OCR Text |
Show The Treatment of Burns. WW IN an article on the treatment of burns, published in the "Union Pharmacou- tlque," Dr. Philippe says the same irrational irra-tional treatment is adopted, whether it is a question of burns restricted in extenr, such as are produced on the fingers by j the flame of a fusee, by a drop of burning burn-ing BeaUng wax or by the contact with a very hot lamp glass, or whether it is a matter of dealing with much more extensive exten-sive bums, covering a large part of tho arms, legs or back. The blisters or vesicles vesi-cles which have formed are pierced and then some more or less sedative remedy oil, powder or liniment is applied to the wound. Under these conditions supprratlon becomes be-comes established along tho whole extent of the burn. The wound formed by the burn is closed if the bliater remains intact in-tact after tho accident, but by the defective de-fective practice of piercing the phlyctiena it is opened, aud is thus free to receive every kind of dirt and infectious matter. It would be infinitely more logical to take every requisite precaution to avoid breaking break-ing or tearing the bluster in eome sudden or clumsy movement By guarding against this danger the wound may bo kept closed, aud there will bo no reason to four suppuration, wiilch is the usual complication com-plication ensuing in the caso of open wounds and is the principal obstacle to the certain and rapid healing of burns without leaving any scars. It should be noted also that this non-infected non-infected liquid, formed by the organism and transuded, favors the prompt re-growth re-growth of the deeper layers of the skin much better than any drossing can do. The treatment of superficial burns, or at least of those that are not Tery deep-seated, deep-seated, may therefore generally be limited lim-ited to theso simple practices: In the firat place, do not pierce the blister, but, on the oaatrary, carefully protect them wita gauze, ana u, uc'i'u'TffgiM attention, there ar somo points atiIf jjH 1 ii l VBH ,the epidermis has been remoredl tfTC-vjH should be minutely cloanBed "I'AiijH slightly antiseptic solution or with :H water. The blisters should notfwrfB emptied of their contents and cleji;H until the underlying ekin ia defiHjfcjjy jH formed and there is no further risk ofc- H fection. This requires about eight (jn H Dr. Philippe Is an advocate of the PJJWiH dressing, but he advises the use of a jjjkL H tlon containing only from six to IV M grammes of picric acid to the litre of wfVlH and states that only one or two apptiSH tions sh'ouM be made in order to avoid Jk H appearance of eczema and other eruptp'BJ ailments. The picric solution is definV.H antiseptic, and it has another vaumB' advantage, namely, it soothes the p&imW H local anaesthesia. 's'BBBfl After ono or two applications o m M picric solution, the treatment by BjcjV l of the Bub-nitratc of bismuth may be .f-A fgTgTJ or, better still, of carbonate of bhtam'jV fH In this wny the tissues may jmW BBBfl In n ery short time, wL-tcos ifflH otherwise, the results, accordinHlfc M Philippe, may be less favorablcH H |