Civil War Washington

CASE.—Private Francis B——, Co. A, 10th Vermont Volunteers, aged 40 years, was wounded in one of the engagements at the crossing of the Rapidan River, Virginia, in May, 1864, in the forehead by a gunshot missile, probably a musket ball, which caused only very little external injury. He was admitted to the Baptist Church, 3d division, Sixth Corps Hospital, at Fredericksburg, thence conveyed to Washington, and admitted May 26th into the Lincoln Hospital, being then extremely prostrated. No serious injury to the head was suspected, but an attack of typhoid fever was anticipated, the tongue being somewhat coated. The intellect was unimpaired. He seemed to improve and was soon able to leave the ward. He continued so for two or three days when he again took to his bed, complaining of slight pain in the head, but manifesting no aberration of mind. Coma and subsultus tendinum supervened; discharge of blood and pus from the right, and pus only from the left, ear occurred, and death ensued on June 6th, 1864. At the autopsy a slight linear fissure of the frontal bone was observed, and on removing the calvaria​ a fracture of the internal plate and necrosis to the extent of three-fourths by one and a fourth inches was found to exist; including within its limits part of the posterior wall of both frontal sinuses, in which some half a drachm of pus had formed. The brain in the region of the fracture was softened. The adjoining wood-cuts (FIGS. 67 and 68) shows​ the linear but slightly depressed fracture which existed over the right superciliary ridge, and a portion of the fragment of the internal table which was detached. The frontal sinuses are unusually capacious; the walls are very thin. The specimen and notes of the case were contributed by Assistant Surgeon J. C. McKee, U. S. A.