OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Lindsay Journal #4, PART 6 *************************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. *************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Helen Silvey Helen_Silvey@macnexus.org http://jpaul.gwdi.com/silvey/ January 19, 1999 *************************************************************************** Continued Case of suppurated breast. Mrs. Cox of Enon. When called to her learned that she had had an accouchment about 2 1/2 months previous had taken cold & setled in the left mamma. had suffered severely for the last 2 or 3 weeks producing as is usual considerable fever. I found the breast unusualy large even for an inflamed breast. I first made an unsuccessful attempt to open it about an inch & half below the nipple. but succeeded in giving exit probably to 3 half pints of matter from an incision on the upper side. however this did not give exit to near all the matter & in 3 days subsequently opened freely on the under side of the nipple & near the first incis(i)on made unsuccessfully. This last opening gave exit to probably as great a quntity of supurative matter as at the previous opening, and continued to run unceasingly for a peri(o)d of several days. My instructions to the patient was a moderatley generous diet, the bowels to be kept soluble by gentle apperients. and the light bread poultice as long as matter continued to discharge I have not since seen my patient but am informed that she is fast recovering. May 29. '41 W. Lindsay Remarkable case of Gun shot wound Young man Snyder then of the neighborhood of Enon, on Mad river, Clark Co. O. 1845. HIstory of the case. Having occasion to shoot something on the farm took down the Rifle under the impression that it was not charged, but in order to be certain in regard to the matter, placed his toe on the cock, at the same time placing his mouth over the muzzle for the purpose of blowing his breath through the tuchhole. when the gun which happened to be already loaded was discharged. The ball displacing the two central (Incisors) teeth of the superior maxilla; traversd., the cavity of the right (incisor) tooth coursing up under the nares, angling near the inner angle of the left Eye, manifested by the bloodshoten appearance of the organ; entering the cavity of the crannium to the left of the Ethmoid bone; and having spent its force, the ball was lodged within the crannial structure. Its locality was suspected from a slight bulging of the skin, about an inch & 1/4 or 1/2 above the orbital arch, and about a half inch of the mesial or central line of the forehead, on the right side, and on cutting down was enabled to extract the Rifle Ball without much difficulty. The treatment of the case during a period of some three weeks, which resulted in considerable Febrile action as was expected from the character of the lesion, was such as to meet the indications from day to day, but to undertake a detail of the treatment, or to note all the symptoms & changes developed during its progress through the period of treatment would afford but little of interest to the casual reader. Suffice it to say that in the course of a few weeks the young man had so far recovered that I discontinued my attentions on his case, I might have noted in the detail of the above case that the patching around the ball was, a portion of it at least, carried up to where the ball was found embeded, and which was removed at the same time with the ball. during the treatment portions of spicula of bone, were removed as manifested & attached by the supurative process. and some few weeks after I had discontinued my visits & treatment the young man came in company with his father to have still another spicula of bone removed from the floor of the left nare, that had become detached. This was the last of the detached spicula, and so far as I know, any other attentions needed in the case It might have been noted that at my first visit, and during the greater progress of the treatment of this case, the breathing was attended by some peculiariti(e)s. at first some portion of his breath, or the atmospheric air, passed out of the opening made in the extraction of the ball, and if I am not mistaken in my recollection his breathing for some months to come was marked by a peculiar nasal derangement. However his general health was good, & so far as I could judge was completely restored. This patient might have been 17 or 18 years old at the time he met with the injury. And a few years subsequently, with his fathers family, emigrated to Ioway. Consequently for some years past I have now lost the run of him. Remarkable as this case is. and great as the recovery of the young man was. It must be regarded as another evidence of those hair breath escapes we occasionly meet with in which some individuals escape instantaneous death as if by a special providence & miraculous interposotion (sic). We have a case repo(r)ted in several Medical Journals, and authenticated by the Eastern Press generally, if posable more remarkable than this detailed above. In substance as we now recollect the case as reported, and have it in the Columbus, O. and a N. Y. Med. Journal. as one of the hands employed on some public work in one of the Eastern states while boaring & blowing rock an Iron rod of some 18 inches or more in length was by the accidental detonation of Gunpowder, blown through a portion of the side of the head. entering the side of the face and coming out near the top of the head through the parietal bone if which, increduous as it may appear; it seems that the patient after a few months duration of severe suffering recovered. 1855 W. Lindsay Strangulated Hernia In the summer of 1841. while at Dayton, was called with the late Dr. Henry Van Tuyl to see a German Female laboring under Hernia, which on full investigation of her case proved to be irreducable and as the length of time in which the bowel had been impacted within the sac indicated the danger of further delay, we proceeded to operate, making cautiously the usual incision. found the contained bowel very firmly impacted within the Inguinal sack, Inflamation having ran high adhesions to some considerable extent had taken place, and gangrene seemed to be threatened. To remove the adhesions, & Enlarge the stricture of the Inguinal Ring sufficiently to permit the return of the bowel required dissection, cautiiously & carefully performed, Having succeeded in returning the bowel within the abdomen, closed the wound by stiches & adhesive straps, placed the patient in bed, giving the necessary insructions to her attendants, left her to repose & quiet. I think I did not see her more than once after the operation. my friend Dr. Van Tuyl having subsequently the charge of her case. I learned that our patient recovered rapidly. and subsequently attended to her houshold matters as usual. The patient was probably aged about 40 years. had been ruptured several years previou(s)ly. being poor, and dependant on hard toil & labor for her living & the support of her family did not receive any compensation for my attentions in the case. This record is made some <13?> years subsequently to the operation. 1855 W. Lindsay Hezekiah Kesslering's case of Hernia. In the year 1850 was called in consultation with Drs. Stratten, Daven, Donnellan, and Nisbet, and found the young man suffering intensely under hernia of the strangulated character; the bowel firmly impacted within the scrotem. which during the whole night, and til 9 or 10 oclock A.M. remained presistant. & obstinately down. Removing the bowels, by cooling injections, warm bath, subsequently cold applications, nauseating antimonials, Tobacco smoke, & Decoction all carried as far as seemed prudent thrown up the bowels freely alike seemed to be unavailing. How long the bowel had been strangulated or impacted within the scrotem dont now definitely recollect. but such was the great sufferings & obstinate persisistance (sic) of the bowels in remaining firmly within the scrotem. than an operation was seriously contemplated, when all of sudden by means of manipulation the bowel per Taxes was returned through the ring within the Abdomen. A year or 18 months subsequently Dr. Nisbet & myself were called to this young man, and found him severly suffering much as in his former attack. having now as before taken cold the bowel down became painful and not being able to return the bowel were then called to his case. Now as before the patiently (sic) suffered most intensely. especially when efforts were mad(e) at reduction per Taxes and now as before almost incessant efforts were made by aid of all the remidies which seemed to be indicated. and it was a Night, a day & a night, & not until the 2d. day that we succeeded in a reduction. We now again prescribed the Patterson Truss. Previous to this 2d. attack he had worn this Truss by our advice and had as he supposed become so far cured that the Truss was not needed & had left it off. when the bowel again came down by violence & Exposure. Since the 2d. attack the Truss was again worn, and our patient now having by painful experience become convinced of the necessity of taking care of himself, have learned that he now considers himself radically cured of rupture by means of the Truss. The fact of this case being cured is a matter of some interest. But it goes to show how by means of patient perserverance we may sometimes succeed in reduction of the bowel, & avoid a painful operation, & in some degree hazardous. End Journal #4 Helen, Sacramento _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*