Reports in operative surgery. Series 6 / by Richard G.H. Butcher.

  • Butcher, Richard G. H., 1819-1891.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reports in operative surgery. Series 6 / by Richard G.H. Butcher. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/42 (page 14)
    the operation two years. It is worthy of remark that, although the primary affection was genuine scirrhus, the deposit in the heart had more of the medullary character.” And now with regard to the case which was operated on, in Mercer s Hospital, by myself. Eliza Doran, aged 69, admitted to Mercer’s Hospital, November 1, 1859. Two years before the above date, she was suddenly seized with racking pain in the eye, which awakened her from sleep. On the following morning, the entire organ seemed red, with a profusion of tears flowing from it, which she ascribed to the severe rubbing and pressure that she made upon it to try and get relief from the burning pain in the ball. This pain remained unabated for days, and gradually the sight be¬ came dim ; she could, for nearly three months, discern objects, but could not clearly distinguish their characters; gradually even this power of imperfect vision was lost; and in five months after the first occurrence of the pain, “ a red fleshy pimple” came upon the cornea, and gradually, slowly, increased up to the time of her admission. Her condition, when submitted to my care, was as follows (see Plate H., Fig. 1):—the tumour was fully as large as the section of a walnut, but considerably more prominent ; it projected between the lids, and their con¬ formation imparted to it the oblong shape in the transverse axis. However, on separating the lids, the tumour then presented a more circular shape, and was about the size of a two-shilling piece; the growth at its base was considerably less, and seemed to exceed but in a very little way the imbedding of the cornea in the sclerotic coat; from this comparatively narrow base, then, it sprung, and spread out, overlapping to some extent the scle¬ rotic, and projecting between the lids ; the entire surface of the growth was mammilated, and made up of firm, dense, fleshy- coloured structure, which, to the touch, was hard as cartilage, did not bleed on being handled—in other words, of strictly scirrhous nature, with a thin watery secretion pouring from it and the conjunctival membrane on either side in great abun¬ dance. Pressure with the finger did not pain or hurt; the growth could be handled with impunity, though the wearying lancinating pain seldom ceased; and the exasperated hemi- crania, aggravated during night, seldom during these hours was remittent. Accustomed to meet and deal with such matters, no doubt existed in my mind as to the nature of the case being true scirrhus, set up in the cornea and its conjunctival membrane, and developing itself to the remarkable size mentioned, with¬ out involving surrounding parts; for, absolutely, the marginal