The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-07-24

the liver Or kidney, and probably one
or more of the iutestines, would be
either death during the period of
Shock" or subsequently from peri
tonites or fatal Inflammation. II,
now, we notice the bulletins of the
next four days We observe gradual
and steady recovery from the
SHOCK" and also an entire absence
of!all inaammatory symptoms; moth
ing remains but little surgical fever
and the wound which ia beginning to
discharge some pus. Now, then, We
have the first evidence that the call
has not penetrated the cavity of the
abdomen and that the important or.
gsns therein contained have escaped
injury. OF wounds OF the liver re-
ported in the surgical history of the
war there were eight recoVeries in
thirty-tWo reported cases. bat it must
be remembered that while this is a
mortality Of only 25 per cent. the
numbers of fatal cases upon the field
of wounds Of this character would
greatly swell the death rate. Excep-
tional cases in all classes Of what
would seem to be mortal wounds do
occur, but when considered with the
great mass thew are too few to merit
serious consideration. Though one
man had lived for eleven days with a
pistol ball in the wall of the heart, il
would hardly warrant surgeon in
giving anything like favorable opin-
ion in similar case.
Having passed the infammstory
stage there still runs through the case
one symptom that tends further to
chow that the ball has not passed into
the cavity of tae abdomen, and that
is, pain in one and sometimes both
legs. This would go to show that the
ball had taken one of two directions.
viz: Either to the left and toward the
spinal column or downward behind
the important viscers in the right
side, and was lodged upon or near
the important nerves that go to sur-
ply the1eg. The fret hypothesis can
reasonably oe left oui, because the
symptoms are not strongly enough
marked, nor does paralysis to any ex-
tent exist in tue extrem ties. The
second is the more probable
one for several reasons. First, the
character OF the pain is such IS would
result from any injury to the Sacral
plexus of nerves and would cause, in
addition, the prominent soreness or
sensibility OF the skin Of the right
leg. especially such indeed as the
President complains OF; second. the
ball struck aud partially fractured
be eleventh rib. This rib, from its
known mobility, its rounded surface,
and from the fact that when pressed
upon it rises, would easily defect a
large ball whose initial velocity was
not very great, and consequently
turn the bullet downwards in ths di-
rection of the pelvis and behind the
peritoneum. The bullet would en-
counter but little opposition after
leaving the rib until it had expended
its force in the loose fat of the pelvis,
or had buried itself in the tenderloin
muscle. II, in addition to these
faote, it is remembered that the
would.be assassin was the taller of the
two men, and that under any cir
cumstancee the uuZzle OK the pistol
would be directed little downward,
it will be readily seen how the course
OF the wound would be downward. to-
ward the pe'Vis. and not on straight |
line into the cavity of the abdomen.
Agair, if the line of FIRE wac from be-
hind forward. and little to the right
las indeed would seem probAble), |
then the double. convexisy of the rib
would exert still greater power in |
DETECTING the ball from it's onward
course, and thereby make the injury
less serious than il st fret seemed.
There il still another fact which
would 90 to support this view OF the
case, and that 10 that the pistol had
but little penetrating power, owing to
its quality and the Iaot that the car
fridge contained only twenty grains OF
powder. The wounded man was also
Q well-built, heavy person, and the
natural thickness of the posterior wall
OF tne abdomen at this point would
offer better resistance to q ball than
il the patient had been more sparely
built.
II. now, the subsequent reports OF
Al