Identifier: plasticsurgeryit00davi (find matches)
Title: Plastic surgery; its principles and practice
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Davis, John Staige, 1866-1933
Subjects: Surgery, Plastic
Publisher: Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's son & co
Contributing Library: Columbia University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons

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air has been advocated by many. It is advisable that the part be immobilized. In surface wounds theposition should be such that secretions may gravitate, and be caughtat the most dependent portion (Fig. 119). The wound should be directly exposed to the sunlight, if possible,without the interposition of gauze. It is most important that it begradually accustomed to the suns rays, otherwise newly formed THE TREATMENT OF WOUNDS 153 epithelium or recently healed grafts may be blistered and even de-stroyed. The first exposure should be limited to 15 minutes and thetime be gradually increased to 5 or 6 hours. Acute sunburn should beavoided. Wire cages over the wounds and mosquito-netting to preventcontamination by flies, are often advantageous. Some of the advantages of this method are the relief of pain,painless dressings, bactericidal action of sunlight, a copious oozing andincrease of phagocytosis, the rapid casting off of necrotic tissue byhealthy granulations, and economy in dressings.
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Pig. 119.—Method of using plaster of Paris as a cage over an extensive burn of the legand lower third of the thigh.—This cage allows exposure to the light and air, and also holdsthe limb extended in those cases where contracture is feared. Wire netting around theribs of the cage may be used \\ith advantage. All sorts of wounds have been treated by this method with success.It is said that the luminous rather than the chemical rays are the mostactive in their eftect on wounds. Whether it is the heat or dryness andconsequent bactericidal action, or both, or whether it is the lack ofinjury to growing tissues which necessarily must take place in thecourse of ordinary wound dressings, it is hard to say. My own experience with sunlight has been favorable in certainwounds, but I have seen, at times, extensive burns treated by thismethod in which the granulations became covered with a thick crust,beneath which pus was confined, and thus the entire benefit of the treat-ment was lost. It is

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