CARE OF INSTRUMENTS. The cutting instruments should always be kept sharp and bright. Care should be taken that when the knives are sharpened the blunt points and rounded bellies are not ground off. After use the knives should be cleaned, disinfected and wiped dry. A tight galvanized iron box containing wire trays and a bottom pan for holding formalin is very practical in institution work. In private practice the knives after cleaning and disinfection may be kept in a holder made of Canton flannel or chamois skin having pockets fitted to the instruments; the whole may be rolled up into a small and compact bundle.
6. PREPARATION FOR THE AUTOPSY. Permission having been obtained, the autopsy should be performed without delay. It is very important that the examination should be carried out before the body has become cold, if any thorough microscopic study of the tissues is to be made. Changes in the finer structure of cells and nuclei quickly take place, and certain tissues, such as parts of the nervous system, the medullary portion of the adrenals, the pancreas, mucosa of gastro-intestinal tract, etc., within an hour or so after death are usually no longer fit for microscopic study. In all cases, therefore, it is best to make the autopsy as soon as possible after death, that is, as soon as positive signs of death appear. In the majority of cases this takes place within an hour, and the most favorable time for the performance of the autopsy falls within one to three hours after death. Under certain circumstances it may be necessary to make the examination sooner, but for various reasons the operation is very repugnant when performed within the first half-hour after death. For ordinary purposes an autopsy performed within twelve to twenty-four hours is usually satisfactory. Occasionally it becomes necessary for medicolegal purposes to examine a body some days, weeks, or even months after death and burial.
Fig. 19 Bone-Forceps
Fig. 20 Bone-Nippers
Fig. 21 Probe
Fig. 22 Blow-Pipe