The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-03

from before backward This cavity was
lined by thick pyagenic membrane, which
completely replaced capsule of that part
under the surface of the liver occupied by
the abscess. 1t contained about two
ounces of greenish yellow fluid MKT
ure of pus and hillary matter. This abscess
| did not involve any portion of the sub
| stance of the hver except the surface in
contact and no communication could be
detected between it and any part of the
wound Some recent peritoneal adhesions
existed between the upper surface of the
| right lobe of the liver and the diaphragm.
| The liver was larger than normal,
weighing forty-eight ounces. Its
| substance was firm, but ola pale vel
lowish color of the surface and through
out the interior OF the organ, from fatty
| degeneration. No evidence that it had
| been penetrated by the bullet could be
| found nor were there any Assesses orrin-
| farctions in any part of its tissue. The
| spleen was connected to the diaphragm
adhesions. There were several rather
deep congenital assures in it's margins,
| giving it lobulated appearance. 1t was
ounces of very dark lake red color both
on the surface and on the section. Its
parenchmya was soft and f1abby but con-
| tanned no assesses or infractions. Therewere
| some recent peritoneal adhesions between
the posterior wall of the stomach or intes-
tines, nor were any other evidences of
| general or local peritonitis found besides
| those already specified. The right kidney
weighed six ounces, and the left kidney
| seven. Just beneath the capsule of the
| left kidney, at about the middle OF its con-
vex border, there was a little abscess, enc
| third of an inch in diameter. There were
three serious cysts on the convex border OF
right kidney just beneath its capsule. In
other respects the tissue of both kidneys
was normal in appearance and texture.
| The urinary bladder was empty. Behind
the right kidney, after the removal of that
organ from the body, the dilated track OF
the bullet was dissected into.
IT WAS FOUND.
that from the point at which it had frac-
| tured the right eleventh rib (three inches
and half to the right OF the yentebral
| spine) the missile had gone to the left
obliquely forward, passed through the
| body of the first lumbar vertebra and 1odg-
| ing in the adipose connective tissues i'm
mediately below the lower border of the
pancreas. about two inches and half to
the left of the spinal column and behind
the pcritoneum and had become complete
| " encysted The track of the bullet between
| the fracture Of the eleventh rib and
| that at which it entered the first lumbar
vertebra was considerably dilated and pus
| had burrowed downward through The adj
pose tissue behind the right kidney and
! thence had found its way between portion
cum and right lilac fascia, making a des-
cending channel which extended almost to
the groin. The adipose tissue behind the
| kidney in the vicinity of this descending
! channel was much tnickened and con-
densed by inflammation in he channel which
was found almost free from pus. A tiexl-
! Bile catheter was introduced into the wound
at the ecommencement of the autopsy. Its
extremity was found doubled upon itself
Immediately beneath the peritoneum, re-
posing upon the lilac fascia, where the
ichannel was dilated into a pouch of con-
| siderable size This long descending chan
mel, now clearly seems to have been caused
/ by the burrowing of pus from the wound,
was supposed during life to have been the
| track of the bullet. The last dorsal to-
gether with the first and second
| lumbar yertebra and twelfth rib, were then
removed from the body, for more thor
ough examination. When this examina-
| ton was made it was found that the bullet
had penetrated the first lumbar vertebra in
| the upper part of the right side of the body.
Il
the inter-vertebral cartilage next above
and was situated just below the anterior
to the inter-vertbral foremen, from which
its upper margin was about one quarter of
an inch distant, passing obliquely to the
| left and forward through the upper part
| of the body of the first lumbar vertebra
| The bullet emerged by an aperture, the
| centre of which was about half an inch to
| the left of the medien line and which was
also involved the inter-vertebra cartilage
next above the cancelated tissue. The
| body of the first lumbar vertebra was
very much comminuted and the frag
ments somewhat displaced. Several
deep fissure extended from tie
track of the bullet into the lower
part OF the body OF the twelfth
dorsal vertebra. The other extended
through the first lumbar yertebra into the
inter vertebral cartilage between it and the
second lumbar vertebra Both this carti-
lage and that next above were partly de-
stroved by liberation. A number OF minute
| fragments from the fractured lumbar YER
zebra had been driven into the adjacent
soft parts. 1t was further found that the
| right twelfth rib was fractured at polnt
| an inch and a quarter to the right OF
the transverse process twelfth dorsal YER
zebra.
THE INJURY
| had not been recognized during life On
saving through the vertebra q little to the
right of the medean line, it was found that
the spinal column was not involved in the
track of the bullet. The spinal cord and
the other contents of this portion of the
spinal canal presented No abnormal ap
pearances. The rest of the spinal cord
was not examined beyond the first lumbar
vertebra. The bullet. continued to the left.
J passing behind the pancreas to the
point where it was found Here
it was enveloped in firm cyst of the con
nectix%tissue, which contained besides the
ball a minute quantity Of ingpissated Aand
q somewhat cheesy pus, which formed a
thin layer over portion of the surface OF
the lead There was also q dark shred ad
herring to the part of the cyst wall which
proyed ON q microscopic examination to
he the remains of blood clot For about
an inch from this cyst the track of the bal
behind the pancreas was completely eblit,
Grated by the healing process. Thence as
far backward as the body of the first lum-
bar vertebra, the track was filled with co
agulated blood, which extended on the
left into q regular space rent into the ad-
Joining adipose tissue. Behind the peri
tenenm and above the pancreas the blood
had worked its way to the left, burrowing
finally through the peritoneum behind the
spleen into the abdominal cavity. The