Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-12-05
BULLET IN THE BRAIN.
Iss Presence There Not Always Attended
by Fatal Results,

The idea that the human brain is
an organ SO extremely delicate in
structure that 1t cannot bear the slight
est physical hurt sometimes appears
to receive contradiction in the ex-
Lerience of people who have met with
peculiar injuries to the head. The
history of brain surgery presents some
remarkable facts in regard to the ex-
tent to which the thinking organ will
sometimes resist the effects of exter-
nal injury. 1t has been shown that
in some cases quantities of its sub
stance may be removed without ap-
preciably diminishing the normal in
telligence of the patient; while some
have been known to carry the most
extraordinary foreign substances i'm
'tedded in their skulls for years.
Finds of the most singular kind
have been made in the interior sub
stance Of the living human brain. The
strangest things have been known to
find entry there through accident or
design.
In one case it was the blade of a
pen-knife that was carried about in
the brain for half lifetime without
the patient being in the least aware Of
it; in another it was penholder that
had somehow found it's way there and
remained in it's living hiding place
without apparently interfering with
the thinking power of the organ;
while only week or so ago piece
of slate pencil was recovered from a
boys brain after it had been hidden
there for several years.
1t is. therefore, perhaps none the
more surprising that many a bullet
which has found its billet in human
brain has proved no more than a tenn
porary inconvenience.
A French soldier who received a
bullet in his head during the Franco
German war of 1870 carried 1t there
Tor 81 years, and was said to have
felt no ill-etfects till 1897, when it one
day worked it's way downward into the
mouth and so rid him of it's presence.
In the case of German soldier who
was shot in the head during the Son.
derbund war, he lived to carry the
leaden souvenir in his brain for 43
years, and it was not extracted till
after his death.
These two remarkable cases, how
ever, seem to be beaten by another
that has quite recently been brought
to light, the case being that Of an old
soldier still living at -, who for
over half a century has carried in his
head the bullet received during the
Austrian rebellion in 1548.
Would-be suicides have occasionally
put bullets into their brain to no pur-
pose; and perhaps one of the most as
founding cases of recent years was
that dealt with at the Richmond hos
pital only year or SO ago.
The patient had in vain tried to
take his life by shooting himself in
the head, and after thus placing two
bullets in his brain he was immediate
ly conveyed in a cab to the hospital.
But he was so little affected at the
time by the presence Of the bullets in
his head that he actually alighted from
the vehicle, walked along the garden
path and up the steps of the hospital,
and was then able to give an intelli-
gent account of what had taken place.
In a similar case of self-inflicted in
Jury that came before the doctors at
Guys hospital few months later the
would-be suicide, after firing revol-
ver bullet into his head, was discov-
cred smoking his pipe as if nothing
very serious had happeneu, and though
the bullet had penetrated the skull
to the depth of three and half inch
es he was able to walk part Of the
way to the hospital and there undress
himself without assistance previous to
undergoing examination.
The effects of removing bullets from
able as any of the foregoing, and per-
haps in this connection mention may
be made of case of military cadet
operated on by doctor of Vienna just
recently.
On removing the bullet small guam
tity of brain had also to be taken
away, the peculiar result being that,
though unaltered in any other respect,
the patient irretrievably lost all his
good manners for which he was noted.
The eminent surgeon therefore sug-
gests that the portion of the brain
removed with the bullet corresponds
to what he describes as the bump
Of good manners. London Tit-Bits.