Gas-gangrene infection in an operating-theatre.

was manipulated to relieve pressure on the skin over the dorsum of the foot, and a plaster-of-paris cast padded with sterilised cotton-wool was applied in the casualty-theatre, which is on the ground floor. Operation.-Next day he was operated on in theatre 1 of the main theatre suite (see figure). The skin of the ankle was incised, a large butterfly fragment of the fibula was wired, the torn joint capsule and ligaments were repaired with ’Mersaline ’ sutures, and the lateral malleolus was screwed. Penicillin powder was dusted into the wound, which was closed in layers with catgut. Finally, a below-knee plaster-of-paris cast padded with sterilised wool was applied. A course of prophylactic penicillin 250,000 units six-hourly was started.