WOUNDS AND WOUND INFECTIONS 243 



soaked in a strong disinfectant solution to render it sterile. The 

 stitches are to be taken a considerable distance from the margins of 

 the wound in order to prevent tearing. Do not draw the stitches 

 too tightly or the swelling, which always follows, will cause them 

 to tear out. The surgeon's knot is employed to tie the ends 

 together. Stitching is contraindicated where much pus is apt 

 to form. 



Bandages to protect against infection and injury are helpful 

 in operation wounds and wounds near the feet where filth is apt to 

 enter. Many wounds, especially barbed-wire cuts, heal better 

 without bandaging. Bandages and other dressings must be 

 changed as soon as they become saturated with the wound secre- 

 tions. At this time the wound is cleansed with an antiseptic 

 solution. The surface of the wound should be sopped instead of 

 rubbed to avoid irritation and injury to the newly formed granu- 

 lation tissue. 



A dusting-powder, composed of iodoform and boric acid in 

 equal parts, or iodoform 1 part, boric acid 4 parts, and tannic acid 

 1 part may be sifted on to the wound to check secretions and 

 promote healing; If pus has a tendency to collect in pockets, 

 it should be swabbed out daily or the pockets opened by an 

 incision so as to allow free drainage, promote healing, and prevent 

 absorption of the poisonous substances in the pus. For animals 

 weakened from loss of blood, the logical treatment is an injection 

 of normal salt solution. This is introduced intravenously or 

 intraperitoneally and gives immediate relief. In veterinary 

 practice it is much better than blood transfusion. 



Wound healing is the process by which the destroyed tissue is 

 replaced and the normal condition is restored. The rapidity and 

 completeness of recovery is determined by the form of wound 

 healing which takes place. The three following forms are 

 easily recognized : 



(1) Healing by primary intention consists of a direct and rapid 

 union of the margins of the wound without the formation of pus. 

 In order that a wound may heal in this manner it must be fresh 

 and non-infected, have even edges, and have lost but little sub- 

 stance. Minor cuts and other wounds of man heal by this 

 method if kept free from organismal contamination. In our 

 domestic animals these conditions are found only in operation 

 wounds, and then only when protection is afforded by bandages. 



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