A handbook for the post-mortem room / by Alexander G. Gibson.

  • Gibson, Alexander George, 1875-1950
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A handbook for the post-mortem room / by Alexander G. Gibson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    145/156 (page 133)
    sponged down with cold Avater diu'ing’ the examination^ and this should at least he done when all the organs have been remo\ ed. Before replacing any of the organs^ all the body cavities should he sponged out^ so that they may he as dry as possible. 'I’he natural orifices in the pelvis should he firmly plugged with wool, to prevent leakage, and a wad of tow placed over them inside, d'he solid organs having been freed of any excess of fluid and blood, and the intestines having been emptied and cleansed, should he replaced in the body cavities as nearly as possible in their natural positions. The brain, after having been examined, is not easily sewn up in the cranial cavity, so it is usually placed in the thorax or abdomen. In highly infective bodies, such as anthrax, it may he desirable, in the interests of hygiene, to destroy as many as possible of the A'iscera, hut this can only be done if a furnace is accessible. If infective organs are replaced in the body cavities, a strong anti- septic, such as 5 per cent, carbolic acid, should be freely used both internally and externally. 0\’er the organs, thus replaced in the thorax and abdomen, should be put some tow, wool, or even newspapers, suitably folded, on which the sternum is replaced. The condition of the neck should be restored by a suitable piece of tow. 'I'he main incision is no\v ready for sewing up. 'J'ake a packing-needle and thread it with thin twine, use it double, knotted at the end, and about one-and-a-quarter the length of the main incision. The stitch used is called the glover’s stitch, and is begun at the neck end of the incision. Pass the needle from the under to the upper aspect of the skin, each