Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-11-30
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Wounds abe Brain.
The popular notion as to the almost peces-
sarliy fatal character of wounds of the brain,
Is a very exaggerated one. Perhaps, howev-
err there is hardly an instance on record of a
family OF six people being all so murder
ousiy struck through the skull with Ratchet
into the very substance of the brain, and all
remaining at the end of a week alive, and so
many OF them in fair way for recovering. "a
the Gouldy family were at the end of that ne
rod Probably the very force, suddenness,
ana madness with which the blows were in
nlcted- and the sharpness of the instrument,
have contributed not little to this. A round
Dali, though not making half so ugly a look
ing wound, would almost certainly have pro-
dueed greater amount of displacement and
confusion of the edges of the wound, and
hence subsequent initiation and blows de.
hVeTed with only half the fierceness and vio-
Ience might have produced worse fractures of
the skull-bone, and greater jar of the whole
brain, than the rapidly dealt and nervous
strokes OF this young mailman, 1t is thus a
pistol ball Will pass through window with
out cracking the edges around the hole, while
spent pan OF stone coming with half the
force VIII snlver the glass in every direction.
There is nothing in which nature seems
more caprlcious as to the effects she causes to
ensue than in wounds of the brain. Some
times slight fall or a very trifing blow that
does not break the skin proves fatal in short
tlne aud at other times not only may the
skull be pierced or fractured, but large pieces
OF the skull bone be removed, as by fireman
ming, and very considerable portion of the
cerebrum or upper portion Of the brain itself
be lost, and yet all the functions of life be car
rled on for years If, however. the cerebenum.
That Is, the lower and back part of the brain,
be injured, 1t is a very different matter A
slight wound there produces immediate death.
But man may, in certain circumstances lose
a teacupfull of brain without death or the loss
of reason even for an instant Perhaps this
may go far to show that the brain is the organ
through which the mind acts, but nothing
moro. The mind is whole and entire thing,
Independent of its organ of operation.
a lew years ago man, in blasting, ex-
ploded his charge too soon by ramming it
down with an iron bar or drill. The drill
was driven up clear through the roof of his
mouth, through the brain, of course, and
through the top of his skull high up into the
air. The man coolly got into wagon stand
Ing near, aud drove same distance home.
No one supposed he could live but he actu-
ally did survive, certainly for some months,
with his senses perfect, and we have not
heard of his death,
We know of case of barkeeper in the
South being shot through the forehead. lilo
took up pen, ink, and paper, and wrote to
MS wlie tnat he was shot; and probably he
died in twenty-four hours, the blood drop
ping on his paper
A more remarkable case was that of a well
digger, who, while in WE'LL had his skull
broken in by the fall of heavy timber upon
his head. lie was taken out insensible and
remained so ten days, his death so moment.
arily expected that trepanning was not even
tried until the end of that time By degrees
he recovered his mind perfectly, and even his
strength, SO far as to be able to walk about
the room, after losing a very considerable part
of the brain istelf. Although nearly sixty,
new bone began to grow and this at the end
OF eighteen months proved his death, owing
to small spike OF the new bone, not half an
inch long, growing down into the brain, pro-
dueing irritation, pressure, and death.
1t 49, then, not the loss of the substance of
the brain that is so much to be feared, as the
irritation and inflammation which ensue.
Congestion of the brain may Supply, or hem
orrhage through the rupture of the blood ves-
SELF cause death. But as we have said, quite
considerable quantity of the upper portion
of the brain itself may be distracted without
necessarily occasioning death and, in some
instances, without sensibly impairing the
senses or mental powers. There is, however
we suppose, doubt loss of nervous forces
especially of the power of endurance, in ali
such cases.
Still it is worth while to bear in mind the
distinction between the effect of the loss of
the brain and the least pressure upon it
That, If not fatal, seems always to produce
a disordered action. Whether this pressure
Is produced by an external wound, or by an
internal determination OF blood, whenever it
becomes such that a supply of pure and
healthy blood does not flow freely and contin-
ually through all the vessels, the mental ac-
ton instantly assumes disordered character
Remove the pressure, and sometimes the res
toration will be MS sudden. The removal of
portion of the skull that had been fractured
and indented three years previously, was
known, in the case of a sailor, at once to re-
store him TO state of sanity, although with
a perfect oblivion of the whole intermediate
time. Whether congestion Of particular por-
tions of the brain is not the true mode Of &C.
counting for the occasional idiosyncrases of
many men, and beyond what is ordinarily
supposed, who shall say philadelphia Led
ger.