A manual of minor surgery and bandaging for the use of house surgeons, dressers and junior practitioners.

  • Christopher Heath
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of minor surgery and bandaging for the use of house surgeons, dressers and junior practitioners. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    BED-SORES. in the same way. When the stump is sufficiently covered, a long strip of lint carried circularly over the ends of the other pieces will keep them in position, as shown in fig. 11. Great care must he taken not to disturb the ligatures, and ])articidar]y the one on the main vessel, which should have been distinguished by a knot tied in it. These should be carefully sejiarated from the dressings if they should happen to adhere to them, and may be conveniently wrapped in a piece of lint spread with cerate, which will prevent their again becoming fixed to the surrounding parts. In subsequent dressings the proceedings may be a little varied; thus, the strips of adhesive plaister mil require renewing, and the same precautious must be taken in removing them as in the case of the strips of lint. Grentle pressure will probably be required to prevent matter from pocketing in the flaps, and the sutures may be removed as soon as they cease to be reqiiired to hold the edges together, or earlier if they begin to ulcerate tlu'ough the skin, their place being supplied by straps of plaister and judicious bandaging. The ligatures sliould never be pulled upon unless it is e^'ident from the lapse of time that they must have become detached from the vessel, and are simply l;)dng in the wound, and even then great care must be taken of the ligature upon the main vessel. Bed-sores.—Of all the annoying complications of surgical cases, bed-sores are the worst. The greatest care must be taken to prevent their formation, since, if the akin is once broken, it is a matter of the greatest difficulty to induce it to heal again so long as the patient occupies the recumbent position. The slightest tenderness over the sacrum or hips should receive, therefore, immediate attention, and^ various applications have been suggested for the relief of the complaint. Equal parts of olive oil and brandy, gently rubbed with the palm of the hand over the tender spot for five minutes twice a day, will be found