Mr. G—— came to Mr. H—— on the recommendation of Mr. J—— and
also was induced to do so from the benefit he saw that Mr. J—— had
derived from the treatment. In this case the ankle had been sprained
and bruised by a horse falling on him a year-and-a-half previous to his
visit to Mr. H——. Owing to the road along which he was riding having
been much cut up by cart wheels, his injury was much more severe than
would usually occur from this form of accident. When the horse fell
he was not thrown but went down with it; the injured foot touched the
ground, sinking into one of the ruts, when before he could withdraw it,
the animal rolled over, wrenching and bruising the limb most fearfully.
The foot was seen by Mr. H——, was still much swollen, and very stiff
in all parts. He was considered to have “five bones out” and the usual
manipulations were employed for their reduction. It required three
operations, at intervals of a week, before the stiffness of the foot
was removed, but at the end of three weeks he walked as well as he ever
did in his life. When he came he had his foot in a sling suspended from
his neck, so utterly useless was the limb.
The advantage of the employment of movement a few days after the
receipt of the injury is shown, he says, by the history of one of the
cases that he saw with Mr. Hutton:
J. F. (Stanmore) was thrown from a cart by the horse stumbling when
going down hill. He fell on his right shoulder and side of his head.
He remained stunned for about an hour; on coming to himself and trying
to raise with the assistance of the right arm, he found himself unable
to raise it, much less to bear any weight upon it. He succeeded with
great difficulty in getting into his cart (the horse it appears did
not fall completely and waited quietly at the side of the road) and
driving home. He suffered great pain all night, the arm being perfectly
useless, and the parts about the shoulder much swollen. He saw Mr.
H—— the following day and was directed by him to poultice and use
neat’s foot oil for a week. At the end of the week he was operated
upon. Increased pain followed the operation; it was not, however, in
the same spot, having shifted from the shoulder to the outer side of
the arm, near the insertion of the deltoid. No improvement in power
of movement occurred at the time; he could not raise his hand to his
head or bend his forearm. On his next visit, three days afterwards,
he said that the pain continued through the night, that he dropped
off to sleep towards morning, and when he awoke he found that it had
materially abated, and his sufferings had been comparatively slight
since. The swelling had diminished, but the motions of the joint were
not much freer.
At the expiration of a week from the time of the operation, he appeared
again; and he could then place his hand behind his head and also on
the opposite shoulder. “With the exception of a slight stiffness, he
considered his limb quite well.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account