The aseptic treatment of wounds in ophthalmic surgery / by Angus McGillivray.

  • MacGillivray, Angus.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The aseptic treatment of wounds in ophthalmic surgery / by Angus McGillivray. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Reprinted from Vol. XVIII of the Ophthalmological Society’.? Transactions. By Angus McGilliveay, M.D. Ir is impossible to shut our eyes to the fact that the treatment of wounds has undergone a very rapid process of evolution since the introduction of antiseptic principles into surgery by Lister. This is not to be wondered at when we consider the intimate relation that exists between the rapidly advancing science of bacteriology and modern surgical technique. By the application of antiseptics in the treatment of wounds., Lister proved beyond all doubt that the secret of success in operative surgery lies principally in the exclusion of micro-organisms from wounds, both during and after operation. With the advent of such an important discovery, it is not to be wondered at that surgeons were carried away with the idea that the destruction of the invading micro-organisms must be carried out at all costs, the protection of the cut tissue of the wound against the chemical agents em- ployed being lost sight of, or at all events thought to be of secondary importance. We must, however, remember that the science of bacteriology was practically in its infancy at the commencement of the antiseptic era, for Lister's discovery, besides being of incalculable value to surgery, gave a great impetus to the study of bacteriology, which study has culminated in the production of acquired immunity against some of our most virulent maladies. As the life history of micro-organisms became better understood, antisepticians found that certain precautions, which they had adopted at the outset, were not only un-