THE ADHESIVE UNION. 97 



developed. This phenomenon is called inflammation, 

 and seems to be a process or action set up in the part 

 for the purpose of restoring the natural condition, for if 

 it does not take place, the injury is never repaired. 

 This restorative power is beautifully exhibited in cases of 

 wounds made by clean-cutting instruments. If the 

 edges of the wound be immediately brought together and 

 retained in this position, a quantity of fibrine is thrown 

 out from the capillary vessels, which glues the sides of 

 the wound firmly together ; vessels shoot out from either 

 side into this mass, meet those of the opposite side, and 

 thus establish a free circulation through it ; the firmness 

 and sensibility of other parts are shortly manifested, 

 and it is at last decidedly and completely organized. It 

 is astonishing to see with what rapidity this process is some- 

 times performed ; the adhesive matter was found in one 

 case, to have become completely organized in twenty- 

 nine hours. 



Emily, With such a palpable hint, I should suppose 

 that surgeons would banish forever their salves and oint- 

 ments in curing wounds, and suffer them to be healed 

 by nature's own process. It would be a marvellous cure 

 indeed if a surgeon could heal up a long, gaping wound 

 in twenty nine hours, as nicely as if nothing had ever 

 happened. 



Dr. B. John Hunter first clearly understood this 

 process, towards the latter part of the last century, and 

 made it the basis of one of the greatest improvements 

 that have been made in Surgery. Before his time, sur- 

 geons were generally accustomed to stuff a wound full 

 of lint, and balsams, and salves, and thus the simplest 

 wumds were weeks and even months in healing. Now 

 they endeavor always to bring the sides of the wound 

 in contact, and retain it there without any other applica- 

 tions. To see to what extent this union between divi- 

 ded parts might be carried, Mr. Hunter cut off the spur 

 from a cock's foot, and making a slight incision into the 

 comb, he placed the spur into the wound and bound it 



