The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-09-30
REMARKABLE CASE.
Man Living with n Mig Hole In His
Head and . Bono I'm His Brain.

A most remarkable case In surgery has
been developed at the United States
Marine Hospital here. II is one of those
rare cases that disobey Ill the laws Of
the yelow-back books and effectually
zles the doctors. During the labor riots
of 1873, mulatto named jeff Jones, who
is now 36 years old, was struck on the
crown of the head with club and his
skull was badly fractured. This occurred
in the interior of the State Of Ohio. For
several days the man was unconscious;
but in six months time he had recovered
sufficiently to go to his work. Soon after
this, however, he began to complain OF
severe pains in the place where the frac.
ture occurred; the pain grew worse and
worse, and finally Jones became subject
to epileptic commissions, which continued
till two years had elapsed from the time
of the original injury. At some small
town in Ohio the operation of trephining,
or boring hole in the skull, was per-
formed, and the depressed bone was re-
moved Jones was entirely relieved by
the operation, and soon afterwards he
went to work as roustabout on steam
boat. In 1878, three years after the ire
phininp. he began to complain of the same
pains which followed the original injury.
The pains gradually became unbearablee,
and epileptic commissions again occurred.
In this condition on the 18th of January,
1850, the man was admitted to the Marine
Hospital here, and DR.. W. H. Long, the
surgeon in charge, undertook his case,
which was diagnosed as one of pressure
on the brain caused by the bone having
reformed over the opening made by tho
trephino. The new bone was cup-shaped,
with the convexity pressing on the deli
cate tissues of the brain. The man was
almost skeleton and suffered intensely.
In March he was again trephined and
the convex piece of bone was removed.
The trephining was done at the seat OF
the former operation, and gave instant
and complete relief But IN about tour
weeks the pains were renewed at the spot
of the trephine, and small quantity OF
pus was discharged through the scalp.
This state of affairs continued for about
two weeks, when DR.. Long made an IN
cision in the site of the wound, and 1t
was discovered that a piece of bone was
loose in the brain. The bone was re-
moved, and was found to be about two
inches long, one and three-quarters
inches broad, and very thick. The
smooth internal and external plates OF
the bone had been almost entirely alb
sorbcd by the brain, and the piece OF
bone had been eaten away until 1t had
become honeycombed On one side the
bone bore about one quarter of the circle
made by trephining. DR. Long snpposess
that when Jones was struck the bone had
been fractured but had been held in its
proper position by the ether bones OF the
skull. In the operation OF trephining
the bone had been further loosened and
had fallen into the brain, where it must
have lam six weeks. When it was re-
moved the sufferer became relieved from
all pain and he wound rapidly healed.
But the mans ills were not over; III a
short time he began to complain OF a
violent pain in the back part of the head
and the scalp then became elevated and
seemed to contain puss. 1t was opened
deeply, hut not drop of puss was found
As the pain continued it was finally de-
termined to cut down the bone. Conse-
Qlently in the latter part of May the man
was putunder the influence of chloroform,
and conical incision four inches broad
was made over the seat of the pain in the
prominent part of that portion of the
skull 1t was found that here the exter-
nal table of the skull in space OF more
than four inches had been entirely alb
sorbed. leaving the bone in a rough state,
the cellular structure being exposed to
view. This surface was well scraped and
the wound was dressed. Since that time
there has been no return ofpain, and the
wounds are entirely healed. Jones has
gained more than twenty-five pounds in
weight, and for the first time III many
months is able to he out of doors and at
work. The most curious feature Of the
case is that, Notwithstanding the i'm
mcnse amount of damage done to the ex-
ternal plate Of the skull in the posterior
part Of the head, not single drop of pus
ever ran from the place. There is no
history of syphalis in the case, OF it would
he easy to account for the absorption of
the bone. As it is, however, it cannot be
accounted for. When the scalp was cut,
it was found that it was three-quartcrs
of an inch thick. This unusual thickness
supplies the place Of the bone in the
skull where there is al opening made by
the piece which was taken from the brain.
The bone will in all probability never
form over the opening, but siccatricial
tissue has formed there.
Jones is about able to return to his
work as a roustabout, and will leave the
hospital in few days.