Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-11-19
HOUSEHOLD SURGERY.
Directions for Taking Proper Care OfOr--
binary Hurts.
[From Chambers Journal.l

WA1CA mOulcum OF appll0Q surgical
skill would suffice to set right, thus OBJ.
Waiting the necessity of calling in sur
geon or medical man. It is about O few
OF the more common of these that wish
to give some useful hints.
Whether you have medicine chest
IN the house or not, there are several
handy articles which should always be
kept ready in clean drawer in case Of
an emergency. A little case containing
pair OF ordinary surgical lancets of the
old-fashioned bleeding pattern, surgical
scissors, pins, needles and thread these
are all the instruments required. APP
pliances will include one or two band
ages, some lint and oiled silk, bit of
caustic silver in q case, and some strips
of adhesive plaster There should be
stimulant lotion, an eye lotion, hni-
ment for sprains, stiffness in Joints, etc,
etc, and one of two kinds Of ointment.
Poultices are handy to allay infamma-
ton and to soothe pain. They are in
valuable in swelling about the throat,
in whitlows, assesses, etc. A small
bottle of turpentine and one of carron
oil should also find place in the fami-
ly surgical drawer.
The lancets will be sometimes re-
quired to open small assesses or gum
boils. Large swellings containing mat
ter had better be seen by the family
physician. Many people have the
greatest horror of the lancet, and will
suffer excruciating pain for days from a
trifing abscess rather than to submit to
have it opened. And yet in case of
this kind the relief that follows simple
and almost painless incision is instan-
taneous. Others again are willing to
have an abscess opened when it comes
to a head" But it hardly wants open
ing then, as it will break of it's own &C
cord. The time to open an abscess is
when there is a fuctuating, baggy feel
to the touch, giving indication of the
presence of pus- in other words, Of the
formation of matter. If this matter
canLot have vent it will eat through the
tissues that lie Immediately above it,
and, while doing SO, cause much pain
and inconvenience.
When a gum-boil needs to be opened,
the lancet should be rolled round with
a piece of rag to within about half an
inch of the point. It may then be free
ly used at that part of the boil which is
softest. After gum-boil is opened,
gentle pressure is needed to squeeze
out the matter, and the mouth should
be well rinsed with hot water.
I counsel the keeping of pins and
needles and thread in the surgical
drawer, in order that they may be al
ways ready at hand. The pins should
be of different sizes; they are handy
for fastening bandages, etc. The
thread should be strong and white, and
the needles of fair size, needles with
good honest eyes in their heads, needles
that even man can thread.
AS to bandages, they can either be
bought or made. For economys sake
think they should be made, and for
this purpose old linen of any kind can
be washed and utilized. Tear it into
strips and sew it neatly together. The
bandages may be of two or even three
different breadths, one about one and a
half inches for finger purposes, another
about two inches and a third about
three. These are called roller band
ages. There are also various forms of
tailed bandages for application to the
scalp, for instance, and to parts of the
body to which roller bandage is not
suited. The shapes of these will sug-
gest themselves to a person of sense.
The scalp bandage I may mention, how
ever, is broad one, with four tails;
this being laid upon the head and brow.
The two foremost tails are carried back
ward behind the head, crossed on the
back of the neck, brought around and
tied under the chin, while the two hind
ermost tails are brought forward and
tied under the chin. In bandaging a
leg the art lies in keeping the bandage
fiat, smooth and moderately tight. Lay
the end along the instep first towards
the toes, and bandage from the toes,
including all the foot except the heel,
then swathe the ankles, and so upward
as far as the knee or above it. In as
cending the calf of the leg, at every
turn the bandage should be plated half
back over itself. This is not absolutely
necessary, for, having bandaged the
lower half of the leg, you may carry the
roller right away up to the under knee
and turn there, and so on down again
to whatever position the bandage is
found to lie --LATEST and best in.
Charpie is made by stretching or
holding strips of old linen very tightly
and scraping in with a rough knife.
Charpie is a useful application to
wounds and may take the place of lint,
but after all it is not so handy; it does
not lie so fiat, and you cannot spread
ointment very we'll on it.
In cases Of sores that we wish to take
on kindly healing action. or those
that need stimulating or soothing, water
dressing is invaluable. It is very sim
pie and easy of application. You have
only to dip piece of lint in clean cold
water, to which probably few drops of
pure carbolic acid have been added,
then apply it to the sore, which it must
more than cover. A piece of oiled silk
is then applied over the lint to retain
its moisture, and the whole is kept in
position by means of retaining band
age.
Water dressing is also applied to
wounds after they have been properly