Civil War Washington

CASE.—Private Andrew Nelson, Co. G, 6th New York Heavy Artillery, aged 27 years, was wounded at Spottsylvania​, Virginia, May 19th, 1864, by a conoidal ball, which passed through the lower maxilla at the symphysis, and emerged from the neck on the left side, thence passed through the shoulder-joint, fracturing the clavicle and acromion process. Two inches of the jaw at the symphysis was carried away. He was admitted to the Emory Hospital, Washington, May 22d, and to the Haddington Hospital, Philadelphia, on June 1st, 1864. He was very much debilitated. Food, in liquid form, was taken with difficulty, and there was extensive laceration and displacement of the parts. Some spiculæ of bone were removed from the left scapuloclavicular articulation, the gap in the chin was approximated by adhesive plaster; bandage and charpie were applied to absorb profuse saliva, and cold-water dressings were applied. Power of intelligible speech was lost. June 20th, appetite good; jaw used in attempting mastication. June 30th, speech could be understood; eat toasted bread soaked. July 10th, abscess over hyoid region lanced; no bone detected. July 15th, divided the integument from gums; pared the edges, and brought the parts together by two sutures over needles. July 18th, pin suture having torn out, pared edges on board, and again applied two sutures. July 20th, hope of bringing edges together abandoned, but orifice is filling up; salivary discharge far less. August 8th, molars have approximated tolerably; patient eats and talks well; abscesses have formed under the chin, and discharged spicula​. The patient was discharged on August 27th, 1864. Operator, Dr. Nordman, Acting Assistant Surgeon. On November 12th, 1867, Pension Examiner S. Phelps reports the wound in the lower lip to be united by a cicatrix, so that the saliva constantly escapes. Articulation is imperfect, and mastication impossible. He rates his disability as total and permanent.