BATTLEFIELD SURGERY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 93, 8 October 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

BATTLEFIELD SURGERY.

The award by the Paris Academic des Sciences of the Lecomte triennial ITize of £2,000 to Sir Almroth Wright, t lie great bacteriologist, directs attention to the changes which have taken place during the war in the treatment of wounds. Before the days of Lord Lister, who introduced the antiseptic method in 1865, the number of deaths' 1 from blood-poisoning among injured persons and those upon whom operations had been performed was enormous.

Lister proved that this could be avoided by disinfecting the wounus and everything brought into contact with them. This method (called antisepti was adopted in all civilised countries but during the past few years the use:] of disinfectants has been abandoned,, and surgeons have relied solely upon 1 absolute cleanliness (called the aseptic method). When the war started, owing to th dirty condition of the wounds, the surgeons reverted in many cases to the antiseptic method, hoping thereby to render the dirt innocuous. Then Sir Almroth Wright, Mr. Goadby, and other great bacteriologists pointed out that a mixture of dirt and diisnfectant.s impedes the flow from the wound of the lymph, Nature's cleanser, and that, in_ stead of using disinfectants, the wounds should be properly drained by the uso of suitable .dressings. Thousands of valuable lives and limbs have thus been saved. Now the bacteriologists are talking about inoculating beforehand against blood-poison-ing, just as they do against typhoid. If this idea proves successful wounds will be robbed of half their dangers.