Civil War Washington

CASE 79.—Private L. Brittin, Co. M, 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, aged 35 years, was wounded at Hanoverton, May 28, 1864, and admitted to the field hospital of the 3d division, Fifth Corps, where Surgeon L. W. Read, U. S. V., noted "a shot wound of leg. " From the field hospital the patient passed to Washington and thence to Philadelphia, entering the Summit House June 28th, and subsequently the Satterlee Hospital. Surgeon I. I. Hayes, U. S. V., recorded the following history: "The injury was caused by a minié ball passing transversely and producing a slight flesh wound of the upper third of the right leg. The wound healed, when it was attacked by gangrene, and after again becoming healthy the whole limb was seized with erysipelas. On March 24, 1865, the whole external lateral surface of the knee presented two sloughing wounds, one on a line with the head of the tibia, the other just above the tendon of the muscle. The whole limb was swollen, red, and painful. General condition poor, with headache, fever, dry tongue, and dry hot skin. On March 26th, a large collection of pus, amounting to about six ounces, was evacuated immediately below the patella. The patient's bed was moved, the old splint removed and a Smith's anterior applied. On rinsing the limb a sloughing wound involving nearly the whole popliteal space was found. On the following day the patient was slightly more comfortable, but there was not much change in his general condition. On March 31st, there was no change in the appearance of the wound, but the patient's strength was evidently becoming exhausted. There were symptoms of pyæmia, and he was delirious during the afternoon, but better toward evening. His pulse was 120 and very small; countenance sunken, with hectic spots on the cheeks. He complained of no pain, but was evidently partially unconscious. He died April 6, 1865. "