Title: Isham, D. E.

Source text: The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. (1861-65.), Part 3, Volume 2 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1883), 821.

Keywords:wounds and complicationstetanusamputation resorted to after incipient tetanic symptomsexplosion of shell carried away most of foot, shattered the cuneiform bone and astragalusfoot left hanging by integument of plantar surfacetetanic symptomsChopart's amputation, then Syme's operationgeneral anesthesia, chloroform

Civil War Washington ID: med.d2e28425

TEI/XML: med.d2e28425.xml


CASE 1197.—Private D. E. Isham, Co. E, 154th New York, aged 19 years, was wounded in the left foot, at Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863, and was admitted to a field hospital of the Second Corps. Surgeon C. S. Wood, 66th New York, made the following report: "The injury was caused by the explosion of a shell, which carried away most of the foot and shattered the cuneiform bone and the astragalus​, leaving the foot hanging by the integument of the plantar surface. There was but little hæmorrhage, but the shock was excessive and tetanic symptoms were present; in other words the case admitted of no delay. If I remember right the patient had lain out all night. Not knowing the extent of the injury I performed Chopart's amputation, but discovering the cuneiform and astragalus​ bones to be so much injured I proceeded, while the patient was still under chloroform, to perform Syme's operation." The patient was subsequently transferred to hospital at Alexandria, and later to Washington, where he was discharged from service January 22, 1864, and pensioned.

FIG. 361.—CHOPART'S amputation of the foot. [After ESMARCH.]
FIG. 354.—SYMES'S amputation at the ankle. [After ESMARCH.]