Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

570 FARR
Should the fore not digefl kindly, but run a thin wa¬
ter and look pale, foment, as often as you drefs, with the
above fomentation; and apply over your drefling the
rtreng-beer poultice, and continue this method till the
matter grows thick, and the fore florid.
The following ointments will generally anfwer your
expectations in all common cafes, and may be. prepared
without, as well as with, the verdegreafe.
TAKE~Venice turpentine and bees-wax of each a pound,
oil of olives one pound and a half, yellow rolin
twelve ounces ; when melted together, two or three
ounces of verdegreafe, finely powdered, may be
ftirred in, and kept fo till cold, to prevent its fub-
fiding.
Taxe of yellow bafilicon, or the above ointment,
without verdigreafe, four ounces; red precipitate,
finely powdered, half an ounce : mix them together
cold with a knife or fpatula.
This laft, applied early, will prevent a fungus, or
proud flefti, from (hooting out; for if you drefs too long
with the above digeflive, the fuhgus will rife faft, and
give fome trouble to fupprefs it; when it will be necef-
fary to wa(h the fore as often as you drefs, with a folu-
tion of blue vitriol in water, or to fprinkle it with burnt
alum and precipitate. If thefe (hould not be powerful e-
rough, touch with a cauftic, or wafh with the fublimate wa¬
ter, made by diflblving half an ounce of corrofive fubli-
mate in a pint of lime-water.
But this trouble may in a great meafure be prevented,
if the fore is on a part where bandages can be applied with
compre(fes of linen cloath : for even when thefe excref-
cences regerminate, as it were under the knife, and fpring
up in fpite of the cauftics above mentioned, they are to be
fubdued by moderate compreflion made on the fprouting
fibres, by thefe means.
Authors on farriery have given in general very proper
xeceipts to anfwer’every intention of this kind by medicines;
but as they have not laid down fufficient rules for their
application in thofe cafes where they are mod wanted,
the following general diredlions will not be unacceptable ;
as the difficulty in healing fome kinds of fores arifes
frequently from the unlkilful manner of drelling them.
It may be neceflary then to obferve here, once for all,
that the cures of moft fores are affefted by the fimpleft
methods, and that it is often of much more confequence
to know how to‘drefs a fore, than what to drefs it with ;
and in this confiffs indeed the chief art of this branch of
furgery ; for the mod eminent in that profeflion have long
fince difcovered, that variety of ointments and falves are
unneceflary in the cure of mod wounds and (ores, and
they have accordingly difcarded the greated part, for¬
merly in repute for that purpofe; repeated obfervations
having taught them, that after the digedion, nature is
generally difpofed to heal up the wound fad enough her-
felf, and that the furgeon’s chief care is to prevent a
luxuriancy, commonly called proud flefh; which all oint¬
ments, wherein lard or oil enters, are but too prone to
encourage, as they keep the fibres too lax and fupple ;
and which dry lint alone, early applied, as eafily pre¬
vents, by its abforbing quality, and light compreflion on
the fprouting fibies.
I E R Y.
Thus, if a hollow wound or fore is crammed with
tents, or the dreflings are applied too hard, the tender
(hoots of fleffi from the bottom are prevented pufhing up;
and the fides of the fore in time from this didenfion may
grow horny, and turn fidulous; nor has the matter by
this method a free difcharge.
On the other hand, if fores of any depth are drefled
fuperficially, the external parts being more difpofed to
heal and come together than the internal, they will fall
into contaft, or heal too foon ; and the fore, not filling up
properly from the bottom, will break out afrefli.
Hence we may judly conceive how little drefs is to be
laid on famous ointments, or family falves, unflcilfully
applied ; for unlefs this due medium is obferved, or ob¬
tained in the drefling, no hollow fore can heal up pro¬
perly.
As foon then as a good digedion is procured (which is
known by the thicknefs and whitenefs of the matter dif*
charged, and the florid red colour at the bottom of the
fore) let the dreflings be changed for the precipitate me¬
dicine; or the fore may be filled up with dry lint alone,
or dipped in lime-water whh a little honey and timdure
of myrrh, or brandy, about a fifth part of the latter to
one of the former ; a pledget of lint dipped in this mix¬
ture (hould alfo be applied to the bottom of the fore,
which (hould be filled up with others to the furface or
edges,, but not Crammed in too hard, as before obferved,
nor yet applied too loofely.
By this method, the fore would incarn, or heal up
properly, and foft fpongy flefli would be prevented, or
fupprefled in time ; whereas when ointments or falves are
too long continued, a fungus, or proud fleffi, is thereby
fo encouraged in its growth, that it requires fome time
to deftroy and eat it down again : a proper comprefs of
cloth, and a linen roller, is abfolutely neceflary both for
this purpofe, and tofecure on the dreflings, where ever they
can conveniently be applied.
Of Wounds in General.
In all frefti wounds made by cutting inffruments, there
is nothing more required than bringing the lips of the
wound into contad by future dr bandage, provided the
part will allow of it; for on wounds of the hips, or o-
ther prominent parts, and acrofs fome of the large muf-
cles, the ditches are apt to burlt on the horfe's lying down
and rifing up in the dall; in fuch cafes the lips ffiould not
be brought clofe together: one flitch is fufficient for a.
wound two inches long; but in large wounds, they (hould
be at an inch or more diftance; and if the wound is deep
in the mufcles, care (hould be taken to pafs the needles
proportionably deep, otherwife the wound will not unite
properly from the bottom.
Should the wound bleed much from an artery divided,
the firft ftep (hould be to fecure it, by palling a crooked
fieedle underneath, and tying it up with a waxed thread :
if the artery cannot be got at this way, apply a button of lint
or tow to the mouth of the bleeding veflel, dipped in a ffrong
folution of blue vitriol, ftyptic water, oil of vitriol, or hot oil
of turpentine, powdered vitriol, or colcothar, fee. and re¬
member always to apply it clofe to the mouthof the bleeding
veflels,.