Until comparatively recently it was considered to be self-evident that wound healing
and infection were both parts of the same process. The words 'laudable pus' speak
for themselves.
De Chauliac and Pare were amongst the first generation of surgeons who were
dissatisfied with this concept, and showed that healing could be achieved without infection
if better treatment was applied to the wound. Semmf'lweis and Lister clearly
showed that the two processes were distinct, and thus laid the basis for modern
surgery.
Nowadays the roles are reversed, and there appears to be a real danger of wound
healing without infection being taken for granted. Many are unaware that most
complications can be prevented, because they do not have satisfactory knowledge of
the healing process. A surgeon-to-be must therefore become conversant with the
basic principles of this process. He must accurately assess the damage caused by the
wound and the body's capacity for repairing this damage. He must learn to allow
nature to take its course, and only to interfere when nature threatens to 'go astray'.
But, first of all, he must begin at the beginning and realize that three important
phases in the healing process can be differentiated: a reaction phase, a regeneration
phase, and a remodelling phase