26 WOUND TREATMENT 



as(!ptic surgery; we are constantly asked why wounds 

 do not heal by first intention, and why we do not adopt 

 this or that measure which proves so successful in the 

 case of wounds in man. For, owing to the spread of 

 popular knowledge, the "man in the street "now pro- 

 fesses to know something about surgical teehnic. Horse 

 owners, through reading various popular works on vet- 

 erinary science, pretend to know all about antiseptics, 

 and the suggestions that are often made to us when 

 treating wounds are grotesque in the extreme. 



My remarks throughout this paper will be specially 

 directed to demonstrate the fact that veterinary sur- 

 geons do appreciate the importance of aseptic surgery, 

 and endeavor to carry out its principles as far as eir- , 

 cumstances will permit. 



Let us first of all take a retrospective view of veter- 

 inary surgery as applied to the treatment of wounds. 

 That marked progress has been made is a fact apparent 

 to even the most pronounced pessimist. This advance 

 must be attributed to the discoveries of Lister. Although 

 the researches of this eminent scientist were directed to 

 the perfecting of human surgery, there is no doubt 

 whatever but that the application of his principles to 

 veterinary surgery has been productive of results which, 

 if they cannot be described as brilliant, are at least most 

 striking and eminently satisfactory. For, although ab- 

 dominal surgery and the surgery of joints are, so far 

 as the horse is concerned, as yet in a state of infancy, 

 every one will admit that canine surgery has advanced 

 by leaps and bounds since the principles of Lister have 

 ])een applied to it. And even in the ease of the horse 

 we can justly claim that marked advance has been 

 made through attention to Listerian principles. Again, 

 a knowledge of the principles of ~ wound infection has 

 enabled us to prevent the occurrence of those fatal 



