Civil War Washington

CASE 542.—Private A. D. Seelye, Co. A, 136th Pennsylvania, was wounded at Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, by a musket ball, which entered the right knee over the external condyle of the femur and passed out in the popliteal space. He was admitted to Lincoln Hospital, Washington, ten days after the injury. Cold-water dressings and afterwards iodine tincture were applied at first; subsequently warm dressings. The wound did badly; the joint became inflamed, and unhealthy pus was secreted in large amounts. On January 16, 1863, an incision was made extending six inches from the wound of entrance up the thigh. Considerable bleeding followed and several small vessels were tied, after which the wound was packed with cotton bandages soaked in persulphate of iron. Another lateral incision, two and a half inches long, was made below the popliteal, opening an abscess. On January 25th, an opening was made opposite the large one for the purpose of better drainage. Up to this time his appetite had been good, but now it failed, and the patient became delirious and had a troublesome diarrhœa. The wound remained open and exposed the blackened surface of the femur for the space of three inches. Death supervened on February 3, 1863. At the post-mortem examination the internal condyle was found to be injured in its posterior aspect. The cartilages of the joint were destroyed and the surfaces of most of the bones roughened and honey-combed. An abscess in the thigh had dissected the femur half way up the limb. The history of the case was recorded by Acting Assistant Surgeon T. H. Dearing.