DRAINACiE. 15 



scribed, we may get it to heal under favourable conditions, even 

 when there is some discharge, by placing over it a thick covering 

 of antiseptic wood-wool, or antiseptic cotton-wool, and keeping the 

 entire dressing in position by a moderately tight bandage, the pres- 

 sure of which will aid the cure by tending to bring the edges of the 

 wound together. A good result can be expected from this method 

 only when the antiseptic material is sufficiently thick to prevent 

 the discharge, if it be present, from soaking through and thus be- 

 coming exposed to contamination from the outside air. If this 

 occurs, the whole of the dressing should be removed, and fresh 

 dressing applied. Before the days of antiseptic surgery, the French 

 surgeon Guerin practised with much success the plan of applying 

 evenly distributed pressure on wounds, after having cleaned and 

 brought the divided edges together, by applying over the part a 

 large amount of cotton-wool, and then putting a bandage over it. 

 The dressing of the wound with iodoform, and the substitution of 

 antiseptic wood-wool for ordinary cotton-wool, are valuable im- 

 provements on Guerin's method. 



If we cannot obtain antiseptic cotton-wool, we may content our- 

 selves with covering the wounded parts with iodoform, tannoform, 

 or even with burnt alum. 



Bandages are of use for preserving the proper position of the 

 parts ; but care should be taken that they are applied evenly, and 

 not too tightly, so that their presence may not give rise to an un- 

 healthy condition of the wound, from interference with the circula- 

 tion of the blood. Evenly distributed pressure (with, for instance, 

 cotton wadding, see page 45) by bandaging below a wound in the 

 legs, often produces a very good effect by preventing stag^lation of 

 blood in the lower part of the limb, through which the blood that 

 nourishes the leg has to pass before it can return to the heart. 



If the part inflames, the sutures and bandages should be removed, 

 and the part bathed from time to time with some weak antiseptic 

 lotion (p. 67). 



We may know chac the process of healing is not going on in the 

 desired manner, if we observe constitutional disturbance with rise 

 of internal temperature (p. 681) ; discharge of matter; swelling and 

 unusual heat of the part ; and (which is a ready and reliable guide) 

 a mawkish odour about the dressings. But if inflammation does 

 not ensue to any marked extent, the wound should not be interfered 

 with by fomentations, or lotions of any kind. 



SECURE DRAINAGE. — Drainage is necessary, chiefly to remove 

 putrid matter, and to prevent the wounded surfaces from being kept 

 apart by the accumulation of discharges, etc. The free escape of 

 such matters should be provided for, if possible, at the lowest point, 



