The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-03
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1881

that the infiltrated tisnes the adjoining soft
parts should be preserved for subsequent
study. On the examination and
dissection made in accordance
with this agreement it was found that the
fatal hemorrhage proceeded from a
rent nearly four tenths of an inch long in
main trunk of the splenic artery, two
inches and half to the left of the coiliac
axis.
THE RENT
must have occurred at least several days
before death, since the everted edges in the
slit in the vessel were united by firm ad
hesions to the surrounding connective It's
sue, thus forming an almost continuous
wall bounding the adjoining portion of the
blood clot. Moreover the peripheral por
ton of clot in this vicinity was disposed in
pretty firm concentric layers. 1t was fur
ther 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 ofthe coiliac axis. Besides
the mass of coagulated blood just described,
another about the size of walnut was
found in the greater omentum near the
splenic extremity of the stomach. The com
munication, if any, between this and the
large hemorrhagic mass could not be
made out The examination of the
theracic viscera resulted as follows: The
heart weighed eleven ounces. All the cav
tiles were er sirely empty, except the right
ventricle, in which few shreds of soft,
reddish coagulated blood adhered to the
internal surface On the shrface of the
metral valve there were several spots OF
fatty dege ,eration. With this exception
the cardiac valves were normal. A few
spots of fatty degeneration existed in the
a
the semilunar valves, and slender clot of
fibrine was found in the aorta, where.it
was divided about two inches from these
valves fo- the removal of the heart. On
the right side slight pleuritic adhesions
existed between the convex survace of the
lower lung and the castal pleura and firm
adhesions between the anterior edge
of the lower lobe. The pericanum
and the diaphragm of the
right lung weighed thirty two
ounces. The posterior part of the assures
between its upper and lower lobes was
congenitally incomplete The lower lobe
of the right lung was hypostatically con-
gested, and considerable portions, especi-
ally towards the base where the seat of
broncho pneumonia. The bronchial tubes
contained considerable quantity of stringy
mucous. Their mucous surfaces was red
dened by catarrhal bronchitis. The lung
tissue was oedematrous.
T foot note here says "a part at
least of this condition was doubtless due
to excavation or injection of fluid used by
the em1almer, but that it contained no
assesses or infarctions.
On the left side the lower lobe of the
lung was bound behind the costal pleura,
above to the upper lobe and below to the
diaphragm by pretty firm pleutiIic adhe-
sions. The left lung weighed twenty seven
ounces the condition of its bronchial tubes
and of the lung tissue was very nearly
the same as. the one on the right side.
The chief difference being that the area of
brOncho pneumonia in the lower lobe was
less extensive in 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 group
of four minute areas of gray hepa-
tizrtion, each about one eighth of an
inch in diameter. There was no infarc-
ton and no assesses 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, 1t is quite
evident that the different suppurate sur
faces, and especially the fractured spongy
tissue of the vertebra, furnish sufficient eX
PLANTATION of the septic conditions which ex-
listed during life.
About an hour after the post mortem ex-
animation was completed the physicians
named at the commencement of this report
assembled for further consultation in an
adjoining cottage. A brief outline of the re-
suits of the post mortem examination was
drawn up, signed by all the physicians, and
handed to Private Secretary ]. Varley
Brown, who was requested to furnish copies
to the newspaper press.
D. w BLISS, J. &. BARNES,
J. J. WOODWARD ROBERT REYBURN
d. S. LAMB