Illustrations of medical evidence and trial by jury in Scotland.

Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrations of medical evidence and trial by jury in Scotland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    What did you state to Mr Glover on the subject of amputation % I said it might he requisite. That was my opinion. Mr Syme never changed, his first opinion, which was that amputation would not be required. The Dean.—Did he not state in a lecture afterwards- Mr Patton.—My learned friend must recollect that when we were attempting yesterday to get the views and opinions of Professor Syme, we were stopped. [The witness was here withdrawn, and after a short argument the witness was recalled, and the question put.] By the Dean.—I think Professor Syme did state afterwards, in a lecture, that if he had known exactly the condition of the injury at first he would have ordered amputation. That was not a change of opinion. Mr Syme did not see the injury in the first instance. He did not form an opinion till he had seen the injury. He saw the injury first on the Saturday or the Sunday, and then he formed an opinion against amputation, but subsequently he made the state¬ ment which X have mentioned. X think that was not a change of opinion, because the aspect of matters might have been more alarm¬ ing at first. He might afterwards have seen that Nature was already doing something for the recovery of the patient. I cannot tell what was the state of the boy’s pulse on the 21st of March. On the 22d I have marked it 120 in the journal; it would be about the same. I don’t remember the condition of his tongue. He was not suffering much pain at the time IMr Glover called \ he was suffering pain no doubt, but not so much as he had done previously. I con¬ sider he was suffering pain on the 23d, but he was quiet. The ex¬ pression of his countenance would indicate whether he was suffering pain or not. I stated the circumstances accurately to Professor Syme after ]\lr Glover’s visit, substantially m the same way as I stated them here yesterday. By the Lord Justice-Clerk.—The boy was brought in on Thurs¬ day the 17tli. The circumstances and appearances when he was first brought in which were mentioned by Mr Syme in his lecture afterwards, were, that the wound had a very alarming appearance; it was a very extensive wound of the soft parts, and a compound fracture of the tibia a little above the ankle. It was bleeding very profusely. He was brought in towards the evening. Mr Syme saw him on Saturday or Sunday. It was one of those days; I cannot tell which. 1 have no note of it. The Infirmary book will not