Fig. 18.—Combination Dressing Case and Table.
Waste Cans.—All soiled dressings and sponges should be immediately thrown into an enameled iron pail furnished for the purpose. At no time must soiled dressings or sponges be thrown upon the floor, where they are walked over, soiling the floor and, by drying, contaminating the air of the room. Cans for this purpose are made of steel, enameled, of the form shown in [Fig. 19].
The contents of the can must be taken from the room after each operation and burned. The can should be flushed with carbolic solution, and returned to the operating room.
Fig. 19.—Waste Can.
SUTURES AND STERILIZATION
(Ligatures)
Silkworm Gut and Silk.—In plastic surgery silkworm gut and silk are used extensively. Rarely is ordinary catgut resorted to, because it is absorbed before thorough union takes place, besides being a source of infection, either primarily from imperfect sterilization or by taking it up from the secretions of the deeper layer of skin not affected by external antiseptics.
The sterilization of silk is accomplished by boiling it for one hour in a 1-20 carbolic solution and then keeping it in a 1-50 similar solution (Czerny). Or it may be boiled in water for one hour and retained in a 1-1,000 alcoholic solution of corrosive sublimate. Ordinarily it may, however, be simply subjected to boiling and steamed in the autocleve. Silkworm gut is treated in the same manner. It has greater tensile strength than silk, and for that reason the thinner varieties are to be preferred to ordinary silk.