GENERAL TREATMENT. 71 



Owing to the difficulty of keeping dressings on a horse, and to 

 the unfavourable conditions under which the animal has often to 

 be treated, as a rule, instead of adopting the somewhat elaborate 

 antiseptic precautions detailed in the preceding paragraphs, one 

 has to rest content with much simpler efforts. If impracticable to 

 cover over and bandage the wound, apply dry tannoform or iodo- 

 form ; dry boric acid ; eucalyptus oil in which as much iodoform 

 as it will take up, has been dissolved ; plain eucalyptus oil ; or 

 burnt alum. If the wound continues healthy and dry, it should 

 not be interfered with ; but if matter (pus) forms, it should be 

 washed two or three times a day and an antiseptic put on. My 

 own practice in such cases is twice or thrice a day to wash away 

 the pus with warm water and a syringe. When the wound is clean, 

 or as clean as possible, wash it over with a solution of carbolic acid, 

 creolin or chinosol (in the respective strengths mentioned on page 

 67) ; and finally apply a dry dressing of tannoform, or a saturated 

 solution of iodoform in eucalyptus oil. 



Supposing the animal has to be " turned out " after the opera- 

 tion without further treatment, as Lister advises, the wound should 

 be mopped over with a solution of chloride of zinc (40 grains to 

 the ounce of water), and, if circumstances permit, covered over 

 with tannoform. If, owing to the position of the part, the tanno- 

 form could not be used in a dry state, a saturated solution of it in 

 methylated spirits might be applied. 



In the event of none of the foregoing chemicals being at hand, 

 the instruments might be cleaned by scrubbing with a nail brush, 

 and keeping them in boiling water for five minutes. Water which 

 had been boiled, and then allowed to cool, might be used to wash the 

 part, after cleaning it with soap and warm water, before employing 

 the knife. The hands could be cleansed in the same manner. A 

 teaspoonful of common salt added to each pint of water will cause 

 that fluidto acquire slight, though appreciable antiseptic properties. 

 The towels and cotton cloths, after having been washed, might be 

 soaked in boiled water, taken out and dried in the air, and the 

 wound dusted over with burnt alum or sulphur, if no more effective 

 antiseptic be at hand. 



General Treatment of Wounds. 



1. STOP THE BLEEDING.— There is rarely much difficulty in 

 doing this, if the bleeding be only from veins ; water at a tempera- 

 ture of from 120° to 125° F., slight pressure, or the application of 

 ice or snow being generally sufficient. When an artery is cut, this 

 is evidenced by the bright red colour of the blood, and the manner 

 in which it jets out. If possible, the end of it nearest to the heart 



