Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 305, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1918 — Peat Is Used in Place of Cotton Surgical Dressing [ARTICLE]

Peat Is Used in Place of Cotton Surgical Dressing

Peat is so antiseptic and absorbent that it is used as a dressing for wounds, and is an excellent substitute for medicated cotton. This fact was recognised many years ago in Europe, where sphagnum peat Is now extensively used in preparing surgical dressings. According to a scientist who has. made a detailed study of peat deposits in the northern United States, there are many square miles of sphagnum bog in the northern counties of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan that would supply material suitable for antiseptic applications. It will not be necessary to Incur the expense of deep excavation, for Immense quantities of sphagnum can be taken from the upper parts of the deposits. Sphagnum peat is also’ abundant in Maine, and some is found In New York and Pennsylvania.