156 SPRINGTIME SURGERY 



The saline solution (a teaspoonful of clean table 

 salt to each pint of boiled water) is familiar to all 

 and needs no special mention. It is used to re- 

 move the grosser portions of the dirt — ^the term 

 "dirt" being here employed as applying to all mat- 

 ter out of place. 



Use Gasolin to Remove Oil and Grease. — 

 In cases where the injured parts are soiled with 

 machine grease, paint, oil, varnish and similar 

 substances not removable by water, resort is had 

 to ordinary commercial gasolin. The use of gaso- 

 lin for this purpose, while not general, is not a 

 novelty. I have so utilized it for more than 

 twenty-five years; others have used it, and it is 

 now quite generally used by surgeons who have 

 much factory, machine-shop or railroad surgery. 

 While acting as a solvent for fats, oils, gums, wax 

 and resins, it is, to a certain extent, antiseptic, be- 

 sides causing no pain; hence it makes an excel- 

 lent detergent when the parts are besmeared with 

 such substances. 



The addition of resublimed iodine to the gasolin 

 (one dram to the pint) increases its antiseptic 

 powers without affecting its detergency. Iodized 



