22 ANTISEPTIC TREATMENT OF WOUNDS. 
nearly hairless human skin. If KUMMEL, in his investiga- 
tions in regard to the disinfection of the hands, has found that 
the latter sheltered numerous microbes, how much more must 
this be the case in the densely haired skin of the domestic ani- 
mals, especially as their care is frequently neglected. This is the 
reason that we have to consider the localization of the wourid 
in our domesticated animals as an important source of infec- 
tion, for supposing that all the other infection possibilities 
are not taken into consideration, some hairs from the imme- 
diate vicinity of the wound, when the latter is first made, pene- 
trate into it, together with the micro organisms sticking to 
them. To this must also be added that during the further 
process of the healing of the wound, the discharges flowing 
from it soil the vicinity, and being an excellent nutritive me- 
dium for pathogenic fungi they form direct brooding cavities 
for the vegetable parasites dangerous to the wound. 
With very insignificant modifications the circumstances are 
just the same with the vicinity of wounds which have their 
seat on hoofs, claws, and tallons; the latter parts, as modified 
hair formations shelters micro organisms in large numbers in 
their tubes, fissures and joints, simply because they are the 
parts which come in contact with the ground, and thus with 
all sorts of microbes. 
