The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-05-10
VALUE OF ANTIsEPsIs.
How Surgery Has Been Advanced BY
This Practice,

advancing at an almost vertiginous pace,
and its progress and Improvement are
due to the universal PRACTICE OF antisepsis
and to the adoption OF proper dressings.
The most daring operations are now
crowned with success, and different yis-
cera which had previously been carefully
avoided by surgeons are treated saiely
and to the welfare of the patients. 1t is
an every day occurrence to see the ap-
duminal cavity opened either to remove
tumor or to make some operation on the
intestines. The brain islaid bare to free
it from some compression from which 1t
is suffering or to open an abscess and give
free exit to the pus. Under all these
circumstances the surgeon intervenes
with perfect security when he has mi
nutely taken the necessary precautions
to protect the wound he creates from in
lection by germs.
These dangerous germs are both with
in the patients and about them, and for
this reason it is absolutely indispensable
to disinfect the spot that the operation
is to affect and also everything connect
ed with the operator, his instruments or
assistants. AS for the germs floating in
the atmosphere, some surgeons endeavor
to counteract their effect by spraying
antiseptic liquids about the room during
the operation. The point to be guarded
against above all others is infection OF
the seat of intervention, and this can be
accomplished by destroying the germs
that may have already invaded 1T or by
closing up all access to it on the part of
those that may be about it. The former
can be effected by the use of antisepsis
and the latter by asepsis.
Complications arising from firearm
wounds seem to result from the action
of germs which are not carried by the
projectiles, as might be supposed at first
thought, but by the patients clothing.
In one of the late meetings of the Societe |
Imperio- -Royale des Medecins de Vienne,
NJ. Habart reported the experiments he
had undertaken in this connection with
M. Faulhaber concerning the infection
of firearm wounds These two investi- |
gators, using regulation rifles, fred at
boxes of gelatin, of which some were
sterilized or covered with sterilized blot
ting paper, others surrounded with pieces
of old uniforms and others with pieces
of uniforms dipped in pure cultures of
staphylococci. In the first case the
track of the bullet remained asceptic;
in the second were found, in addition to
pieces of cloth, variety of microbes,
while in the third the boxes contained
nothing but Istaphylococci.
In short, a bullet striking the body of
a soldier or piece of shell entering his
flesh stands every chance of creating
an infected wound. 1t is therefore i'm
perative to treat all wounds in wartime
antiseptically, and we owe great debt
to the different authorities who in time
of peace are preparing sufficient stock
of packages of dressing to supply each
soldier or officer ON the day war may
break out. This small package of dress
ing with which each soldier is to be fur
nished is to be placed, in the French
army, in pocket specially prepared for
It and is certain to render great serv-
ces, whether used by the wounded man
himself or by the ambulance corps.
However temporary this remedy may be,
t will still have the advantage of sup
plying the regimental surgeon with al
most enough dressings for the first de-
nands on the battlefields without his
having to make use of his stores, and it
will rapidly place the wounds out of
each of the danger of infection arising
rom contact with clothing, hands or
he ground.
A German army surgeon, NJ. Koerfer, I
las been testing the value of inhalations !
# chloroform in the cerebro-spinal form
# sunstroke, and in the case of two SOL ,
liers very seriously affected with uncon-
commissions, hyper@sthesia !
# the skin, Gyid skin and weakened
,ulse, the prolonged administration of
succeeded in putting an end
o all the symptoms. The favorable /
fleet Of the chloroform showed itself s
s soon as its use was commenced by |
marked improvement in the pulse, but =
he commissions did not cease altogether $
Intil the narcosis had been kept up for n
N hour and quarter in one case and \
or quarter of an hour in the other. =
The use of cold water andhypodermic n
Injections of ether, to which recourse o
vas had in the first case, where the I
ymptoms were particularly serious and a .
efore the chloroform was tried, were j,
ound to be powerless and to have no b
ther effect than to bring on or increase a
he convulsive attacks each time they a
yere tried. With this patient NJ. Koer- .
or also made an injection of two cent? p
rams of morphine toward the end of
he chloroform seance, and when the
nan began 10 come out from the effect
the chloroform he fell asleep again v
nder the influence of the morphine, and a
n awakening finally the convulsive at !,
acks mad entirely disappeared. n
Chloroform acts in these cases by stop s.
ing the convulsions which help to raise o
ne temperature Of the body by lessening {
ne production of heat and also by facil-
ating the radiation of the heat Of the A
ody. Hypodermic injections Of ether :
re given to prevent asphyxia. and caf-
,ine administered in the same way has
twofold purpose, to increase or re-es-
lblish the urinary secretion and to ton
v the system in general. In the fu-
Ire it will be well to bear in mind the
5efulness of chloroforn in these very
we're cases OF sunstroke Paris Herald
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