296 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
American ^jriniltarist 
New-York. Wednesday, January 18,1854. 
TREATMENT OF BURNS, CUTS, &c. 
Tiiere are a few simple principles involved in 
the treatment of burns, wounds, bruises, &c., 
that ought to be more generally known and 
more thoroughly understood by the community, 
for a knowledge of these would save a vast 
amount of suffering. “ This salve is so healing 
to a sore,” and “ this wash, or plaster is so good 
to draw out the fire from a burn,” are common 
expressions; while in fact there is no such thing 
as a healing salve or plaster, and there is no fire 
remaining in a burn to be drawn out. 
If an inorganic structure, as a wooden or 
stone wall, or building, is fractured, broken, or 
defaced, it can be repaired by an external ap¬ 
plication of new materials to close up the breach; 
but an organic structure like the skin, flesh, or 
bones of the body, when cut or broken, cannot 
be thus mended by any external application. If 
the flesh of a. finger is cut open, no cement or 
salve can be added which will close up and stick 
together the parts thus separated. The connect¬ 
ing materials can only be furnished from within 
the system, through the natural medium of the 
blood. The new materials to supply the place 
of those destroyed, or to cement together parts 
which have been separated, must go into the 
stomach, be digested, pass into the blood, and 
thus be fitted and carried to the place where 
needed. A piece of bread or meat, laid upon a 
cut or burn, may exclude the air and prevent 
irritation from outward causes, but when thus 
applied it can never change to skin, flesh, or 
bone, and close the wounded parts; while this 
same bread or meat, if eaten, will be changed 
within the system, and be transformed into just 
the healing materials which are needed. The 
human system is admirably fitted with all the 
apparatus for repairing damage to itself, and 
utterly repudiates all external aid of a healing 
or mending character. If a bone is broken, all 
we can do is to bring the broken parts into their 
natural position, and provide for keeping them 
there till the blood can deposit the cementing 
materials, and a sufficient time be given for them 
to acquire firmness of texture. 
It is just so with parts of skin, flesh, muscle, 
cords, &c., which have been separated or des¬ 
troyed by cutting, bruising, or burning. They 
must be brought into a natural position, and 
kept there till nature has mended the breach 
in her own way. Keeping these facts in mind, 
we may arrive at a few simple rules for treating 
all such accidental injuries. 
If the flesh is cut open, the separated parts 
are at once to be brought together and held so, 
and instead of applying irritants, healing salves, 
&c., the very best treatment is to put on exter¬ 
nally t\io simplest sticking-plaster we can obtain, 
which will hold the separated parts together, 
and then leave it undisturbed till the wound is 
entirely healed. In most cases it is better to 
bind up a cut in its own blood, and apply noth¬ 
ing else. The bandage should not be put on so 
tightly as to prevent the natural flow of blood 
through the part, for it is essential that this go 
on, or the new materials will not be brought in 
and deposited. Absolute rest is what is most 
wanted for a wound. Until the new flesh or 
bone has had time to harden, any moving or 
disturbing action easily disorganizes or displaces 
them, and the work must go on anew. Hence 
the bandage first applied to a cut should never 
be removed till the healing is perfected, unless 
it has been wrongly applied at first and inflam¬ 
mation has taken place. So also all moving of 
the wounded parts by bending, wrenching, or 
using, should be carefully avoided. If these 
precautions are attended to, clean cuts or bone 
fractures will be entirely healed in a few days at 
most. Where larger portions are removed by 
tearing or laceration, a longer time is needed to 
repair the breach, but essentially the same treat¬ 
ment is required. The treatment of flesh wounds 
may be summed up in few words : bring the 
wounded parts into a natural position, keep 
them there undisturbed, protect them from the 
air, and keep off all irritating poultices or salves, 
however highly recommended for healing pro¬ 
perties. 
Burns. —The same principles apply in curing 
these. The fire destroys the cuticle or outer 
protecting skin, and disorganizes the flesh be¬ 
neath. The action of the air irritates the ex¬ 
posed nerves, just as it would were a portion of 
the skin pared off with a knife. The chief thing 
to be done is to temporarily supply the place of 
the outer slein or cuticle which has been destroy¬ 
ed, and let the natural process of healing from 
within go on undisturbed. The smarting of a 
burn is produced by the action of the air, and 
by the temporary irritation of the nerves ; the 
latter will soon cease if protected from the air. 
There is no more “ fire” left in a burned finger 
than in a piece of burned wood, which has been 
quenched. The common notion of “drawing 
the fire out of a burn” is absurd. Were there 
anjr “ fire” left, it would be removed by the 
first application of water or ice. Water applied 
to a burn gives temporary relief, because it 
shuts out the irritating air. 
There are several substances which can be 
applied to shut out the air from the surface of a 
burn. The simplest are always the best. The 
thousand and one nostrums of the day are gen¬ 
erally injurious in their ultimate effects. Sweet 
oil, or any simple unctious or greasy substance 
is immediately effective; but when in contact 
with a wound, these generally soon become 
rancid, and afterwards produce irritation. The 
resinous substances are also good, if put on so 
as to form a close flexible covering. Spirits of 
turpentine quickly dries up and leaves a thin 
film or coating. The same may be said of var¬ 
nish, which is a resinous preparation. Where 
a burn is so deep as to produce a flow of liquid, 
this will often dry up if held near a hot fire, and 
a protecting coating will be formed in this way, 
which will give immediate relief. On this ac¬ 
count there has been a popular notion that “fire 
will draw out the fire from a burn.” 
But of all applications for a burn, we believe 
there are none equal to a simple covering of 
common wheat flour. This is always at hand j 
and while it requires no skill in using, it produces 
almost astonishing effects. The moisture pro¬ 
duced upon the surface of a slight or deep burn, is 
at once absorbed by the flour, and forms a paste 
which shuts out the air. As long as the fluid 
matters continue flowing, they are absorbed, and 
thus prevented from producing irritation, as they 
would do if kept from passing off by oily or re¬ 
sinous applications, while the greater the amount 
of these absorbed by the flour, the thicker the 
protecting covering. Another advantage of the 
flour covering is, that next to the surface it is 
kept moist and flexible. It can also be readily 
washed off, without further irritation in remov¬ 
ing. 
We would, then, strongly recommend that in 
all cases of burning and scalding, however bad, 
the burned surface be speedily covered over with 
flour only, and that this be the only application 
used until a cure is effected. It may be occasion¬ 
ally washed off very carefully when it has be¬ 
come matted and dry, and a new covering be 
sprinkled on. 
BONE-FELONS. 
Two weeks since we copied a recipe for 
curing bone-felons with soft-soap and quick¬ 
silver, which has been very extensively cir¬ 
culated. We gave the recipe not to commend 
it, but to offer a word of caution against its use, 
unless endorsed by medical men. Conversing 
recently with a physician, he affirmed our doubts, 
and stated that, “ the safest treatment is, to lance 
a felon of this character deeply soon after its 
appearance.” 
Around every bone there is a firm, tough, 
cartilage covering, called the peri-osteum (or 
bone-coat.) which is not easily affected by dis¬ 
ease. A bone-felon is an inflammation of the 
surface of the bone immediately under this cov¬ 
ering, and the inflammation and suppuration, or 
formation of matter, is in danger of extending 
into the cells of the porous bone, before it works 
its way outward. On this account it is desirable 
to open a real felon as soon as possible, by cut¬ 
ting down to the bone with a lancet or knife. 
It may be well to poultice with bread a day or 
two, to soften, and partially deaden the outer 
flesh, and to be satisfied that the soreness is 
deep seated. There are many sores that occur 
outside of the peri-osteum or bone-coat, which 
are erroneously supposed to be affections of the 
bone. The real bone-felon may be known by the 
absence of any soreness in the external flesh— 
except a numbness—till some time after there 
has been a deep-seated, dull pain, which has 
continually increased in intensity. 
Since the above, together with our article on 
cuts, burns, &c., were put in type, we have re¬ 
ceived the following communication from a phy¬ 
sician, which we gladly publish, although it 
chances to be on the same subject, and contains 
similar language to that we have just employed. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
BONE-FELON-POPULAR FALLACIES. 
“ A thimb£e-full of soft-soap and quicksilver 
mixed and bound tightly over the felon, will 
draw it to a head in the course of ten or twelve 
hours.” So says the cure, (?) Mr. Editor, of 
which you ask an opinion of your medical 
friends. 
There is no subject on which the public mind 
is less correctly informed, than on the powers of 
medicines; none in regard to which more false 
and superstitious notions are entertained; and 
yet it would seem that a little reflection would, 
in most cases, prevent the egregious and some¬ 
times fatal mistakes that are committed by very 
sensible and well-educated persons. 
If you have a felon, a boil, a cancel', or almost 
