Compound and comminuted gun-shot fractures of the thigh and means for their transportations, etc / John Swinburne.

  • Swinburne, John, 1820-1889.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Compound and comminuted gun-shot fractures of the thigh and means for their transportations, etc / John Swinburne. 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.)

    8/18
    676 substance that I could add but little to what I had already said on the subject, except, perhaps, some matters of detail. That the efforts of this State Medical Society had resulted in the appropriation of the sum of $200,000, one object of which was for the better carrying out of some plan for surgical and medical relief for the wounded or sick. That, under the bill, we proposed to have several surgeons of pre-eminent ability, some of whom were to be placed upon the staff of the medical directors of the army, and who, during the times of quiet to the army were to act as special inspectors of the regiments of their respective States, report the condition in person to said medical directors, and also to transmit reports of the condition of said regiments to the governors of their State, giving the names of the dead and condition of the sick, from time to time, and such other information as may be important to said medical directors or State officers; in this manner to insure a healthful and efficient condition of the troops composing the regiments. Then during an engagement to act as surgical advisers to such army surgeons as may desire counsel, also to see that some general plan for conservative surgery is carried out, such as may have been previously agreed upon in the general council either at the office of the Surgeon-General, U. S. A., or the Medical Director of the army, as the case may be. The decision rendered here upon the field should be final; at least until the true second- ary stage has arrived, and that no operations be allowed in the intermediate stage, which is neither primary nor secondary. Indeed, I was pleased to hear Prof. Hamilton unmeasurably con- demn operations after the lapse of forty-eight hours, or after serous effusion had taken place, as in that case the chances of life are less, and that the operations, when necessary ought to be done as soon as possible after the injury, and that after the primary stage has passed, the operations should be deferred and condemned until the true secondary stage arrives, which might extend to weeks, while the primary does not mean the 8th, 7th, 5th, or even the 4th day after the injury. Nor does the second- ary mean the 9th, 10th, 12th and 15th, nor even the 25th day after the injury. Then to insure success in the treatment of this kind of injury, I know of no plan more feasible than the one I proposed at the last meeting of this society, which is : as soon after the injury