lO WOUND INFECTION 



Their species can also be easily determined by cultivating- 

 them on artificial media. ' 



Morbid anatomy of infection. The tissue changes resulting 

 from an infection of the body with various microorganisms 

 belong with those considered in general pathology under the 

 headings of inflammations, degenerations, other retrograde 

 disturbances and regenerative processes. The pathology of 

 infection, therefore, is not a discussion of new deviations or 

 disturbances of cells and fibers, but rather a grouping or com- 

 bining of disturbances already recognized as the selective 

 results of the activities of the particular invading organisms. 

 Thus in ordinary wound infections the morbid changes are 

 those of an acute inflammation leading to suppuration, necrosis 

 or gangrene ; sometimes they are chronic in nature, resulting 

 in formative changes, and again in the various forms of exuda- 

 tion. In other instances infection results in hemorrhages of 

 varying degrees. Occasionally the lesions may become local- 

 ized, as in pneumonia, lymphangitis, intestinal ulcers, nephri- 

 tis, hepatitis, splenitis and the like. The morbid anatomy of 

 infection introduces few if any changes not known to general 

 pathology. Because of this, the emphasis of the pathology of 

 infection rests on the etiology and the possible variety and dis- 

 tribution in the body of the tissue changes. It has been 

 shown that certain infections are slow in bringing about tissue 

 changes and consequently many lesions resulting from wound 

 infection may, when they appear, be considered as distinct 

 maladies. 



Prevention of infection. In surgical operations, wound 

 infection may be prevented where uninfected lesions are 

 involved by disinfecting the field of operation. This is a much 

 more difiBcult task than it appears. The habit of bacteria of 

 growing down into the hair follicles, sweat glands and beneath 

 the dead epithelial cells on the surface, renders it necessary 

 to use a disinfectant of much penetrating power in order to 



■For the specific cultural characters of each of the wound infection 

 bacteria the student is referred to manuals of bacteriology. 



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