Severe spasmodic contraction of a finger cured by stretching the median nerve / by James Adams.

  • Adams, James.
Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Severe spasmodic contraction of a finger cured by stretching the median nerve / by James Adams. 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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    SEVERE SPAS A FINGER CURED BY STRETCHING Reprinted from The THE MEDIAN NERVE. By JAMES ADAMS, M.D.Aberd., F.R.C.S. Eng. A woman, aged 45 years, a widow who earned her living by needlework, came under my observation in November, 1905, for extreme contraction of the middle finger of the right hand. She gave the following history. In December. 1902, she pricked the thumb of her left hand and it became swollen, tender, and inflamed, and it suppurated. As it did not improve but on the contrary got much worse she went to University College Hospital, London, in January, 1903, and remained there for two months, all the fingers and hand becoming involved in what was evidently a septic infection. The fingers and hand were freely incised and drained and the patient was discharged in March with drainage-tubes still in. She returned to the hospital in the following May with the wounds unhealed and the mischief spreading further and amputation was performed at the middle of the forearm. The surgical registrar of the hospital, Mr. O. L. Addison, has sent me the report of her case. He says : “ The patient was admitted to University College Hospital with a septic infection of the palmar sheaths and cellulitis of forearm following a poisoned wound of the thumb. The arm had to be amputated to prevent further extension of the suppura- tion.” In February, 1905, the middle finger of the right hand began to contract, and in November the patient was admitted under me to the union infirmary with the finger badly con- tracted. There were no signs of disease in the finger. With much force and some difficulty I could extend the finger fully but it gave her great pain to allow me to do it and