Civil War Washington

CASE.—Sergeant John Starkey, Co. F, 6th New Hampshire Volunteers, was wounded at the second battle of Bull Run, Virginia, >August 30th, 1862, by a conoidal ball, which entered the upper lip and emerged just behind the ear, right side, causing a compound comminuted fracture of the superior maxillary and malar bones of that side. A portion of the upper jaw was removed on the field by Assistant Surgeon Benjamin Howard, U. S. A. He was admitted into the Unitarian Church Hospital, at Washington, September 7th, 1862, at which time there was erysipelas of the whole right side of the face, and of the right eye, with severe pain. Simple dressings were applied to the wounds, and as he could not use any solid food, beef-tea and chicken-broth, combined with a milk diet, was ordered. He stated that several pieces of bone had been removed in the field hospital. On September 15th, the wounds were unhealthy, the discharges ichorous. The swelling of the face was disappearing. He lost the sight of the right eye by retinitis. On the 13th, hæmorrhage, which recurred several times, took place from the wound of exit. The amount of blood lost at each time was small, owing to the immediate application of persulphate of iron and compress. No lacerated artery could be discovered upon examination. He was very weak and reduced when the hæmorrhage occurred. He died on September 22d, 1862. There was no autopsy, but the base of the brain was believed to be affected. The case is reported by Acting Assistant Surgeon A. A. Buck.