yO PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



Jn surgery, bacteriology has accomplished wonders, by the 

 one simple discovery of the cause of suppuration and its 

 allies. SepticEemia, pysemia, saprasmia, etc., are universally 

 prevented by the simple process of excluding the causative 

 bacteria from intruding into the surgical trauma, and by ren- 

 dering them innocuous in the wound accidentally sustained. 

 These valuable data owe their existence to the rapid evolu- 

 tion of the science of bacteriology, under the directorship 

 of many earnest and faithful martyrs to the cause. 



In diagnosis much has been accomplished by the science 

 of bacteriology. Tuberculin and mallein are fully recognized 

 as valuable agents for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and 

 glanders in their most obscure phases. Their exactness for 

 this purpose is no longer questioned. Besides these two ex- 

 amples, there are now many standard methods of diagnosing 

 mycotic diseases by bacteriological investigations. In the 

 human being diphtheria is promptly recognized by the ex- 

 amination of bacterial cultures obtaine'd from the throats of 

 the infected patients, and pulmonary tuberculosis is readily 

 diagnosed by a simple method of examining the sputum ex- 

 pectorated by the patient. In animals, while the bacteriolog- 

 ical investigation cannot be said to have come into general 

 use for the diagnosis of any of the mycoses, except in the 

 experiment stations and colleges, there is a broad field open 

 for such methods of diagnosis. By the intelligent application 

 of the present knowledge about bacteria, many fruitful in- 

 vestigations are possible in diseases that remain a mystery 

 to the perplexed practitioner. In dealing with the well- 

 known diseases the practitioner may usually accomplish sat- 

 isfactory results from the clinical symptoms or from the 

 post mortem examination, but too frequently, outbreaks of 

 rare endemic and very mysterious diseases, present them- 

 selves for solution, in which neither the clinical aspects nor 

 the post mortem will disclose their true nature. Here the 



