80 WOUNDS AND. BRUISES. 



suppurating condition. If the abscess assumes a sluggish course, 

 it will generally be advisable to stimulate it by a biniodide of 

 mercury blister applied to the skin of the part. 



As a rule, when opening an abscess, it is well to use a Symes' 

 abscess knife, which has a fine, sharp point, and curved blade. This 

 knife should be held firmly between the forefinger and thumb at, 

 say, three-quarters of an inch from its point. The animal being 

 secured, the point of the knife is driven into the selected part, and 

 the cut made. If, after doing th:s, the contents of the abscess do 

 not come out, we may give them vent by inserting the forefinger 

 or probe into the wound and trying by its means to give a passage 

 to the im23risoned fluid. Either an ear syringe or Read's clyster 

 jDump, fitted with a thin nozzle, will generally be useful for washing 

 out the cavity with an antiseptic solution. 



Contusions and Bruises. 



A contusion is an injury, due to external violence, of parts be- 

 neath the skin, without division of the skin. It " may be looked 

 upon as a subcutaneous wound " (Erichsen). A bruise, which is a 

 somewhat vague term, may be regarded as a superficial contusion. 



For practical purposes we may divide contusions into two kinds : 

 (1) those in which there is effusion beneath the skin, without 

 marked injury to the parts beneath it; and (2) those in which the 

 tissues below the skin are more or less severely hurt. In a contusion 

 there will always be rupture of at least some of the smaller blood- 

 vessels. Hence the effusion or swelling will consist of blood as well 

 as of serum. The usual causes of contusions are blows and un- 

 equally distributed and prolonged pressure. 



In repair of a contusion we may have absorption of the effusion, 

 the formation of adhesions, and the formation of pus, either sinqily 

 or combined. In all cases of contusions, hand-rubbing (p. 664) and 

 evenly distributed pressure, as, for instance, with cotton wadding 

 (p. 45), act well. In mild cases, we may trust to stimulating the 

 superficial circulation to remove the effusion, by rubbing into the 

 part with the hand a small quantity of spirits, such as brandy or 

 whisky. If we think that such simple means will be unavailing 

 to prevent the formation of pus, it will be well to check the process 

 as far as possible by the application of an antiseptic, of which we 

 have an admirable example, for this purpose, in eucalyptus* oil. 

 Turpentine will act probably as well ; but it produces a severer 

 effect on the skin. The well-known action which counter-irritants, 

 such as biniodide of mercury in the, form of ointment, have in 

 aborting or in staying the progress of abscesses, is probably due 



