Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-08-05
A Fish in the Throat.

The vicious practice of putting pins
and small pieces of money in the mouth
has often been noticed as leading to
dangerous consequences. AS few have
heard of similar Or even greater
danger from trying to hold live fish
temporarily between the teeth, we
present the following account of
remarkable incident of this kind, given
by a medical practitioner in Madras,
in letter to the Medical Times and
Gazette of May 2, 1874. Speaking of
visit to the general hospital under
charge of DR.. George Smith and DR..
Paul, he proceeds.
One morning in the midst of the
visit, word was Brought to DR.. Paul
that man had come to the hospital,
with live fish in his throat. Accord
ingly, there was general move to the
veranda, where we saw a coolie, aged
about, 20, walking in, supported by a
man on either side, breathing with in
tense difficulty and in great distress.
The story was soon told. He was that
morning employed in emptying tank,
and in catching the fish that were left
houndering when the water was drawn
off. In his eagerness, he had one
under each foot, one in each hand, and
to make sure of fifth, he tried to
secure one by taking it's head between
his front teeth; but the fish was to quick
for him, and, wriggling itself free from
the teeth, made it's way into the phar-
ynx. A fish of the same sort and size
was produced T; it was like a perch,
about four inches long, with a most
formidable dorsal fin, the spines of
which they erected by being pushed
the wrong way, stood out at least an
inch. A finger passed into the throat
easily felt the fish. There was very
pretty case! but the first point was
to enable the man to breath. In less
than it takes me to write it, bed was
| brought out onto the veranda, and he
was laid upon it and tracheotomised.
Then what was to be done? Pull the
fish out any one would say but al
| though it was easy to seize the tail,
there were the erect spines Of the fins,
which would have larcerated the parts
past recovery had the fruitless attempt
| been made. Then it was suggested to
push the fish down into the. stomach
but alas! it lay doubled up with
its head to the left, and this
could not be done. Then, when this
was ascertained, it was hoped that the
head might be turned upward with a
blunt hook, and SO dragged out. But
the fish would not move. So it was
necessary to leave the patient for few
hours-he was breathing freely, and
nourished with beef-tea enemata Next
morning it was found that the fish had
decomposed, and was esily broken up
into putrid pulp, some Of which made
its way into trachea, whilst the spines
offered the greatest obstacle to any
removal by the mouth. In order to
afford room for clearing the throat, the
wound made in tracheotomy was enlarg
ed upwards through the junction of the
ale of the thyroid but the patient was
very exhausted and died before relief
could be given. I believe this accident
is pretty well known by fishing COM
munities, and that there is prepera-
ton in the museum of one Of the
Scottish universities showing the
pharynx with the fish impacted. A
short time afterward, the history of
just such case was related in the
indian papers as having occurred in
| Ceylon. It is said that the fish was
allowed to putrefy in the pharynx,
whence it was elected piecemeal next
day, and the patient,recoyered. But in
order that such policy may be sccess-
full, the patient must be provided with
means OF breathing, and the fish should
have no spines