The Portland daily press., 1881-10-03

ms Law the flexible catheter Introduced into
the wound at the commencement OF the autop-
sy. Its extremity was found doubled upon IL
self Immediately beneath the peritoneum, re,
posing upon the lilac facia, where the channel
was d7lated into pouch of considerable size.
This long descending channel, now clearly
seen to have been caused by the burrowiDg OF
pus from the wound, was supposed, during lie,
to have been the track of the bullet
THE LAST DoRsAL
together with the first and second lumbar YER
zebra and the 18th rib were then removed \
from the body for more thorough examina-
ton. When this examination was made 1T
was found that the bullet had penetrated the
first lumbar vertebra in the upper part OF the
right side of the body. The aperture by
which it entered the intervertebra cartilage
next above was situated just below and an
terror to the interyertebral foramen, from
which the upper margin was about one-quarter
of an inch distant Passing oblquey to the
left and forward through the upper part of the
body of the first lumbar vertebra, the bullet
emerged by the aperture, the centre OF which
was about half an inch to the left of the
median line, and which lalso involved the i'll
tervertebral cartilage next above. The can
cellated tissues of the body of the first lumbar
vertebra, was very much comminnted and the
fragments somewhat displaced. Several deep
assures extended from the track OF the bullet
into the lower part of the body OF the l2th
dorsal yertebra. Others extended through the
first lumbar vertebra into the intervertebral
| cartilage, between it end the second lumbar
vertebra Both this cartilage and that next
above were partly destroyed by liberation. A
number of minute fragments from the frac-
tuTed lumbar vertebra had been driven into
the adjacent soft parts.
1t was further found that the right 18th
rib also was fractured at point II inches to
the right of the transversal process of the l2th
dorsal vertehra. This injury had not been
recognized during life. On saving through
the vertebra, a little to the right of the median
line, 1t was found that the spinal canal was
not involved by the track of the ball. The
| spinal cord and other contents of this portion
| of the spinal canal presented
NO ABNORMAL APPEARANCE.
The reast OF the spinal cord was not exam
| ined. Beyond the first lumbar vertebra, the
bullet continued to go TO the left passing be-
I hind the pancreas to the point where II was
| found Here it was enveloped in firm cyst
| of connective TISSUES, which contained, be-
side the ball. minute quantity OF inspissated
somewhat cheesy pus, which formed thin
! layer of portion of the surface of the lead.
| There was also black shred adherent to apart
| of the cyst wall, which proved on microscope
| cal examined, to be the remains OF blood
] clot For about an inch from this cyst, the
track OF the ball behind the papcreas was
| completely obliterated by the healing process
! Thence as far backward as the body of the
/ first lumbar vertebra the track was filled with
coaguiated blood, which extended on the left
4
| adipose tissue behind the pertoneum and
above the pancreas. The blood had worked
| its way to the left, bursting finally through
| the peritoneum behind the spleen into the
| abdominal cavity. The rendering OF the tls-
| sues by the extrayasation of this blood was uf-
| doubtedly the cause of the paroxysms of pain
which occurred short time before death. This
| mass of coagulate1 blood was of irregular form
and nearly as large as mans INST. Ii could pc
distinctly seen from in front through the per-
ifOp ann, after the prAafpr curvature OF the
stomach had been exposed by the dissolution
of the greater omentum from the stomach, and
especially after some delicate adhesions be-
tween the stomanch and the part OF the peri
toneum covering the blood mass had been
broken down by the fingers. From the rela-
lions of the mass, as thus seen, 1t was believed
that the hemorrhage had proceeded from one
of the mesenteric arteries: but. as it was clear
that minute dissection would be required to
determine
THE PARTICULAR BRANCH INVOLVED
it was agreed that tie infltrated tissues and
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
rent nearly four Icing BIS of an inch long in
the main trunk of the splenic artery two inches
and half to the left of the coelac axis The
rent must have occurred at least several days
before death, since the everted edges in the
slit in the vessel were united Dy uEul duHeSiuuS
to the surrounding connective tissue, thus
forming an almost continuous wall bounding the
adjoining portion of the blood .clot. Moreover,
the periphera portion of the clot in this vacin-
ity was disposed in pretty firm concentrc lay
ers. 1t was further found that the cyst below
the lower margin of the pancreas, ia which
the bullet was found, was situated three and
one-half inches to the left of the coelac axis
Besides the mass of coagnlated blood Just de-
scribed another about the size OF q walnut was
4 11aar fhae nla
extremity of the stomach. The communities
lion, if any, between this and the larger hem
orrhaeic mass could not be made out. The ex-
animation of the thoracic viserca resulted as
follows:
The cart weighed IL ounces. All the cavi-
ties were entirely empty, except the right ven
trice in which few shreds of soft reddish
coagulated blood adhered to the internal sur
face On the surface of the metral valve there
were several spots of fatty degeneration.
With this exception the cardiac valves were
normal. The muscular tissues OF the heart were
soft and tore easily. few spots OF fatty de-
generation existed in the lining membrane OF
the aorta, just above the semiiunar valves, ana
a slender cIot OF fbrines was found in the aorta,
where it was divided, about Two inches from
these valves, for the
REMOVAL OF THE HEART.
On the right side slight peuritic ADMISSIONS
existed between the convex surface of the
lower lobe OF the lung and the costsl pleufa,
firm adhesions between the anterior edge %
the lower lobe, the pericaTdium aud the dla
pbragm. The right luug weighed thirty-two
ounces. The posterior part OF the assure be-
tween its upper and lower lobes was congeni-
tally incom plete The lower lobe of the right
lung was bypostaticaly congested, and consld-
cradle portioBs specially toward the base
were the seat of broneho pneumonia. The
bronchial tubes contained considerable guam
tity of striDgy mucus p9s Ihelr mn-
Gus surface was leddened by Catarrhal
VI. n1t,..r fsC1rTn Nrrad md q n
A foot note here SAYS: A part at least OF
this condition was doubtless due to the extra
vasation of the injecting fluids by the embal
mer But it contained no ASSESSES or lnfrac-
tons. On the left side the lower lobe OF tpe
lung was bound behind to the costil isura above
to the upper lobe and below the diaphragm By
pretty firm pleuritic adhesions. The left lung
weighed twentY-seven ounces. The condinon
of its bronchial tubes and of the large tissues
was very nearly the same as on the right side,
the chief difference deing that the area OF
broncho-pneumonia in the lower lobe was
much less extensive in the left lung than ~
he 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 Tour
minute areas of grey Repatriation, each about
one eighth of inch in diameter. There
were no attractions and no assesses ln any part
of the lung tissue. a
The surgeons assisting at the autopsy were
ufianimously of the opinion that, IN review
ing the history of the case IN connection with
the autopsy, it is quite evident that the
a3 DIFFERENT sUPPURATING SURFACES. n
and especially the fractured spongy tissue of
the vertebre furnish sufficient explanation
of the specific conditions which existed during
life. i8
About an hour after the post mortem exami-
nation was completed the physicians named al
the commencement of this report assembled
for further consultation in an adjoining cot
tage A brief outline of the results of the post
mortem examination was drawn up, signed by
all the physicians, and handed to Private Sec
retary j. Stanley Brown, who was requested TO
furnish copies TO the newspaper press.
(Signed) d. w Bliss,
j. K BARNES,
j j WOODWARD,
5 ROBERT kEYBURN,
d. 5 LAMB.
As the above report contains paragraphs De
failing the observations made at Washington
on the pathological specimens preserved f,r
RAT nursose. tbs, names of Drs j. H. Hamil
Ten, b. Hayes Agnew aud A. HI Smith are
not appended to it 1t has, however, been sub
nitted TO them, and they have given their as
sent to the other portions of the report