Observations on the surgical anatomy of the head and neck : illustrated by cases and engravings / by Allan Burns.

  • Burns, Allan, 1781-1813.
Date:
1811
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the surgical anatomy of the head and neck : illustrated by cases and engravings / by Allan Burns. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    foreign substance has slipped back, and the child has immediately had great difficulty in breath- ing, violent paroxysms of coughing, followed in a few days by symptoms of inflammation of tiie larynx, we cannot be enough on our guard—we cannot too sedulously watch the patient, nor can we too soon endeavour to arrest the progress of the inflammation; I would add, that this cannot be acconjplished till after the removal of the foreign substance, by an opening made into the wind- pipe. Till, however, the opening be made, we seldom can be certain that there really is any ex- traneous substance lodged in the trachea: We o- perate, therefore, on a probability; but we have this security, that nothing else, if there be a fo- reio-n body in the windpipe, will save the life of the patient. There is, therefore, every reason to induce us to undertake the operation, and none to deter us. Where a foreign body had unquestionably slip- ped into the larynx, it was the general opinion, till lately, that the operation of bronchotomy would only be useful in those cases, where the substance was situated above the point where the perforation is to be made. It was universally be- lieved, that if it had descended along the canal of the trachea, it could not be extracted by any opening made into the windpipe. This was at least a plausible speculation; it therefore mairi- fciined its ground, till disproved, I believe, by