The Portland daily press., 1881-07-07
SURGICAL HISTORY RECALLED.

SURGICAL HISTORY RECALLED.
Notable Instances OF Recovery from
Wounds Similar to that Inflicted upon
the President.
WASHINGTON, July 6-Among the anthori-
ties constantly consulted by the physicians in
attendance upon the President is 1.-THE Medi-
cal and Surgical History of the War of the
Rebellion" In part 2, volume 2, of that elab-
crate work, which was prepared under the d.
rection of Surgeon General Barnes, there are
reported 173 cases of gunshot wounds of the
liver. 40. i7rog~
In some Introductory remarks on wounds of
this nature Assistant Surgeon Otis said -"If
the patients escaped the early danger of hem
orrhage, they were likely to die of traumatic
peritonitis or from abscess of the hepatic pa
renchyma. Yet abundant proof was afforded
that very serious shot injuries of the liver were
not necessarily mortal. This will be fully put
in evidence by detailed observations and by
tabulated statements, after the principle varie-
ties of LESSONS observed on microscopic exami-
nation shall have been presented. One hun
dred and seventy-three cases of shot wounds of
the liver appear on the returns as having come
under treatment"
OF these 173 cases, SO are described in gen.
eral sense as ''uncomplcaIed," where the in
jury to the liver was the dominant lesion"
In ia cases the injury to the liver twas asso-
ciated with fractures of the ribs or of the ver-
tebral apophyses or with LESSONS Of the lung,
diaphragm, stomach, hepatic ducts or gall
bladder, of the spleen, pancreas, kidneys or
blood vessels" OF the 50 'uncomplicated'
cases, rs. or more than 40 per cent, were treat
ed with successful results, aud of the ia COM
plcated cases, 81, or more than 80 per cent,
were treated successfully. The result of treat
ment in three cases was unascertained
One of the cases of recovery reported was by
Dr. d. W. Bliss, who is one of the physicians
attending the President DR.. Bliss was at that
time an army surgeon, in charge of the Ar
mory Square Hospital in Washington. I Q
case reported by him was that of Private
Bradley, of the 39th Massachusetts, Volunteers,
who received pistol shot through the liver at
Hatcher's Run, Virginia, March 80, 1866
"The treatment consisted of cold water dress
ings and the administration of tonics and slim
ulants." The patient improved rapidly and
months after he received the wound. He is
not q pensoner.
Another case reported is that of private w.
M Crandal of Co. X, AID Ohio volunteers.
This case derives considerable additional in
terest from the fact that the 42d Ohio was
President Garfeld's own regiment The medi-
cal history of the case is related as follows:
Privote W. M. Crandall, Co. X, 42d Ohio, was
wounded at Vickshurg, May %, 1868, by a
musket ball, which penetrated the right side
of the abdomen. He remained at the field
hospital until June II, when be was taken on
board the hospital steamer r. G. Wood and
conveyed to Memphis, entering Gayoss Hos
pital on June %. Here the injury was noted
as ''guHshot wound of the gastric region
On October he was sent to the hospital of
Camp Dennison, Ohio, whence he was trans
ferred to the Invalid Corps Nov. IL, 1868. He
was discharged from service June II, 1864, and
pensioned.
Pensioner Examiner Alexander Steele of
Oberlin, Ohio, reports December 10, 1866: The
ball entered 81 inches above and one inch to
the right of the navol and is supposed to be in
the liver The wound is open and has been
discharging since September, 1866. There is
pain on slight motion which is increased by
labor. Sufficient effort is supposed to have
been made to extract the ball, but unsuccess-
fully. The disability is permanent and equal
to the loss of limb, unless the ball is extract
ed, which does not seem probable. Health
otherwise good.
In this case it will be observed that the
bullet is supposed to have remained in the
liver.
After describing each of the twenty-five
cases of ''uncomplicated" wounds of the liver,
the author says that fourteen of them "can be
accepted as indubitable examples of recovery
from shot wounds of the liver; while in eleven
cases the evidence is inconclusive. After
giving detailed statement regarding the 81
cases OF recovery where wounds of the liver
were associated with injury to other organs,
the author concludes that in eighteen of them
the evidence is indabitable that hepatic LESSONS
existed and adds:
With the IA incontestable recoveries of the
first series the record, therefore, supplies 80 ex-
shaPioo noo " 10 oAciuuou ny ouo InoSt IiSof-
GUS analysis from the category of recoveries
from shotwounds Of the liver. Twenty-three
of the 81 cases were complicated by LESSONS of
the diaphragm, and in Is of these the lung
was injured and in there was fracture of the
ribs; 8 were associated with with LESSONS of
the stomach or intestines and with wounds
of the kidney In 2 cases it was believed that
the gall bladder was intersected.
This is a record which certainly does not for
bid the hope of the Presidents recovery even
If it be true that the bullet of Guiteau lacerat-
ed the liver