Notes on principles of surgery / from lectures by Stuart McGuire.
- Hillsman, Blanton L.
- Date:
- 1897
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Notes on principles of surgery / from lectures by Stuart McGuire. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.
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![and retards reaction. Care should be raken to keep the tempera- ture of the room uniforn], to a^cid draughts, to make no unneces- sary exposure of the body, and to prevent \^etting. If the site of the operation permits, the patient's limbs should be closely wrapped in a blanket, and the chest protected by a folded piece of flannel. Hot water bags may be placed at the patient's feet. The limbs should be secured fcy passing a band- age over them just above the knees, and tying tightly under the table. The arms should be confined to the sides by twisting one end cf a sterilized towel around the hand and wrist and thrusting the other end under the patient's hip. Rubber pads or sheets should be adjusted so as to prevent the various solutions employed from saturating the patient's clothing and bedding. The protec- tive dressing should be then removed from the seat of operation, and the surface again washed successively with alcohol, 1:1000 solution of bichloride of mercury and sterilized water. The part should be covered with a large piece of aseptic gauze having a slit cut in it large enough through which to work. Pkepaeation of Operator atsd Assistants. —Before beginning a serious operation, the operator and his assistants should take a full bath, and put on an entirely fresh suit of clothiag. Their heads should be protected by linen caps, and their bodies by linen gowns or sheet aprons. Their arms should be bare to the elbow and their hands carefull}'' sterilized. Duties of Assistants.—As delays in an operation are not only annoying to the surgeon, but dangerous to the patient, ic is impor- tant for assistants to be well drilled, and to know exactly what they are expected to do. The number of assistants and their duties varies with different operators, and with the same operator under different circum- stances. The following is a convenient division of the work: The Anct^sihetizer stands at the headof the table. His duty con- sists solely in the administration of the antesthetic, which requires his individual attention. The Fir^t Assistant stands on the left side of the table oppo- site the surgeon. He sponges the wound, catches bleeding ves- sels, and assists the operator in every way possible. He should endeavor to anticipate the needs of the surgeon, and direct the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21218808_0226.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
