The Portland daily press., 1899-12-13

hands or wrists. So In all the medical
schools thers IL q stringent rule against
any person going into the disssotina
room, who has any kind Of sore, fcratca
or cut on his hands, but all these pc.
cautions prove insufficient sometimes.
Sewing up cadavers 10 one great source
OF danger. The disseotor Is likely to be
hasty or clumsy with his needle ana
pricks himself. II he notices the prick
be will. unless be is criminally careless.
suck the wound vigorously, for the
without danger. Unless he is satisfied
that he has got out all the septic matter
he will cautsrize freely. II he doesnt
notice the wound until the sympto ms
make themselves known he will be for
tunate II he gets of alive, for 1t Is almost
impossible TO check the poison. onoe it
has fairly entered the system.
al recall case. several years ago which
I attended. The patient was young
physician, DIR. c., OF this city. While
dissecting he scratched . finger OF nn
right hand, aud Immediately sucked the
wound and washed 10 In antiseptics.
He laid open the sore and csuterizsd 10
freely, but @ day or two later signs OF In
fam nation appeared along the lines OF
the lymphatios. The patient had already
suffered from chills. fever and depression.
l Was called In and by the time got
blort tQ6 nnuu anu WIiEb WNAV bsaAy
swollen and the swelling was extending
up the arm. IL got as far as the shoulder
and Tad an extremely sick man on my
hands. About all that could be done was
to keep up the heart action with sttmu-
lants, and DR.. C.'s naturally strong oon.
stitution kept him up till the poison had
run ita course. His system took Its own
way to rid itsslf Of the pois onous matter
and for six months his life Was made
miserable with abscesses. but he recovered
completely. In this respect he was more
fortunate than another physician OF my
Acquaintance, who was poisoned by Q
osdavsr through hang1Ii I,s', That ahs..s.ss was
which he asorihes to the after effects Of
the ptomainsa know OF a mum Der of
other cases Of post-mortem poisoning
which had fatal results, in fscs large
majority of these cases result fatally"
Another curious form OF post-mortem
poisoning is sort of warty excrescenoe
which appears upon the hands Of smbalm.
ers. morgue ksepersyG and others who
habituslly handle dead bodies, and Is
known scientifically es verruka pecro-
genica. 1t 10 very difficult to root out,
and in some cases result. apparently IN
ptomaine poisoning, as the chills, fever
and swelling Of this poisoning. Physicians
operating upon gangreensd limbs are
Obliged to exercise the greatest care. Not
long ago q BROOKLYN doctor while thus
operating and beading over the aHecteo
part got drop Of blood from IL on .he
inner port Of his nose. Despite all his
precautions the organ soon became sore
and began to swell, In short time 1t
was as big az his fist. Another ply ysician
was called In to treat him and after q
week. during which time his life hung
on the question Of whether the poison
would tend upward TO the brain or not.
the patient was Informed that bis life
would be saved, but his nose would have
to 60. He begged q respite for his nose.
and the poison subsidized, leaving that
orsa as good a. new except for one
small soar.