Quarterly report of the Edinburgh Surgical Hospital, from May to August 1829 / by James Syme.

  • Syme, James, 1799-1870.
Date:
[1829]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Quarterly report of the Edinburgh Surgical Hospital, from May to August 1829 / by James Syme. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    up so as to point the cicatrix to the ground. Being in Gottin- gen some years ago, and seeing a patient on whom Langenbeck had recently performed the operation, I particularly inquired if, in his former cases, of which he had had two or three, any in- convenience on this account had been experienced, and was as- sured that there had not. The fact just mentioned will help to explain this. About six weeks after the operation, Ann Stewart came to the Hospital and walked into the presence of myself and pupils, when we were examining the out patients, so that I really could not from her gait fix upon the defective foot. Excision of the upper jaw.—As this case was fully detail- ed in the last number of this Journal, I have only to state with regard to it, that the unfavourable prognosis then given has not been verified, in as much as though nearly three months have elapsed since the operation was performed, there is no ap- pearance of a recurrence of the disease. I am at a loss to ac- count for this, unless the separation of a very large slough about a week after the operation be considered a sufficient explanation. At all events, the man continues quite well, with the exception of a small gap in his cheek, and feels particularly comfortable in being freed from the distracting and incessant pain which formerly tormented him. Exfoliation of the whole upper jaw.—The extraordinary case of an out patient may here be mentioned. Mrs C , about nine years ago, when 20 years of age, became afflicted with a sore on the nose, for which, by the advice of a surgeon in town, she took very large quantities of mercury. The sore extended, the bones became affected, and a rapid exfoliation commenced, which soon deprived her of all the face, except the lower jaw and part of the ossa malarum. I first saw this wretched woman about four years ago, when she presented an appearance inconceivably shocking. The eyes were divested of their coverings, the pharynx was completely exposed to view, and the tongue lay exposed from root to apex, surround- ed by the foul and vacillating teeth of the lower jaw, while the whole surface exhibited a most unhealthy description of ulceration. I saw her about six weeks ago, having not done so for a long time previous, and was surprised at the change which had taken place. A cure, so far as ca cure was possible, had been completed; the whole ulcerated surface was healed, and the eyes were covered with a firm skin. She was miser- ably weak, and for a long period had subsisted on little else than laudanum, of which she took daily at least half an ounce. She died soon after this time, when I fortunately obtained the whole head, and ascertained that the remaining bone was every-