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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    In additiou to these causes depending on defects in the circulation, ulceration is greatly favoured by a weak condition of the tissues, more especially as the result of old age. A wound on the leg in a young patient, even although he may have varicose veins, and although he continues to walk about, is not nearly so likely to lead to an \ilcer as a similar injury in an old person; and this is to a large extent owing to the greater vitality and recuperative power of the tissues in the young. A similar result is brought alrout by severe and con- tinued cold, whicli, short of producing gangrene, causes the formation of chilblains, and subsequently it may be of ulcers. Another local cause which leads to ulceration is movement of the part. For example, where a sore is situated immediately over a muscle, and more especially when it is adhering to it, or where it is situated over a fascia which is in frequent movement, that sore is much more likely to ulcerate as a result of the movement of the muscles beneath than a sore which is situated else- where. Again, where a sore cannot contract, the ulcer- ative process is very apt to be set up. As I have previously said in speaking of healing by granulation, a considerable share in the healing process is taken by the contraction of the newly-formed fibrous tissue, and if this contraction cannot occur and the sore is large, a time will come when healing will cease and ulceration