The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-08-21
vyTRaoRDINARY SURGICAL OPERATION.

EXTRAORDINARY SURGICAL OPERATION.
The following notes of an interesting case have
been furnished at our especial request, by the
operating Surgeon, DR.. THos. A. EvINs, of this
village. We have been familiar with the sufferings
of the patient from the time he was wounded. In
fact, he was member of the same company, and
while in command during the campaign succeed
ing the Second Battle of Manassas, we had his
name thrice stricken from the rolls, in consequence
of his being reported dead that often, by persons
arriving from the hospitals in the rear. Mr.
ScnRIMp is native of Maryland, but came to
this State eight or ten years ago. lie Joincu inc
Palmetto Rihemen in April, 1861, and entered ser
vice at that date His career as soldier is re-
markabe, since the greater part of his service was
performed under the disadvantage of this serious
wound. His old comrades will rejoice to know
that he has survived this painful operation and is
now in fair way of recovery And we are sure
that every one of them will unite in the wish that
his s.days may be long in the land of the living. y
There being no medical journal in this State,
and deeming this operation sufficiently remarkable
to prove interesting the general reader also, we
have obtained the ''notcs" appended from DR..
Ev1Ss, and beg to return thanks thus publicly for
the kindness. The reputation and skill of DR..
EvISs has long been recognized in this communi-
ty. while he was favorably known throughout the
army of Northern Virginia for his successful prnc-
tice of Surgery. Prof F. T. MILES, of the Medi-
cal College of South Carolina, Drs a. EvINs, P
A. White, w. II. NARDIN and o. r. BRoYLEs, jr.,
were present during this operation, and we are
requested to return the thanks of the operating
Surgeon to Prof. MILES for valuable assistance.
The operation was performed, while the patient
was under the influence of ohloreform, without
any difficulty or without the slightest shock to the
system:
Private GEORGE L. ScuR1Mr, Co. &C." Palmetto
Sharp Shooters, S. C. ", twenty-five years of age,
about FIVE feet ten inches high, spare form, good
health and vigorous constitution, was wounded in
| the second battle of Manassas, Va, on the 30th
of August, 1862, by an ounce ball from spherical
case The ball perforated an oicloth folded around
small tent-fy, and the belt of his cartridgcbox,
entering about an inch to the left Of the spine,
and about two inches below tho last rib, and pene-
trating the cavity of the abdomen. The wound
was at tie time pronounced mortal by the attend
ing Surgeons. He remained ut the Field lnfrma-
ry four or FIVE days. when he was transferred to
the hospital at Warrenton, Va, where he remained
until the Goth of October, when he obtained fur
Tough and came to his home in Anderson District,
S. c. He returned to the army about the lst of
March, 1868, reported for duty, and served to the
close of the war-was present at the surrender Of
Gen. Lees army at Appomattox, on the 9th day of
April 1865, at which time he returned to his home
where he has been actively engaged in farming,
suffering no inconvenience from his wound up to
the 2Sth of May, 1867, on which day he was plow-
ing in the field, when he felt something drop
somewhere in his abdomen. He was Immediately
seized with violent irritation of the bladder, and
great pain and difficulty in yoiding urine He
was considerably alarmed, and came the next day
to consult me after detailing the symptoms,
told him he had some foreign body in his bladder ;
he then informed me of the wound, (of which
/ was not previously aware;) and showed me the
cicatrice where the ball entered. then gave the
opinion it was the ball in the bladder. sounded
the bladder in presence of DR.. A. Evins, and i'm
mediately struck the ball. On the Srd Of August,
performed the lateral operation, usual opera
ton of Lithotomy,) and extracted an oeaee ball,
slightly fattened on one side, and covered with
minute shining crystals of phosphate of lime ::
abuft one-sixth of the circumference of the ball
was covered with thick deposite of the same SALT
How did the ball get into the bladder? 1t GER
tainly was not in the bladder that is, free in the
cavity of that viscus previous 10 the 18th Of May
when he felt it distinctly drop, and up to which
time its presence in that organ was not manifested
by single one of the usual symptoms. 1t could
not have penetrated at the time of receiving the
wound, or there would have been cxtravesation Of
urine into the cavity of the abdomen, which would
have been necessarily mortal. The only rational
explanation is, that the ball perforated the exter-
nal coats, pushing the internal before, without
producing any solution of continuity in that
coat, thus preventing any escape of urine until
the outer coats united and closed the opening
The ball was suspended in the interior of the
bladder by the invaginated mucus membrane for
nearly five years, until by its weight it probably
produced absorption of the thin and delicate MEM
brane and wearing its way gradually through by
attrition until it dropped into the bladder.
The deposite on the ball shows that portion OF
the ball was exposed to the urine long before it
dropped into the bladder:
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