ELECTRICAL BunNs.—Electrical burns, according to Elder (Montreal lied. Jour., Jan., 1900), from contact with a "live wire" differ greatly in their behavior from ordinary burns. At first the clin ical picture is very much that of moist gangrene or that of severe frost-bites. The pain is often very severe. The shock present is due both to the electrical con tact and to the burn per se. They re quire one and a half to three times as long for recovery as ordinary burns. The sloughing affects principally the muscles and blood-vessels, and the blood does not appear to show any tendency to clot in these burns.
Case of severe burns caused by an electric current of 2000 volts. The pa tient. an electrician, 23 years old, came in contact with a live wire and received severe burns of the head, chin, right shoulder, and wrists. The burn on the head was followed by necrosis of the bone and suppuration of some of the gray matter, for which the patient was trephined. After a protracted illness
the man made a good recovery. Lapsa kofF (Bolnitchnaja Gazeta Botkina, Oct. 16, 1902).
Treating Electrical Burns.—The treat ment found most efficacious by Elder (Montreal Med. Jour., Jan., 1900) is to keep the limb in a warm carbolic-lotion bath of 1 in 100 strength, taking pre cautions against the possibility of the occurrence of secondary haemorrhage. If secondary haemorrhage occur, or when a definite line of demarkation has formed, the necrosed tissue must be removed. In many cases amputation is necessary, but the skin-flaps should not be closed, be cause large masses of muscles are sure to slough away subsequently. The wound should be allowed to granulate, and sub sequently be skin-grafted. Immediately after the burn hypodermic injections of