The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-08-27
Proceedings Of the Medical Society Of Hartford
County,

The regular quarterly meeting of this
Society, was held, by special invitation, at
the residence of the President, DIR. s. B.
Silver, on Tuesday, August 10th, 1869.
Quite respectable number of members
was present, several of whom were accom-
panied with their wives.
The pleasant surroundings forbidding a
protracted meeting, at the expiration of
the morning hour, the Society adjourned,
to meet at Bel Air on the I'd Tuesday in
November.
DR.. John Evans reported case of severe
injury OF the forearm, requiring amputa-
ton. He said that injuries of the extrem-
tiles, more particularly the upper, bear a
great deal of laceration and destruction of
the soft parts, with fracture of bones, &C.,
without requiring amputation. Lacerated
and punctured wounds of the upper and
lower extremities are liable to produce
tetanus. On the 4th of the present month,
he was called to attend a case, in which
the forearm had been caught in the cylin-
der of threshing machine, tearing away
nearly all the muscles, leaving bare the
tendons, fracturing both the radius and
una at their middle and dislocating and
fracturing the radius at its carpal extrem-
ity, leaving loose, sharp and jagged pieces
Of bone in the wound. A careful examina-
ton showed that nothing short of amputa-
ton would be likely to result successfully.
Conservative surgery is not only justified,
but preferable whenever there is pros
pect of saving the limb, so also is excelsior
or resection preferred to amputation, more
especially in injuries of the upper extremi-
ties, whenever it can be rcsorted to with..a
If In 10
nothing but amputation that would be
likely to prove successful. The operation
was therefore resorted to, the patient being
placed under the influence of chloroform,
and the forearm taken off about three inch
es below the elbow joint.
An examination of the limb after its re-
moval showed the necessity Of that kind of
operation, as the radial and ulnar arteries
were torn asunder. An interesting and
anomalous feature presented itself during
the operation. The tourniquet being loosen.
ed, the principal vessels, radial and ulnar
arteries, did not jet or spout as is usual in
such cases, but merely welled out their
contents, which, DR.. Evans presumed, was
owing to the great strain and traction made
over them with the teeth of the revolving
cylinder. He had known of similar inju-
ries in which the patients all died for want
Of primary amputation. The circular op-
Grafton was performed. DR.. Thomas G..
Hopkins assisted in the case.
DIR. Virdin reported Il case of tumor,
supposed to be cancerous, which proved
otherwise. DR.. John Evans, assisted by Drs.
w. j. Evans and Virdin, removed it,
DIR. Forwood reported case of injury
from threshing machine, in which the
lower extremities were involved.
The subjects for discussion at the next
meeting announced by the President, were,
surgical injuries to the wrist, and Indig-
enous plants, collected by himself. DR.. Lee
proposed to give at next meeting "glean-
ings from the medical writings of de-
ceased friend"
l. w. w. VIRDIN, M. d.
Secretary.