82 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



the blood merely oozes from the Avoiind, and e\'en when it floAvs in a 

 small stream, the forming of the clot arrests the hemorrhage in a 

 comparatLvel.y short time. 



Slight hemorrhages may be checked by the continuous application 

 of cold water, ice, or snow, to the wound, as cold causes contraction of 

 the small vessels. Water from a hose may be throw^n on a wound, or 

 dashed on it from the hand or a cup, or folds of cotton cloths may be 

 held on it and kept wet. Ice or snow may be held against the wound, 

 or they may be put into a bag and conveniently secured in position. 



Hot water of an average temperature of 115° to 120° F. injected 

 into the vagina or womb is often efficient in arresting hemorrhages 

 from those organs. Tow, raw cotton, lint, or sponges may be forced 

 into a wound and held or bound there with bandages. This is an 

 excellent method of checking the flow of blood until the arrival of 

 an expert. If the flow persists, these articles may be saturated with 

 tincture of iron, but it is not advisable to use it unless necessary, as 

 it is a caustic and retards healing by causing a slough. In cases of 

 necessity, the articles may be saturated with vinegar, or tannic acid 

 or alum dissolved in water may be used instead. Whatever article is 

 used should be left in the wound sufficiently long to make sure that 

 its removal will not be followed by a renewal of the hemorrhage. 

 Sometimes it must remain there one or two days. 



An iron heated white and then pressed on the bleeding vessel for 

 three or four seconds is occasionally used. It should not be applied 

 longer, or else the charred tissue will come aAvay with the iron and 

 thus defeat the purpose of its application. 



Compression may be applied in different ways, but only the most 

 convenient will be mentioned. To many wounds bandages may easily 

 be applied. The bandages may be made of linen, muslin, etc., suffi- 

 ciently wdde and long, according to the nature of the wound and the 

 region to be bandaged. Bed sheets torn in strips the full length make 

 excellent bandages for this purpose. Cotton batting, tow, or a piece 

 of sponge may be placed on the wound and firmly bound there with 

 the bandages. 



Many cases require ligating, which is almost entirely confined to 

 arteries. A ligature is a piece of thread or string tied around the 

 vessel. Veins are not ligated unless very large (and even then only 

 when other means are not available) on account of the danger of 

 causing phlebitis, or inflammation of a xe'm. The ligature is tied 

 around the end of the artery, but in some instances this is difficult and 

 it is necessary to include some of the adjacent tissue, although care 

 should be taken not to include a nerve. To apply a ligature, it is nec- 

 essary to have artery forceps (tweezers or small pincers may suffice) 

 by which to draw out the artery in order to tie the string around it. 

 To grasp the vessel it may be necessary to sponge the blood from the 



