The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-22
Marvellous Success Attained
With New Method of
Treating Wounds.
NOW USED ENTIRELY
Results Which Would Have
Appeared Satisfactory
Are Now Failures.

OF infected wounds. the success Of
which in the field hospitals OF France
has won world fame for its inven-
tors has been stimulated in this
country by recent announcement that
DR.. Alexis Carrel is to return here
to take charge of a military unit
hospital to be erected by the Rookie
Teller Institute of Medical Research,
in which the Carrel- Dakin method is
to be practiced and taught to army
Red Cross nurses.
DR.. H. NJ. Nj. Lyle, professor of elm
ical surgery at the college of physi-
clans and surgeons OF Columbia uni
versity and attending surgeon at st.
Luke's hospital. while chirugiein en-
chef at the Ambulance dAnnel. Disc,
France had large experience with the
new wound treatment. and wrote
glowingly of it's results. In d paper
contributed to the surgical section OF
the New York academy Of medicine
and printed in the Journal of the
American Medical Association. DR..
Lyle explained In detail the technique
Of the method, and continued:
In the early months of 1915 I was
in charge of hospital B. American
ambulance. This hospital contained
$50 beds, and was situated at JULY,
Seine ct Merne. 40 miles behind the
firing line. The wounded were brought
from Compiegne in automobile ambu-
lances, arriving in Juilly about "a
hours after being wounded. This
year my experience was gained while
surgeon in chief of an ambulance sit
uated three and one half miles behind
the firing line.
Method Of Procedure.
: AT hospital B the following pro-
cedure was Immediately carried out:
y. Careful examination OF the SOL
dier's clothes to determine the alb
sence or presence Of clothing in the
wounds,
"2. Examinations and dressing Of
the wound
49, Localization by Roentgen ray of
all bullets, shell fragments, etc, and
their immediate extraction. The after
treatment was according to accepted
with the results obtained as they COM
pared favoraby with those Of similar
hospitals Today we should consider
them failures. We had the usual num-
Der of pussing wounds. pyocyaneous
infections, secondary assesses. osteo-
myelitis. joint complications. amputa-
tons for infection. delayed healings,
etc, along with the worries and uncer-
tainties which are incident to such
cases.
For the first 10 days at the front
we followed the old standard methods
and the newer physologic ones. Mean
while we were tentatively trying out
the Carrel method. At the end Of this
time the contrast in the results was
SO striking that we adopted the Carrel
method for the hospital.
Our experien ce was that OF Depage:
The transformation which was estab-
lishcd In our results was startling The
immediate complications became more
and more rare, and suppuration disap-
pearcd from our services almost com.
pletely.' In our service during four and
half months no secondary abscess de-
veloped there was only one case Of
osteomyelitic, and this responded read
lily to treatment. There were no ampu-
tations for infection. The average stay
for wounds for sof. parts was IA days,
days.
The wounds treated were almost
exclusively inflicted by high explosive
shells, shrapncl trench torpedoes.
bombs, hand grenades. etc. Very few
bullet wounds were received
Closed $50 Wounds.
'Depage reported his results OBJ
tanned at the Ambulance de la Panne
from June ! to August as 1877 cases
Futured comp lete union in liz, par
tial union in %, failure in cases.
These figures include wounds of the
knee, ~ amputation stamps, II frac.
lures, and l02 wounds of the soft
Parts. On the date of August 2 De.
rage had $50 compound fractures with
out a drop OF pus. In August the
Ambulance Carrel had closed 45o
wounds with only six failures
The Carrel method is not a con
tinuous irrigation. 1t is not depend
cnt on the miraculous power Of an
antiseptic, or on anv one feature Of
the method, but on the combination
OF the whole. 1t Is a method of ster-
!lizing wounds by mechanically de-
liverlng an antiseptic Of definite
chemical concentration to every por-
ton OF a surgically prepared wound
and insuring its constant contract for
n prolonged period. The progress of
the sterilization is vigorously con-
trolled by the microscope. Gentle
ness. thoroughness, and atten ton to
detail are essential for success. I
firmly believe that the adoption of
this method Is destined to save many
lives. to reduce the gravity OF the
nautilations, and allow the rapid re.
turn to the front Of many men who