Civil War Washington

CASE.—Corporal H. L. P——, Co. I, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, aged 20 years, was wounded at Petersburg, Virginia, June 17th, 1864, by a conoidal ball, which struck the left parietal bone at its posterior superior portion, causing, apparently, only a wound of the scalp two inches in length. He was conveyed to Washington, and admitted to the Harewood Hospital on June 21st, and thence transferred, on the 27th, to the Satterlee Hospital, Philadelphia. He appeared to be perfectly well, but on the morning of the 3d of July, he was found speechless and paralyzed. An examination revealed the cranium denuded of its periosteum and several small pieces of lead firmly fixed in the bone. Acting Assistant Surgeon W. F. Atlee applied the trephine and removed a portion of the outer table of the cranium at the seat of injury. Some improvement in the motions of the tongue was noticed and further proceedings were suspended. On the following day the inner table was trephined, revealing an oval shaped fissure one inch in its long, and half an inch in its short diameter, which would admit the introduction of a finely pointed quill toothpick. The bone, inclosed​ by the fissure, which was loosened and depressed, was removed. No relief, however, was afforded, and death occurred July 7th, from compression of the brain. The patient had been perfectly rational throughout the treatment. An autopsy revealed a large abscess filled with pus extending from the top of the left cerebral hemisphere to its base. The pathological specimen is No. 3635, Sect. I, A. M. M., and was contributed by Acting Assistant Surgeon George Kerr, who reports the case.