Notes of two cases of disease of the ear, with remarks / by James Erskine.

  • Erskine, James.
Date:
[1885]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes of two cases of disease of the ear, with remarks / by James Erskine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    into the tympanum, through the antrum mastoideum, and the presence of carious and necrosed bone was detected in each mastoid process. By a syringe, a stream of water was made to flow from the external meatus through the opening, and vice versa, some of the water passing at the same time into the mouth through the Eustachian tube. Assisted by my friend Dr. Robb, I proceeded to remove the diseased bone from the right ear. When the patient was deeply under the influence of chloroform, I made an incision through the soft tissues over the mastoid process down to the bone. This incision extended from a point slightly above the fistulous opening for about an inch and a quarter, parallel to the attachment of the auricle and about a quarter of an inch from it. From the upper end of this incision, and at a right angle to it, I made another, three quarters of an inch in extent, accord- ing to Politzer's suggestion. In this way a triangular flap was formed and separated from the bone. After removing the loose carious material by means of Volkmann's spoon, and on inserting the finger into the wound, a slightly movable seques- trum was felt extending downwards and forwards from the mastoid antrum. It was easily loosened by insinuating the edge of a bent and grooved chisel below its upper border and then removed by means of sequestrum forceps. The seques- trum measured three quarters of an inch in length, half an inch in breadth, and a quarter in thickness. One side repre- sented the cortical surface of the mastoid process, and the other, part of the posterior wall of the meatus. The piece of necrosed bone removed in-the same manner from the left mastoid three days later resembled this sequestrum, but was smaller. The treatment subsequent to the operation consisted in (1) syringing with a one per cent solution of carbolic acid during the first fortnight, and afterwards with a saturated solution of boracic acid, passing the stream from the meatus through the wound in the mastoid, and vice versa; (2) inserting a tent of boracic lint deep down into the opening in the bone;