ANTISEPTIC SURGERY. 
183 
ANTISEPTIC SURGERY. 
By H. A. Spencer, V. S. 
Mr. President and Gentlemen : For several years I have 
en deeply interested in trying to fathom the mystery of the 
;>st humane and expeditious method of treating surgical and 
cidental wounds. A number of years ago our journals fairly 
imed with the successful results of antiseptic surgery, but the 
i :hnique was either too poorly described, or rendered unavailing 
the demands for extensive and expensive paraphernalia that 
after many crude attempts, abandoned it, with the firm con- 
:tion that it had its origin in the vagaries of some visionary 
eorists, and was entirely impracticable in ordinary practice; 
before, I would be content to follow the time-honored 
stom of our fathers, and welcome the appearance of laud- 
le pus. 
But a friendly intercourse with a number of medical gentle- 
;n, who were firm adherents to modern surgery, finally led to 
merous invitations, which were eagerly accepted, to attend 
rgical operations where the antiseptic and aseptic methods 
:re employed in the most minute details ; and, gentlemen, 
^ revelation was made plain to me that my former 
:empts had been not anti, but, candidly, proseptic surgery. 
That the study of bacteriology has been productive of 
ne of the most startling discoveries as to the cause of 
;ease is readily conceded by all students of medicine, 
nong the most brilliant results of these investigations 
ne have been more gratifying to the progressive practioner 
m the perfecting of a methodical and scientific manner of 
nducting surgical operations with a view to complete 
*psis. 
We are accustomed to hear operators who have gleaned 
ne theoretical knowledge of bacteriology from the casual pe- 
?ual of our literature, or from the lectures of their college pro- 
