394

A MirrorOF THE PRACTICE OF

MEDICINE AND SURGERYIN THE

HOSPITALS OF LONDON.

LONDON HOSPITAL.

LIGATURE OF RIGHT COMMON ILIAC ARTERY FOR INGUINALANEURISM.—LIGATURE OF SUBCLAVIAN AND COMMON

CAROTID ARTERIES FOR INNOMINATE ANEURISM.—

LIGATURE OF SUPERFICIAL FEMORAL ARTERY FORPUNCTURED WOUND.—OVARIOTOMY.

(Under the care of Mr. MAUNDER.)

Nulla autem est alia pro certo noseendi via, nisi quamplurimas et morborumet dissectionum historias, turn aliorum, tum proprias collectas habere, et interse comparare.- MORGAGNI De Sed. et Caus, jtfof&.. lib. iv. Procemiutn.

ON Saturday last we saw Mr. Maunder perform ovariotomy,and, in another case, ligature the right common iliac arteryfor inguinal aneurism.The patient the subject of ovarian disease had been enor-

mously distended, the apex of her heart having been noted byDr. Sutton to beat opposite the second intercostal space. Threedays before operation, to relieve her distress and to diminishthe risk of fatal syncope during operation, the patient hadbeen tapped, with great relief, to the extent of fourteen pints.

In the case of inguinal aneurism, the operator reached theartery with tolerable facility by an oblique incision on theright side, from the point of the last rib downwards and for-wards to an inch within and below the antero-superior spine ofthe ilium. The broad muscles and transversalis fascia werecarefully divided, and the peritoneum was cautiously raisedfrom the iliac fossa by the fingers and hand of the operatortill the forefinger of the left hand reached the pulsating artery.With the finger-nail the artery was cleaned, and a ligaturepassed around it on an aneurism-needle, guided by the senseof touch only. The application of the ligature was facilitatedby the employment of two tongue-depressors, which, held upby Mr. Couper, supported the intestines. The peritoneal cavitywas not opened, and there was comparatively little bleeding.The vessels in the abdominal wall were tied as soon as exposed.’We were also shown a patient under the care of Dr. Davies,

Dr. Sutton, and Mr. Maunder, upon whom the latter hadthree days previously performed Brasdor’s operation of liga-ture of the common carotid and subclavian (third part) arterieson the right side for suspected innominate aneurism. The

patient had been advised to submit to operation three weeksbefore, but refused till the tumour became very large, theneck oedematous and brawny, and the superficial veins greatlydistended. The abnormal condition of the tissues renderedthe operation tedious, twenty minutes having transpired beforethe vessel was secured. All veins bleeding were at once liga-tured during the progress of the operation; the cords of thebrachial plexus were felt in their sheath, but not seen, by theoperator; but the external jugular vein, now swollen to thesize of the forefinger, traversed the wound obliquely, and atthe depth of an inch and a half from the surface. At some

depth beneath this vessel the subclavian artery was picked up,clean, off the first rib, and could be seen by many bystanders.The common carotid artery was now tied high up (by reasonof the prominence of the aneurism), and here again the infil-trated state of parts and congested veins necessarily made theoperation longer than usual. The patient, having recoveredconsciousness, said the pain in his shoulder, which had beenthe chief source of discomfort, was gone. When we saw himon Saturday the tumour pulsated strongly, and a successfulresult did not appear probable.The third case in the list above is that of a young man

engaged as a clerk in the Provincial Bank of Ireland, who afortnight since accidentally stabbed his femoral artery in themiddle of his thigh. Profuse haemorrhage followed, and waschecked by the application of a handkerchief tied tightlyover the wound. Mr. Maunder was summoned, and was for-tunate in obtaining the assistance of Dr. W. P. Woodman, of

Stoke Newington, who happened to be in the house. Thewound in the thigh was enlarged upwards and downwards,while the operator kept the point of his left forefinger uponthe hole in the artery, which was readily felt at the depth oftwo inches from the surface. The hole in the artery havingbeen clearly demonstrated, a ligature was applied above andbelow it, and no further bleeding ensued. The youth wasleft in the office of the bank for some hours, that he mightrally from the shock and loss of blood, and was then conveyedto the hospital. No local discomfort whatever followed the ap-plication of the ligatures, and both have just come away. Thewound is healing soundly, and the patient will leave thehospital next week to avoid any possible risk of pyaemia.During the operation an important fact was noted. When

the finger was shifted off the hole in the artery towards theknee of the patient, arterial blood flowed; but when thewound was exposed so as to allow of regurgitation along theartery on its distal side, dark, venous-looking blood flowed.This observation (already made by Guthrie) shows howquickly collateral circulation may be established, even though,as in this instance, the tourniquet acted inefficiently.We shall watch and report the progress of these highly

interesting cases. _______ ___

KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL.CASE OF POISONING BY OXALIC ACID ; DEATH ; AUTOPSY.

(Under the care of Dr. BEALE.)IT is worth while noting that in the following case the

autopsy showed the tongue and mouth of the patient unalteredin appearance, whilst a large slough was found at the lowerpart of the greater curvature of the stomach. It is rare forfatal cases of poisoning by oxalic acid to be unattended by awhitened and softened state of the mouth, and it is also rare,perhaps, for the acid to produce such strong corrosive actionupon the cardiac and intestinal mucous membranes as wasnoticeable in this case. Dr. Charles Kelly, medical registrar,has obligedus with particulars.

Sarah S-, aged thirty-four, married. On May 22nd,previously in good health, she voluntarily took half an ounceof oxalic acid. Directly afterwards she felt a burning pain inthe throat and epigastrium, and was giddy ; in about fifteenminutes she was very sick; an hour after she was purgedviolently, and passed blood in the stools ; she also vomitedblood. On admission she had severe pain in the stomach,retching, great thirst, cold extremities, sunken eyes, and

pallid countenance. Chalk and water, and afterwards half adrachm of carbonate of magnesia, were given her, with the effectof lessening the pain; and vomiting was kept up by a mustardemetic and warm water. At first her pulse could not be felt;but the circulation was soon restored, hot bottles being placedat her feet and stimulants given internally. Vomiting con-tinued through the night, and she passed much blood andmucus by the bowels. Milk was given her, but rejected.Her pulse was 104. Next morning she had great pain over abdo-men and was very sick; her voice was very hoarse ; pulse 72.Enemata of milk and brandy were given.May 25th.-For the last two days she has had less pain and

sickness. Her mind has always been clear. She sleeps better;purged a little.27th. -No purging; no blood in stools; tongue clean; slight

headache; less pain; no sickness.29th.-Is much worse. Has severe pain across the abdomen

and back, and has been purged a great deal. Constant sicknesscame on, and she died in a few hours, apparently from ex.haustion.Her diet consisted of iced milk and beef-tea, with a little

brandy occasionally.A2ctopsy, twenty - - th,ree hours after death. - Body fairly

nourished; no lividity; slight rigidity of the extremities;tongue and mouth normal; epiglottis red and eroded on theunder surface. Most of the mucous membrane of the œso-

phagus was stripped off, especially at the lower part. Thestomach was congested and distended. At the lower part ofthe greater curvature was a slough, irregular in shape, aboutthe size of a crown-piece. The wall was thicker than usualhere, and the peritoneal coat was opaque, and covered. Theslough had not begun to separate. All through the intestinesthe walls were congested, and thicker than usual. In thelower part of the ileum, for about three feet, and leaving offsuddenly about six inches from the caecum, were numerous