employed, when there is no fluid in the pleura, 

 for puncturing the lung to reach (for example) a pneumonic patch previously 

 delimited by auscultation. In this case a fine needle is passed perpendicularly 

 and more or less deeply through one of the intercostal spaces and a little 

 blood-stained fluid aspirated into the syringe. 



9. Ascitic fluid. 



Man. 



A large volume of ascitic fluid may be collected aseptically by using a 

 trocar with sterile rubber attachment. The fluid is best collected in a sterile 

 bottle covered with paper. The operation must be carried out under the 

 ordinary surgical conditions and the rules for puncture of the abdomen 

 observed. 



The fine trocar of a Potain's apparatus with the india-rubber adjustments 

 on its lateral tubulure is very useful for the purpose. 



10. Tumours and lymphatic glands. 



Tumours and lymphatic glands must be removed in the ordinary surgical 

 manner, strict asepsis being maintained and care being taken that the struc- 

 ture is not touched with the hands. 



When the tumour or gland, as the case may be, is enucleated, sterilize . a 

 small area of the surface with a well-heated iron wire, pass a sterile platinum 

 needle or bistoury through the cauterized part and remove the material 

 required from the centre. 



11. Spleen. 

 Splenic puncture in man. 



The spleen has been punctured for the purpose of recovering the typhoid 

 bacillus from patients suffering from enteric fever and is sometimes practised 

 in the study of certain other infections, e.g. Leishmanioses, etc. 



1. Delimit the spleen by percussion and asepticize the skin. 



2. Use a long needle (5 cm.) attached to a syringe by a piece of india- 

 rubber tubing (p. 167) and penetrate the skin perpendicularly over the centre 

 of the spleen. Aspirate, withdraw the needle, and paint the puncture with 

 collodion. 



3. A few drops of blood generally represent the material collected. This 



