ture of opium and aconite, chloroform liniment, or
camphorated oil, are also to be frequently applied. Should this
treatment fail to check the progress of the trouble, the formation of
pus should be hastened as rapidly as possible. Hot fomentations and
poultices are to be constantly used, and as soon as the presence of pus
can be detected, the abscess wall is to be opened at its lowest point.
In this procedure lies our hope of a speedy cure. As with any simple
abscess, if drainage can be so provided that the pus will run off as
fast as formed without remaining within the interstices of the tissues,
the healing will be rapid and satisfactory.

Attention is again called to the directions given above as to the
necessity of probing the cavity when opened. If upon a careful
examination with the probe we find that there are no pockets, no
sinuses, but a simple, regular abscess wall, the indication for
treatment is to make an opening from below so that all the matter must
escape. Rarely is anything more needed than to keep the orifice open and
to bathe or inject the parts with some simple antiseptic wash that is
not irritant or caustic. A low opening and cleanliness constitute the
essential and rational treatment.

If the abscess has already opened, giving vent to a quantity of purulent
matter, and the pipes and tubes leading from the opening are found to be
extensive and surrounded with thick fungoid membranes, there is
considerable danger that the internal ligaments or even some of the
bones have become affected, in which case the condition has assumed a
serious aspect. Or, on the other hand, if the abscess has existed for
some time without a rupture, its contents will frequently be found to
consist of dried purulent matter, firm and dense, and the walls
surrounding the mass will be found greatly thickened. In such a case we
must generally have recourse to the application of caustics which will
cause a sloughing of all of the unhealthy tissue, and will also
stimulate a rapid increase of healthy organized material to replace that
destroyed in the course of the development and treatment of the disease.
Threads or cords soaked in gum-arabic solution and rolled in powdered
corrosive sublimate may be introduced into the canal and allowed to
remain. The skin on all parts of the shoulder and leg beneath the
fistula should be carefully greased with lard or oil, as this will
prevent the discharge that comes from the opening after th