Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-12-08
REMARKABLE CURE.
How New York Doctors Trsatef
a Case of Semi Paralysis.
The Patients Neck Subjected to the Same
Treatment as .Iooatei Finger
Usually Is and for Week I'M
prisoned In n PlastcS Cast.
N. Y. Specials;

Michael Carvahlo, an aLls-boiiei Ital..
ianlabofer, was ole of the, workmen at
the new aqneduct. eud Ey, an accident his.
name was added TO the long list of those.
who have been injure in the building OF
this magnificent structure. Carvahlo was
coming up from the bottom of a shaft,
oyer one hundred feet deep, in a largo
bucket TIrce other workmen were with
him. Al u. hlt way up the shaft was a
lot of scaffol ling made up of heavy tim
bers, and proj .cting In o the shaft. This
decreased the diameter several feet, and
frequently the bu kat on its upward jour-
ney would strike this frame work and
partially overturu. In ordsr to prevent
being THROWN out the men in tho bucket
squatted down and clung to the biil. On
this trip M, as the men were going to quit
for the night, tn " had put out their lights
and sWere going up in darkness. This was
unfortunate, the bucket after. it had
proceeded little way got to swaying.
Carvahio, who had a long sick with him,
put it out of the bu ket to steady it.
against the side of the shaft. This
exHosed ortion Of his Lody. ant,'
although the motion OF the
ucket Sideways was che .ked some what,
1t was not enough tn pass the scaffoidiny.
This was reached sronor than was ex-
pected, and one of the timbers ruck Car.
vahlo on the hack Of the head as he was
tryin to duck. He fell into the bucket in
heap, and was thought to be dead when
the open air was reacheds 4, doctor was
sent for, who examined the Imnu, and.
finding slight flutterny of tho heart, di-
rccfei that he be removed 10 the st. Jo-
sem hospital. There q more thorough
examination was male several hours
aterward, the patien. In the meantime
having become conscious, thous soma
what dazed. 1t was found that the entire
body from the neck down was partially
paraly zed and without sen sation or MUS
cular power. Sharp ins ruments were
sunk deeply into the mu ,cular tissue of
the legs without being accompanied by
any show of pain. Blood flowed with uu-
usual siowness from q slight wound in-
tentionally made I'm the arm. These eon-
ditions indicated that the injury was in
all probably in the cervicL vertebra,
and .hat there was no fracture CT the
skull.
While an assistant moved the head In
various positions the house surgeon ex-,
amined the bones in the neck. The third,
cervical vertebrB was out OF position, and
the spinous process which projects out
ward was evidently fractured. Continu-
ing upward the odonto;d process of the
axis, or bone, which acts as sort Of
pivot for the head to roll around on, was
discovered to be out of place, though the
dislocation was not complete. The pres
sure of the odontoid upon the spinal mar
row was the eau of the symptoms mani
tested. 1t is the dislocation If this bone
which produces instant de til by hanging
In this case the patient was only about
three-quarters dead. in consequence of
the nervous force which passes through
the spinal marrow being only partially
interrupted.
Though there was but a slight chance
of the PATIENTS intimate recovery, it wa:
deemed an excellent case for experiment.
ing, and preparations were made to re-.
duce the dislocation. The patient wns
placed in an upright position and held
there by assistants. The house surgeon
then got on bench behind the man
and, taking good grip upon the sides o,
the head by the cas-, pulled upward
~-t4~als- IT. -----.I.- - ..IaD,.-'
ell, the bead came around so that the face
was on line with the idle of the body
The third vertebrn slipped in,o position
quite easily, Ut the odontoid process was
wedged in such position that l. required
extensive manipulation to get it inte
place. The head was kept under artificial
tension for several moments and there
was an appreciable return of sensation. A
number of pins b ing suck into tho bot.
tom OF the foot was followed by a slight
muscular reaction Indicative of pain.
When it appeared certain thnt the nerv.
Gus &C .on of the spine would return ID
some degree upon the pressure at the toy
being relieved, tho tension was taken fron
the head, and as soon the w light fell Oh
tEe spine the head topplel over to one side
and the sensation was again destroyed.
Wi hin few hours a suspension appa.
ratus was obtained and work on the pa
tient was resume. |. BY combination oil
adjustable cushioned straps attrc'ied to o
stiff iron frame the weight Of tho patient's
body was supported by The shoulders AMI
head. The hea l-picce was fixel after con.
siderable trouble, so that sufi cient weight
was put upon the neck to bring the dislo.
cate'l bones into place. The olOntoid pro
cess again was trou lesome, but when II
was in n position that admitted of easy
movement a light bandage, which had
been dipped in plaster Of paris, was wound
around the neck. The adoption of an in-
genious arrangement lefi the air passage
into the lungs free from D. essure. After
several thickncsses of the bahdage had
been pu. on the neck [. was run over the,
heal and then back to the sboul lers and
over nnl around them. This was contin-
ued until strong thou ;h conipara-
lively light plaster cast was made
The foundation of tie cast was
upon the shoulders, ami the super
structure held the heal so that
oil the pressure was taken from the spine,
When the plaster had become hard, and
this only took n short time, the susp fsion
machinery was removed. The patient re-
maine. ccnrcious oil the time the work
was going on
Last We COX The plaster cast " as remove1.
1t had been on nearly three months. IhF
patient during this time hal been in fair
condition, and after he got use to his
prison house and the holf upright'po itiou
In which he was kept gave little trouble.
when the artificial support was removed
the result was gratifying to an unex-
pected degree. The neck remained up
right, and. except for a slight stiffness,
which 1t is thou ,ht will wear away in
time, It vas as good as new. Tire par
oTysis went away slow ly after the neck
was bandaged, bus ter a month il had
practically disappeared, and there was
complete return of sensation. The patient
VIII be kept at the hospital for some time
yet TO see if there is any weakness In the
united proce 8, AMI IL mono appears he
will be DISCHARGED cured.
Karamoko Showed His Tceth.
IPars Letter
Karamoko, the African Prince, has been