The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-04

to considerable controversy: neverthe-
less, it would be quite possible to match
even these in modern surgical litera-
ture, although the details would not be
suitable for the daily press. If DR.. Eve
were now living. it is probable that the
feature Of modern surgery which ne would
select as the most wonderful, and as differ
ing most widely from the results of his OBJ
servation and reading is the fact that now
adays after incisions into almost any part
of the body, opening the cavities of the
head, abdomen or large joints, for pur-
poses of exploration, or for the removal of
some part of the mechanism, these cuts
are expected to heal in from two days to a
week, without Inflammation or pain, or
fever, or the formation of matter.
The surgeon amputates a limb, scoops
out the diseased tissue of joint, removes
breast, or a tumor, stitches up the lips
of the wound and applies his dressings,
and then does not, as a rule, look at the
wound for several DAYS. He only wants to
know what the patients temperature is,
and whether he has any unusual pain, and
if the temperature does not raise above 100
degrees or fall below ninety-eight degrees,
and the wound causes no special discom.
fort, he leaves the dressing undisturhed IN
til he thinks the incision has healed When
he does remove them he expects to ind a
thin red line marking the track of the Incl
sion. with perhaps three or four drops of Sc
ropurulent huid at the points where he put
in he stitches. This m : not seem any
thing very remarkable 10 the lay reader,
but thirty years ago the usual course of
things was very different Then the sur
geon expected that the injured parts
would inflame and suppurate--and that he
would have to cleanse the wound and
apply fresh dressings every day for a,
least a week, and often for month He
did not know why most wounds iniamed
and suppurated, while a few did not, and
he tried all sorts of lotions and ointments,
from the nalsam of Fierabras with which
Don Quixote provided himself. or the
celebrated oil of puppies of Ambrose
Pare to sugar of lead washes arnIca.
or coal Oil, but without producing much
difference in the results. He thought
that the trouble was Cue in some way
to the entrance of air into the wound,
and. when he could. he made the opening
in the skin as small as possible, q mere
puncture. and by the use of fine slender
knives, cut simultaneously as it was said
But ne could not cut of ,eg, or remove a
large tumOr. without letting the air come
in contact with the cut surfaces. So mat
tiers went on until 1861, when Mr.. Joseph
Lister, a Scotch surgeon. came 20 the con-
ciusion that Inflammation AMI suppura-
ton in Mounds were due TO the fact that
bacteria got into them, and proceeded 10
try various methods of keeping them out,
or OF killing them If they got In.
Not much was known aDout bacteria in
those days. but he found tual ne cou
kill them with carDolic acid and accord
iDgly he proceeded to soak ms sponges,
his instruments. his threads. his dress
ings and his hands IN solutions of this
acid. and TO blow a spray Of I On the place
where he was cutting III order 70 poison
all the germs which might drop on u from
the air. This was the beginning of what
is now called antiseptc ana aseptlc sur
gerry. It has been fouad that micro
organisms which cause trouble IN
wounds, and which produce pyamia
and sepl.c9m!a, or what is COM
monty tes med blood poisoning, are
Tor the most part little spherical bodies
belong ne TO the vegetable kingdom
known as mlcrocOcci, which means little
grams, or granuies There are several
kinds OF these which produce suppura-
ton. and they are called the pyogenic, or
pus-producIng organ SINS. These are COM
monty found IN the surface of the skin of
the living human body, and especially in
the crevice beneath the finger nails and
dust. in the contents OF the intestinal
canal, etc. but they are not common in
the air, except in old hospital wards
where antiseptic precautions have no,
been observed. The surgeon of the present
day does not use carboiic acid nor operate
under spray, but he does take special
care that MS hands and his finger nails
and those OF his assist ants, and that his
spouges, instruments and dressings are
thoroughly sterilzed and cleans d. In
aseptic surgery he usually uses weak So
luton of corrosive Sub'imate.
Another thing which the man of thirty
years ago Won Il una new IN modern sur
gerry g he means employed 10 prevent or
control hemorrnage. BY the use of elastic
bandages, comprising tue parts To ne re-
moved. as much blood a. possible is
squeezed into the body and is thus saved
20 the patient. while every little bleeding
vessel is closed with small spring forceps
as soon as il is seen. so that at the close of
+ an operation dozen or more OF these bull