Surgical notes of cases of gunshot injuries occurring during the advance of the Army of the Cumberland in the summer of 1863 / by I. Moses.

  • Moses, Israel, 1821-1870.
Date:
[1864?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Surgical notes of cases of gunshot injuries occurring during the advance of the Army of the Cumberland in the summer of 1863 / by I. Moses. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    18/20
    Case IV. Private Edward Phippa, Co. I, 6th Indiana, received a wound in the right knee-joint, July 5th ; the ball entered on the outer side, pass- ing through between the patella and articulations of the femur and tibia, and passing out on the inner and lower side. No fracture could be felt. He had considerable swelling and inflammation of the joint, but no abscesses, and Sept. 13th was furloughed with anchylosis of joint, and able to move about on crutches. Case V. Private Adam Loutenschlager, Co. A, 11th Penn. Volunteers, admitted June 27th, gunshot wound ; the ball entered in front near the attachment of the biceps, above the patella, and penetrated the joint. The ball was extracted at the hole of entrance. Ice water dressings were applied to joint with absolute rest; active inflammation set in, attended with purulent deposit in the joint and burrowing up the thigh. Free incisions were made, but later than I could have wished, evacuating un- healthy pus. Bandages were applied above and below the knee, and the most nutritious diet with stimulants freely given. Two months of suffering, with great prostration, enormous discharges of pus, and extreme emaciation, were rewarded by a fair prospect of the limb being saved, and Sept. 15th, the patient is recorded as improving and the discharges from the knee almost ceased. It was thought by the surgeon in charge of the hospital that he would recover with an anchylosed joint, and the limb nearly straight. Ten cases of wounds of the knee-joint were admitted (all except Sergt. Haynie) into Hospital No. 1, from the several skirmishes of the advancing army. Of these three died without operation ; one died after amputation ; one died of secondary hemorrhage from a branch of the popliteal artery ; three were nearly recovered when I left the post, Sept. 15th, and two remained with fair chances of ultimate recovery. Thus we have one-half the cases which will in all probability be saved with useful limbs and various amounts of motion in the joints. These cases were treated under the most favourable circumstances ; the physical condition of the men was most excellent, and soon after the recep- tion of the injury, they were taken to well appointed hospitals, surrounded with comfort, and with every luxury of diet at command, and skilful sur- gical attendance. From the unsatisfactory histories furnished me, I am unable to give the details of all the cases; but having been in the habit of seeing them from day to day, I know that three recovered and two promised well • then I was ordered to the front, in anticipation of a battle at Chattanooga. I hope to be able to give more accurate and enlarged notes of the vast num- ber of such cases resulting from the desperate conflict on the Chickamauo-a. In conversation with surgeons, several successful cases have been related and Surg. Goldsmith, U. S. A., at Louisville, related, as a curious fact that more men have been discharged the service at that post who had received gunshot wounds of the knee-joints with recovery, than where amputations of the thigh had been performed for various injuries.