806 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
dressing yet advised that even simulates perfection. The sub¬ 
ject therefore naturally divides itself into : 
(1) Occlusive dressings for the extremities. 
(2) Occlusive dressings for the trunk.* 
Occlusive Dressings of the Extremities. —The hoof, pastern, 
fetlock, metacarpus, carpus and forearm, together with the anal¬ 
ogous regions in the hind extremity, can be safely bandaged. 
The only exceptions are (i) the hock under some circumstances, 
(2), the proximal end of the forearm, and (3) the proximal end 
of the tibial region. The materials best suited for the purpose 
are : 
(1) Unbleached muslin. 
(2) Red flannel. 
(3) Oakum and cotton. 
(4) Pine tar, and balsam of fir. 
(5) Dry antiseptics (powders). 
Unbleached muslin and flannel are cheap enough for veter¬ 
inary purposes and besides are in every way suited for the in¬ 
tended purpose. They should be purchased from the bolt and 
divided into sections three meters long, each of which is again 
torn into strips ten centimeters in width. A flannel section 
will make six bandages and the muslin from eight to twelve. 
The average cost of each flannel bandage will then be about 
12 cents, and the muslin about x / 2 cent. These fabrics when 
wet (they should never be applied dry) perfectly conform to the 
curves of the limb and therefore leave no entering channels for 
organisms. The rule is to first apply the muslin, then the flan¬ 
nel. The advantage of red flannel is that blood from the 
wound or from finger marks do not show as in white fabrics. 
Oakum and Cotton. —The former will answer almost every 
required purpose in veterinary surgery, but has the disadvan¬ 
tage of being somewhat more costly than the latter. These 
substances are utilized to arrest haemorrhage and to absorb the 
wound secretion as well as to make the dressing still more 
occlusive. They are of course held in place by the bandage 
material above mentioned. 
Dry Antiseptics. —Iodoform, iodoform sugar, iodoform tan¬ 
nin, and boric acid are the most potent ones for the veterinary 
surgeon. Iodoform alone is somewhat expensive for general 
use, but in the form of iodoform sugar, which consists of iodo¬ 
form one part, and pulverized sugar five parts, its cost is ma¬ 
terially lessened without detracting from its potency. In fact 
the sugar actually augments its action for occlusive purposes, as 
