Hand Surgery In World War II. Medical Department, United States Army,

Abstract

Except for the work of these and a few other surgeons, little such hand surgery was being done at the outbreak of World War TI. Kanavel's principles concerning the management of infections were accepted and generally taught, although they were by no means universally employed. Except in large hospitals and in clinics, acute injuries of the hand were managed by many practitioners in a manner which left much to be desired. The results of early tendon repair, especially of the fIexor tendons were deplorable. Flat splinting of fractures was still quite prevalent. When skeletal traction was employed the principles of traction splinting were often imperfectly applied. The importance of the position of function when immobilization was necessary was not generally recognized. Burns were still treated without due regard for asepsis, tanning agents were often applied, and the denuded areas that burns produced were far too often allowed to heal by granulation and slow epithelization. Early skin coverage was far too seldom utilized. Corrective splinting and physical and occupational therapy for the restoration of function were still inadequately used or completely ignored. JMD

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1955
Accession Number
ADA292000

Entities

People

  • Sterling Bunnell

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bone Fractures
  • Debridement
  • Health Services
  • Joints (Anatomy)
  • Medical Personnel
  • Orthopedics
  • Peripheral Nervous System
  • Wounds And Injuries

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Trauma Surgery or Emergency Medicine.