The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-11 00:00:00

The Frost and Snow.

The unusually severe weather which prevailed
last week could not fail to influence the character of
the accident cases admitted into the metropolitan
hospitals. As regards their number, however, so
far from this being increased, it was actually dimi-
nished. This is a noteworthy circumstance. It
would seem that even the treacherous footing to be
obtained in ice-bound streets is less disastrous to
passengers than the steam of traffic which is
usually flowing. It is from the wheels of car-
riages in our overcrowded thoroughfares that
hospitals, as a rule, obtain their accident cases.
It will be seen that several persons employed to
throw snow off the roofs of houses were injured
by falling through skylights. This seems to
show remarkably little care on the part of house-
holders for their skylights, to say nothing of the
lives and limbs of those they employed in securing
the safety of their roofs. At the London Hospital,
the house surgeon (Mr. Llewellyn) tells us that on
the four days, Jan. 2,3, 4, and 5, the accidents
were less than half the average of corresponding
days in other weeks, and there were not so many
fractures as usual. Among those admitted were
one case of fractured thigh-bone, four of either one
or both bones of the leg, with two of severe com-
pound fracture of both bones. The sufferer i❑ one
of these cases was a clerk who had slipped down
while being attacked by robbers. He literally
" fell among thieves." There were besides a num-
ber of cases of sprained wrist and ankle, contu-
sions, and two of fractured arm. One of these
was a young man, who, in sliding, fell on his back
with his arm behind him and broke the humerus
about its middle. Three persons, aged respectively
68, 59, and 22, were affected with frostbite of the
fingers. The week was an unusually quiet one at
St. Bartholomew's. So many works had been
stopped by the weather, and the street traffic was
so much diminished, that remarkably few cases of
accidents presented themselves. A case of frost-
bitten toes, and a few simple fractures from slipping
down, are all that Mr. Humphry, the house-sur-
geon, has to note. At' Guy's hospital the slippery
pavements produced five cases of accidents—three
fractures of the leg, one of the knee-cap, and one of
the arm. Besides these, Mr. 11. Denne, house-surgeon,
informs us that a maa was admitted on the 2d inst.,
with frostbite of both feet, and two cases of frost-
bite of hands were treated as out-patients. Two
cases were admitted into the Middlesex Hospital—
an old woman with both bones of the leg broken, and
an old man with Pott's fracture. Both of these
occurred, Mr. Chaldecott, house-surgeon, says, from
merely " slipping-up." In the out-patient depart-
ment there were the following :—Six fractures,
seven sprains, nine contusions, 14 cuts. The great
majority of these occurred from falling into sky-
lights, &c., while clearing the snow from the roofs
of houses. At St. George's hospital a man, who
had been collecting ice from a canal, came in with
frostbitten hands. There were large bulls/ on the
fingers. Mr. Ring, the surgical registrar, informs
us that several persons were attended as out-patients
who had fallen down on the Serpentine or in the
streets and damaged themselves more or less severely.
In two cases the collar-bone was broken, iu one the
arm, &c. In two instances men employed in clear-
ing roofs had walked through skylights, concealed
by the mass of fresh snow and fallen. One had
thus broken his leg; the other, besides being much
shaken, was cut about the hands. Another man
broke hisleg by the slipping of a ladder on the frozen
pavement. A young man was brought in dead after
falling on the ice in the park. A post-mortem
examination showed the sinuses of the brain full
of black blood, with an atheromatous state of
cerebral vessels. A youth fell while skating, and
struck the back of his head. He was insensible for
some time. On recovering consciousness he had
vomiting, and was delirious during the night.
When admitted he was suffering from headache,
double vision, and symptoms of pneumonia. Seve-
ral cases of fracture were admitted into St. Mary's
Hospital. Mr. De Tatham, house-surgeon, tells us
that one of them was very severe. A woman carry-
ing a bundle in the street fell upon a slide. Both
bones of the leg were broken, the fracture extending
into the ankle-joint, the ligaments of which are rup-
tured. A dustman was leading his horse, which
fell, and knocked him under a passing waggon, the
wheel of which went over his leg, producing exten-
sive contusion but no fracture. Two cases of simple
fracture of the leg from slipping on the pavement
were admitted, and one of contused hip. In the out-
patient department numerous scalp wounds and cut
faces received attention. On the morning of the sth
a man who bad been occupied all the preceding day
in clearing away and handling snow presented him-
self with both bands frostbitten. Since then several
similar cases have been treated. At King's College
Hospital, we are informed by Mr. Welch, house-
surgeon, the frost has not brought more accidents
than usually present themselves. Three cases of bro-
ken arm, and one of dislocation of the shoulder, were
treated. One man, who was engaged the whole of
Friday in carting away snow, had all his fingers frost-
bitten. Another, a brewer's drayman, had the toes
on his right foot frozen on Saturday night. At Uni-
versity College Hospital, the number of slight inju-
ries, cuts, bruises, sprains, &c., was nearly double
the average, and there were several fractures, in-
cluding (Mr. Langmore, the house-surgeon, tells
us) two of the patella, as well as some dislocations.
—The Lancet.

BURSTING A WOMAN'S EYE WITH A POKER.--
A man named George Levick was charged at Manchester
on Wednesday with striking Mary Ann Lanfield with a
poker, bursting the eye and consequently destroying the
sight. The ruffian was committed for six months' im-
prisonment, and at the expiration of that term to find two
sureties of £5O each to keep the peace for six months.—
Manchester Courier.

We read in Galignani :—" An accident, unat-
tended with serious consequences, occurred to Miss Menken
the evening before last, during her performance at the
Gai6t4 Theatre, in the Pirates de la Savane.' At the
moment when she is carried over the mountains, bound,
like Mazeppa, to the back of a horse, the animal, in making
the ascent, lost its footing, and slipped with her on to the
stage. Au exclamation of terror burst forth among the
audience, and the curtain was at once lowered. Miss
blenken, however, almost immediately appeared at the
footlights to show that she was unhurt; and the perform-
ance was shortly afterwards resumed."