Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-08-09
1ailp Tirainian.

Death of Virginia Stewart Remarkable
Character Of her Wound -11iuries of tho
Brain not always Fatal-The 0ouldy
Family-Infiammatio aud Pressure tho
Real Occasion Of Mischief
he post.morte,n examination after tho death Of
Virginia Stewart, disclosed tho bullet, much bat
tered, tho right side Of tho head in tho frontal
portion of the cerobrum, A piece oi the skull
which had been driven in by the force Of tho ball.
had probably been the occasion Of greater aoeration
a"d inflammation than the missile itself. The
bullet seems to have performed a curve to arrive
at the place where 1t was found by DR.. Hull
The case says the New York Evening Post, .iu
scientific point OF view, is one Of the most remark
able on record.
The popular notion as T., tho almost necessarily
fatal character Of wounds Of the brain is II great
ly exaggerated one The tragedy Of the Gouldy
tumily last full, when six persons had been mar
derously struck through the skull into the very
very substance Of the brain with haichcl, aud
yet all hut one survived their injuries, is still
fresh in memory. Probably tho force. sudden
ness, aud madness with which tho blows wero in
icled and the sharpness Of the instrument, con
trihuted not little to thoir escape from instant
or early dissolution. a bullet though making
wound not lacking ugly, would produce grea
ter amonnt of displacement and liberation. aud
subsequent Inflammation. Blows, it is probable
inflicted with only half the fcrcencss and violence
might have produced worse fractures Of the crani-
um thaFthe rapidly deal, strokes of the young
mailman. Thus, pistol bullet may pass through
windov without cracking tho edges around the
hole, while II spent ball or stone coming with
hnf the force will shiyer tho glass in every direc
tim.
Nature seems to be especially capricious in re-
lntion 10 the effects induced in wounds of the
brain. A light fall ora ,riding blow without
breaking the skin. Will prove fatal in II short time
aAa yet in other instances. the skull will he pier
s.,1 a,c.l ball In
removed ms hy trepanning, and even II considcra-
bic portion al tho cerebrum or upper brain bs
lost. and vrt the vital functions will continue, mp
parcntly little disturbed for many wears. A
man may lose several ounces OF the neurlne with
out death, or even the suspension Of tho intellect
but the slightest wound inflicted on the corbellum
on the medua oblongata produces immediate
death. Possibly tho brain as All organ ot the
mind operates rs a whole The mind itself is
whole and entire entity. Independent OF the brain,
its organ Of operation. .
A few years ago n man. in blasting, exploded
his charge too soon by rnmming it down with an
iron bar OF drill The drill was driven up clear
through the roof of his mouth. through the brain
ofeourse, aud through the top of his skull high up
into the air. The may coolly stepped into wag-
on standing near, and drove some distance home.
No one supposed he could live. buthe actually did
survive. without injury to the intellect. g,
Some years agon well.digger. sixty years Of
a heavy timber IN his read, when at tho bottom
Of II well lie was taken out .ilrsensbc.. and so
remained for ten dnys, his death being hourly ex-
pected. Trcpannng was then performed. lie
lost in the operation n considerable norton of the
brain. Yet he recovered his mind, ard became
strong enough to walk about the room A new
bone actually commenced to grow: small piece
of which extending downward into the brain. pro-
ducel irritation and pressure, finally resulting in
DEATH eighteen months nfter tho occurrence of the
accident. -
1t is not the loss Of the substance of tho brain
that is TO be feared, 81 much az it is the resulting
irritation and inflammation. Congestion may
produce stupor, apd hcmorrhage mny cause death
but the abstraction Of IA considerable portion of
the cerebum though perhaps sub-tractng from the
nervous forces and the power Of endurance does
not seem 10 be n necessary occasion Oi fatal
suits or even impairment Of mental aoiivi-
~.
Bnt pressure upon the brain seems always to
produce disordcrcd action. whether occasioncd by
external injury or by an internal determination of
blood; whenever it comes 10 prevent free supply
and continual flow of healthy blood through nll
the vessels of the brain mental action speedily
sumes disordrri character. Often the removal
Of this pressure is succeeded by restoration Of
the intellectual functions. A case il on record
of a sailor whose skull had been fractured and
deeply indcnied for three years producing all that
time perfect oblivion of the memory and senses
who was restored to instant cCncousncss and men
tnl activity by the remOya. of the bone under tho
trcpunnipg operation. A question might be pro-
pounded whether the pecnliarties and ecccntlici
ties, almost Abnormal of many men may not be
suits pi congestion Of portionsul the brain To nm cx
tent beyond What has ever been imagined