Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-03-27
cambridge LETTER. u
DIR. J. Nat Lyle, OF cambridge. Ahead on
the Home Stretch HE adds another Fri
umph to american Surgery.

EDITORS CHRONICLE: AS your paper
abounds in items pertaining almost to
every branch of literature, law, arts and
the sciences, perhaps an item of medical
and surgical news would be none the less
interesting. We Therefore submit the fol-
lowing extraordinary case, which you may
lay before your readers if you choose
DIR. j. Nat Lyle, of cambridge, was
summoned by DIR. Fairfield, of Clifton, to
meet him in consultation at 8 A. NJ, Feb
ruary &c, 1872, at the residence of Powell
Wright, laboring man, aged about so
yeas. DIR. Lyle, accompanied by n stu
dent from his office, Mr.. II. z. Collie, and
Dr. Helms, Jr., was promptly on hand.
By some unfortunate circumstance, the
physician in charge of the case did not ar
rive. After waiting for some time, and ali
hopes of his arrival had expired, an exam
ination of the case was proceeded with,
the patient was uncovered and Strda9u
lated Hernia of from ttOelUG to fourteen
days standing was found, of the ScrOtctL or
InquiHat variety. If L am correctly in
| formed it is the same disease, or rather ac-
| cident, that, but few years ago, brought
Colonel Joseph Logan, of yosr city, to a
| premature grave. rs. .a.rr .-
The tumor that presented itself in this
case was near the size of an adult persons
head, and by its long standing had natur-
ally become complicated with erysipelas,
gangrene, and what is known to experience
| ed surgeons as Hernial Abscess. In this
condition death was but a few hours in the
| future ; ii was an operation or death, and
| but q very remote chance of life by an
operation after this great length of time
| had expired. AS a very carefully prepared
table of statistics by Doctor Gay, of Lon
don, showed that every like case, operated
| on heretofore, after ten days duration, had
been fatal. DIR. Lyle holding to the principle
In law, that where the evidence Is very
doubtful, always err on the side of mercy,
and give the prisoner the benefit of the
doubt, from this consideration an operation
was resolved upon. ChloroforIn was adj
ministered. The operation without in
struments known as taxis, or by manipu-
lation was thoroughly tested to no effect.
! While YET, under the influence ofchlorofOrm
DR.. Lyle assisted by the above named per-
sons, proceeded to make bold incision
baout six inches inlength across the tumor,
| then by a careful process of dissection layer
after layer was removed until the bowels
were reached which were found
iirmly adherent to the surrounding
| tissue, which now required a still nicer
| process of dissection TO sever, the point of
structure was then sought, found and read
lily relieved by the knife, and the bowels
resumed their natural place. Contrary to
the expectation of the bystanders, the pa
| tent recovered admirably from the effects
of the .chloroform. BY the second day
after the operation, modification had ex-
tended over a considerable portion of the
integument a piece, this time, of morti-
fled integument perhaps six Inches in cir
conference, was removed by a bold sweep
OF the surgeons knife. The parts were
then penciled with nitrate of silver and
enveloped in charcoal, which effectually
checked the gangreen. About the fifth
lday, the bowels resumed their natural