- vening bone should be broken down with a strong and sharp knife
so as to convert the two into a single opening. [Wuertz adds that he had never found it necessary to act in accordance with this advice.] After the pus or clot of blood has been removed, one may as a rule readily discover the true cause of the pain and other symptoms. As a final step, suitable dressings should be applied to the wound.
Another important department of practical surgery, in
which Wuertz appears to have gained special distinction, is
that which relates to wounds and certain diseases of the
abdomen. Owing to lack of space it will not be practicable
to reproduce here any histories of the cases of this nature
which came under his observation, but I believe that the
following brief extracts from his remarks upon the best
way of treating them may in some measure answer the
same purpose:—
Penetrating wounds of the abdomen are universally admitted to
be very dangerous, no matter what organs (stomach, intestines,
liver, gall-bladder, spleen or kidneys) be involved in the injury.
In the case of a wound of the liver or spleen it is not advisable to
employ sutures; instead, one may use some kind of sticking plaster
for bringing the edges of the wound together. Proper regulation
of the diet plays an important part in the treatment of these conditions,
and so also may venesection. When an intestine is the
organ wounded I adopt the plan of treatment recommended by
most authorities; that is, I stitch together the opposite edges of
the wound and I cleanse the surface of the bowel carefully with
milk that has been well saturated with the juice of anise seeds.
In his remarks about the treatment of suppurative
processes involving the thigh in the vicinity of the knee,
Wuertz gives the following advice:—
Do not allow the knee to remain quiet, but stretch the surrounding
parts and manipulate them as much as you can, in order that
the joint may not become permanently rigid; for if you wait until
the healing is completed before you resort to these measures you
will often find that it is already too late.
Separate chapters are devoted to such topics as would
to-day receive the designations "pyaemia," "hospital
