Title: Bans, James

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), 269.

Keywords:on special wounds and injuries of the headwounds and injuries of the headgunshot woundsgunshot fractures of the cranial bonestrephining after gunshot fractures of the skulltrephining practiced, fatal terminationconoidal ball fractured and depressed both tables of left parietal boneright lung painfuldeglutition difficultgeneral anesthesia, etherloss of speecheffusion into cavity of arachnoid, brain softened and congested

Civil War Washington ID: med.d1e16773

TEI/XML: med.d1e16773.xml


CASE.—Private James Bans, Co. E, 17th Maine Volunteers, aged 23 years, was wounded at the battle of Mine Run, Virginia, November 27th, 1863, by a conoidal ball, which fractured and depressed both tables of the left parietal bone. He was admitted into the 3d division hospital, Alexandria, Virginia, on December 5th. He was speechless; still could be aroused sufficiently to answer by signs, but would immediately relapse into stupor. His pulse was slow, soft, and irregular; bowels torpid, and deglutition difficult. On the following day, Surgeon Edwin Bentley, U. S. V., removed the depressed portion of bone with the trephine, while the patient was under the influence of ether. He recovered his speech after the operation, and complained of pain in his head. On the 10th his right lung became painful; stupor gradually supervened, extensive inflammation set in, and death ensued on the 13th of December, 1863. The autopsy revealed effusion of coagulable lymph and serum into the cavity of the arachnoid, and the brain softened and congested. Acting Assistant Surgeon W. G. Elliott reports the case.