Observation that some Authors have made, _viz._ That from a dangerous
Fracture of the Skull, after Death the Liver has been often found
impostumated. They have been likewise very sollicitous to know which
way the Matter could be conveyed to so remote a _Viscus_; but it would
be needless for me to offer what has been said in this Case, because
it seems to be evident enough, that a Part of it is reassumed by the
Vessels; which, with that should have been discharged from the Mass of
Blood, is by the Circulation deposited in that Part. But here we may
start a considerable Problem, which is, How comes it to pass that the
Morbific Matter if it’s Discharge is suppressed, is thrown upon the
Liver rather than any other Part? In order to the Solution of this,
we ought to consider, That the Spleen is subservient to the Liver in
performing its Office, by giving the Blood a Check in it’s Progress,
whereby it’s Velocity is lessened; otherwise so thick a Juice as the
Bile could not be separated from it. Now the Motion of the Blood being
rendered abundantly slower in this Part, it is no wonder that the
Morbific Particles separate themselves from it, while the Filtration is
carrying on, and by their Assemblage form an Abscess in the Part.
You may perhaps expect, _Sir_, that I should make an Apology to excuse
the Length of my Letter; but I assure you, the Pleasure I have taken
in writing it would oblige me to make it of a larger Extent, if I
did not find I should be forced to take notice of some things, which
may perhaps have a Place elsewhere. I have only this to add, that if
through the little time I have taken to write it in, I have in any part
omitted to pay that Respect as is due to you, I shall very readily ask
your Pardon. In the mean time I must own my self to be,
_Your very much obliged Servant_,
_Southwark_, W^m. Beckett.
_Aug_. 22, 1709.
OF A
Wound of the Brain
By a _BULLET_.
To the SAME.
If you remember, _Sir_, in the History of the _Child’s Case_, which
I have before mentioned, it was observed, that notwithstanding the
violent Pressure upon the Brain, by the depressed Pieces of the
fractured Skull; yet the little Patient laboured under no worse
Symptom, than a Head-ach, and was in a Condition to walk about the
Chamber. This was really very remarkable; but if you will be pleased to
give your self the Trouble of reading the following Account, I do not
question but you will meet with something much more surprizing.
On _November_ the 4th, 1707, it happened, that during an Engagement
between a small _English_ Vessel and a _French_ Privateer, near
_Margate_, one of our Men was unfortunately wounded by a _Bullet_,
which past through the middle of the _Os Frontis_. The Surgeon aboard
the Ship immediately enlarged the Wound, by making an Incision through
the Integuments, but could not discover the Bullet; whereupon he
dressed him up, and the same Day being set ashore, he was dispatched
for _London_. On _Thursday_ the 6th Day of the same Month, he arrived,
having walked much the greater part of the way in that time, which
is about 66 Miles; the same Day his Surgeon endeavoured to extract
some Pieces of the Bone, which discovered themselves through that
Aperture which was made by the Bullet, but without Success; for they
consisted chiefly of the internal Table, which were much larger than
the Hole in the external: Upon this the Wound was immediately drest
up, and a second Attempt was made a Day or two after; but it proved
as successless as the former. In the mean time, the Patient continued
to be very hearty and well, and seemed to be no more indisposed than
if he had only received a slight Wound of the Head. The opening the
Skull with the Trepan was proposed, and which would probably have
been put in Practice in a Day or two’s time: But on the Sabbath-Day
Morning following, after he had rested well all Night, he was seized
with such violent convulsive Motions as were very surprizing; during
which he expired. The Body being laid on a Table to be dissected, all
it’s Parts appeared so prodigiously inflated, that the Person, when a
live, being one of the largest Stature, it seemed perfectly monstrous.
A Puncture being made in any Part through the Integuments, there was
nothing discharged but a subtile Matter or Air; immediately after which
the Part subsided, though before on a Compressure of the Fingers it
would receive such an Impression as is observed in Oedematous Tumours;
but it would suddenly return to it’s former State. The Surface of
several of the Parts appeared livid and vesicated. The Skull being
opened, the Bullet dropped out of the Brain, all the Fore-part of
which was corrupted, and abounded with a thick yellowish Juice, of a
very offensive Smell; there were two or three very large Pieces of the
inner Table of the Skull, with some smaller that were found among the
lacerated Membranes, and lodged in the corrupted Brain.
This Case is so particular, that it may not be amiss if we make some
Reflections on it.
We are very well assured, _Sir_, that it has been a Matter of very
great Surprize to several ingenious Men, to consider how the various
Operations of the Body have continued to be performed, when those Parts
which were so absolutely necessary to the Well-being of the Animal,
have been naturally or accidentally disordered to such a degree, as
to suffer a perfect Confusion of their Parts: And of this we find
Variety of Instances in those Authors, who have very obligingly applied
themselves to relate the Histories of deceased morbid Bodies. But that
the Brain it self, which is the very Source and Principle of all Animal
Functions, should, after it has undergone such a Violation as we have
observed, continue several Days without incommoding the Person in the
least respect, is really very remarkable; for if we do but consider
what an absolute Necessity there is for a constant Supply of Animal
Spirits, to empower the Parts to perform their mechanical Actions, and
at the same time reflect on the Disorder and Corruption of that Part,
whose Office it was to secrete a sufficient Quantity of those Spirits,
we might very reasonably expect a considerable Alteration in the whole
Body. One might very well think, that from the Deficiency of Spirits
that would ensue, the Parts could no longer continue to perform their
Actions, but must gradually lose their Power and Spring, and at length
become in a manner destitute of Motion: For we can scarce perswade
our selves, that Nature in this Case is so provident as to suffer
the _Cerebellum_ and _Medulla Spinalis_ to filtrate the Spirits in a
greater Quantity, that they might supply the Exigencies of the Body.
There still remains some considerable _Phænomena_ to be accounted
for, as the convulsive Motions, the prodigious Inflation of the Body,
_&c._ As to the former, it may be perhaps accountable from the violent
Conflict we may imagine to have happened on the mutual Engagement of
the Juice that was found so plentiful in the corrupted Brain, and
that which had undergone no Alteration from it’s original Purity. Add
to this, that the Animal Spirits in the Nerves receiving some ill
Impressions by the Accession of some of those impure Particles, could
no longer sally out upon the Command of the Will to any particular
Part, but must consequently so irritate the Nerves, as to cause their
Extremities to contract themselves; upon which Account the Blood
becomes imprisoned in the muscular Fibres, which abridging their
Length by enlarging their Diameters, the Parts must necessarily suffer
involuntary Contractions: At the same time those minute Capillary
Extremities, which terminated in the Miliary Glands, were probably so
contracted, or crispt up, as perfectly to close the Orifices of the
excretory Ducts of those Glands, which are the only sudatory Pores:
By this means all that vast Quantity of Matter which is usually
discharged by insensible Transpiration, became imprisoned underneath
the Integuments of the Body, and so distended all its Parts to such
a prodigious Degree, as was observed. This Constipation of the
excretory Ducts, and crisping up of the Extremities of the Nerves,
might likewise have a considerable Effect on the small Branches of
the Arteries and Veins which accompanied them; for by this means the
Blood they contained might be obliged to stagnate in the Glands, which
must occasion an Enlargement of the Diameters of those minute Vessels;
and so the livid Colour which was extended on several Parts might be
probably procured: Besides this, the Blood being in such a comprest
State, some of its more fluid Parts might be exprest from it, which
lodging underneath the _Cuticula_, might make the Parts appear to be
vesicated; there is nothing more certain, than that Animal Bodies
perspire after Death; or that the perspirable Matter continues to pass
off as long as the Body retains any Warmth. This is confirmed by an
Experiment of Sir _Thomas Browne_, in his _Pseudodoxica Epidemica_,
where he tells us, That “upon exactly weighing and strangling a Chicken
in the Scales, upon an immediate Ponderation he could discover no
sensible Difference in Weight; but suffering it to lie 8 or 10 Hours,
till it grew perfectly cold, it weighed most sensibly lighter. The
like, says our Author, we attempted and verified in Mice, and performed
their Trials in Scales that would turn upon the 8th or 10th part of a
Grain.”
_I am, Sir_,
_Yours_, &c.
W. B.
NEW
DISCOVERIES
CONCERNING
CANCERS.
ADDRESSED TO
_Charles Bernard_, Esq;
Serjeant-Surgeon,
AND
Surgeon in Ordinary, to Her Majesty Queen
_ANNE_.
_SIR_,