Many of the most important aspects of the therapy of burns have not changed to any significant degree in the last few years. The need for supportive therapy of a general character, gentleness in the handling of the patient, and exacting cleanliness in the handling of the burned patient are just as fundamental today as they were before the days of chemotherapy, of transfusion, and of fluid and electrolytes. These fundamental principles apply to the patient as a whole, as well as to the local wound. They, very likely, outweigh recent contributions which have been made in the care of the burned patient.
General Considerations
Significant strides have been made in the treatment of shock with the greater use of blood, plasma, and, at times, plasma expanders. Significant progress has been made in the prevention of electrolyte imbalance, its recognition, and correction. Septicemia, the greatest cause of death in the