TECHNIC OF ANTISEPSY AND ASEPSY, 61 
and probes, it has the objection that it softens the edges of the bis- 
TOuTIES, sage knives and scissors. Gum probes should be cleaned. 
with alcohol at 70°, and then in a corrosive sublimate solution of 1 to- 
* 1,000, 
Besides instruments, there are sponges, balls of cotton, of oakum, 
compresses, threads and other objects of dressing used by the sur:- 
geon, All this surgical material must have received a special prep-- 
aration —it must be aseptic. This-is the way to do it: 
Sponges are cleaned under running water after being freed of their 
dirt by hammering them with a mallet; they are then placed for 10. 
or 12 hours in a solution of permanganate of potash 1 to 1,000, are 
well washed with sterilized water, and are placed in a strong phen-. 
icated solution, where they remain a month or six weeks before 
being used. Then they are washed with boiled water, to remove. 
the excess of phenic acid soaked into them. é 
To-day sponges are generally discarded: they are replaced by 
compresses of gauze and the sponge-tissue sterilized in the autoclave,. 
or by balls of hydrophilous wadding ot peat wadding, also sterilized. 
Many veterinarians are still using oakum ; it is good only when free 
from the hard substances it contains, and sterilized by heat or im- 
mersion in an antiseptic solution heated to 100% Generally it is. 
only soaked for five minutes in boiling water or in a solution of soda. 
Eloire uses the dry heat of an ordinary oven (oven for roasting) that. 
is found in almost all houses ; the oven is filled with oakum, which. 
is heated and removed when it begins to burn.” 
Sterilization of sik thread is made by immersion for half an hour 
in boiling water or by keeping in the autoclave at 105% tor10°%.  Im-- 
mersion for fifteen minutes in a strong phenic solution is sufficient.. 
It is kept in phenic acid solution at 5 to 100, or in corrosive subli- 
mate 1 to 1,000. , 
After removing the grease of catgut with ether, the threads are left: 
to dry, rolled afterwards on spools, sterilized in dry heat, and pre- 
served in a strong antiseptic solution of phenic acid or corrosive 
sublimate, or in boiled olive oil. ; 
Silk-worm gut, also freed from grease with ether, is left for half 
an hour in boilirig water and kept in glass tubes filled with a corrosive: 
sublimate solution 2 to 1,000. 
Parafined thread is prepared by dipping into melted paraffin linen. 
thread which has been soaked in ether or spirits of turpentine (Pecus). 
Since it is a little rough when it has cooled, it is made smooth by 
polishing with a fine cloth. This thread is supple, does not absorb- 
organic liquids, and cuts the tissues but little. Itis especially useful. 
for sutures which are to remain long in position. 
Red rubber drain tubes are preferable to all others. After being™ 
-washed in a concentrated solution of permanganate of potash, they 
