Title: Connor, J. W.

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), 83.

Keywords:wounds and injuries of the lower extremitieswounds and injuries of the hip jointshot fractures at the hip jointshot fractures at the hip joint unsuccessfully treated by conservationneck of femur fracturedgunshot fracture of thigh in upper thirdthigh fracture high up, displacement smallcomminuted fracture in neighborhood of trochantersball impacted in ischiumnecropsy performedpyæmia

Civil War Washington ID: med.d2e4468

TEI/XML: med.d2e4468.xml


CASE 176.—Private J. W. Connor, Co. D, 81st Pennsylvania, was wounded at Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. Surgeon J. E. McDonald, 79th New York, recorded his entrance into the field hospital of the 1st division, Ninth Corps, with "Gunshot wound of left thigh." Surgeon J. A. Lidell, U. S. V., contributed the specimen represented in the adjoining wood-cut (FIG. 40) (Cat. Surg. Sect., 1866, p. 243, Spec. 622), and reported the following history: "Admitted to Stanton Hospital, Washington, December 26th, with gunshot fracture of left thigh in upper third; ball not extracted. The injured limb was a good deal swelled; pus flowing from the wound. Exploration did not discover the ball; thigh found fractured high up; amount of displacement small. The case did pretty well till December 31st, when symptoms of pyæmia showed themselves. He grew rapidly worse, and died January 2, 1863. The necropsy showed inflammation of the femoral vein, pus in the femoral and iliac veins, a comminuted fracture in the neighborhood of the trochanters, and the ball firmly impacted in the ischium." The specimen consists of the bones of the hip joint with a portion of the ligaments, the head of the femur being dislocated. The track of the ball is necrosed, but a small quantity of callus has been thrown out on the anterior surface of the femur.

FIG. 40.—Bones of the left hip joint with dislocation of head of femur. Spec. 622.