The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-06
WOUND DRESSING
 SCIENCE CHANGES
Experience of Great War Shows Old Fashion Lint
 Bandages Not Best
Nv LADY MARY

London, July 14.-Has the day of lint bandage and wool dressings for wounds gone? Some of the medical experts say that it has and that one of the great lessons of the war is that surgical dress ings for wounds are not only useless, but injurious. The battle of Jutland Bank has served to prove the point, and the medical expert of the Times discusses it, passing his views on an article in the Lancet, the great medical journal. He says:
 Prom every great action the doctors who handle the wounded learn important lessons. The lesson of the need of trench helmets is an example and so is the lesson of the need of anti-tetanic serum. It is now clear that the battle of Jutland Bank has also taught its lessons.
 "One hundred and ten wounded men were taken into the Royal Naval hospital at South Queensferry and the doctors in charge of them have contributed to the Lancet an account of their wounds. They are classified as follows: Shell wounds, 62; burns, 42; suffering from the effect of fumes, f. and from severe shock, 2. The small number of cases of shock is remarkable in view of the tremendous cannonade which was a feature of the battle, but more remarkable still Is the fact that almost all the wounds were septic, though less than AS hours had elapsed since the injuries were received. It was the custom earlier in the war to blame the soil of France for the fear fully septic wounds inflicted there. Clear ly we shall require to revise this opin- ion, for it is notorious that bacterial life scarcely exists on the sea. Evidently all the elements necessary to the making of very septic wound are present on cloth ing and skin.
 'There were many broken bones, and all the fractures were compound. Ampu- tation was often necessary. The chief concern of the surgeon was the preven- tion of sepsis, that is, of blood poisoning Two methods were adopted, representing what may be called the two great schools which have sprung up during the war the antiseptic school and the salt solu- tion school. The former is the school of Lister, the latter the school of Sir Ann roth Wright. It seems clear that, broad ly speaking, Sir Almroth Wright's meth ods gave the most generally favorable results. When once sepsis has gained a footing continuous saline irrigation seems to meet the requirements, does away with painful dressings, and is par ticularly non-irritating to the injured and exposed periosteum Sheath of the bone) which is so easily destroyed by the ap- plication of antiseptics.' This independ- ent testimony from the navy to the great work of Colonel Sir Almroth Wright Is of deep interest.
 "The greatest of these changes finds expression in certain allusions to the ad- vantages to be gained by avoiding pain full dressings of wounds. The battle of Jutland Bank thus emphasizes truth that has been plain to many doctors since Sin Almroth Wright began his work on the healing of wounds-namely, that the surgical dressing-lint bandage and wool-is out of date. It has been found out It is barrier to the free discharge of lymph which cleans the wound; 1t forms breeding ground of germs; it sticks to the wound and dries on. and its removal is attended by great pain and often danger from bleeding; finally, .t