Aneurism of the femoral artery and A knife-wound of the intestines / by W.O. Roberts.

  • Roberts, William Ogilvie.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Aneurism of the femoral artery and A knife-wound of the intestines / by W.O. Roberts. 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.

    11/12 page 11
    )r. Gross quotes the following from Mr. Benjamin Bell: IHowever small a wound of the intestine may be, it ought Iways to be secured with a ligature; for although it is alleged y some that we should rather trust to nature for the cure of small opening than to insert a ligature, to me it appears lat the opinion is by no means well founded; insomuch that would not leave even the smallest opening that could admit ither feces or chyle to pass without stitching it up.” I have introduced the foregoing authorities in order that ttention may be directed anew to the necessity for perfect losure of all wounds which penetrate the intestine—a fact which,, 5 the case I have reported shows, is at least not always acted on; nd that I may quote the following from the monograph of Dr. rross referred to respecting the dilatation of the outer wound in rder to facilitate the search for the injured bowel. Writing of •ounds which penetrate or divide the gut and allow of the scape of feces, he says: “ Here the most prompt and decisive leasures must be resorted to, or the person will perish from eritoneal inflammation. ... It will not do for the surgeon ) fold his arms and look upon the scene as an idle and ninterested spectator. Far otherwise. He has a duty to erform, and that duty consists in dilating the external wound, it be not already sufficiently large, in hooking up the injured owel, and in closing the solution of continuity with the requisite umber of stitches, at the same time that the effused matter is care- dly removed with tepid water and a soft sponge.” The italics re my own. What Dr. Gross suggested, now more than forty ears ago, as applicable to extensive wounds of the gut has, as is ell known, recently been widened so as to embrace all penetra- ng injuries of the bowel, but the honor belonging to the entire rocedure is now claimed by others. I submit that it belongs to Dr. Gross. Louisville, Ky.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3