G——, Otis a machine readable transcription Susan C. Lawrence Kenneth M. Price Kenneth J. Winkle 2011 med.d1e16322 Civil War Washington University of Nebraska–Lincoln Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
319 Love LibraryUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnLincoln, NE 68588-4100cdrh@unlnotes.unl.edu
 2011

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 The following are responsible for particular readings or for changes to this file, as noted: Matthew Bosley Elizabeth Lorang Stacey Berry Elisabeth Tracey The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. (1861–65.) Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, United States Army Washington, D.C. Government Printing Office Part 1 Volume 2 1870 248-249 Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion wounds and injuries of the head removal of fragments after gunshot fractures of the skull fatal cases of gunshot fractures of the skull treated by the removal or elevation of fragments cerebral abscess meninges congested and thickened ball produced fracture of skull posterior to coronal suture autopsy performed fracture involved both parietal bones, longest diameter at right angle with sagittal suture additional proofing of transcription and encoding case text extracted and transformed from larger file enriched encoding validated file encoded initial checking of OCR text against PDF; encoded

CASE.—Private Otis G——, Co. C, 16th Maine Volunteers, aged 21 years, who was a very stout and vigorous person, weighing 180 pounds, was struck, at the affair on the Weldon Railroad, August 18th, 1864, upon the top of the head by a conoidal musket ball, which produced a fracture of the skull one inch posterior to the coronal suture. On the following day he was admitted into the field hospital of the 3d division, Fifth Corps, where he remained until the 21st, when he was conveyed to Washington, and admitted into the Lincoln Hospital. Ice-water dressings were applied to the head, and sedatives were administered. In the progress of the case, fragments of both the outer and inner tables were removed, leaving the brain exposed. The patient failed rapidly, and died apparently from exhaustion on August 30th, 18631864. At the autopsy, the scalp in the vicinity of the wound was found to he infiltrated with pus, the periosteum being easily detached. The fracture involved both parietal bones, measuring one-half by one inch, the longest diameter running at right angles with the sagittal suture. Upon the removal of the calvarium, the depressed portion of bone was held in position by the dura mater. Through both tables of the left parietal bone, from the place of injury to the posterior inferior angle, ran a fissure, along which traces of an attempt at repair were observed. The meninges in the vicinity were congested and thickened. In the left hemisphere a cerebral abscess existed, extending from the surface of the brain to a level with the corpus callosum, three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The contiguous portion of brain was much softened, as was the right hemisphere within the limits of the fracture. The pathological specimen is No. 3150, Sect. I, A. M. M., and was contributed by Acting Assistant Surgeon H. M. Dean.