St. Landry democrat., 1881-10-15

b God cot. For about an inch from this cyst,
the track of the ball behind the
pancrcas was completely ohterated by
the healing process. Thence. Us far back
ward rs the body of the first lumbar
vertebra, the track was file wi coa-ulated
bl cd which extended on the lett into a regu-
lar space rent in tie adjoining adipos tissue.
Behind the peritOneum and above the pam
crcas the blood had worked its way to the left,
burrowng finally through the peritoneum be-
hind the spleen into the abdominal cavity.
The rcndng of the tissues by the extra, asa
ton of this blood was undoubtedly the cause
| of the puroNySms Hf pain VIII Gu occurred a
short time before death. This mass of coagu-
lated blood was Of irregular form. and nearly
as large as a mans fist 1t could be distinctly
seen from n front, through the peritoneum
after its site behind The greater curvature of
the stomach had been exposed by the dissec-
ton of the greater omentum from the stom-
ach. and especially after some delicate adj
hcsious between the stomach and part OF the
peritoneum covering he bood-mass had been
! broken down by the fingers.
From the relations of the mass, as thus seen,
| 1t was believed that the hemorrnage had
proceeded from one of the mesenteric arte-
ries, but, as it was clear that minute dssec-
ton would be required to determine the par
! ticuar branch involved, it was agreed that
the infiItrated tissues and adjoining soft parts
should be preserved for subse luent study.
On examination and dissection made in
coydance with this agreement, it was found
| that the fatal hemorrhage proceeded from
rent nearly four-ten;hs of an inch long in the
main trunk of the spenc artery, two inches
and half to the left of the cueiac axis. The
| rent must have occurred at least several days
| before death, since the everted edges in the
| M cd adhesion
| to the surrounding connective tissue, thus
| forming an almost continuous wall, bounding
the adjoining portion of the blood cot. More
| over the perpheral portion of the clot i'll this
vic nity was disposed in pretty firm concentric
layers.
1t was further found that the cyst below the
| lower margin of the pancreas, in which the
bullet was found. was situated three inches
and a half to the left of the caliac axis.
| Besides the mass of coagulated blood Just
described, another about the size of a walnut
was found in the greater omentum, near the
| splenic extremity of the stomach. The com
munication, if any, between this and the
larger hemorrhagic mass could not be made
out.
The exam nation of the thoracic viscera
resulted as follows:
The heart weighed eleven ounces. All the
cavities were entirely empty except the right
yentricle in which few shredS of soft red
dish coagulated blood adhered to the internal
surface On the surface of the mitral valve
there were several spots of fatty de-
generation. With this exception the
cardiac valves were normal. The mus
cular tissue of the heart was soft, and
tore easily. few spots of fatty degenera-
ton existed in the lining membranes of the
aorta, just above the semiunar valves, and a
slender clot of fbr;n was found in the aorta,
where It was divided about two inches from
these valves for the removal of the heart.
On the tight side slight pleuritic adhcsons
existed between the convex surface of the
lower lobe of the lung and the costal pleura,
and firm adhesons between the anterior edge
of the lower lobe, the percardiuri, and the
diaphragm. The right lung weighed thirty.
two ounces The posteror part of the assure
between its upper and lower lobes con-
penitay incomplete. The lower lobe OF the
right lung was hypos.atic ally congcstcd and
considerable portions, especially toward its
base, were the scat OF the bronth o pneumonia.
The bronchial tubes contained Il con>ide a.
Bile quantity of stringy muco-pus Their
mucous surflcc was Redeemed by catarrhal
bronchitis
The lung tissue was 9dematous.
"a foot-note here says: "A part at least of
this condition was Doubtless due to the ex-
travasaton of the injection fluid used by the
embalmer.l
The lung tissue contained no assesses or
infurcations. On the left side, the lower lobe
of the lung was bound, behind to the costal
pleura, above TO the upper lobe, and below
to the diaphragm, by pretty firm pleEritic adj
hesions.
The left lung weighed twenty-seven ounces.
the lung tissue, was very nearly the same as
on the right side, the chief difference being
that the area of bronchopneumonia in the
lower lobe was much less extensive i'll the left
lung than in the right. In the lateral part of
the lower lobe of the left lung, and about an
inch from its pleural surface, there WAS a
group of four minute areas of gray hepati-
zation each about one-eighth of an inch in di-
ameter.
There were no infurcations and no absc S.
es in any part of the lung tissue.
The surgeons assisting at the autopsy were
unanimously of the opinion that, on reviewing
The history of the case, in connection with the
autopsy, it is quite evident that the different
suppurating surfaces, and especially the tract
tired spongy tissue of the vertebra, furnish
sufficient explanation of the septic condition
which existed during life. ..s
About an hour after the post-mortem exam
ination was completed, the physicians named
at the commencement of this report assem-
bled for further consultation in an adjoining
cottage. A brief outline of the results of the
post-mortem examination was drawn up,
signed by all the physicians and handed to
Private-secretary ]. Stanley Brown, who was
requested to furnish copies to the newspaper
press.
D. W. Bliss,
J. K. BARNES,
j. WOODWARD,
ROBERT REYBURN,
r D. S. LAMB.
As the above report contains paragraphs
detailing observations made at Washington
on the pathological specimens preserved for
4 hot tLx, Of Irc