The treatment of spinal curvature by continuous extension : a modification of the plaster-of-Paris jacket : (read before the New York County Medical Society, January 27th, 1879) / by John A. Wyeth.

  • Wyeth, John A. (John Allan), 1845-1922.
Date:
[1879]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The treatment of spinal curvature by continuous extension : a modification of the plaster-of-Paris jacket : (read before the New York County Medical Society, January 27th, 1879) / by John A. Wyeth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    out the tl-eatftient. At night, or at any time while the”patient is reclining, when there is not a demand for much support the middle bar is removed, allowing the patient to rest comfortably on the back. Fig. 3. It will be seen that by my method the upper portion of the body rests upon the tripod of bars which are anchored, one over the sacrum and one over each hip, and that the diseased spinal column is relieved from all pressure from above or laterally. If there exists a lateral curvature one of the lateral bars can be extended more than the other and the curvature corrected. If the curvature is antero-pos- terior with the concavity backward (lordosis) the posterior bar will demand extra extension, and if the convexity of the curve is back- ward, the two lateral bars will require extension at the expense of the posterior. Around the portion of the body between the two jackets, a dry un- plastered roller is carried moderately tight in order to retain any dressing on the sore (if this exist) and to equalize the pressure. In figures 4 and 5, is represented a soft buckskin-padded jacket, made by Mr. Harz, of Reynders & Co., which is used for the few weeks following the removal of the plaster jacket. The mechanism is the same and it is used to guard against the accidents likely to occur to children liberated from the bondage of Pott’s disease and surgical treatment. If plaster-of-Paris cannot be obtained, liquid glass, bandages immersed in mucilage, or the starch bandages will answer. Gypsum is best since it does not undergo any ferment in contact with bodily moisture, but the starch bandages are stronger and do not require to be put on so thick as the former. One-quarter of an inch in thickness will usually suffice. The screws and plates