382 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



ter perfect antisepsis of the wound sufficient proof of the pre- 

 ceding doctrine? This does not, however, signify that there 

 is no non-infectious fever. Bouchard has, in fact, demori- 

 strated that nervous excitement, muscular fatigue and cer- 

 tain sensations, pecuHar to hysterical subjects, may pfovoke 

 a rise of temperature. But these are exceptional cases on 

 which there is no occasion to dwell. In surgery fever should 

 always be regarded as of an infectious nature. This is so 

 absolute that fever is the precious symptom that informs the 

 surgeon in the most perfect manner of the state of infection 

 or asepsis of the part operated upon. If the temperature 

 rises a day or two after the application of a bandage over a 

 fracture there should be no hesitancy in uncovering the dis- 

 eased region; suppuration has resulted; the asepsis has not 

 been sufficient. If the temperature curve is normal after 

 Operation upon a nail wound in a horse there should be no 

 fear in allowing the dressings to remain in place as long as 

 the normal temperature exists. The revelations of the ther- 

 mometer are therefore the most valuable to the surgeon. 



The established fact that septicaemias are the result of 

 poisonings of the blood with toxins does not mean that mi- 

 cro-organisms do not gain entrance to the "inner environ- 

 ment." In fact, bacteria are frequently carried along by the 

 blood, but they are never numerous and never remain long 

 in the system. They are either destroyed by the resources 

 of the body or else expelled by the emunctories which con- 

 stitute the excretory channels for waste products. Monod 

 and Macaigne have met with streptococci in the blood-ves- 

 sels of man, and Enriquez has shown that some are elim- 

 inated by the urine. 



Together with, properly called, traumatic fever, there ex- 

 ists a febrile state designated as epitraumatic fever, in which 

 the traumatism is not the direct cause of the pyrexia. In 

 this event the fever supervenes because the injured point 



