Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1875 — A Humane Medical Operation. [ARTICLE]

A Humane Medical Operation.

An incident reflecting credit upon, the humanity of medical students lately came to light during an inquest bold on the body ot a policeman, at Birmingham, England. The man had been stabbed, in the neck during a street riot, and. was taken to the Queen’s Hospilah The wound had punctured the irknmsd carotid artery, causing a perilots- effusion of blood. After consultation the surgeons decided to try to red-ore and regulate the flow of blood by digital compression of the common carotid artery, instead of resorting to a dangerous operation. The hospital students volunteered to perform the delicate and arduous duty. A v/ard was cleared for the patient, and for thirty-three hours the students too'* turns in holding the artery close w : ,th their fingers. The , work of compression was then discontinued for a time, as the patient demanded rest, it was afterward resumed for a perio aof seventeen hours. The effort proved unavailing; it became necessary t f j tie the- artery, and after the I operati oh the patient died.