Antiseptic surgery : its principles, practice, history and results / by W. Watson Cheyne.
- Watson Cheyne
- Date:
- 1882
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Antiseptic surgery : its principles, practice, history and results / by W. Watson Cheyne. Source: Wellcome Collection.
157/656 page 129
![1:20 into the interior of the wound because the blood flowing con- stantly out would prevent the entrance of solid particles, which would thus only be present if dirt was introduced at the time of the accident, or if much movement of the fragments oc- curred afterwards, with consequent introduction of air. Further, if any septic particles were present they may not have been able to produce any effect in the presence of healthy living blood clot. (This will be discussed hereafter.) Lastly, the strong carbolic acid, though appKed only to the surface, rapidly spreads into the interior even to a depth of one or two inches. The necessity for purifying the deeper parts of the wound soon became evident. A case was admitted in which, when the tissues around the wound were pressed, bubbles of air escaped along with the blood. Here Mr. Lister squeezed out as much of the clotted blood and air as he could, and then applied a piece of lint dipped in pure carbolic acid, slightly larger than the wound, and over this the piece of block tin. The crust was daily painted with carbolic acid, the tin cap being reap- plied on each occasion. This treatment was continued for three weeks. This purification of the deeper parts was carried out more thoroughly in the next case, in which it was necessary to saw off a portion of the ulna, and here the whole of the interior of the wound was swabbed out with pure carbolic acid. In this case ]VIr. Lister first became acquainted with ' antiseptic sup- puration,' i.e. suppuration due to the irritation of the anti- septic applied. (The evil effects of the pm-e caustic carbolic acid in causing excoriation of the skin had been already noticed.) Finding that no harm resulted from the free application of pure carbolic acid to the interior of the wound in the last case, the next which came under notice was more thoroughly treated, the contused parts being well manipulated and squeezed, so as to induce the liquid carbolic acid, which was introduced, to penetrate into all the interstices of the wound. At a later period, in order to permit cicatrisation, the crust was clipped away around the margin, and a solution of sulphite of potash (5 grains, to the ounce) applied. K](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20409928_0159.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
