▁b ival ved ▁( cut ▁to ▁provide ▁stra in ▁relief ) ▁easily . ▁Math ij sen ▁used ▁co ars ely ▁w oven ▁materials , ▁usually ▁lin en , ▁into ▁which ▁dry ▁pl aster ▁of ▁Paris ▁had ▁been ▁rub bed ▁thoroughly . ▁The ▁band ages ▁were ▁then ▁mo ist ened ▁with ▁a ▁wet ▁sp on ge ▁or ▁br ush ▁as ▁they ▁were ▁applied ▁and ▁rub bed ▁by ▁hand ▁until ▁they ▁hard ened . ▁ ▁Pl aster ▁of ▁Paris ▁dress ings ▁were ▁first ▁employed ▁in ▁the ▁treatment ▁of ▁mass ▁cas ual ties ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 5 0 s ▁during ▁the ▁Crime an ▁War ▁by ▁Nikol ai ▁Ivan ov ich ▁P iro gov ▁( 1 8 1 0 – 1 8 8 1 ). ▁P iro gov ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Moscow ▁and ▁received ▁his ▁early ▁education ▁there . ▁After ▁obtain ing ▁a ▁medical ▁degree ▁at ▁Dor pat ▁he ▁studied ▁at ▁Berlin ▁and ▁Gött ingen ▁before ▁returning ▁to ▁Dor pat ▁as ▁a ▁professor ▁of ▁S urg ery . ▁In ▁ 1 8 4 0 , ▁he ▁became ▁the ▁professor ▁of ▁surg ery ▁at ▁the ▁Academy ▁of ▁military ▁medicine ▁in ▁St . ▁Petersburg . ▁P iro gov ▁introduced ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁ ether ▁an a est hes ia ▁into ▁Russia ▁and ▁made ▁important ▁contributions ▁to ▁the ▁study ▁of ▁cross - section al ▁human ▁an atom y . ▁With ▁the ▁help ▁of ▁his ▁patron , ▁the ▁grand ▁duch ess ▁Hel ene ▁Pav lov na , ▁he ▁introduced ▁female ▁n urs es ▁into ▁the ▁military ▁hosp it als