Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-14
INFECTION is FATAL
TO SOLDIER WITH
TEETH IN ESOPHAGUS
Continued From First Pase)

tNOuCulueo FTOm rTSI PdSe)
morning. Four gold prongs. which at
tched the two false teeth to the ad-
joining good teeth, caught in his throat
a short distance down, according to
Maj. Daniel Franklin Of William Beau-
mont General Hospital, Fort Bliss. Tex,
who accompanied Nelson to Wash
ington.
Nelson tried to remove the bridge
with his fingers and pushed 1t down."
Maj Franklin said.
Maj. Franklin attempted to remove
the bridge and succeeded in partly
freeing 1t when the soldier suffered a
spasm, his throat contracting and the
esophagus about rs centimeters below
his front teeth, between the breastbone
and the fourth vertebra.
Maj. Franklin called in a private
surgeon and together they made an
other attempt to free the bridge but
failed. Maj. Franklin then decided that
the patient must be taken to Walter
Reed Hospital, where the best surgical
talent in the Army and the finest Of
equipment could be made available.
Ambulance Plane Ordered.
An Army ambulance plane at San
Antonio Tex, was ordered out. with
Lieut.. Frank G. Irwin. Army Air Corps,
at the controls. Leaving FL Paso with
the soldier at o'clock Sunday after
noon. Lieut.. irwin few until darkness
forced him down at Post Field, Fort
Sill, Okla. Maj. Franklin and Sergt.
D: r.. KaSs accompanied the soldier.
After only hours at Fort Sill, Lieut..
Irwin took off with his patient, the sur
geon and the mechanic long before
dawn yesterday morning, making stops
for fuel at Muskogee, Okla. Scott Field,
Belleville, Ill. and Fairfield Air Depot,
Dayton. Ohio. After a hard day of
flying he arrived at Boiling Field an
hour ahead of his anticipated arrival
time. at o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Nelson was conscious, though half
suffocated and in considerable pain
when a Walter Reed ambulance backed
up to the door of the plane and he was
lifted out. He told those standing
around that he was "all right" and
asked for q drink Of water.
Infection Sets in.
Following his arrival at the hospital
Maj. Roy Brown and Capt. John Har-
greaves, two Of the Army's throat spe-
cialists. worked for two hours in an
effort to cut up the bridge so it could
be taken out in section or to free it
SO 1t could be taken out whole. Every
effort failed and at the end of two
hours Surg. Gen. Robert u. Patterson
and DR.. James F. Mitchell. Washington
surgeon, who had gone to the hospital
to aid in handling the unusual case.
decided that the patient was too weak
to stand further probing until he had
regained some of his strength. BY this
time the soldiers condition was critical
During the night general Infection
set in and despite the efforts OF sun
geons and nurses, who worked over him
all night in relays, he died early this
morning.
Nelson was q native of Clifton, Tex,
the son of c. o. Nelson, 90-year- old
veteran of the Confederate Army in the
Civil War The Nelson's we're Texas
pioneer family and had come to the
United States from Norway. Frederick
Nelson, brother Of the dead soldier, Is
postmaster at Clifton.
1t Is planned to take the body to
Clifton for burial and military escort
probably will make the trip back Lieut..
irwin Is scheduled TO take off from
Boiling Field on the return trip to San
Antonio tomorrow.