The treatment of Spina Bifida by a new method / by James Morton ; with a paper on The pathology of spina bifida by John Cleland.

Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The treatment of Spina Bifida by a new method / by James Morton ; with a paper on The pathology of spina bifida by John Cleland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    and covered by thin, delicate, and transparent membrane. The child appeared to suffer much pain and uneasiness when pressure was applied to the tmnoui-, and required to be constantly laid on its side or abdomen. The power of voluntary motion in the lower limbs was little, if at all, impaired. What I considered a favourable circumstance in this case was that the pedicle, or neck of the tumour, was covered Avith the ordinary integument; and this led me to attempt its removal by ligature, after consulting with some of my medical friends. A ligature was applied, not very tightly at first, and a new one put on every day. The tumour enlarged considerably, and it was frequently punc- tured with a fine needle. A large quantity of clear serous fluid exuded from the punctures, and it was not till the fourteenth day after the first application of the ligature that the sac began to shrink and shrivel up. The membranous covering became reddish and ultimately black, and came away on the eighteenth day after the application of the first ligature, leaving a raw, tender surface, about a quarter of an inch in extent. This small sore, by the use of simj)le water dressing, combined with pressiu-e, gradually healed, and a firm cicatrix was formed in the space of three weeks. Before the closiu-e of this sore, a slight fissure or defect in the spinal canal, through Avhich the membranes protruded, was distinctly felt. The infant enjoyed excellent health during the whole time. It complained a little each time the ligature Avas tightened, and appeared, on the whole, less troublesome than formerly. The child was brought to me three months afterwards