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SURGERY AND OPHTHALMOLOGY. 487
mended the glue-bandage. The plaster of Paris bandage
became the most widely recognized and popular: it had
been already known for a long time in the East, and at the
beginning of the 19th century was introduced into Europe
but did not acquire any great reputation until the plaster-
bandages invented by MATHYSEN came into use. Besides
these Tripoli powder, guttapercha, plastic felt and paste­
board, silicate of soda, paraffin and stearin were made use
of for splints of this kind. The art of constructing suitable
suspension and extension apparatus and couches for the
sick was learnt with results favourable to the process of
recovery.
When fractures had united in a faulty position the callus
was divided by breaking or cutting so that union might
take place afresh. In ununited fracture endeavours were
made to unite the bones by suturing them or by artificially
inducing inflammation of the fractured ends and by other
means. Myotomy and tenotomy for the relief of deformities,
as for instance in caput obstipum and club foot, were as has
been mentioned performed in earlier times : but the sub­
cutaneous operation is an invention of the 19th century.
DELPECH introduced this operation into surgical practice
and the success obtained in it by DUPUYTREN, DlEFFEN-
BACH, STROMEYER and others in different affections secured
for it a permanent place in operative surgery. The cure of
aneurism was attempted by compression, ligature, galvano-
puncture and prolonged flexion.
The subject of hernia was advanced by valuable works
upon its anatomical relations, upon the causes of strangula­
tion and other matters. In its treatment, after taxis, atten­
tion was directed chiefly to the trusses which were brought
to great perfection : in the radical cure attempts were made
to close the outlet by plastic operations—by drawing in
the scrotal integument or by inducing hypertrophy of the
tissues artificially. To the methods of lithotomy were
added the recto-vesical operation designed by L. J. SANSON
and the sectio vagino-vesicalis recommended by J. CLEMOT.