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previous inflammation, which, if possible, ought to be discussed ;but, when this cannot be done, the suppuration should be promot-ed, and the matter discharged by an incision, if necessary ; after-wards, the sore may be dressed with yellow basilicum, or someother digestive ointment.

Wounds.

No part of medicine has been more mistaken than the treatmentor cure of wounds. Mankind in general believe that certain herbs,ointments, and plasters, are possessed of wonderful healing pow-ers, and imagine that no one can be cured without the applicationof them. It is, however, a fact, that no external application what-ever contributes towards the cure of a wound, any other way thanby keeping the parts soft, clean, and defending them from the ex-ternal air, which may be as effectually done by dry lint, as by themost pompous applications, while it is exempt from many of thebad consequences attending them.

The same observation holds with respect to internal applications.These only promote the cure of wounds as far as they tend to pre-vent a fever, or to remove any cause that might obstruct or impedethe operations of Nature. It is Nature alone that cures wounds.All that art can do is to remove obstacles, and to put the parts insuch a condition as is the most favourable to Nature's efforts.

With this simple view we shall consider the treatment of wounds,and endeavour to point out such steps as ought to be taken to fa-cilitate their cure.

The first thing to be done when a person has received a wound,is to examine whether any foreign body be lodged in it, as wood,stone, iron, lead, glass, dirt, bits of cloth, or the like. These, ifpossible, if it can be conveniently done, ought to be extracted, andthe wound cleaned before any dressings be applied. When thatcannot be effected with safety, on account of the patient's weak-ness or loss of blood, they must be suffered to remain in the wound,and afterwards extracted when he is more able to bear it.

When a wound penetrates into any of the cavities of the body,as the breast, the bowels, &c, or where any considerable blood-vessel is cut, a skilful surgeon ought immediately to be called,otherwise the patient may lose his life. But sometimes the dis-charge of blood is so great, that if it be not stopped, the patientmay die, even before a surgeon, though at no great distance, canarrive. In this case, something must be done by those who arepresent. If the wound be in any of the limbs, the bleeding maygenerally be stopped by applying a tight ligature or bandage roundthe member, a little above the wound. The best method of doingthis is to put a strong broad garter round the part, but so slack aseasily to admit a small piece of stick to be put under it, whichmust be twisted, in the same manner as a countryman does a cart-rope to secure his loading, till the bleeding stops. Whenever thisis the case, he must take care to twist it no longer, as straining ittoo much might occasion an inflammation of the parts, and endan-ger a gangrene.

In jiarts where this bandage cannot be applied, various othermethods may be tried to stop the bleeding, as the application of

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