The Portland daily press., 1877-11-26
MAINE GENERAL, HOSPITAL.


The following communication appeared in
| the Argus of Saturday:
TO the Editor of the Argus:
A physician who was intimately acquainted
with the late Mr.. Eaton, and by whose ad vice
he came to the Maine General Hospital, ex-
presses much dissatisfaction at the circum-
stances in relation to his death. The cause of
his coming to the hospital was desire to have
so much bone removed from bis leg-wnlch had
oeen amputated on the battle-held-as would
enable him to wear his artificial foot This op-
GRAFTON had been described to him, very proper
ly, as quite trivial. AT the hospital his leg was
amputated half way to the knee, and ne blea to
death without the application, according to the
records of the hospital, of any local treatment
until few hours before his death. The his
tory of former severe operations which he had
suffered rave no evidence of any hemmorrhagic
diathesis.
The following was an editorial note in the
same issue:
The communication which we publish in an
other column was written by we'll known
physician. If the facts are as stated, and we
are assured they can and will be fully substan-
tiated, it is a matter that certainly should be
thoroughly Investigated.
REPLY FROM DIR. WEEKS.
MIR. EDIToR:-The article in Saturdays
argus under the head of "Serious Charges"
"Wrtten by well known physician" although
he had not sufficient manhood to write his
communication over his own signature, is so
utterly false, does such gross injustice to those
having charge of the case, and isIso calculated to
injure the credit of the Hospital, that public
statement of the facls is demanded in order to
correct the wrong impression which would be
conveyed by such statements. The facts in
the case are as follows: Mr. Eaton, while in
the army, received gun-shot wound in the
left ankle. requiring amputation above the
ankle joint, the operation being done on the
field. After the amputation the flaps slougbed
exposing the bones, which were also destroyed
by necrosis to the extent of about two inches.
These dead portions of the bones we're broken
off by the surgeon and the stump left to heal
by granulations. The result was, as might be
expected, painful and liberated stump 1t
was go tender and painful that he was unable
to wear an artificial limb. His physician, Dr.
Higgins of Lubec, very properly advised him to
have portion of the stump removed, and
asked him to come to the Maine General Hos
pital for the operation. He came to the Hos
pital and was under my care until be died.
My colleagues, Drs. Greene and Gordon, being
out of the city for two or three weeks, 1 re-
qrested DR.. /. T. Dana of the medical staff,
and DR.. Charles o. Hunt, superintendent of
the Hospital, to see the man with me, and to
advise as to what should be done. We were
all of the opinion that there was but one thing
to do, AID that was to re-amputate, and Sc
cure flaps long enough to cover the ends of the
bones. just as the operation was about to be
made, he incidentally alluded to a tendency to
bleed from slight wounds. While we were
unable to learn anything definite as to this al
legged hemorrhagic condition, we did use every
precaut1on to protect the patent against secon-
Diary bemorrhage in case this diathesis should
prove really to exist The usual flap operation
was made, the bones being divided just high
enough to secure flaps sufficiently long to cover
the divided ends, and no higher. The opera
ton was very simple one; there was no mus
cular tissue to be divided, only skin. subcuta-
neo is tissue, and teBdouous structures, beside
the bones. Every vessel that bled was Sc
curely tied, and sufficient time was allowed for
every drop of bleeding to be arrested before
the flaps were brought together. When the
stump was dressed, there was not particle of
oozing, and the divided surfaces were all
glazed, and apparently ready to unite by first
intention. Nothing occurred during the opera
ton TO show the existence of hemorrhagic
diathesis The primary dressing was not re-
moved from the stump until the second morn
ing after the operation. Up to this time there
was no more discharge from the wound than
IS usual alter such operations. At this time
there was nothing particularly bad about the
stump There was considerable swelling and
Inflammation, and for some distance upl the
leg, there was seen quite number of bulle, or
blisters filled with bloody serum. Although
this indicated an unhealthy condition of the
structures, yet ! believed that this inflamma-
ton would soon subside under such cons;itu-
tlonal and local treatment as the case should,
from day to day, demand On the evening of
the third day, the Inflammation was still ex-
tending, the parts were swollen and tense, and
the seat of good deal of PAIN To
relieve as much of the tension as possible, and
to give free vent to all pent up fluids, the
stitches were removed from each side of the
wound. AT this time there was considerable
capillary ooziDg of dark bloody serum, bat no
more than would naturally come from struc-
lures. the seat of so much unhealthy infiam-
nation. From this time until his death there
were marked symptoms of septic fever as indi-
Gated by high temperature and delitium. 1t
was not until after there were symptoms of
blood poisoning that there was sufficient capi-
larry ooziDg to add to the debility in the least
degree. There aUaS ne0er lat any time ana
drteriaE henloTrlage; there faoaS neUer at ana
time any yenoos he0sorrhage, but simply a dis
charge of black bloody Serat11a, and, on two days
slight ooziDg of blood from the capillaries.
not enough of itself to give rise to any uneasi-
ness, but causing some anxiety lest it indicated
" IrHuCnCy w uoluoITudSe, WHICH might occur
on the separation OF the ligatures; apdI to
guard against this possible danger, nurse was
kept constantly by the bedside, night and day.
This unhealthy infiamm alton and black bloody
discharge continued until the leg, almost to the
knee-joint, was perfectly black and gapgrepous.
The statement that 1.-THE man bled to death" is
utterly and absolutely FALSE The man died the
eighth day after the operation from septi-
c9mia, which every surgeon knows may hap
pen after any amputation, and no human 1
knowledge can foresee the result, and no human
as | have described.
S. 81. WEEKS, M d.
Portland, Nov. Oath, 1877.
STATEMENTS FROM DRs. DANA AND HUNT.
Though officially connected with the medical
and not the surgical department. of the Maine
General Hospital, was present at the opera
ton above described, from the beginning to the
placing OF the last stitch, and can SO far testify
from my own knowledge to the accurate truth
funess OF DIR. Weeks statement. While
cheerfully adding my testimony to his, / am
sure no one personally acqusinted with him
would consider any addition necessary to the
above statement Of the case.
ISRAEL T. DANA, M. d.
Having seen Mr.. Eaton several times every
day during his sickness, 1 testify to the entire
accuracy of DR.. Weeks statement
CHAs. Q. HUNT, M. D.,
SuDt. Me. Gen. Hospital
THANKSGIVING WEEK AT THE THEATRE
Miss Lizzie May Ulmer has engaged Fanny
Marsh's Theatre for the present week, com
menclng tomorrow evening. She has engaged
good COMPANY among whom ia Sir Randall