INFECTION OF WOUNDS. 21 
5. INSTRUMENTS AND BANDAGING MATERIAL. 
While in the former chapters we became acquainted with sub- 
stances which transmit infection to the wound, only by chance, 
because they do not necessarily come into contact with it, our 
instruments can lay claim to be of special importance as infec- 
tion carriers, as they are the tools with which we make 
wounds, and work upon pre-existing wounds. It has already 
been mentioned in the diseussion on foreign bodies that a sub- 
stance which comes into direct contact with the wound is the 
more infectious if its surface is rough and torn: This is also 
the case with instruments, the smoother the surface the fewer 
loopholes will they have for micro organisms. Besides the 
construction, as well as care taken of the instruments, should 
by no means be looked upon with indifference, for with a 
more complicated construction there is necessarily an increased 
number of loopholes for micro organisms, and the way of tak- 
ing care of them either assists in carrying infectious germs or 
in withdrawing them from these loopholes. Therefore, from 
this standpoint it is easily to be seen that a bistoury carried in 
a vest pocket or a cigar case hides more danger of infection 
than a scalpel which is kept in a clean etui. As far as band- 
aging materials are concerned we have to devote a great 
deal of attention to them, as they are employed to protect the 
wound against any infection from the outside, and as a conse- 
quence, are in immediate contact with the wound for a long 
time. In this case the quality which makes the material suitable 
for bandaging a wound, namely, its porosity, serves as the cause 
of frequently transmitted infections through the bandaging 
materials. It is the porosity which offers favorable conditions 
for the sojourning of pathogenic germs, and therefore care 
should be taken to.destroy them. 
6. VICINITY OF THE WOUND. 
We could here conveniently refer to what is said in the 
chapter about the hands and clothing of the operator, but the 
location of wounds in domesticated animals should, on account 
of their hairiness, be judged somewhat differently from the 
