An essay on the nature and treatment of the malignant contagious ulcer, as it generally appears in the British Navy / by James Litle.

  • Litle, James, active 1792-1839.
Date:
1809
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the nature and treatment of the malignant contagious ulcer, as it generally appears in the British Navy / by James Litle. 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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    when much destruction of parts has taken place, a long-protracted cure and subsequent lameness are to be apprehended. In charity to the unfor- tunate sufferer, the leg under these circumstances ought to be immediately removed. But the cus- tom of amputating legs for the Ulcer, that we have in the preceding pages been describing, as it is a case of a very different nature, we must decidedly disapprove. As the limb in this case, when cured, will be permanently sound and useful; nei- ther the constitution nor the limb will exhibit any subsequent bad effect from such a disease. It behoves the practitioner therefore to weigh well the consequence, before he adopt so formid- able and severe a remedy. It is impossible that such extent of incontinuity of substance as this ulcer generally exhibits, can take place without the constitution at the time powerfully partaking of the morbid change. The knife will not there- fore always secure the patient against a recur- rence of the disease ; and should amputation be performed below the knee, we shall frequently experience a very considerable, and embarrassing oozing of blood ; not from the large arteries, but froiti the entire surface of the stump, which as-- tringent powders and local pressure- are scarcely sufficient to restrain ; and it is obvious of what serious importance the loss even of a few ounces of blood is to a patient in this state of debility.