The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-06
vENNEY,s PECULIAR CASE.
Skin Distended by Air, Which Escapes
From a Puncture in His Lung.
FromNhe New York Herald.

Fromthe New York Herald
The physicians of the Flower hospital,
at Sixty-third street and avenue A are
intensely interested in patient whose
case, they say, has few parallels in the
medical history of this city
It is what the doctors call traumatic
emphysema, meaning that the lung has
been punctured. whereupon much of the
breath which the patient inhales escapes
through the hole, and working its way
outward 10 the cellular tissue dlStendS the
skin to an enormous degree.
The escape of the sufferer from having
several bones broken, if not from instant
death, in the accident OF which his
present condition is the result, is another
matter that nils the doctors with wonder.
He is James Vennev, a single man, and
he resides at No. l,553 Broadway. He is
strong and muscular, as a result of the
heavy work he did as helper on Charles
NJ. Edwards ice wagon. He had no
premonition of evil when, last Saturday,
he started out with the wagon, seated
beside Patrick McCabe, the driver.
They drove to Fifty-second street, east
or First avenue to secure load from an
ice supplying concern. The cakes of ice
were carefully slowed away, until it was
estimated that the heavy wagon was
laden with $500 pounds. Then Venney
mounted to the seat. while McCabe was
concluding some negotiations connected
with his purchase.
Something. it is not known just what,
frightened the two big horses, and they
started to run, making a sudden lurch to
the middle of the street. This threw
Nenney to the pavement, and before he
| could recover himself a wheel of the
wagon had passed diagonally over his
body, from the left hip to the right
shoulder, and he lay as one dead when
Driver McCabe and others ran to his as
siSUance
They could do nothing for him, and an
ambulance from the Flower hospital was
summoned. DR.. Holden, the assistant
house surgeon of the hospital, drove to
the scene, and lost no time in getting
Nenney to that institution. He was con-
sciOus when he arrived there, and much
to the surprise of the surgeons, he did
not seem TO be very seriously injured
soon, however, his face began to change
color, until it was almost of purple hue,
his eYelids commenced to puff out, and
then the swelling continued to make itself
apparent down his neck and along his
body TO the waist, and down his arms to
the wrists a physician who tried to feel
| his pulse, finding a strange condition,
called attention to the fact. and then an
examination showed that under the skin
there was more than an inch in depth of
air. Wherever the finger was placed the
skin would sink, just as though one
touched an inflated cushion.
GROWING IN SIZE.
Then Venney began to cough up blood,
which continued for some time. and as
his skin gradually became more aud more
distended, his mind began to wander, and
by nightfall he was deirious.
1t dld not take the physicians long to
ascertain that the wheel of the ice wagon
had not fractured any bones, unless per
haps, one of his ribs, but the condition of
| his skin would not allow the examination
| to be scrutinizing enough to discover
whether or not this was a fact. That the
| lung was punctured there could be no
! doubt, but whether the punCture was
caused by the end of broken rib pene-
/ trating the lung or by the pressure of the
/ heavily laden ice wagon on his chest could
not be definitely determined.
There was really little that could be
done for Nenney, except to watch him
closely, so that should the air in the skin
around the throat press the larynX close
together he should be saved from strang-
ulation. He developed abnormal thirst
and the physicians administered stimu-
| lating medicines, together with apis and
internal applications of arnica, being the
/ indicated homeopathic remedies.
Nenney passed bad night, the disten-
sion of his skin increasing all the time
The next day he complained that it was
with great difficulty that he could breathe
! So he was propped up in sitting position
and that seemed to afford him some re-
/ lief. Aside from the hardship in getting
breath, he said he was suffering no pain
of any moment. DR. Stewart the house
! surgeon, and his assistant, DR.. Holden
were constant in their attention; but do
all they could the swelling of the skin
continued, although not making as rapid
| progress as previously. BY this time his
/ eyelids were so swollen that they stood
/ out like billiard balls, and sight was out
| of the question.
Although Neney could not sleep the
| second night he was in the hospital, he
/ seemed to be much improved the next day
AS eating any solids was not to be thought
1 of, he was fed on milk punches broth and
similar articles, and even these he had
considerable difficulty in swallowing. But
the swelling of the skin had dropped, and
the distension was decreasing, and it
looked as if poor Nenney was out of all
danger
This proved to be a fact, for the next
day he was able to partake of solid food
and then he announced his desire to 90 to
his home. This, of course, could not be
allowed, and it will be ten days or two
weeks before he is permitted to leave the
institution. He was seated in a rocking
chair. conversing with a friend, when l
saw him yesterday
SAYS HE'S ALL RIGHT NOW.
His skin was badly pulled out although
/ DR.. Holden assured me that the swelling
was not half as great as it had been a day
or two previously. When a finger was
placed on his body the surrounding skin
bulged out as would toy balloon under
similar conditions. His eyelids were
badly swollen, and were fiery red in
color In answer to question as to how
he felt he said:
"Oh, Pm all right now; l feel no pain
at all.
1T is very peculiar case said DR.
Holden, 'inasmuch as there is practi-
cally nothing that can be done The
danger is that the patient may be
strangled by the air COMPRISING the
larynX. When that seems imminent the
only thing to do is to punctnre the skin
so that the imprisoned air may escape.
''Nenney is on the right road now, and l
feelIthere is no doubt he will be as well as
ever soon again We can soon make a
thorough examination and ascertain if a
broken rib has caused the rupture of the
lung That puncture will heal in
couple of weeks, and then Venney will be
allowed to leave the hospital. The only
similar case l remember occurred about
nine wears ago, and if remem Der Alright.