Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1919-09-13
American Professor Taught Its
Use to Armies Fighting
in Europe.
ADOPTED BY THE RED CROSS
Is Far Superior in Many Ways to Alb
sorbent Cotton as Dressing
Used for Centuries In Scot
land and ireland.

New HaVen-ln an interview with
George e. Nichols, professor of bot
any in the Sheffield Scientific school
of Yale university, new facts were
brought out concerning the use of
moss in surgical dressings during the
war. Prof Nichols was botanical nd
wiser for the American Red Cross and
did more than any other individual
to Introduce the use of sphagnum moss
into the American medical profession
for surgical purposes.
In Europe this moss has been used
for many years in surgery, but new
er before In this country. In Connecti-
cut alone there are twenty-five differ
ent kinds of sphagnum and on the
North American continent there are
at least forty. OF these forty only
two or three are actually used.
Adopted by Red Cross.
During the war DIR. Nichols made
extensive studies of various regions
where sphagnum Is found and ex-
planned methods Of collecting and of
making 1t into dressings. and in
March, 1918, the American Red Cross
officially adopted this moss. Since that
date our Red Cross has turned out
more than a half million sphagnum
dressings for the italian army and
something over 10000 month for the
American war hospital. In SeEtem-
Der, 1915, the British war Office for
mally accepted sphagnum moss dress
ings and year later England was
turning out 10000 month and be-
fore the close of the war almost
million. The Canadian Red Cross
averaged 100000 of these dressings
per month.
In Scotland and Ireland sphagnum
moss has been used for many CEN
turtles for the same purposes as to-
day, and 1t was used by army sur
geons in the Napoleonic, the Franco
Prussian and the Russo-Japanese
wars.
In this country there were several
reasons why 1t did not come into gen.
eral use, the chief of which was be-
cause our army surgeons. accustomed
to the use of absorbent cotton and
still having plenty Of this on hand,
hesitated about using substitute.
Sphagnum moss Is far superior to cot
ton in many ways, such as Its better
quality, cheapness of manufacture and
its far superior absorbent qualities.
Sphagnum moss is small low
plant, commonly pale green when wet
and almost white when dry, although
1t may be any shade from bright red
and pink to russell green and dark
brown or almost black. The sphag-
mum most adaptable for surgical use
is called sphagnum papillosum, and its
absorbent quality is due to peculiar
pore structure in its leaves.
Grows in Wet Places.
In general sphagnum grows in wet
places and attains its best develop
ment in cool, humid regions, such as
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, Vancouver Island and
western Washington, although it Is
known to grow as far south as New
Jersey. In boys the sphagnum grows
most luxuriantly, especially In the
boys where cranberries may be found
This surgical moss is pulled up bod
lily, the moisture squeezed out Of ii
and any coarse plants that may be
present removed, and then washed.
Next the moss is air dried and then
separated into two or more grades,
In making the surgical dressings of
this material first layer Of cheap
non-absorbent cotton the size of the
dressing is laid down. Over this is
spread layer Of sphagnum and over
the sphagnum is laid a double layer
of very thin gauze paper. The whole
is then enclosed in gauze outer
wrapping. These dressings are then
run through clothes wringer to fiat
ten them out. After this treatment
they are sent to the hospitals,
where they are sterilized before be.
ing used.