LACERATED AND CONTUSED WOUNDS. 463 



never be interrupted for more than eight hours, for germs will then 

 have gained headway and will be difficult to remove. Four or five 

 days of irrigation will be sufficient, for granulations will then have 

 formed and pus will remain on the outside if it forms. For perma- 

 nent irrigation the stream should be very small, or drop by drop, but 

 should play over the entire surface of the wound. It is always better 

 to heal an infected wound under a scab, or treat it as an open wound, 

 than it is to suture the wound, thus favoring the growth of the in- 

 closed germs and retarding ultimate healing. In the latter case pus 

 may develop in the wound, form pockets by sinking into the tissues, 

 and cause various complications. Such pockets should be well drained, 

 either through incisions at the bottom or by drainage tubes or setons. 

 They should then be frequently syringed out or continuously irrigated. 

 In case proud flesh appears it should be kept down either by pressure 

 or by caustics, as powdered bluestone, silver nitrate, chloride of 

 antimony, or by astringents, such as burnt alum. If they prove 

 resistant to this treatment they may be removed by scissors or the 

 knife or by searing with the hot iron. The following rules for the 

 treatment of wounds should be followed: (1) See that the wound is 

 clean, removing all foreign bodies. (2) For this purpose use a clean 

 finger rather than a probe. (3) Arrest all hemorrhage before closing 

 the wound. (4) Antiseptics should only be used if you suspect the 

 wound to be infected. (5) When pus is present treat without closing 

 the wound. (6) This may be accomplished by drainage tubes, absorb- 

 ent dressings, setons, or continuous irrigations. (7) Protect the 

 wound against infection while healing. 



LACERATED AND CONTUSED WOUNDS. 



Lacerated and contused wounds may be described together, 

 although there is, of course, this difference, that in contused wounds 

 there is no break or laceration of the skin. Lacerated wounds, how- 

 ever, are, as a rule, also contused — the surrounding tissues are bruised 

 to a greater or lesser extent. While such wounds may not appear 

 at first sight to be as serious as incised wounds, they are commonly 

 very much more so. Lacerations and contusions, when extensive, are 

 always to be regarded as dangerous. Many horses die from septic 

 infection or mortification as a result of these injuries. We find in 

 severe contusions an infiltration of blood into the surrounding tissues ; 

 disorganization and mortification follow, and involve often the deeper 

 seated structures. Abscesses, single or multiple, may also result and 

 call for special treatment. 



In wounds that are lacerated the amount of hemorrhage is mostly 

 inconsiderable ; even very large blood vessels may be torn apart with- 

 out inducing a fatal result. The edges of the wound are ragged and 

 uneven. These wounds are produced by barbed wire or some blunt 



