l8o A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
should he happen to be in possession of blunt, short 
tusks, a contused-lacerated wound is likely to be the 
result. 
(5) Poisoned wounds, bites of venomous snakes, stings of 
insects. 
Treatment of wounds in general : — 
[a) Arrest the bleeding. 
[h) Search for and remove foreign bodies such as pieces of 
glass, thorns, splinters, and cleanse wound. 
(c) If possible secure edges of wound in apposition. 
(d) Apply dressings with a view to exclusion of micro- 
organisms, flies, dust, also to ensure cleanliness and 
promote healing. 
{a) Arrest of bleeding.- — Bleeding may arise from an artery, a 
vein, or capillaries. The methods employed are — 
Torsion : seize the end of the vessel when seen with forceps, 
twist three or four times and let go ; only applied to 
small vessels about the calibre of a packing needle or 
less. 
Pressure, as with pad and firm bandage ; only employed for 
slowly oozing blood. 
Application of cold, such as ice ; only applied for trifling 
oozing. 
Application of heat, such as hot iron, or water at a tempera- 
ture which the hand will barely bear, about 110° F. 
Drugs : perchloride of iron, gallic and tannic acids. 
Ligature, tying the vessel. The end of the vessel is seized 
with forceps and a piece of silk, catgut, or fishing gut 
(previously disinfected) tied round it and secured. 
The thread is then cut off leaving ends from to |- of 
an inch in length. If the vessel be a vein both ends 
must be secured. This is the method most certain and 
can be applied to vessels of any size. 
Blood from an artery may be recognized by its red colour, rapid 
flow and the blood spurting out in jets ; while that from a vein is 
darker and the flow continuous. In capillary bleeding there is a 
general oozing over the wounded surface. Capillary bleeding is the 
least serious. 
The danger of bleeding depends on the size of the vessels injured ; 
if large and not secured the animal will bleed to death. Bleeding 
from large arteries and veins is serious. Haemorrhage from small 
arteries, small and even medium sized veins, frequently stops without 
interference of any kind. Haemorrhage is more severe when a 
