Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 477

458

Report of M. M. S. Hospital at Chusan.

AUG.

quantity of pus. While the wound is open, the man cannot of course speak at all, and breathing is painful to him, as the instant admission of cold air into the lungs produces severe cough; but to obviate this inconvenience, he uses a solid flat plug of paper of proper size, and by carefully adjusting it to the opening, he is able to breathe freely through the mouth, and to speak distinctly though with a rough and hoarse voice. The man had no pain, and enjoyed tolerable health, though he had an emaciated appearance, and was subject to cough, and occasionally to asthmatic attacks.

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The case of mortification of both feet occurred in a beggar, who was found lying on some straw in one of the Chinese public offices. He had been much exposed to the severe cold, while poorly clad, and not having had sufficient food, numbness came on in both feet. When he was first seen they were both cold and black; there was also a black gangrenous spot on the tip of the nose. The use of wine and of nourishing diet was of much service at first; a line of separation formed, the man began to rally and was stronger; but suddenly a change took place, great prostration came on, inability to open the jaws supervened, and he shortly died.

The man having disease of the os calcis came from Lowang; large abscesses had formed round the heel for some months, and when he came to the hospital, the posterior half of the os calcis was found to be black and loose, and was easily removed. Considerable hemor- rhage took place on the removal of the bone, but soon ceased; heal- thy granulations sprung up from the surface of the sound bone, and the wound gradually contracted and closed, and shortly afterwards the man was able to walk about with ease.

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The compound fracture of the humerus was in a boy 14 years old, and resulted from a gunshot wound received during an affray be tween a foraging party and some villagers in the valley of Chaeho. A party of sipahis, accompanied by one of their own officers, were buying provisions for the regiment, and had purchased a quantity of fowls and vegetables, when some of the Chinese knocked the money out of the officer's hand, while others ran off with a musket belong. ing to one of the men; the rest of the party fired at the thieves, and this little boy, who was standing by, received a wound. The ball passed through the left arm a little above the elbow; great hemor- rhage had followed, as was evident from the boy's clothes having been saturated with blood; to stop this a small cord had been tightly bound round the arm. When he was brought to the hospital, some days after the accident, the cord was almost buried in the flesh, and