There was little hemorrhage, but the man could neither
swallow nor speak. The wound was sutured, tracheotomy done, and
the head kept fixed on the chest by a copper splint. He was
ingeniously fed by esophageal tubes and rectal enemata; in three
weeks speech and deglutition were restored. Shortly afterward the
esophageal tube was removed and recovery was virtually complete.
Little mentions an extraordinary case of a woman of thirty-six
who was discharged from Garland's asylum, where she had been an
inmate for three months. This unfortunate woman had attempted
suicide by self-decapitation from behind forward. She was found,
knife in hand, with a huge wound in the back of the neck and her
head bobbing about in a ghastly manner. The incision had severed
the skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles, the ligaments and
bone, opening the spinal canal, but not cutting the cord. The
instrument used to effect this major injury was a blunt
potato-peeling knife. Despite this terrible wound the patient
lived to the sixth day.
Hislop records a case of cut-throat in a man of seventy-four. He
had a huge gaping wound of the neck, extending to within a half
inch of the carotids on each side. The trachea was almost
completely severed, the band left was not more than 1/4 inch
wide.
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