Civil War Washington

CASE 91.—Private Adolph Voshage, Co. L, 9th New York State Militia, aged 29 years, was wounded at Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, admitted to Harewood Hospital, December 23, 1862. A musket ball had entered near the left anterior superior spinous process, and emerged near Poupart's ligament. On January 14, 1864, sloughing appeared, and was treated by free cauterization with nitric acid. Pus had burrowed deeply, and the sinuses were laid open, and tents were introduced. There was recurrent gangrene on the 27th, and great destruction of tissue. Frequent hæmorrhages took place, which were arrested by tampons. In the middle of March, the immense sore was granulating kindly, but pus continued to burrow in the muscular interstices. By May 1st, the wound had cicatrized. The destruction of tissue was so great that the thigh was flexed on the abdomen, and the patient moved about by resting alternately on the nates and palms of his hands. He was discharged July 7, 1863, "for spurious anchylosis of left hip joint." The limb remained contracted and useless, unfitting him for manual labor, according to the Pension Board, April, 1870. He died, July 28, 1871, "of uræmia," according to the report of the attending physician, M. H. Schuler, M. D.