M——, George W.a machine readable transcriptionSusan C. LawrenceKenneth M. PriceKenneth J. Winkle2011med.d1e18780Civil War WashingtonUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnCenter for Digital Research in the
Humanities319 Love LibraryUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnLincoln, NE 68588-4100cdrh@unlnotes.unl.edu2011
The following are responsible for particular readings or for changes to
this file, as noted:
Kenneth WinkleAJ HowellMatthew BosleyElizabeth LorangStacey BerryElisabeth TraceyThe Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion.
(1861–65.)Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, United
States ArmyWashington, D.C.Government Printing
OfficePart 1Volume 21870438Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellionwounds and injuries of the spinegunshot wounds of the spinefractures of the dorsal vertebrægunshot wounds of the seventh dorsal vertebraretention of urineparaplegiapneumoniafracture of transverse process of seventh dorsal vertebraball passing lungball lodged in vertebral canalblessedadded figure encodingadditional proofing of transcription and encodingcase text extracted and transformed from larger
fileenriched encodingvalidated fileencodedinitial checking of OCR text against PDF; encoded
CASE.—Corporal George W.
M——, Co. B, 53d Pennsylvania
Volunteers, aged 19 years, was admitted into Harewood
Hospital, Washington, June 7th, 1864,
having been wounded at Cold Harbor on the 3d. A conoidal musket ball had entered near the
inferior angle of the left scapula, and passing downward, inward, and forward, through the
left lung, lodged in the vertebral canal after fracturing the transverse process of the
seventh dorsal vertebra. The patient suffered from retention of urine and paraplegia;
pneumonia also complicated the case. Owing to the extreme prostration, no active
antiphlogistic measures were employed. The patient was kept in bed; fed on beef-tea, and
quinine with whiskey, milk punch, etc. Stimulating frictions were frequently applied to the
legs and hips, and the chest was enveloped in an oil-skin jacket. He died on June 19th, 1864. At the autopsy the ball was found
imbedded in the substance of the seventh dorsal vertebra, encroaching upon the medulla
spinalis. The lungs at their bases were hepatized, and near the apices were filled with
dark, frothy fluid. The pathological specimen, represented in the adjoining wood-cut, was
contributed to the Army Medical Museum, with the
particulars of the case, by Surgeon R. B. Bontecou,
U. S. V.