Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-09-16
WHOLE NUMBER ll83.

| 1es, SIR.
'Eiherf' |.# u
Everything that can be needed he
answered.
'lhauk you, Harding Thank YOU
Your Thoughtful promptness has saved
much timc,' | hurried into the carriage
with my student and drove rapidly to
the house Of Mr. Baldwin.
If could have forgotten the fact of
having taken go freely of wine, the stim-
nlant Of the occasion might haye over
ridden the excess, and given me the
steady hand and clear mental noise so
much needed now. But, so far from for
| getting, the fact threw itself with a
shock into my consciousness and with
almost a shiver of alarm, ! noted men,
tai confusion and want of physical COM
maud t.at unified me for the use Of the
surgeons knife. But the exigency was
| pressing. | could not tell, until saw
ny patient, how copious the hemorrhage
might be, nor how immediate the dan
| ger.
Mr.. Baldwin met me on my entrance,
| looking greatly alarmed.
'Ob, Doctor! Pm so glad youhave
come. | was afraid she might bleed 10
DEATH
no danger Of that answered with
| teigned unconcern. Some small artery,
not well ligated, has given way, and
will have to be tied again
Al! II he could have seen the low
-hiyer running along my nerves, as the
closing words Of the sentence struck my
own ears Not that the re-ligation of
an artery under the circumstances was a
| very difficult or serious affair. 1t was
my condition that made the case one of
extreme peril.
Don't think, said the Doctor, that I
was what is called the worse for wine.'
Under almost any other circumstances,
except those thrust upon me so unex!
pectedly, L would hardly have noticed
difference Of sensation or condition.
lie paused, wiping the sweat from his
forehead Then resumed:
4 tonnd, on reaching MY patient, that
one of the largest Of the small arteries l
had doomed it necessary to cut in sepa-
rating the tUmor from surrounding It's
sues, was bleeding freely. Half dozen
handkerchieis and napkins had already
been saturated with blood The case de-
manded prompt treatment. / must
open the wound, fnd the artery, and tic
| it again.
Ether was promptly given, and as
soon as the patient was fairly under its
influence, removed the dressings, and
cut the few sutures with which had
drawn the wound together. Fhe cavity
left by the tumor was full Of blood. Af-
ter removing this with sponge, could
see, at the extreme lower part T. The or
itice, free jet of blood, and knew just
the artery that nust be taken up and
tied. The surrounding parts had swol-
len, thus embedding the mouth of the ar
terry and ] could not recover it without
cutting deeper. To this proceeded, out
with nervous unstead,ress II hand
such as had never experienced iu al my
professional life; nervousness iGereased
by the knowledge OF the fact that the
internal jugular vein was only few lines
distant from the keen-ponted edge of
the Gistoury with which was cutting
down to get at the bleeding artery.
There came a single moment III which
lost : clear perception of what was
doing. ! seemed smtten, suddenly, with
both physical and mental blindness; as
er through the diSordered condition
wrought by unnatural stimulation, took
possession OF all my powers, and in an
instant wrought an evil that no human
agency could repair A sound, it had
never been my misfortune to hear before
and pray God | may Ieyer heay
agaIn-started me to an agonizipg sense
OF what my unnerved hard had done in
fatal moment of oblivion. Too we'll l
knew the meaning of that loud, hisssng,
sucking and gurgling that smote my ear.
| had Wounded the jugular vein, and air
was rushing in! .-..
If | had possessed full command Of
myself, as III the morning, imminent as
the danger was, would have been
calm, aud think equal to the emergen-
cy. AS it was, the new an perilous con,
dltion Of my patient, that demanded
prompt and intelligent action, paralyzed
me for several moments, and l only
aroused to a full apprehension of the
case and its duties, by seeing my patient
begin to struggle Tor breath, as she in,
.pired. Her face, which had been slight
ly flushed, became deadly pale, and dis
tressed
To close the wound had made, and stop
the influx of air, must be done Immediately, or
nothing could save her life Already suilicie1.
air had entered 10 alter the condition 5f tie
blood in the right cavities of the heart and
prevent its free transmission to the luuEs
through the pulmonary arteries. Life and :
death hung on every instant of time. Crop
ed blindly, for the wound, and when found
it, f.iled in my terrible confusion in prompt
application of pressure TO the exact point ,
Too late Too late l cannot dwell on the
particulars! BY the time could close the IA
tai wound, the destroyer's work was done. / :
opened, in my dispair-clear-heade and firm
handed enough now-the right jugular, and
passing a AeXible tube into the aurele, tried
by suction to empty the heart of the air and
blood which had been churned up there into
a spumous mass, But too much time had been
lost, and my patient was beyond the reach of
human skill She sank rapidly and in less
than half an hour the last feeble pulses died.
DR.. Grantly was strongly agitated. In pity
for myself / drop q veil over what followed f.