Medical evidence in railway accidents / by John Charles Hall.

  • Hall, John Charles, 1816-1876.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical evidence in railway accidents / by John Charles Hall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    came cloudy and phosphatic. His bowels were consti- pated. Pain in the back and numbness in the lower ex- tremities, continued for some weeks, as did also the inability to empty the bladder. He was kept in bed and perfectly at rest, cupped over the spine, and fed on a light and nutritious diet, and every care taken to prevent bed-sores—a task of considerable difficulty. He gradually recovered, and left the hospital on Feb- ruary 4th, 1867, perfectly well. He had, when discharged, complete command over his bladder, and could walk as well as before the acci- dent. It will be seen that in this patient the symptoms commenced at once, continued for some time, and then gradually subsided under treatment. My long hospital experience has led me to look for symptoms of injury to the spine immediately after an accident. Should a patient after an accident, be it a fall from a height, as in this man, or a collision on a railway, not have symptoms at the time, or in a few days, or a week or two, I should certainly not expect to discover them months after the accident. Case II. C. F., a short muscular man, aged 40, January, 1839, fell from the top of an omnibus in the High Street of Kensington. When seen, half-an-hour after the accident, by my friend the late Mr. Andrew Carrick, E.N., and myself, he was pale, cold, and to a great extent unconscious; pulse very feeble. When roused and spoken to in a loud voice, he answered incoherently, and relapsed into a state of semi-unconsciousness. He remained in about the same condition for nearly twelve hours; then he was sick and vomited. The bladder had been previously relieved by the catheter. After vomiting, the skin became warmer, the pulse