The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-03-15

LIVING WITH HIS NECK BROKEN.

rrluay night by tall, good-iookinl
man, accompanied by stylish-ap
pearing lady, who arrived on lat,
Chicago train. They were registere,
as Jerry Baldwin and wife of Biz
mingham, Alabama, and were assign
ed rooms.
The man walked with the aid of .
large cane, and was partially sup
ported by his wife. Both his leg,
were crooked and twisted in several
! different ways; his right arm hung
limp and listless by his side, while
his head was bandaged in leather
straps which, winding under his chin
were fastened above the head to a
curved piece of steel which protrud-
ed from under his coat collar behind.
AS he walked his head swung loosely
as if the neck was connected only for
a moment and was of no earthly use
W thC OMueT.
This man, who, to all appearances,
seemed to have been run through a
threshing machine, or stood up for a
target tor John l.. Sullivan to prao-
tice on, is the celebrated Jerry Bald
win, whose case is one of the most
remarkable in the history of medical
science, and puts to the winds hun.
dreds OF surgical theories which had
been laid down as absolutely unalter-
able. His is the first case on record
where man has survived broken
neck, and. although his existence is
! made somewhat unpleasant thereby,
yet he bids fair to live to a good age,
even though the broken neck is
coupled with two broken legs, FIVE
broken ribs and broken arm, and,
Mr.. Baldwin expresses it, broken
record.
Jerry 4. Baldwin was born in New
York, April 10, 1859, and was engag-
ed in the various railroad yards until
he removed to Birmingham, Ala,
where he obtained a position as yarl
master in the Louisville and Nash
vile railroad yards. At 415 a. m,
March IL, 1887, he was standing in
a caboose in the yards when a runa-
way engine came laundering down
the track, and striking the car in
which Baldwin was standing, knock
ed him on the track, and the engine
and six cars ran over him, breaking
his right leg in two places and his
left leg just below the thigh, five
ribs, three on the right side and two
on the left, besides swapping in twain
the sixth cervical vertebra of the
neck and splintering the joint be-
tween the sixth and seventh YER
tebra.
Every stitch OF the mans clothes
was torn from his body, and large
hole was made in the sight side. In
this condition he was found and taxi
en- to his home. 1t was thought that
he could live only few minutes, but
after hours of waiting, he was found
to be still breathing. A consultation
was held by Drs. James b. Luckie,
Copeland and Barclay, and steps
were taken to experiment, with u
view of performing feat never be-
fore thought possibbl, i. O., saving
mans life after his neck was broken.
They were finally successful.
The injured man was unconscious
for thirty six hours, and after being
incased wholly in plaster of paris,
was put upon water mattress Ga
rubber bag filed with water). On
this he laid more than four months.
lie was then put to bed, where he
lay two months longer. lie was to-
tally blind for fourteen days after
the accident, and has yet hardly re-
gained the full use Of his eyesight.
At the end OF six months, during
which time the patient was in a com
atose condition, he began to show
symptoms of recovery. The entire
medical world had been exercised
over the case, and many eminent
medical men visited the patient. He
was finally taken from the plaster Of
paris east, and his neck being totally
useless, his head was swung in the
leather mask called the jury mask,
which he now wears.
His body is encased in corset. the
back Of which is solid steel, reaching
from the hips to the back of the neck
where flexible bar of metal is rivi-
ted. This bar curves above the head
and to it the mask is attached. The
front OF the corset is Of Irish linen
and rubber, and it is tightly laced.
The weight of the head is thus borne
by the hips. The corset was design
ed by DIR, A. J. Baxter OF Chicago.
The mask is the design of DIR. Sayres
of New York. Baldwin is cheerful
to remarkable degree, although the
physical pain he still endures is very
great.
Such are the injuries that he must
be always moving, absolute rest being
quickly followed by Inconsistencies.