Postoperative treatment; an epitome of the general management of postoperative care and treatment of surgical cases : as practised by prominent American and European surgeons. Together with suggestions concerning the technique of certain operations with a view to securing better postoperative results / by Nathan Clark Morse ... Containing 5 plates and 155 other illustrations.
- Morse, Nathan Clark, 1856-1919.
- Date:
- 1905
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Postoperative treatment; an epitome of the general management of postoperative care and treatment of surgical cases : as practised by prominent American and European surgeons. Together with suggestions concerning the technique of certain operations with a view to securing better postoperative results / by Nathan Clark Morse ... Containing 5 plates and 155 other illustrations. 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.
![anesthesia, but here, as before, the entire scalp must be shaved, and the scalp cleansed, as above, with scru|)u]ous care. Ochsner's Method.—The important point in preparing a surface for operation lies in thorough washing with soap and water; anything that is done beyond this is of little importance, provided the washing process has been done carefully and thoroughly. In my practice the steps taken in preparing the field of operation are as follows: (i) thorough scrubbing with soft soap and warm water, with a moderately stiff brush; (2) washing the surface with a piece of aseptic gauze with fresh water, because the epithelial scales which have been loosened with the brush are easily removed in this manner; (3) soaping and shaving the field of operation; (4) washing again with aseptic gauze and ster- ilized water; (5) washing the surface with commercial, i.e., about 95 percent alcohol; (6) washing with a solution of corrosive sublimate, 1: 2000. There is still a distinct superstition in favor of the use of some antiseptic fluid for washing the field of operation, and so long as the fluid employed is harmless, I believe we are justified in using it. If this preparation of the patient is made just before beginning the opera- tion, it will suffice; if made on the day before the operation, the surface must be protected against reinfection during the intervals. This can be done by applying sterile cotton or gauze to the surface, holding it in place by means of a carefully applied bandage. Just before the opera- tion the surface is once more washed with a piece of sterile gauze satu- rated with alcohol, and is then ready for operation. (Clinical Sur- gery, A. J. Ochsner, Cleveland Press.) Preparation of the Field of Operation by Means of a Germi- cidal Depilatory.—Robert T. Morris's method is as follows: Excepting on the face, Morris prepares the field of operation with a germicidal depilatory, and no other special preparation. This is ap- plied five minutes or so before the operation. There are two depila- tories which are quite effective: Foral, imported from Germany, con- sisting of the sulfids and oxids of calcium and zinc; and sulfur starch, consisting of the sulfids of calcium, sodium, barium, and zinc. The former preparation, being a powder, is mixed with a little water and applied directly to the parts. After three or four minutes it is removed by a soft piece of gauze wet with sterile water. The sulfur starch is all ready to apply, and for that reason it is chosen by his nurses. He has discarded the old or more elaborate preparation for operation. Both the above preparations being powerful germicides, the field of](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21212521_0035.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
