The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-17
Gha 9flp Orleans &rest' =
SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY II. 1863.
A REMARKABLE CASE.
A MAN WITH A HOLE THROUGH HIS HEAD.


From the Springfield Republican. Dec Is
The audible litter " with which, according to
the Boston papers, the condensed history by Or.
Bgelow OF this remarkable case in surgery was
received, IN the trial Of Andrews, a. Plymouth,
would seem to justify a more detailed popu'a
statement of il than has recently been made. Tae
leading facts have long been known to the pro-
fession, history Of the injury and the temporary
recovery from 1t having been published 10 the
Boston Medical and Surgical Journal at the time,
and soon followed by paper from the pen of De-.
Blgelow IN the American Journal, published IN
Philadelphia. During the present year tae SUBJ
sequent facts of the case have been collected by
the surgeon having the care of the case. and pno.
lished in the Issues of the Massachusetts, Medical
Society. From these sources we gather the de-
tails OF case which is pronounced by learned
Western surgeon the last Yankee invent ou,"
and of which Dr., Bigelow well says that ats
leading feature is its impro5ability."
Thomas p. Gage, a man p years old, of iron
constitution, (havDg never been sick in his life)
belonging in Lebanon, N. H., but employed as
foreman of gang of workmen in the construc-
ton of railroad in Cavendish, VT, was sitting
on ledge OF rock above q hole into which he was
tamping the powder preparatory to blasting, Sept.
Is, lS4s. A call from some Of the workmen be-
hind him caused him TO turn his mead to one side,
and while doing so an explosion of the powder
took place, driving the tamping iron upward,
Rs a proectile is thrown from gun.
This iron which is cylindrical in form, only that
at one end it comes to blunt point, is worn quite
smooth by use, il three feet seven inches in
length. one inch and quarter in diameter, aud
weighs about thirteen pounds. The point Is
quarter of an inch in diameter and the slope from
the largest diameter is quite gradual, commencing
twelve inches from the end. The point entered
the lace of Gage back of the cheek bone of the
left side making for itself, at once what in rail
road engineering would be called a tunnel, and
not cut. and thence passed upward, incIning
little to the other side which is accounted for by
the position of the head at the time Of the irn1ry
l. e Il Ill
after which il went high into the air and fell some
rods behind him, covered with blood and brain.
The convulsive motions which Immediately fol-
lowed the injury, ceased in a few moments so that
Gage soon spoke, and after being carried in an
ox.cart three quarters of q mile, to house, was
able with little assistance to get out OF the cart,
and after resting for q while with the left arm
supported, to walk up long fight of stairs 70 bis
room. During the dressing OF the wound he was
perfectly conscious, though weak from loss of
blood, and showed the surgeon at what point the
iron entered. The top of the head presented at
this time, the same appearance as might been
seen if stick were drawn up through yielding
ice concal, crster-like look with cracks radis-
ting from the center, and detached fragments OF
bone adherent to the scalp.
With the simplest and most rational treatment
this man progressed toward recovery, with hardly
bad symptom. the only trouble not the result of
his own inprudence being an accumulation OF the
discharge within his head by the blocking of the
exits. Three months and a half from the time of
the injury found the wound closed, the skin
stretching across. the general health and strength
improving and bodily recovery apparently COM
plete. But his former steady, efficient character
seems to have been destroyed by his sickness, aud
| he now showed obstnacy. vaciilaton. insubordi.
| nation and restless uneasiness that drove him
| from one occupation and country TO another,
until, after exhibiting at Barnums for awhile
| (which may be the secret Of the doubt attaching
to his case) be lived in Chill for some years, and
| then In San Francisco where he died Of epilepsy,
| In May 1861, twelve and half years after the
| injury. His mother, with whom his last days
were spent, waving the impulses OF affection,
gave the head and the iron in the interests Of hu-
manity, to DR.. J. NJ. Harlow, Of Woburn, the ORR
| ginal attendant of the case, who deposited them
| in the museum of the medical college at Boston,
| where, under proper conditions, any one can see
them. -
The history of this case, before unique in the
| annals of surgery, is not quite complete with
| out adding that at the meeting in Boston at which
| DR.. Harlow read the paper last mentioned, there
1 ing under ground in a very wet place, communi-
| Gated the fire to the blast through hollow gas
| tube about three fourths of inch in diameter.
| After touching of the fuse, he waited until all
| chance of explosion had apparently passed but
| had hardly ventured in before his companion
heard the explosion and going In, found him lying
| on his face, making Intellectual efforts TO rise
with the piece of gas-pipe some four feet long
trsns6xing the head, passing in forward of one ear
| and out behind the other, in such a manner es TO
| pin bis soft hat TO his head. In this case also
the recovery seemed perfect. aside from new
tendency to alcoholic excess, and though the co 4.
dition of the man happily prevented that absolute
demonstration of the injury, which was possible
| in the other case, there was no one who doubted
| unless perhaps, there was present some learned
representative of the Plymouth titterers, who
had forgotten that truth was stranger than fiction
Il