No one should touch the wound but the operator and his first
assistant. No one should touch the sponges but the operator, his first
assistant, and the nurse having charge of them. No one should touch
the already prepared ligatures or instruments except the surgeon and
his first or second assistants.
None but those assigned to the work are expected to handle
instruments, sponges, dressings, etc., during the operation.
When any one taking part in the operation touches an object not
sterilized, such as a table, a tray, or the ether towel, he should not
be allowed to touch the instruments, the dressings, or the ligatures
until his hands have been again sterilized. It is important that the
hands of the surgeon, his assistants, and nurses should not touch any
part of his own body, nor of the patient's body, except at the
sterilized seat of operation, because infection may be carried to the
wound. Rubbing the head or beard or wiping the nose requires immediate
disinfection of the hands to be practiced.
The trailing ends of ligatures and sutures should never be allowed to
touch the surgeon's clothing or to drag upon the operating table,
because such contact may occasionally, though not always, pick up
bacteria which may cause suppuration in the wound.
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