Diseases of the throat, nose, & ear : a clinical manual for students and practitioners / by P. McBride.

  • Peter McBride
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseases of the throat, nose, & ear : a clinical manual for students and practitioners / by P. McBride. 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.

    29/664 (page 9)
    (2) chromic acid. The electric cautery requires, of course, a supply of electricity, which is best obtained from a battery. \ umulators arc according to my experience, unsatisfactory, owing to the trouble of charging them, and the fact that they are liable to degenerate with undue rapidity. It is of little conse- quence what form of battery is employed, provided always thai it be capable of heating the platinum points and wire snares. A very complete battery for this purpose is supplied by Schall, of London. Aa to instruments, those now almost univer- sally employed are Schech's, which can be procured from most instrument makers. A number of platinum points, of different shapes, can be adjusted to a common handle, furnished with a knob or trigger, which, when pressed, completes the circuit. The connecting wins, which should be light and not too short, are so arranged that they can be screwed on to this. As genera] directions for using the galvanic cautery, it may be stated that—(1) the part to be operated on should be thoroughly anaesthetised with cocain before the application; (2) the platinum point most suitable for the purpose is now chosen (and as all the points do not require the same amount of current to heat them, it is well to test it by gradually strengthening the current, while the circuit is complete, until the platinum becomes white hot; otherwise. annoyance and delay may be occasioned by fusing the metal); (3) the platinum should be applied to the part cold, then, by making contact, brought to incandescence, and after as much tissue as desired has been destroyed, it should be removed, and contact broken immediately. If this precaution be not taken, and the platinum be allowed to cool when in contact with the tissues, it is liable to stick, and requires to be pulled away forcibly, with resulting pain and bleeding. The galvano-caustic snare La usually employed for the purpose of removing vascular tumours, with a view to prevenl bleeding, and therefore a dark red heat only is required It is not necessary, or even desirable, to use platinum for the