Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1888 — STRUGGLE WITH DEATH, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STRUGGLE WITH DEATH,

The Extraordinary Cass of Calvin Pease, Which Is Puzzling the Surgeons. A Wonderful Instance of the Tenacity of Life Under Brain Destruction. [San Antonio special to Chicago Daily News.] Caivui Pease, asinau lartner living at Devine, a station on the International A Great Northern railway, was b.asting a well a few weeks ago. He was sixty feet below the surface of the ground when he fired his last cartridge in tue world. He was engaged in what is technically known as “tamping”—that is, he had inserted his dynamite and was pounding in gravel around it to tighten and give the exploit ve greater purchase. Some slip of the long iron bar which he wielded fired the dynamite. His family heard the report and, noticing his failure to ascend, ran to the well in alarm. Peering down they saw him in erect posture, leaning against the side of the shaft. A rope was lowered and with his remaining good arm he managed to fasten himself somehow and was hauled to the top. He was placed in a common country wagon and driven thirty-three miles over horrible roads to this city. He was placed in the hospital and lived a week. Taken all in all—the character of the agent which injured him, his distance from succor, the tremendous strain to which he was subjected, his ghastly wounds, his utter tang froid, his entire retention of consciousness, and the length of time for which be lived—he furnishes, probably, the most remarkable instance of the tenacity of life under brain destruction to be found in the medical records of any country. So remarkable was it that members of the West Texas Medical Association daily receive letters from prominent surgeons in every part

of the Union asking/for some official confirmation of details of tbe case as reported by tbe St Louis agent of the Associated Press. In every instance the first account has been added to rather than detracted from. But seeing is believing, and, with this idea, photographs have been made, botn ante and post mortem. Briefly summarized, Pease’s injuries were; The right hand blown partially off, the left eye blinded, the right eye entirely gone; above it, and extending far toward tbe top of the head, the skull removed, leaving all that portion of the brain exposed to view; loss of some three tablespoonruls of brain tissue, a fracture of the skull extending from the nosebase back to rear of right ear. During liia seven days’ confinement at the hospital he was thoroughly conscious, had a reasonable appetite, slept well, was able to distinguish between different foods by the taste, alleged that he felt no pain, and more than once expressed strong hopes of getting well. Photo No. 1 represents City Physic an Braunnagel and Dr. Berry lifting the flap and making an examination. It was taken five days after the accident At this time the patient expressed a strong desire for ability to see himself. He was quite a pleasant suf-

serer, and gave the Sisters of Charity as little trouble as possible. Photo No. 2 was taken upon the same day. The physioian’s notes state: “Taken from the sick bed in hospital five days after brain and skull injury from dynamite explosition; the man perfectly conscious and able to apeak, eat and drink; no paralytic symptoms in extremities. A large portion of the frontal bone is entirely gone and about eight splinters were found in the brain substance. A large fracture runs from base of nose toward and beyond occipital protuberance. The eyes are entirely blown out of their sockets.” Photo No. 3 gives the appearance of the brain as held in the assistant’s hand after removal. The frontal lobes show a brain-sub-stance defect about the size of an ordinary whisky glass. This matter was carried away by the explosion and spattered against the walls of the well. Driven deep into the brain, and practically honeycombing it in many directions, were numerous splinters of bone, which were tediously picked out They

ranged in size from a pea to a nickel, and were of ail shapes and degrees of roughness. Photo No. 4 pictures the appearance of Pease after removal of upper part of skull. AA, right and left brain iobos. 88, loss of bram substance below frontal-bone region (the entire frontal region near base of nose gone). C, dura mater. DD, brain membrane flapped over. E, cranium. FF, frontal muscle thrown aside. H, right ear. I, periosteum. The entire edge of the skull (E) represents the line of fracture from B to D. Such is the case of Calvin Pease, Texan farmer and amateur miner. He was 24 years of age and not, in appearance, a man of any remarkable vitality. He will figure ponderously in medical magazines, and for many a year to come will “hold the record” in tomes which treat of the eccentricitiesQof ao-

cident as connected with surgery. How far hia instance will go toward disproving pet theories of braiu governance remains to be seen. „How much wind it knocks out of psychologic disaertators sad pbrenologio demonstrators no man can say. There is enough in it, however, to set the doctors by the ears—not a difficult matter at any time. That the above are true counterfeit presentments of the material aspects of the case, and that it has been and is herein correctly represented, the following reputable physicians will bear w.tness: F. Heiff, M. D., President of the eat Texas Medical Association; E. G Bennett, Vice President; P. W. Johns, Vice President; Adolph Herff, M. D., Dr. Berrev, R. Monger, M. D, members; Amos Graves, M. D., surgeon-general Southern Pacific Railway

Company, and Julius Braunnagel, city physician.

EXAMINING THE BRAIN.

THE FACE BEFORE DEATH.

APPEARANCE OF THE BRAIN.

AFTER REMOVAL OF UPPER PART OF SKULL.