Title: Snyder, John W.

Source text: Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, United States Army, The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. (1861–65.), Part 1, Volume 2 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1870), 233.

Keywords:on special wounds and injuries of the headwounds and injuries of the headgunshot woundsgunshot fractures of the cranial bonesremoval of fragments after gunshot fractures of the skullrecovered after gunshot fractures of the skulldefective visionpartial or complete loss of visiongunshot fractures of occipital bone, blindness after removal of fragments of bone, lesion of optic centresconoidal ball fractured skull at apex of lambdoid suture, involved both parietals and occipitalpupils extensively dilatedfractured portion of bone depressed, brain matter oozing outvision impaired, especially left sidecomplete loss of visiontotal disability

Civil War Washington ID: med.d1e16012

TEI/XML: med.d1e16012.xml


CASE.—Private John W. Snyder, Co. B, 49th Pennsylvania Volunteers, aged 22 years, was wounded in the trenches of Petersburg, Virginia, April 1st, 1865, by a conoidal ball, which fractured the skull at the apex of the lambdoid suture, involving, probably, both parietals and the occipital. He was sent to the hospital of the 1st division, Sixth Corps; thence to the Judiciary Square Hospital at Washington, where he arrived on the 12th. He lay in a stupor, from which he could, with difficulty, be aroused. His pupils were extensively dilated; the tongue was moist, and the pulse at 56; but no paralysis existed. The fractured portion of bone was depressed, and the brain matter was oozing out. On April 13th, Acting Assistant Surgeon F. H. Coulton removed a piece of depressed bone three-fourths of an inch square. The symptoms of compression of the brain now gradually subsided. During his convalescence, it was noticed that his vision was impaired, especially on the left side. By the 13th of June, the wound had cicatrized, except at one point, where, probably, some slight necrosis existed. About the middle of June, Assistant Surgeon Brinton Stone, U. S. V., by whom the foregoing facts were communicated, brought this patient to the Army Medical Museum, when a photograph of the cicatrix was made. (Photographs of Surgical Cases and Specimens, Vol. I, No. 44). On June 19th, the patient was transferred, convalescent, to the Douglas Hospital. He was discharged on September 29th, 1865, and pensioned. Pension Examiner G. G. Hartswick reports, October 11, 1869, this pensioner's disability as total, because of complete loss of vision.