The skin, even in simple fractures, must be cleansed with green soap, water and alcohol. If blebs or an area of threatening necrosis of the skin exist, they should be freely dusted with powdered boric acid and a few layers of aseptic gauze applied.
The form of retentive apparatus to be employed will vary, of course, with the individual bone requiring treatment.
The most important articles of a fracture equipment are as follows:
1. Plaster of Paris bandages for making molded splints and circular casts.
2. A stock of basswood, three-sixteenths of an inch thick, for making wooden splints.
3. An assortment of metal splints or materials for making them.
4. Muslin for bandages and slings.
5. Five yard rolls of ordinary and zinc oxide adhesive plaster, three inches wide.
6. Cotton batting and sheet wadding for padding splints.