FRACTURES, : 421 
The ordinary roller is that used most generally ; bands cut from old 
sheets and sewed together answer the same purpose. 
We have but one word to say in relation to the movable dressings. 
In them, the leg being enveloped with oakum or wadding, and the splints 
well in place, the rodled bandage is applied all round from below upwards. 
‘The Scuéée¢ differs from this, in having, instead of.a single roller, a series 
of separate bands, which are secured by pin or stitches of suture. This 
_ permits the exposure of any one part of the dressing alone, without distur- 
bance of the whole. 
When a solid, permanent dressing is intended, it is necessary to unite 
‘its various constituents together and with the skin, in using a substance, 
first fluid, but becoming hard, solid by dessication, and able to give to 
the leg a real fixity, to constitute, as Malgaigne said, an “external skele- 
ton”’ to replace the internal one, broken in its continuity—it is necessary 
to apply an zmmovad/e one. 
Black pitch, which is found everywhere and hardens rapidly, is much 
used in veterinary practice, even for large animals. It is often mixed with 
turpentine, which renders it more fluid. The first coat applied on the skin 
must be semi-liquid, so as to avoid the formation of scabs its application may 
give rise to. The pitch, having a tendency to soften under the influence of 
cheat, must be sprayed several times a day with cold water. Gombault has 
recommended the mixture of equal parts of black pitch and resine. Del- 
wart advocates a preparation made of black pitch rooo, Burgundy pitch 
1000, turpentine of Venise 500. The following mixtures are also recom- 
mended: two parts of resine and one of yellow wax; five parts of gutta- 
percha and one and one-half of resine. 
The use of gum arabic goes back to the hippocratic epoch. It 
As used dissolved in warm water, or thick syrupous solution. It requires 
six or eight hours to harden. It is softened with tepid water when the 
‘bandage is to be taken off. In place of gum arabic, the mixture of 
Abulcasis is used, or that of glue made with flour, white of eggs and alum. 
Let us again mention the agglutinative preparations of Larrey (white of 
eggs beaten in water, camphorated spirits and white lotion), that of 
Seutin (starch boiled in water), of Velpeau (roo parts of dextrine, 60 of 
‘camphorated spirits, 50 of hot water), of Lafontaine (warm mixture of 
burnt alum and alcohol). Laugier cut little bands of paper 4 or 5 cen- 
timeters long, covered them with shoe-maker’s wax on both faces and 
tolled them round the fractured leg. This mode, undoubtedly simple, 
has the objection of requiring twelve hours to harden. The mixture of 
starch and plaster (Lafargue) hardens quick. 
Introduced in the therapeutics of fractures by the Arabian school, 
plaster was not utilized in Europe until the beginning of this century ; 
