The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1881-10-08


wasted than the limbs. preservative fluid haC
been injected by the embalfnera few hours befor
into the left femora srtery. The pipes used 70
surface of the body presented no abnormal ap
rearapces: and there was no ecchymosis or othe
roSt o the OF part Just of Dedv t5
the right ear and a little behind il ther,
Was an oval liberated opening, about an inch II
Gaping, but no tumeiaction could be observed il
the parotii region. A considerable NUMBER pus
pua like spots were scattered thickly over the
far as the axill they ranged from
one eighth 10 One-fOurh OF an inch il diameter
were slightly elevated and furfuraceous on sur
face, and many of them were continent in groups
I of two and iour or more similar but much
( more abundant efupt on was observed sparsely
scattered over the corresponding regions On the
I right size was an oval excavated ulcer about an
/ inch long. The result of a small carbuncle was
cited the spinous process of the length dorsa
vertebre. Over the sacram there were four small
bed sores the largest about half an inch in diane
ter. few acCre pustuies and number of jrregu-
lar spots OF pest morten hypos-
| the shoulders, back and bullock. The
interior part of the scrotum was much discolored
b! hypostatic congestion. A gronp Of hemor-
| tIuded from the anus. The depressed cicatrix of
| the wound made by the pistol bullet was recog-
nlzed over ihe tenth intercostal space, three and
Il half inches TO the right of the vertebre spines
deep linear incisi0n made in the parts by
| the operation of July, and extended by that of
|
pOndlng to the upper border OF the right twelfth
| rib. 1t commenced pOsteriOusly about two inches
| from the vertebral spines. and extended forward
a little more than three inches. AT the anterior
| extremity OF this incsion there was deep nearly
| square, abraded surface, about an inch across.
| A well-oiled flexible catheter, fourteen
inches long, was then passsd into this
| wound as had been done To wash out during life
More resistance was a. first encountered than had
usually been the case but after several trials the
catherer entered without violence its full length
1t was then left i'll position and thebody disposed
supinely for the examination OF the viscera. The
Uranium was not opened. long incsi0n was
made from the superior extremity of the sternum
TO the pubs, followed by transverse incision,
crossing the abdomen first below the umbilcus.
The four flaps then formed were turned back and
the abdOmit al vlscera exposed The sub cutane-
GUS adipOse tissue divided by incisiOns
a little more than one-eighth of an inch
thick over the threat, but vas thicker over the
abdomen. being about quarter of an inch thick
along the linea alba, aud as much as half an inch
thicker towards the outer extremity of the
the abdominal viscera in the sitna
tie transverse colon was observed to lie little
above the line OF the umbilicus. Ii was firmly
adherent to the anterior edge of the liver. The
greater omentum covered the intestines pretty
thoroughly from the transverse colon
almost to the pubs. 1t was still
quite fat, and was very much blackened
by congestion. On both sides its lateral
margins were adherent to abdominal pariOtes op
poslte the eleventh and twelfth ribs On the left
side the adnesiOns were numerous from well or
gai,ized and probably old Ia foot note here
right side, as well those of the spleen possibly
date back TO an attack of chronic dy sintery from
which the patient is said TO have suffered during
the civil war. On the right side there were a
few similar adheslons, and a number of more
delicate and probably recent ones. mass of
cOagulated blood covered aud concealed the
Spleen and left margin of greater omentum
On raising the Omentum il was found that these
blood marks extended through the left lumbar
and lilac regions, and dipped down into the
pelyls In which there was some clotted blood
and rather more than pint of bloody fluid. "A
foot note here says large part of this fluid had
probably tTansuded from the injection material
of the embalmer.l The blood coagula having been
turned out and collected, measured very
nearly pint il was now evident
the immediate cause of death. but the point from
which the blood had escaped was not adherent
to the Int 1ntestines, which were moderately dis
found other than those between the transverse
colon and liver already mentioned The alb
dominal cavity being now washed out as thor
oughly as possible fruitlcss attempt was made
to obtain some indication of the position of the
bullet before making any further. incisions. By
which had been passed into the wound, 1t could
be t, ielt ro, i3sa between so, the peIitoneam
doubled upon ITSELF and, although
prolonged search was made, nothing could be
seen felt to indicate the presence of the bullet
either in that region or elsewhere. The abdomi-
nal viscera were then carefully removed from the
body, placed in suitable vessels and examined
seriatim, with the following results: The adhe
proved to have formed an abScess cavity between
and under the surface of the liver. The trans
verse meso c lon, which involved the gall
bladder and extended To about the some distance
on each side of it, measuring six inches trans
versaiy, and four inches from before, backward.
This cavity was lined by a thick pygenic MEM
occupied by the abscess. 1t contained
d OF and o. bssx gensa yeSw
abscess did not involve only portion of the sub
stance If the liver except the surface with which
il was in contact, and no communication could
be determined between 1t and any part of the
wound Some recent peritoneal adhesions ex
ised between the upper surface Of the right lobe
than normal. weighing eighty-four ounces
Its substance was firm, but of a |
pale, yellowish color on - its surface
fatty degeneration. No evidence that it had been
penetrated by the bullet could be found, nor were
@
diaphragm by adhesions. There were several |
rather deep cOngeDial assures in its margins Civ
ally large, weighing eighteen ounces, of a very |
dark lake color, both on the surface and on the |
section Its ,parenclyma was soft and aabby |
were some recent peritonial adhesions between |
the posterior wall of the stomach and the poste-
rirr abdominal particles With this exception no |
intestines. nor were there any other evidences |
general or local perit0ntis found besides these |
ounces, the lett kidney seven. JUS. beneath the
capsul of the left kidney, at about the middle of
its its convex border, there was 2
in diameter There were three small serious cysts |
on the conuex border OF the right kidney just be-
meath its capsule. In all other respects the tissue
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
point at which it had fractured the right eleventh
RIB, three inches and half to the right |
the left, and obliquely forward passing through |
the body of the first lumbar vertebra and lodging
in the adipOse connective tissue, Immediately be- |
inches and half to the left of the spinal column,
aud behind the peritoneum. Ii had become COM
pietey S eneysted % The , track OF the bullet be,
eleventh RIB and that at which 1t entered the first
lumbar vertebra was considerably diiated, and
pus had burrowed downward through the
adipose tissue behind the right Kidney. and
thence had found its way between the peri
toneum and the eighth ilica fascia, making a
the groin. The adipose tissue behind the kidney
in the vicinity of this descending channel was
much thiekened and condensed by Inflammation,
aud in the channel which was found almost free
from pus lay the flexible catheter introduced
into the wound at the commencement OF the
Its extremity was found doubled upon ITSELF
Immediately beneath the peritoneum, reposing on
thetliac fascia, where the channel dfiated into
channel, now clearly ITO have been caused by
the burrowing of pus from the wound was sup
posed during life to have been the track OF the
bullet.
The last dorsal together with the first and Sec
0nd lumbra vertebra and the last rio. was then
removed form the back for more thorough exam
ination, and when the examination was made u
was found that the bullet had penetrated the lum
bra vertebra in upper part OF right sfde and the
aperture by which 1t entered involved the inter
yeriebral cartilage next above and was situated
just below and anterior 70 the inter yerJebret fora
about one qaurter of an inch distant.
Passing oblquely to the left and forward through