The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-03-10
Healing Wounds by Washing.

Healing wounds by Washing.
Undoubtedly the most important
medical discovery made during tho
war is that of DR.. Carrel, Of the
Rockefeller Institute. who. WORKING
at hospital maintained by the in
stitute at Compiegno--just behind the
battle line in northern FraEce-haS
perfected a method of steriliZing
wounds, so efficacious that, Of the
hundreds of patients that have so far
been treated by it, only one has died.
And this one, it is interesting to know,
did not succumb TO the original shell
| brought to the hospital, but TO vio-
lent attack of pneumonia induced by
! his exposing himself at an open win
dow IN the absence Of his attendant.
To effect the complete sterilization
! of wound DR.. Carrel came to the
conclusion that it would be necessary
to carry the antiseptic 10 ali parts.
rather than only to the surface, as has
been the case with the practices NTH
cIto followed. For this purpose an
apparatus was perfected. consisting OF
q glass receptacle, OF about quart
capacity, to be suspended several fcet
above tie bed on which the patient
under treatment is lying, and {. rub
Der tube to carry the solution TO the
wound. On reaching the wound this
tube divides and subdivides-by
means Of glass joints and elbows
into mailer tubes, which arc buried in
the torn and laccrated acch under
treatment. The srall tubes are clos
ed at the ends and perforated at in
tcrValS OF every half inch or so with
small round holes, so that whenever
the solution is allowed TO enter them
the slight pressure which it is under
, from the elevation of the receptac Gle
above the bed forces it out into and
through all parts Of the wound. ANY
excess of the solution drains off-car-
lying with it the germs OF infection,
and is absorbed by handages, which
are changed every time the wound /;
fiushed-usually ABOUT every two
hours.
The decease of the bacteria of in
lection in the most terrible wounds
under treatment by this flushing"
method astonished even Dr. Carrel
and his assistants until they came t.
take its continued success as q III.
ter of course. The bacteria are simp-
ly killed and washed away, where,
under other treatments, they were
left to be taken up by the already
Vitiated blood. The new way reduces
the infection and, of course, hasten3
healing. Legs and arms that no sur
geon would ever have dreamed Of |
treating by anything but amputation |,
IN the past, are not only healed in |
from one to three weeks, but healed |
so thoroughly as to retain all their
former usefulness. Men that would |
have been cripplcs for ire-if they
had been saved at all-undar the uau-
al treatments have gone from tho
Compiegne hospital direct to their
regiments. appearing shortly after ON
the firing line.
Perhaps in no military hospital in
Europe is the cooperation between
clinic and laboratory so complete as
in the Ambulance Carrel." A smear
for microscopic examination is taken
once day from every wound under
treatment, and a careful record s
kept of the decrease in the bacteria
of infection. Should these fail to
decrease. the microscope reveals thu
fact even before it would have been
noticeable through rctardat,on in
the rate OF healing. and means are IT
once taken TO find what is wrong and
apply the remedy. The very day TIA
the laboratory reports that a wound
is free Of infection, LONGER and
cOmpleter flush is given it With I
the solution, and it is closed for good
No provision for draining" is nee 6
cSsary. as supperaton is ut an end. 7
IL Is even praCticablc-and apDar- 6
emily dcsirable-to close Il bacteria /
free wound over a knitting bone. once I
the infection is gone, the bone ap
pears to knit all the faster for having
the flesh closed over it.--R. j. Blur
stcdt. in fhe March Popular Mechanics I
VI