DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY 
805 
dioica , which had grown in the garden of the owner, and after 
being pulled from the ground had been thrown in the horse’s 
yard, where the horses partook of it. A dose of physic, mustard 
and embrocations to the loins with diuretic medicines was the 
treatment resorted to. The mare which was the sickest had 
her loins blistered with cantharidine ointment. — ( Vet. 
Record .) 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
By L. A. and E. Merileat, 
of the McKillip Veterinary College , Ch icago , III. 
ANTISEPTIC WOUND TREATMENT (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 730). 
Occlusive Wound Dressings. 
In the preceding chapter all of the substances that are capa¬ 
ble of carrying infection into the wounds of our patients were 
enumerated, and practical, easily-applied methods of rendering 
them innocuous were suggested. The importance of keeping 
these substances in mind in the treatment of each wound can 
not be too often reiterated ; in fact, we will never reach the de¬ 
sired goal in antiseptic treatment until we learn to fear the very 
thought of touching wounds with any substance not perfectly 
sterilized. It is upon the extraneous bodies that energy must 
be exerted ; the wound itself once aseptic will work out its 
own salvation. 
Thus far we have met with no obstacle that would prevent 
the application of antiseptic treatment in all veterinary wounds. 
On the contrary, we still have an actual advantage over the 
human surgeon. We can sterilize the instruments, hands, 
dressings, antiseptic solutions, etc., quite as well and the wound 
and its environs better than the human surgeon can. But when 
we come to the task of applying a strictly occlusive dressing it 
must be admitted that our disadvantages are legion. The vet 
erinary patient is large and restless and is unable to compre¬ 
hend the necessity of nursing its own wounds ; so here our in¬ 
genuity is severely taxed. So far as the extremities are con¬ 
cerned we can adjust occlusive bandages with some satisfaction, 
but for wounds of the trunk* there is no form of occlusive 
