The human spine : an analysis of the comparative merits of the gypsum jacket and compound adjustable supports.

  • Banning, E. P. (Edmund Prior), 1810-
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The human spine : an analysis of the comparative merits of the gypsum jacket and compound adjustable supports. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    treatment; but, fortunately for humanity, the historic record has been so benign as to far outstrip and beg- gar any theory. Indeed, so wonderful has been the results of this appliance in the premises, in hundreds of cases, that I am barely restrained from citing quite a number, but one or two must suffice. Case i . — Miss O of Allegheny City, Pa., had been for fourteen years the subject of spinal irritation without curvatures. For seven or eight years she was mainly confined to bed. The pains in her whole spine and head were so unbearable as to preclude sleep ; even under heavy doses of chloral and mor- phine she said she never slept., The flesh entirely wasted from her limbs, and the skin hung around them like a shirt. For four years she never stood or sat up. The spine was untouchably tender. This case had sturdily encountered the heroic practice from simple blisters all the way up to repeated burnings down each side of the spine with the hot iron, till *'the smoke ascended to the ceiling. This course was forlornly pursued until the surgeon voluntarily retired from the case, and left her to nature (quite wisely). In this condition, while she was prone upon her back, I applied the Prop (Fig. 6) to raise weight from the uterus and from the sore and aching spine. Result : On the first night she slept, and from that day had to draw no more blisters. Soon she relished food, and continued to sleep regularly, and in four weeks sat up (and walked the room) four hours a day. The flesh also returned to her limbs gradually, and she was the wonder of that section of the country.