186 CANINE MEDICINE AND SURGERY 



boiling for fifteen minutes. A piece of ordinary 

 washing soda should be added to prevent discolora- 

 tion and rusting. The instruments can then be laid 

 in a sterile dish or instrument tray containing some 

 sterile solution. 



The author particularly wishes to emphasize the 

 point that boiling is the only safe method of sterili- 

 zation, and . that putting ' instruments into an anti- 

 septic solution of a strength that will not injure them 

 is quite ineffective for the purpose of sterilization. 



Preparation of the Operator's Hands 



This is one of the most important details that 

 must be attended to, and at the same time the most 

 difficult of accomplishment. The varied duties aris- 

 ing in veterinarian practice make the possession 

 of the ideal soft, white, and sensitive surgeon's 

 hands almost an impossibility. Try as we may, our 

 hands get rough, chipped and cracked, and there- 

 fore form a suitable habitat for inicroorganisms. The 

 safest and best way when operating is to wear rub- 

 ber gloves, which can easily be sterilized, thereby 

 saving an immense amount of time and trouble. 

 For those, however, who dislike gloves the following 

 routine may be of service : Wear leather gloves 

 while securing the patient, then before operating 

 clean the nails, scrub well with hot water and soap 

 for five minutes, then in alcohol, then in 1-1000 solu- 

 tion of bichlorid of mercury for five minutes, then 

 rinse off in two changes of boiled water. It must 

 be always borne in mind that after the hands are 

 once cleaned nothing that is not surgically clean — 

 that is, aseptic — must be touched. Should this oc- 

 cur, the hands must again be disinfected before 

 touching the wound. Owing to the extreme diffi- 

 culty of rendering the hands surgically clean, it is 

 best to handle the wdund or tissues as little as 



