CUTS THAT KILL.

Otaki Mail, 25 September 1922, Page 4

CUTS THAT KILL.

I (By u Surgeon). Not very long ago a colleague of mine scratched his finger in performing au operation. It was a tiny, trifling scratch that he paid no heed to it, but i continued with his work, and aftor- ’• wards forgot all about it. .Suddenly blood-poisoning set in, and | in a very few days he was in a most _ crit ice l condition. '] Scratches arc the most common forms of accident, and scarcely a day _ passes but wliat one or other of us falls tin vi. t i in, though feu of us pay any attention to sueli trivialities. Ignoring the humblest scratch is of-i ten naught with considerable danger,, : for no one call tell what evil germs may | . ' lie lurking on the flesh at the time the 1 J | scratch takes place. f 1 j [f these little organism happen to be ' present they wiil naturally enter the < wo and do very serious damage, while 11 they are not there the wound ! 1 will ileal up rapidly. [t It. is as well to bear in mind that a cut or a scratch that bleeds is much i less likely to result in blood-poisoning l that one I bat simply abrades the skin, i The action of the flowing blood is of- t i. ten responsible for washing the germs < n away .from the wound. I, If you are quite sure that a cut is i * quite clean lheu you may close it with t adhesive piaster, but it is always ex- t tremedy diliicult to know when a wound | is quite clen n. Xo layman's hands are ever surgical- < ly clean, tiierefore it is -always a wise \ rule never to close a cut until a healthy ; | scab has been formed, for the scab is t b. nature's own particular way of closing | a worn. l l. - 5 Win I i the best thing to do with a. I I ml or h.’ That is a question I ( | nre often being inked, and my reply i si: l |i l 1:, ,i,i i- soon as possible with iodine. < i, as this kill.-, aiiv germs that may be JS there. ‘ ' ■J Xediing you ran put on a wound will I lien i q. |, is uuir own good, red blood c | j tin,i penis, ami till that can lie done is ! 1 j 1! a, wash it to prevent any microbes 1 I from ini erfi-ri ng with, the healing pro- i I ' C-SS. f