CASE OF SPONTANEOUS RUPTURE OF THE SPLEEN.
By Surgeon
F. Odevaine,
Hhopal
or
hilus of the
occupying
JJattaliou.
above, the wife of one of the Sikh cooks regiment, had been with her sister grinding corn on a small hand mill, or chukkee, in a hut close to the lines. When she had finished, she was going towards the married quarters, and on passing a well, she complained of feeling giddy, sat present The
subject
of the
attached to the
down and drank a little water, then went in company with her sister to the hut of a married sepoy, which was a few yards from the well; here, on reaching the threshold, she sat down, and
lay her,
feeling of giddiness, and immediately being called, and trying to raise lay down, and within five or six minutes of inquest was convened to enquire into
again complained down.
of a
On her husband
she once more
after died.
A court
the
of this woman's
cause
death.
I
made
examination about sixteen hours after death. that of
a
post-mortem
The
body
was
young woman, about 22 years of age, tolerably well nourished, and presenting no external marks of violence. The abdomen appeared prominent and tense; on opening its a
cavity,
found discolored by blood, and several pints of serum and clotted blood were found extravasated within the and peritoneum. I at once suspected rupture of the the omentum
was
spleen, carefully removed this organ. It was about four times its normal size, not remarkably friable, and presented a superficial rent on the middle of its inner aspect, about 2| inches long, and running parallel to its length. The liver was pale and much larger than in health; the heart covered with a good deal of fat for so young a subject, but otherwise healthy; uterus empty. The rupture of the spleen was at first attibuted to violence, but all the evidence proved that she had received no blow of any kind, and her sister had been with her the whole time, from the moment they went to grind their corn till her death. I suggested that she might have accidentally hit her side in turning the handle of the cliukkce, but the base of this was so wide, as to preclude the possibility of such an occurrence. The deceased had been subject to epilepsy and ague, but had not had a fit for many days before her death. I believe the above to have been a case of spontaneous rupture of the spleen, and in this country, where a comparablow over this organ has
frequently
caused its
rupture, it becomes of interest to know that this
occurrence
tively slight
spleen,
the site of entrance and exit of its
very large vessels, and though not deep, its most vascular part, accounted for the
probably as rapid death of this woman from the time of her first complaining of giddiness, which could not have been more than twenty minutes. In the cases of ruptured spleen caused by violence, which have come under my notice, I have always found the injury at the external surface or anterior edge of the organ, whereas in the numerous
may take place spontaneously. It will be observed that the rent was on the concave surface
instance of spontaneous rupture, the rent was at its use in medico-
Perhaps this may be of some diagnostic legal enquiries of a similar nature. Sehoiie, Central India, August 17th, 1871. hilus.
By Surgeon
F. Odevaine,
Hhopal
or
hilus of the
occupying
JJattaliou.
above, the wife of one of the Sikh cooks regiment, had been with her sister grinding corn on a small hand mill, or chukkee, in a hut close to the lines. When she had finished, she was going towards the married quarters, and on passing a well, she complained of feeling giddy, sat present The
subject
of the
attached to the
down and drank a little water, then went in company with her sister to the hut of a married sepoy, which was a few yards from the well; here, on reaching the threshold, she sat down, and
lay her,
feeling of giddiness, and immediately being called, and trying to raise lay down, and within five or six minutes of inquest was convened to enquire into
again complained down.
of a
On her husband
she once more
after died.
A court
the
of this woman's
cause
death.
I
made
examination about sixteen hours after death. that of
a
post-mortem
The
body
was
young woman, about 22 years of age, tolerably well nourished, and presenting no external marks of violence. The abdomen appeared prominent and tense; on opening its a
cavity,
found discolored by blood, and several pints of serum and clotted blood were found extravasated within the and peritoneum. I at once suspected rupture of the the omentum
was
spleen, carefully removed this organ. It was about four times its normal size, not remarkably friable, and presented a superficial rent on the middle of its inner aspect, about 2| inches long, and running parallel to its length. The liver was pale and much larger than in health; the heart covered with a good deal of fat for so young a subject, but otherwise healthy; uterus empty. The rupture of the spleen was at first attibuted to violence, but all the evidence proved that she had received no blow of any kind, and her sister had been with her the whole time, from the moment they went to grind their corn till her death. I suggested that she might have accidentally hit her side in turning the handle of the cliukkce, but the base of this was so wide, as to preclude the possibility of such an occurrence. The deceased had been subject to epilepsy and ague, but had not had a fit for many days before her death. I believe the above to have been a case of spontaneous rupture of the spleen, and in this country, where a comparablow over this organ has
frequently
caused its
rupture, it becomes of interest to know that this
occurrence
tively slight
spleen,
the site of entrance and exit of its
very large vessels, and though not deep, its most vascular part, accounted for the
probably as rapid death of this woman from the time of her first complaining of giddiness, which could not have been more than twenty minutes. In the cases of ruptured spleen caused by violence, which have come under my notice, I have always found the injury at the external surface or anterior edge of the organ, whereas in the numerous
may take place spontaneously. It will be observed that the rent was on the concave surface
instance of spontaneous rupture, the rent was at its use in medico-
Perhaps this may be of some diagnostic legal enquiries of a similar nature. Sehoiie, Central India, August 17th, 1871. hilus.
