Report of committee on military surgery to the Surgical Section of the New York Academy of Medicine : read before the Academy July 8, 1861 / [Alfred C. Post, Wm. H. Van Buren].

  • Post, Alfred C. (Alfred Charles), 1806-1886.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of committee on military surgery to the Surgical Section of the New York Academy of Medicine : read before the Academy July 8, 1861 / [Alfred C. Post, Wm. H. Van Buren]. 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.)

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    other hand, those which are comparatively slight and unattended with danger. But his first attention should be directed to injuries which are severe and dangerous, but which at the same time afford a good prospect of recovery. The cases most urgently requiring immediate treatment are those in which there is alarming hemor- rhage, the source of which is not beyond the reach of surgical skill. The cases next in order of urgency are those in which, from the shock of the injury, there is more or less prostration, requiring the use of cordials and stimulants. Then come the cases of compound fracture, some of these requiring amputation or resec- tion, and others mechanical support to prevent distor- tion and the irritation arising from muscular spasm, causing spiculae of bone to penetrate the soft parts. Next in order come the slighter cases of injury of the viscera, always attended with danger, but not necessarily fatal. After disposing of those cases which are more or less hopeful, the surgeon may direct his attention to the comfort and relief of the more severe injuries, in which a fatal result is almost certain to ensue. And lastly, he may attend to the minor operations and dress- ings in cases of injury which are not regarded as dan- gerous to life. The result of primary amputations at the hip-joint is so uniformly disastrous, that, in the opinion of your Committee, these operations should, be discarded from military surgery. If the patient should in any case recover from the shock of the terrible injury which seems to require so formidable an operation as amputa- tion at the hip-joint, the operation may be performed