Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863 Excerpt: ... A reprmentation of the Deformity catued by the Contraction of the Cicatrix of a Burn on the neck. (After Linton.) The cicatrix from burns is often a source of serious difficulty, as it has a greater tendency to contract than any other cicatrix or inodular tissue resulting from injury. So marked is this tendency in some cases, that the motion of limbs is lost, and surrounding parts are drawn ont of their line, so as to create great and striking deformities. Generally this contraction shows itself by the influence which it exercises in the traction made upon surrounding tissues, rather than in the substance of the inodular tissue itself, the adjacent skin being very much puckered, and presenting ridges, furrows, seams, and all other varieties of disfiguration, Fig. 188. Sometimes, also, the cicatrix presents such a low degree of vitality that ulceration is constantly taking place in it. The relief afforded by the division of any of these cicatrices is exceedingly doubtful, and, as a general rule, it may be said that it is useless to cut through any adhesions which result from burns, unless a plastic operation is also performed in order to replace the tissue that lias been destroyed. Thus, for instance, in an adhesion of the arm to the side resulting from a burn, it is worse than folly to cut through the cicatrized portion in order to free the limb. If the arm be tied up over the head, so as to prevent the possibility of any contraction, the ulcer will not heal; and if we let it down to heal the ulcer, the contraction will be reproduced. The same is true of adhesions between the fingers; unless we can introduce a portion of new skin by a plastic operation, it is useless simply to divide the cicatrix. It is necessary, therefore, to watch burns when first heali...
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