Dislocation of cervical vertebrae : five cases, recovery without operation / by George L. Walton.

  • George Lincoln Walton
Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dislocation of cervical vertebrae : five cases, recovery without operation / by George L. Walton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    15/22
    soniew'hat to the left, the face l(X)kiiig downwards, the position being somewhat similar to that pro- duced by contntetim* of the right sterno-cleido mas- toid muwle. This muscle is, however, quite lax, as ati* all the muscles of the neck on the right side, while those on the left are compar.itively tense; this is quite ajjparent in the photograph. The head, Itfisides Iteiug l>ent to the right, is set off, ;rs a whole, to the left, a.s is also ap]>arent in the photograph, es[>eeially the jK)steri(^r view. A ttempts to straighten th(> head forcibly cau.se isiin under the (X'ciput on the right side, a i)oint which .seems somewhat sensi- tive to j>re.ssure. A certain amount of rotation of the head is jK).ssihle. princi[tally to the right. The extreme excursion of the end of the no.se is, how- ever, only tliree and om*-quarter inches. Flexion and exteiKsion ttf the head art? jiractically iiu]>os8ible. No weakness is detected in the sterno-cleido m:istoid or tr.qtezius; no prominence is felt in the fauee.s, nor tlepression over the S[tinous pnx’esses of the vertebne. The tongue is deviatfsl markedly to the right and cannot lx* moved to the left; it is also grt*atly atrophit'd on the right side. comj»aratively few' fibres l)eing left. The electrical re.action on the left side of the tongue is normal; on the right there is only verj' slight reaction to the faratlic current, the re.spunse l)eing ap|>arently that of a few' intact fibres. The uvida i.s deviated to the left, and the right side of the palate reacts only slightly to meciianical stimulus. The 8[>eech is thick and somewliat nasal in chanuder. The j)atient can now w'histle, though not [>erfcctly; tln*re is still some difficulty in msistication, the foo<l hnlging in the cheek on the rigid. The forehead wrinkles normally and the eyes shut w'ell, there being only a trace of miresis remaining in the facial muscles, all of whicli react j)erfectly to the faradic current.