A treatise on the operations of surgery : with a description and representation of the instruments used in performing them : to which is prefixed an introduction on the nature and treatment of wounds, abscesses and ulcers / by Samuel Sharpe, fellow of the Royal Society, and member of the Academy of Surgery at Paris.

Samuel Sharp

Date:: 1788

Credit: A treatise on the operations of surgery : with a description and representation of the instruments used in performing them : to which is prefixed an introduction on the nature and treatment of wounds, abscesses and ulcers / by Samuel Sharpe, fellow of the Royal Society, and member of the Academy of Surgery at Paris. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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*W INTRODI larged by a piece of fponge tent, which is made by dipping a dry bit cf fponge in melted wax, and imme- diately fqueczing as much out of it again as poffible, between two pieces cf tile or marble ; the effect of which is, that the loofe fponge being com- preffed into a fmall compafs, if any of it be introduced into an abfeefs, the heat of the part melts down the remaining wax that holds it together, and the fponge fucking, up the moif- ture of the abfeefs, expands, and in expanding, opens the orifice wider, and by degrees, fo as to give very little pain. The ufual method of drefling an abfeefs, the firlt time, is with dry lint only, or if there be no flux of blood, with foft digeftives fpread on lint. If there be no danger of the upper part of the wound rerunning too foon, the' doflils muft be laid in loofe; but if the abfeefs be deep, and the wound narrow, as }s the cafe fometimcs of abfecfles in ana, the lint muft be crammed in pretty tightly, that wc may have afterwards the ad- vantage of dreffing down to the bot- tom without the ufe of tents, which are almoft univerfally decried in thefe days', though they ltill continue to be employed too much by the wry people who would feem to explode themmoft; fo difficult is it to be con- vinced of the true efficacy of nature in the healing of wounds. Formerly the virtues of tents have been much infilled on, as it was then thought abfolutely neceffary to keep wounds open a confiderable time, to give vent to the imaginary poifen of the conlHtmion; it was fuppofed too, that they were beneficial in convey- ing the proper fuppurative or farco- tic medicines down to the bottom of the abfeefs; and again, that by ab- forbing the matter, thev prcferved the clcanlinefs of the wound, and difpofed it to heal. But this reafon- ing is not now eftcemcd of any force; iurgeons at prefenf >know that a wound cannot heal toofaft, provided that it heal firmly from the bottom ; I C T I O N. they are very well fatisfied alfo, fr<9J what they fee in wounds, where M medicines are applied, that nature * hcrfelf moots forth new flefh, and* interrupted by any preffure wh'atM ever; befides, as to the conceit 9 tents fucking up the matter wbi9] is eftccmed noxious to healing, th9 are fo far from being beneficial in tfl performance of it, that they are 9 great prejudice ; for if the matterH offcnfive in its nature, though th9 do abforb jt, they bring it into co9 taft with every part of the finus; ail if it be prejudicial'by its quantitj they do mifchief in locking it up 9 the abfeefs, and preventing the dj charge it would find, if the dreffinJJ were only fuperficial ; but in ficaf matter, when it is good, is of no dm fcrvice to wounds with regard to 9 quality; and furgeons fhould therl fore be lefs curious in wiping th9J clean, when they are tender and pa: ful. That tents are impediments healing rather than affiftants, we rnf learn from confidering the effect of] pea in an iffue, which by prefluj keeps open the wound juft as te do; ana if there are inftances wounds healing very well notwi ftanding the ufe pf tents, fo there:, alfo of iffues healing up, in fpite any meafures we can take to kee pea in its cavity. In fhort, tents wounds, by refifting the growth the little granulations of flefh, ■ procefs of time harden them, and that manner produce a fiftula ; fo thjL inftead of being ufed for the cure 9 an abfeefs, they never fhould be era ployed but where we mean to retail the healing of the external wound, e9 cept in fome little narrow abfeeffi where if they be not crammed in t large, they become as doffils, a mining of incarnation at the bd torn ; but care fhould be taken, nfl to infinuate them much deeper thai the ikin in this cafe, and that th9 fhould be repeated twice a day, 9 give vent to the matter they confiij Sometimes they are of fervice in larffl abfecfles, particularly pf. the brcaffl when

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