272 
OILED  PAPER  IN  SURGICAL  DRESSINGS. 
cur j  is  revived,  and  globules  of  considerable  size  collect  at  the 
bottom  of  the  mortar. 
Note. — In  making  the  microscopic  observations,  the  reflected  light 
which  alone  could  be  used  was  not  strong  enough  to  allow  the  markings 
on  the  micrometer  to  be  read.  The  determinations  were  made  compar- 
atively with  objects  of  known  dimensions. 
Proceedings  of  Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc.  1858. 
OILED  PAPER  AS  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  OILED  SILK  AND  GUTTA- 
PERCHA IN  SURGICAL  DRESSINGS. 
This  material  was  introduced  by  Dr.  James  McGhie,  of  the 
Glasgow  Royal  Infirmary,  and  has  been  used  with  success  in 
hospital  practice. 
The  following  is  the  mode  of  preparing  it: — 
Having  secured  a  paper  of  good  texture,  the  next  desideratum 
is  the  fluid  or  varnish  by  which  it  is  to  be  coated  and  waterproof- 
ed.   This  is  made  by  re-boiling  boiled  linseed  oil  with  litharge, 
acetate  of  lead,  sulphate  of  zinc,  and  burnt  umber,  an  ounce  or 
two  of  each  to  the  gallon  of  oil.    No  artificial  heat  is  employed 
in  drying.    A  square  board  is  now  procured,  several  inches 
broader  than  the  size  of  the  sheet  to  be  prepared.    Upon  this 
the  sheet  is  spread,  and  well  covered,  by  means  of  abroad  brush, 
with  the  mixture.    The  first  sheet  should  be  brushed  on  both 
sides.    On  this  a  second  sheet  is  placed,  slightly  projecting  over 
the  first,  at  one  end,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  lifting  of  the 
sheets  when  they  are  to  be  hung  up  to  dry.     This  is  also  to  be 
coated  with  the  mixture.     This  process  is  to  be  repeated  till  a 
mass  of  sheets,  from  twenty  to  fifty  in  number,  is  prepared. 
The  board  is  then  to  be  carried  to  some  unoccupied  apartment, 
across  which  cords  have  been  stretched,  and  the  sheets  are  to  be 
lifted  seriatim,  and  attached  by  one  end  to  the  cords  by  means 
of  bent  slips  of  zinc  or  tinned  iron.    A  very  small  space  is  suffi- 
cient to  hold  a  hundred  sheets  or  more.    After  twenty-four 
hours  or  more,  it  is  ready  to  be  taken  down.    As  the  sheets  are 
found  to  be  liable  to  stick  to  one  another,  they  may  be  dusted 
with  French  chalk,  which  prevents  adhesion.    The  addition  of 
a  little  wax  and  turpentine  renders  the  dusting  or  any  other 
measure  unnecessary.    There  is  only  one  part  in  the  above  pro- 
cess where  any  manipulatory  difficulty  may  at  first  be  encoun- 
