Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/757

 BLOODLETTING 737 slow that a horse could always keep him in sight, and in a long chase an active pedestrian could keep him in hearing. His powers of scenting, however, were so extraordinary, that not only would he follow the deer or other animal of which he was in pursuit through herd after herd of the same animals, but he would recognize its trail on the ground as long as 12 or 14 hours after the creature had passed by ; and if it were lost on one day, and he were put on its fresh track again on the following morning, he would follow it so long as it ran on solid soil. This animal was called the bloodhound for two reasons : First, if the ani- mal he pursues he wounded and its blood spilled on the earth, he will follow the track of the blood, as he will that of the foot. Sec- ondly, if fresh blood of some other animal be spilled across the track of the animal pursued, the hound will stop confused on the fresh blood, and will follow the old scent no longer. On the frontiers of England and Scotland, probably first, and certainly longest and most systematically, were kept and trained blood- hounds, called in the northern patois of the borders sleuth hounds; they were nothing more than the large Talbot, trained exclusively to follow cattle-stealing outlaws and maraud- ers. The breed is Btill maintained in a few large deer parks in the north of England, for following up outlying bucks, which they will single out of the herd, and never leave until they are taken. In color they are usually tawny, not brindled, with black muzzles; or black and tan, the latter being called St. Hu- bert's breed, and esteemed the hardiest. The animal known ns the Cuban bloodhound is not a bloodhound, but is a descendant of the mastiff, crossed probably with the bulldog. It was trained by the Spaniards at first to pursue In- dians, and was afterward employed in the cap- ture of fugitive negroes. It has some scenting powers, but it is as inferior in these to the true bloodhound as it is superior to him in blood- thirstiness and cruel, indiscriminate pugnacity. It has no utility except as a man-hunter. This is the variety once occasionally used in the southern states in the pursuit of fugitive slaves. The large Russian greyhound, which has a cross of the bulldog, possesses considerable powers of scent, and has often been employed for the same purposes as the bloodhound. BLOODLETTING, or Phlebotomy (Or. fMy, a vein, and rtfiveiv, to cut), the act of opening a vein for the purpose of withdrawing blood, as a means of relief in certain cases of diseased action in the organism. Bloodletting is usually performed at the bend of the arm, because the superficial veins are large in that locality, and more distinctly seen than anywhere else. Be- fore using the lancet the surgeon ascertains the position of the artery at the bend of the arm ; it is commonly felt pulsating nearly under the largest vein. This vein must be avoided, be- cause of the danger of wounding the artery by passing the lancet too deeply. The vein next in size, but not so near the artery, is therefore selected. A bandage about two fingers in breadth and a yard in length is tied firmly round the arm, about an inch above the place where the opening is to be made. This will cause the veins to rise ; but care must be taken not to tie the bandage so tightly that the pulse can- not be felt at the wrist. The surgeon then grasps the elbow with his left hand, placing his thumb firmly upon the vein, a little below the place where he intends making the punc- ture, to keep it in its place, and prevent it from rolling tinder the skin during the opera- tion. The lancet is then passed obliquely into the vein. The flow of blood is facilitated by keeping the hand and wrist in motion. When a sufficient quantity has been discharged, the bandage is removed from the arm above the puncture ; the surgeon puts his thumb upon the wound to stop the bleeding, and with the other hand washes the blood from the arm. The lips of the wound are then placed in con- tact ; a small compress of old linen is placed over it, and secured by a bandage passed round the elbow in the form of the figure 8. The crossing of the bandage should be immediately over the compress. If blood should make its way through the linen some time after the arm has been bound up, the bandage must be made more tight, and slackened somewhat after the bleeding has ceased. The bandage is retained two or three days, and the arm is kept in a sling, for rest, at least 24 hours. In fat people it is sometimes very difficult, or perhaps impossible, to render the superficial veins of the arm visible ; in such cases blood may be drawn from the ankle. A bandage is applied round the leg about two inches above the ankle ; the foot is immersed some time in warm water, to make the veins rise ; the largest vein either on the inside or the outside of the ankle is then opened, and the foot is again plunged into warm water, or the blood would not run freely. Bleeding at the wrist is also resorted to, when the veins at the bend of the arm are too small or other- wise difficult to operate upon ; the cephalic vein of the thumb or the back and outer side of the wrist is s'elected in that case. Bleeding at the neck is also practised at times. In this case the operation is performed on the external jugu- lar vein, at either side of the neck. The vein runs in an oblique direction, and the incision is made at the lower part of the neck, because the vein is there more prominent, and higher up it is surrounded by a network of nerves which it would be dangerous to wound. In addition to the usual materials, a card is required in this operation to form a channel for the blood. Two or three pledgets are placed, one upon the other, on the jugular vein, at its lowest part, just above the collar bone. These are maintain- ed in place by a ligature, the centre of which is placed directly upon them, while the two ends are carried down, the one forward, the other backward, to the opposite armpit, where they are tied in a single bow. The vein then