Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-08-14
RACE AGAINST DEATH
SAVES FARMERS LIFE
Edward Oman, With Neck Dislocated, Totally
Paralyzed, Lives Again."

"S~'s SsAAN oSuSAWCcSs ~. &c II. SANTA
Fe; Southern Pacific outof New Or
leans-I have been on them all. 1t is
the only train from Chicago to the
coast which cuts of ten hours. and is
an excess fare train. Gothenburg isn't
on its map-only Chicago and San
Francisco. To get this train to stop
meant to 90 to the highest official OF
the Union Pacific road.
DR.. Edwards practices chiropractic
in Omaha, where the head offices OF the
Union Pacific are. DR.. Edwards ad-
justs w. H. Murray. Mr. Murray Ia
the general passenger agent OF the I'm
ION Pacific. I requested DR.. Edwards
to request Mr.. Murray. The request
was granted willingly, gladly.
In company with DR.. Edwards we
arrived in Gothenburg. We got off the
Overland Limited. The people thought
cloud burst had arrived. What was
going to happen--did not "the Over
land Limited stop here today. and who
were the men who got OFF,"
A Mad, Dash in An Auto.
No sooner arrived than we we're
rushed madly over forty miles of coun-
try road to Arnold. the town "of the
man with the broken neck" Every
body knew Of the case. Everybody was
interested. We made this mad dash
of forty miles in one hour and fifteen
minutes
We arrived at the home about p. m
Now for the case.
Ed Oman was driving n team with
wagon and a cultivator behind The
lines became loose, they got up be-
tween the horses and Ed Oman walked
down on the wagon tongue to get them.
It p not known whether the horses
became frightened or whether Ed slip
ped. but hewas later picked up from
the road unconscious. He lay fiat on
his back.
He was taken to a dostor's office,
where different abrasions Of the skin
were sewed. He was then taken to his
home and put to bed. It was now no.
ticed that he was paralyzed to motion
and feeling from the neck down. The
diagnosis Of "a broken neck" was nat
ural under the circumstances. Every
body was given strict injunction to not
even jar the floor nor to permit the
patient to move head. hand or foot-to
do so meant instant death.
Twenty. Hours to Live.
Ed Oman was given twenty-four
hours to live. We arrived on the
from death-as the physicians believed
| it. There had been q consultation of
| physicians from radius Of sixty miles
around--some eleven. all told. under
| stand ALL agreed as to diagnosis and
prognosis. Nothing could be done but
| to let him lay in bed. absolutely still,
until death should him part.
! Fracture, Dislocation or Subiuxation?
II it had been a cervical dislocation
| or fracture, that prognosis would have
| been true. Was it true? This was
what I was called to determine. Had
it been true, I would have need Of DR.
Edwards.
Our attention was called to print
| (sktagraph) taken from a photograph
The print was poor: nothing could be
discerned by a study of 1t. We asked
| for the Photograph itself. We were
told that instructions had been issued
''to let no person see it under any cir
| cumstances." We regretted this ex
| tremely, for anything which would
have done this case any good should
have been done.
Was There Crepitus7
II 1t were dislocated or fractured
there would be crepitus. If there was
no crepitus, 1t would be bad cervical
subluxation with cord pressure. In one
instance q surgeon would be needed;
in the other, chiropractor.
Practically Dead.
! Ed Oman lay on his back: he had
not moved O muscle. His nurse was
instructed to not let US do so. When
we suggested turning Ed over. to get
better to his neck. Mrs. Oman (who
was sisa trained H..-sel objected
| strenuously and said he would die
naturally first. 1t was turn around
and come home or do something. we
took the case in our hands. We re-
moved the pillow from under the head
We gradually began to work the head
listening and feeling carefully for crep-
illus. We detected none after over ono
hour Of study OF the neck We de-
cided two subluxations existed. VIZ:
! axis and fourth cervicai.
Before we arrived, Ed could not movt
his head in any direction. His jaw
was set His arms were cold. lifeless
I, e...yirsr cONld.