The treatment of wounds, ulcers, and abscesses.

  • Cheyne, William Watson, Sir, 1852-1932.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The treatment of wounds, ulcers, and abscesses. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    Wounds which involve not only the Skin, but ALSO the Mucous Membrane, or in which Septic Cavities which cannot be Disinfected are Opened Up. In these cases, strict asepsis cannot lie obtained, because in the case of a wound, say in the mouth, it is impossible to exclude the bacteria which are everywhere present in the fluids, and therefore the problem in such instances is not to exclude bacteria from the wounds, but to diminish their action in every way possible. In the first place, the vitality of the tissues must be interfered with to as slight a degree as possible during the operation, the manipulations being gentle, and pinching and rough treatment of the wound being avoided. Further, wherever it can be managed, union by first intention should be aimed at, and in order to obtain that the bleeding must be very thoroughly arrested, care must be taken that no foreign material whatever is left between the edges, and care must also be taken that the whole cut surface of the wound, and not merely the mucous surface, is in accurate and close apposition. In bringing these wounds together stitches must be