CARE OF NAVELS IN NEWBORN 131 



promptly and effectively barred. If the freshly 

 ruptured navel, from which the Wharton's jelly 

 and other fluids have been expressed, is immersed 

 in a 1-1000 corrosive sublimate solution for fifteen 

 to twenty minutes it will have become well dis- 

 infected. This may be conveniently accomplished 

 by filling a cup with a solution and pressing it 

 against the abdominal floor around the navel, 

 thus immersing the navel stump within the solu- 

 tion. After this thorough disinfection, desicca- 

 tion of the stump may be hastened and the sealing 

 of the wound against infection insured by dust- 

 ing the stump over with a powder consisting of 

 equal parts of gum camphor, alum and starch, 

 finely powdered. This may be repeated every 

 thirty minutes until the desiccation is complete 

 and a hard, dry antiseptic scab is the sole rem- 

 nant of the umbilic stump; the wound is sealed 

 and infection is excluded. 



If sure that the navel is reasonably clean, the im- 

 mersion of the stump in the corrosive sublimate 

 solution may be safely omitted and the desiccating 

 antiseptic powder at once applied. Or after the 

 cord has been ruptured and the fluids expressed 



