Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-02-08
DR.. Borton and his Surgery.

We copy from the Valparaiso Vidette
the following extracts from DR.. Borton's
reply to some i'll timed remarks of the
Ftdette, published two or three weeks
ago. We republish only that part of the
Dr's- letter which gives history of the
injury sustained by Mr. Buck es:
Mr.. Buckles fell from a dray, striking
on his hand and producing most serious
and painful injury q shall avoid profes
slonal terms). The elbow joint was dis
located and a portion of the bone broken.
The bone of the upper arm was forced
downward and forward upon and between
the two bones of the lower arm, and the
attachments completely torn away and
broken up to an extent rarely Witnessed
IN such cases. The carriages. ligaments
and surrounding tissues of the Joint were
terribly torn and mutilated. The re-
suit OF this state OF things was inevitably
much Inflammation. | adjusted the bones
properly and applied the necessary sup
ports. The next day another ply stefan,
who was attending Mr. Buckles wife
removed the support from the front of
the arm, on complaint of suffering from
MI. Buckles, in my absence and without
my consent or knowledge When | be-
came aware of it, at my first call the next
day after the injury, found the limb in
such swollen and infiamed condition that
1t would not bear the pressure of close
support But the bones were in their
proper places and would so remain for
the time. As soon as admissible the sup
ports were replaced as the condition of
the limb would admit of, and the arm
was doing well when Mr.. Buckles left
here, short time after, for Valparaiso.
advised and requested him to place
himself under the charge of some compe-
tent surgeon in Valparaiso, and to keep
the arm supported sufficiently and to fiex
or move the joint so as to prevent stiff
ness.
heard no mole until | heard his
arm was stiff. Mr. Buckles situation az
THIS time was such that he was neceSsi-
tattd to be less quiet than he should have
been, lifting and assisting more or less
with his moving, in various ways. On
inquiry learned that the supports were
only Kept on the back Of the arm all the
time and the front of the arm only at
night, leaving it hanging from the elbow
through the day, with OF without sling.
Now, any one who knows ANYTHING
about the anatomy Of the parts, will see
at glance that adhesions OF The parts
ffom spch a state CT things wolld neces-
sally tend ID form IL silt. joint, and
that the natu al contractie Of the mus
ctes OF the upper arm attached as they are
would pull the lower arm upward, and
those Of The lower pnll the bone OF the
upper arm forward and dow nwald-iust
what did occur and produced gradual
displacement to a Sigh. extent. Had the
support been kept properly secured upon
the arm and the bones by that means
been held in their proper places, remov-
ing only to fiex the arm at proper times,
it would have remained in place as the
injury would allow The arm could not
have been as good as before under any
circumstances 1t would have been as
good as it could be made, with reasonable
attention, after he left here-just such at
tention as should have given it. No
man can tell from examining it now
whether it was properly adjusted at first.
and no respectable surgeon would for a
moment attempt to express such an opin-
ION. And it is perfectly evident that
there was no displacement discovered for
weeks after he had left here, or if such |
as now exists was discov-
cred, why was it PERMITTED to renal
when adjustment was then feasible and |
easy?