PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 261 



use of the fingers is a valuable accomplishment in veter- 

 inary surgery. 



Besides the above precaution, the hands should be 

 vi^ashed with soap and water and then rinsed out in a solu- 

 tion of mercuric chloride, 1-500.. The nails are kept short 

 and free from dirt. Scrubbing with a stifif brush is thought 

 to be harmful rather than beneficial, in that it brings the 

 microbian flora of the deeper layers to the surface (Mur- 

 phy). It is also advisable to repeatedly immerse the hands 

 in the mercuric chloride solution during the operation. 



Rubber gloves, although more cumbersome than the 

 bare hands can be perfectly sterilized, and may therefore 

 be adopted when absolute asepsis is desired. 



Cleanliness of the hands is important, also, from the 

 standpoint of the surgeon's personal safety against danger- 

 ous infections. Fatal septicaemia, glanders, anthrax, tuber- 

 culosis, tetanus, malignant oedema or actinomycosis may 

 be acquired by ignoring these possibilities. Trivial wounds 

 of the hands are particularly dangerous in obstetrical 

 operations, in dental operations, and in autopsies. Before 

 undertaking such work the veterinarian should protect 

 abrasions with collodion, iodine or iron, and during the 

 procedure frequently immerse the hands in strong anti- 

 septics. Small, invisible abrasions may be located by rins- 

 ing the hands in vinegar and then exposing them to the 

 air for a few moments. The pricking sensation discloses 

 their exact locations. 



4. The Environs of the Wound. The Surgical Field. — 

 Before a surgical wound is made the skin must be rendered 

 as nearly aseptic as possible, not only along the line of in- 

 cision but also over a liberal surface around it. In the 

 accidental wound the surrounding skin requires cleansing. 

 Here the same obstacles are encountered as with the sur- 

 geon's hands, with the addition that all veterinary wounds 



