Cases of deformity from burns successfully treated by plastic operations / by Thomas D. Mütter.

  • Thomas Dent Mutter
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases of deformity from burns successfully treated by plastic operations / by Thomas D. Mütter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    different in its principle, which although severe, as well as somewhat hazardous, promised partial, if not entire relief. To this my patient readily assented, declaring that death were preferable to a life of such misery as hers. In con¬ formity with her wishes, I at once placed her on a prepara¬ tory treatment, and on the 12th of January, performed the operation to he described, assisted by Drs. Noble and Pierce, and in the presence of Messrs. Ward, Ducachet, Mason and Egan, medical students. . The patient being placed in a strong light, and seated on a low chair, her head was thrown back as far as possible, and sustained in this position by an assistant. Seating myself in front, I began the operation by making an incision which commenced on the outside of the cicatrix in sound skin, and passed across the throat into sound skin on the opposite side. This penetrated merely through the integuments, and was made as near the centre of the cicatrix as possible. It was therefore about three quarters of an inch above the top of the sternum, and of course in the most vital part of the neck. My object in making it so low down was to get at the attachments of the sterno-cleido-mastoid mus¬ cles, which in consequence of the long flexion of the head, were not more than three inches in length, and required on one side complete, and on the other partial division, before the head could be raised. The integuments having been thus divided, I next carefully dissected through the cicatrix until I reached the fascia superficialis colli, which I could readily detect, and then going on still deeper, I exposed the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle of the right side, and passing a director under it, as low down as possible, divided both its attachments. This enabled me to raise the head an inch or two; but finding that it was still kept down by the sterno- cleido-mastoid of the left side, I divided the sternal attach¬ ment of this muscle, and was much gratified to find that the head could at once be placed in its proper position, the cla¬ vicular attachment of the muscle offering little or no resist¬ ance. A most shocking wound six inches in length by five