Notes on transplantation or engrafting of skin / by John Woodman.

  • Woodman, John, 1837-1903.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes on transplantation or engrafting of skin / by John Woodman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    in any measure to the attempts at transplantation, but I mention the case owing to its singularity. Another thing is, that in the most successful cases, on removing the plaster, there has been no appearance of growth; and the first symptom, some days after, has been a small pit or hole in the granulations : from this centre a spot of bluish white skin has grown. On the other hand, in some of the cases where the piece of skin has been plainly visible, the result has been that it has sloughed away afterwards. Whether this is to be taken as a proof of Mr. D. Fiddes’ correctness in saying that the epithelial scales are all that are needed, I cannot say, as I have not as yet been successful in getting the growth of skin from engrafting of epithe- lial scales alone, on his plan. I may add that I have found it necessary to the success of the operation to keep the patient in bed, at least for a few days. Of course it may be possible to get the skin to grow without this rest, but it is most important that the engraft should be kept steadily in its place, and that the leg should be kept in the position in which the circulation should be most rapid; and bed is the only place in which both these points can be properly attended to. The chief advantages of this process appear, there- fore, to be the greater rapidity with which ulcers and wounds can be healed,—the comparative ease with