THE TREATMENT OF WOUNDS '41 



and rinse them in water tliat has been boiled. (N'ow do not 

 stick them into yonr pants pockets, readjust a rope or touch 

 anything but the instruments or field of operation. ) . 



Instruments. — Boil the instruments for ten minutes in a 

 1 per cent, carbonate of sodium solution, then place them in 

 a shallow tray filled- with a three per cent, carbolic acid 

 solution. 



Dressings. — Sponges are hard to sterilize and should be 

 replaced by gauze tupfers. At the same time they are hard 

 to replace, as they soak up the discharging fluids so readily. 

 They are best prepared as follows: After dusting them 

 thoroughly, soak them for some hours in a permanganate of 

 potasium solution (8 grains to 1 pint of water). Next wash 

 them repeatedly in boiled water. Then place one dozen 

 sponges into one gallon of water containing dissolved one- 

 half pound of hyposulphite of sodium and add four ounces of 

 oxalic acid; leave them in this solution ten minutes; next 

 pack them away permanently in a three per cent, solution of 

 carbolic water. Gauze tupfers are simply boiled for half an 

 hour and then placed in a three per cent, carbolized solution 

 for future use. 



Bandages are best boiled and then kept soaked in a 

 1:1000 formalin solution. 



Ligatwres. — Silk is boiled half an hour and then kept 

 soaked in a one-half per cent, formalin solution. Sterile cat- 

 gut is best bought, as its production is rather troublesome. 



A very convenient apparatus for the sterilization of 

 knives, dressings, etc., is a formaldehyde sterilizer. 



What features should the antiseptic drug possess ? 



It must have sufBcient power to promptly destroy strep- 

 tococci and staphylococci. In this strength it must not. 

 irritate the tissues and interfere with the process of healing. 



