Cautery

(kaw’-ter-e). Application of heated metal to living ti ue. Cautery irons are of different shapes, and consist of a straight piece of iron fixed in a handle; the tip of the iron is either a point, a button, or a bulb. They are heated in the fire till red, and then lightly touched on the bleeding surface to arrest the hæmorrhage. The galvano-cautery and the thermo-cautery are now largely replacing the actual cautery.