, is obtained by removing all bacteria by means of
absolute surgical cleanliness (asepsis), and by the use of those
chemical agents which destroy the bacteria not removed by cleanliness
itself (antisepsis).
Surgical cleanliness differs from the housewife's idea of cleanliness
in that its details seem frivolous, because it aims at the removal of
microscopic particles. Stains, such as housewives abhor, if germ-free,
are not objected to in surgery.
The hands and arms, and especially the finger nails, of the surgeon,
assistants, and nurses should be well scrubbed with hot water and
soap, by means of a nail brush, immediately before the operation. The
patient's body about the site of the proposed operation should be
similarly scrubbed with a brush and cleanly shaved. Subsequently the
hands of the operator, assistants, and nurses, and the field of
operation should be immersed in, or thoroughly washed with, corrosive
sublimate solution (1:1,000 or 1:2,000). Finger rings, bracelets,
bangles, and cuffs worn by the surgeon, assistants, or nurses must be
removed before the cleansing is begun; and the clothing covered by a
clean white apron, large enough to extend from neck to ankles and
provided with sleeves.
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