Excerpt from Washington Medical Annals, 1910-11, Vol. 9: Bimonthly Journal of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia, Including a Medical MiscellanySterilized air has been injected under pressure with the object of distending the cavity and keeping the intestines separated. While this method would keep the bowels apart in some places, it would probably force them in closer apposition in others and militate against the good results hoped for. Oxygen gas has been introduced in the same way, through a small rubber tube after the introduction of the last suture, which is tied immediately after the removal of the tube. This gas is supposed to have a specific effect on adhesions, but from the reports of experiments, one is impressed with the fact that the results are far from con elusive or convincing. Bainbridge (annals of Surgery, March, while admitting that final conclusions are impossible at this time, concludes that its use intra-abdominally diminishes shock, nausea, vomiting and hemorrhage, assists in preventing the formation of adhesions and, after they are broken up, lessens the likelihood of their return. Nitrogen has been tried and found of no value.For several years a favorite part of the technique Of some operators has been to fill the abdominal cavity with salt solution, and while this is of value in diluting morbid products and through rapid absorption in relieving thirst, it is far from certain that it has any positive effect in preventing adhesions. Sterile Olive Oil has been used in large quantities. Blake believes the adhesions are less extensive where oil is used. Most of the experimenters, however, find no efficacy in it, while others saw evidences of harm from a positive irritation and very slow absorption. Several weeks are sometimes required to effect its complete disappearance.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.