Case of a wounded nerve, followed by severe consequences, and cured by removing the wounded portion of the nerve / [George Bell].

  • Bell, George
Date:
[1826]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Case of a wounded nerve, followed by severe consequences, and cured by removing the wounded portion of the nerve / [George Bell]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/8 (page 3)
    jas it occurred to me that there was little chance of my being able to divide the nerve precisely at the place where it had been punctured; and if it waspnly divided in one place, either above or below the puncture, or even both above and below, the nu¬ merous anastomoses which connected it with other cutaneous nerves might prevent the success of the opeiation. . ^ With this view, and with the concurrence of my friends Dr Barclay, who attended in consultation, and Dr Hamilton, an in¬ cision about three inches in length was made through the skin along the course of the vein, commencing an inch and a-half above, and terminating at the same distance below the wound which had been made by the lancet. The vein being laid bare, and separated from the tendinous aponeurosis, two ligatures were thrown round it, at an inch and a half from each othei, and equi¬ distant from the wound of the vein. I he ligatures weie then tightened, and the intermediate portion of vein divided as close to them as possible, and removed. When the ligature was tightened on the upper part ot the vein, she complained of considerable uneasiness, much gieatei than that which she felt on tightening the ligature on the lower On dividing the vein, the cut ends retracted to a considerable distance from each other, and the pain which she felt previous to the operation immediately disappeared. She moved her fingers with the greatest freedom, extended and bent hei aim, and performed all the motions of the wrist and elbow joints with perfect facility. The pain of the side, of the axilla, and all those symptoms which rendered the operation necessary, seemed to be removed ; and she now complained ol no faithei^ uneasi¬ ness than that which a wound ol equal extent in any other part of the body would have occasioned. The sides of the wound were drawn together, and retained in contact by slips of adhesive plaster; a pledget, compress and bandage, completed the dressings. She was placed in bed with her arm extended on a pillow, in such a mannei that the flexors of the fore-arm were completely relaxed- On the following morning (8th) I found she had slept well, by the aid of an opiate ; the sleep had not been disturbed by any startings, tremors, or other nervous sensations, with which she had been affected previous to the operation. She lay as easy, and was as comfortable, as could be expected, considering the constrained posture in which she was placed. During the night, however, her lingers were again contracted, probably from the superior power of, or irritation applied to, the flexor muscles, or possibly from the irritation excited by the ligatures ol the vein , but although she could not extend them at pleasure with ease, o