A report of surgical cases treated in the Army of the United States from 1865 to 1871 / War Department, Surgeon General's Office.
- Date:
- 1871
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A report of surgical cases treated in the Army of the United States from 1865 to 1871 / War Department, Surgeon General's Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
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![DCCXXIII.—Report of a Case of Traumatic Tetanna believed to have been treated succcssfnllij with Hydrate of Chloral By D. Bache, Surgeon, U. S. A. George Deems, a private of Troop A, 4tli Cavalry, aged 24 years, was admitted to the post hospital at San Antonio, Texas, July 4, 1870, with a contused wound of the scalp. He had been callousing the previous eveniiig, and while intoxicated had been thrown from the top of a carriage wdiich he was in the act of mounting. Simple dressings were applied to the wound. He ate his breakfast as usual, but iu half an hour afterward complained of increasing stiflTness about the lower jaw, and in two hours it had become firmly closed and general convulsions had set in, each lasting from three to five miniites. Hydrate of chloral in twenty-grain doses was administered every hour. Pulse 102, temperature in axilla 100, pupils natural. Spasms occurred upon the slightest touch, or upon blowing the breath upon the face. On the next day the pulse was 64, respiration 24, temperature 98. The bowels moved and urine passed freely. The pupils were somewhat dilated equal' and sensitive to light. There was some rigidity of the masseter muscles, which were iiainful upon touch, and hyperjesthesia over the entire length of the spine ; greatest in the cervical region. The case progressed very favorably until July 13tli, the patient complaining only of occasional headache. He had been moved during the day to an adjoining bed ; at 10 P. M. he had a general convulsion, and two within the next hour; the jaws closed firmly, the pupils became widely dilated and fixed. Pulse full, intellect much confused after the convulsion. Thirty grains of hydrate of chloral were given. From this time convalescence was steadily progressive, the patient only requiring attention to his diet and secretions, and all exposure to the sun being prohibited. He was discharged from the hospital August 9, 1870, and had no return of convulsion or any form of cerebro spinal disturbance. Death feom Chlorofoem.—Although ansesthetics were employed almost invariably in the surgical operations performed in the Army during the quinquennial period considered in this report, as well as in the reduction of luxations and fractures, and to a limited extent in obstetrical practice, there is only a single instance reported in which a fatal result is attributed to the use of chloroform. With what justice the allegation was made the reader can infer from this report. DCCXXIV.—Report of a Death ascribed to the Effects of Chloroform. By Iea Peeey, Assistant Surgeon, 9th U. S. Colored Troops. Henry Jetferson, a private of Co. E, 19th Colored Troops, aged 20 years, was accidentally wounded by a comrade at Brownsville, Texas, on August 30, 18G5. Two fragments of a conoidal musket ball entered the outer aspect of thigh, two inches below the trochanter major and, fractured the femur. He was admitted to post hosiiital, Avhere spicnlaj of bone were removed. About September 15th, extension with pulley and weight was used, and the limb, which was easily kept in place, was apparently doing well. The wound was kept open and discharged an ounce of healthy pus dailj', until October IGth, when ])us was rusty; no bony union had taken place. On November 17th, Acting Assistant Surgeon Raphael administered chloroform and ether for the purpose of excising the ends of the bone. The patient inhaled two minutes, then began to sink ; pulse failed; spasms occurred ; the head was drawn back, and hands and feet were in a tremor. The sponge was removed and the patient rallied, but as soon as the sponge was reapplied tlie spasms returned, the pulse stopped, and death supervened. At the autopsj^, the fragments of bullet w^ere found imbedded in the bone even with the surface. No ossific deposit was in the fracture or close to it, but some above and below its edge. Vaeious Suegical Affections.—The reports are too few for classification. BGCXY.—Account of a Case in whicli Transfusion was employed. By C. B. Beaman, M. D., Acting' Assistant Surgeon. James Smith, a private of Co. D, 12th Infantry, w^as admitted to post hospital at Petersburg, Yirginia, on November 7, 1S6G, suffering from thoracic aneurism, caused by a strain experienced](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21970695_0288.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
