The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-24

~~~~Ss 49, se4V As@S~~~'
II is the fifth day since bullet weighing
half an ounce was lodged in the brain of Mr..
Carruth, the Vineland editor, and he is still
alive and this fact is scarcely comprehersi-
BILE to the many, who conceive the brain as
in itself so essentially vital that any injury to
it is followed inevitably and almost immedi-
ately by death. Indeed, popular knowledge is
only divided between the brain and the heart
as the essential seats of vitality; and it was
great puzzle to people when, some years ago,
pistol bullet was lodged in the heart of the
well known Bill Poole, and that comparatively
decent bravo of city politics did not imme-
diately die In Poole's case the bullet was
certainly lodged in the muscular walls of the
heart and it might have been as safe there as
In almost any other muscle, if repose and at
tention had eased the labor of the heart till
careful nature could have reinforced the walls
and provided against accidents; but an enemy
was permitted to enter his room too early
there was new alteration, an excitement,
and. the heart being forced to an untimely
energy, the thin septum of muscle that kept
the bullet in safe place was broken through,
the function of the organ was interfered with
and death came. It is just as certain in this
case that Carruth's brain is wounded-yet he
lives; and people who find that shot in
heart or brain may yet not be fatal, will begin
to mistrust their revolvers.
1t is not impossible tor man to live with
the most serious injury to the brain, and even
to live for many years. Every medical mu-
scum has specimens which exhibit that life
is not necessarily cut short by the presence in
the brain of substances presumably as iniuri.
Gus as bullets. In the College Museum at
Montpelier, in France, is the skull of SOL
der of the First Empire who lived many
years with bullet in his brain, and one can
see plainly the evidences of the efforts made
by nature, like skilful engineer, to prevent
interference with her ordinary operations.
Assisted, perhaps, by some shreds of the in
ternal periosteum, she had constructed pro-
cess of bone under the bullet-between it and
the brain-and reduced it to the character
of harmless neighbor. In the practice of
DR.. Detmold, of this city, we believe there
once occurred the case of man who, in some
blasting operations had sort of small crow
bar or rock drill driven through his brain
into the head at one side and out at the other
and who recovered from the wound at the
time but died subsequently from its effects by
the formation of an abcess and the exhaust
ing drain made by large pyogenic tract
Cases might be produced in illustration to
almost any extent.
Wounds in the brain are fatal Immediately,
os rule, by the fact that they open large arter-
les or that they injure parts essential to the
performance of some Of the absolutely neces-
sary functions, like respiration; and they
are fatal later, by leading to Inflammation.
Arteries and large veins are so ramified in the
brain that it is scarcely possible to shoot into
it without inducing extensive hemorrhage, and
the blood thus let out from the vessels does not
how away by the wound, but is plugged in by
the bullet or by the elasticity Of the jelly-like
substance, and acts as the same fluid does in
case Of apoplexy, by pressure and interference
with cerebral functions. But it is possible to
put in a bullet without opening either any
considerable artery or large vein, and without
touching the parts OF the brain that preside
over the operations Of animal life. This is,
apparently, what has occurred in Carruths
case. He was shot in the back of the head,
and the bullet went upward and to the right
1t is perhaps lodged against the bone at the
summit of the right cerebral hemisphere. Or
if it reached that point with the force just
short of what was necessary to penetrate it
has passed by the inclination of the bone to
point not far from the right eye.
AS the man reasons and is conscious the an
terror portion g the hemisphere is not greatly
injured and is not much, if at oil, pressed
upon by clot. 1t is not probable, therefore,
that the arteries near the eye are opened, yet
the circulation of the eye is interfered with,
as is indicated by the condition of the lid and
by the condition of the eye itself, for the
optic nerve is not injured, and the loss of
sight is due to trouble caused perhaps, by
pressure, and it may be by pressure of the
bullet in the immediate vicinity of the orbital
chamber. 1t is possible the man may re-
cover, but, in our opinion, his chances are
much lessened by the exclusion of DR.. Gross
from the case.