Ritch, Lewis O. a machine readable transcription Susan C. Lawrence Kenneth M. Price Kenneth J. Winkle 2011 med.d1e18425 Civil War Washington University of Nebraska–Lincoln Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
319 Love LibraryUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnLincoln, NE 68588-4100cdrh@unlnotes.unl.edu
 2011

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 The following are responsible for particular readings or for changes to this file, as noted: Matthew Bosley Elizabeth Lorang Stacey Berry Elisabeth Tracey The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. (1861–65.)Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, United States ArmyWashington, D.C.Government Printing OfficePart 1 Volume 21870408 Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion wounds and injuries of the neck gunshot wounds of the neck wounds of the pharynx and œsophagus gunshot wounds of the larynx fracture of the lower jaw loss of voice erysipelas additional proofing of transcription and encoding case text extracted and transformed from larger file enriched encoding validated file encoded initial checking of OCR text against PDF; encoded

CASE.—Private Lewis O. Ritch, Co. C, 106th Pennsylvania Volunteers, aged 20 years, was accidentally wounded at Fairfax Court-house, September 20th, 1862, by a round musket ball and two buckshot. The ball entered below the thyroid cartilage, passing through the trachea, and lodged in the pharynx, from which it was subsequently extracted. One buckshot fractured the right side of the lower jaw, and destroyed five teeth, and another entered the left side of the neck, a few inches above the clavicle, and lodged, and is still in the neck. He was, on October 6th, admitted to Armory Square Hospital, Washington. Cold water dressings, lotions of lead and opium, and warm fomentations were applied to the wounds, and tonics and stimulants administered. There was much inflammation about the throat, and food could be swallowed only with difficulty; air passed through the wound in respiration. On October 16th, the wound discharged slightly, but healthy; on the 15th, discharged freely; patient exhausted, laboring under anorexia. On October 23d, inflammation, erysipelatous in character, was increasing, and, on the 26th, extended over the entire head and face. November 2d, the patient was improving, and, on the 6th, the wounds were healing. He was discharged the service on December 15th, 1862. The case is reported by Surgeon D. W. Bliss, U. S. V. Pension Examiner H. E. Goodman reports, September 1st, 1869, that there is a large depression over the cervical bone, loss of voice, difficulty of breathing, with constant cough. The lungs and heart are normal; the digestion is bad, and constant care is necessary to prevent inflammation.