314 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



to the tissues where they will either be tolerated or expelled 

 by suppuration. 



Having adopted these directions, treat gunshot wounds 

 as any other. Carefully disinfect the wounded spot, apply 

 tepid antiseptic baths, if possible, and redouble the effort if 

 the wounded patient is liable to become infected. Gaseous 

 gangrene and tetanus are not exceptional complications of 

 gunshot wounds. They are seen most frequently from hunt- 

 ing accidents sustained at the end of a day's hunt, when the 

 clothes are covered with dust and the ball has carried dust 

 containing tetanus germs into the wound. 



In the domestic animals intervention is useless where a 

 wound is inflicted to an important organ, and as the conse- 

 quence of such wounds is fatal, the only sensible advice is 

 to slaughter the animal. 



CONTUSIONS. 



A traumatism may injure the tissues, more or less deeply, 

 and leave the skin intact, in which event the lesion is desig- 

 nated as a contusion. A contusion, then, does not differ 

 from a contused v^round except that it is sheltered, and the 

 traumatic focus protected against infection from without 

 by the integument. 



ETIOLOGY. — On account of their economic destina- 

 tion, contusions are frequent in the domestic animals. In 

 the horse the kick of an attendant, or vicious animal, blows 

 from whip-handles, pressures of the collar, friction of the 

 harness, an abrupt dismount from a horse that has carried 

 a rider a long time, etc., are the most frequent causes of 

 contusions. The ox resists them better on account of the 

 thickness of the skin, yet, horn-thrusts may crush the tis- 

 sues without penetrating the skin, and bruises may be sus- 

 tained from the shoes worn by working oxen, and finally 

 friction from the girth may cause a serous or sanguineous 



