Antiseptic excision of the knee-joint / by Charles Coppinger.

  • Coppinger, Charles.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Antiseptic excision of the knee-joint / by Charles Coppinger. 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.

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    was finally removed, and the poroplastic material found as firm as when first applied. Before leaving the hospital the patient was provided with a suitably- constructed boot, with a heel raised, in order to counterbalance the short- ening of the limb. She is now in perfect health, she has a straight leg, and she has recently written from the country stating that she can walk considerable distances without pain or inconvenience. Case II.—P. M., a healthy-looking man, aged twenty-six, was admitted to the Mater Misericordise Hospital suffering from degeneration of the left knee, which had followed a blow received on the outer side of the joint more than five years ago. This patient had been for the pre- vious year in the Thurles Union Hospital, and came up to Dublin in order to have his leg amputated. His case, however, seemed, from every point of view, a most favourable one for excision, and the operation was accordingly performed on October 24. The articular cartilages were found eroded and diseased, and a small abscess or collection of caseous material was discovered in the substance of the external condyle of the femur, in a situation corresponding to the site of the original injury. The wound, in this case, united by that peculiar process of repair which we never meet with except under antiseptic conditions, but which is unfortunately so much less frequently seen than described. Union took place by granulations, and the incision was not completely closed for seven weeks; but during that period absolutely no pus or puriform liquid was visible on the dressings, although they were changed only at intervals of from three to seven days. This man left the hospital with a straight and good limb, and I have just ascertained from the country that he is now in perfect health and walking about. to F’’ a]maSied W°man’ agGd thirty-tw°, was admitted to the Mater Misericord,® Hospital, in last October, suffering from dis ioimTTr °f !hG Ift knee'joint- In thi* rather unfavourable case the joint had been for three years semiflexed, the tibia was luxated back- wards, and the patella was firmly adherent to the end of the femur ™°u YaS Perforraed antiseptically on November 16, 1879- and’ m Sttu'Tr COnfin6d 10 the Cai’tilageS and articular extre- Td the l,r U 7 f am0Unt 0f the b0nes ^ired to be removed, and the hamstring tendons to be freely divided on both sides before the tibia and femur could be placed in position. This patient as might be anticipated, has recovered somewhat slowly and she is still ,n the hospital; but she has now grown fat, the incision h“ long since closed, and she is up and walking witl, some^upp“lTer