PRIMARY amputation of both lower limbs

AFTER RAILWAY INJURIES. By Dr.

A.

RECOVERY.

Porter,

Madras Army. Mookta, a female child of the Chamar caste, aged two and half yeara, admitted on May 8th, 18G8, at 8 a.m., was carried

THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.

254

to hospital by some of lier friends, from whom it was learned that tho child had been run over, about an hour before, by a The accident train at some eight miles from the Akola station. seemed to have occurred through carelessness on the part of the child's mother, who was working as a coolie on that part of the line, and had allowed the child to stray to the rails to play. The train suddenly approached round a sharp curve, knocked clown the child while she was trying to escape, fractured the left femur close to the great trochanter, and ran over both legs, smashing up and completely severing them from the rest of the body to as high as half way to the knees. There was no immediate liremorrhage, and it was stated that little blood had been lost from the first. The child looked pale and stupefied?probably partly from shock and partly front the effects of opium, which the friends had administered freely at the tiine of the accident. It was thought best to amputate at once, relying on the chloroform producing sufficient reaction ; and in this we were not disappointed. Chloroform was given, and it produced the desired effects. Both legs were amputated at about two inches below the knee, as circumstances permitted?the right by two semi-lunar skin flaps and circular through the muscles, and the left by a near approach to Teale's method. Very little blood was lost during the operation ; and only one ligature was required on the right side. The stumps were lightly dressed, the fracture put up in short splints, and the child comfortably placcd in bed, and given a little stimulant. There was very slight heat of skin with restlessness for the first few days, but apparently no some loss of appetite : notwithstanding her age, this child had not been weaned! There was so little discharge from the stumps, that it was not necessary to remove the first dressing till the 11th; from this date the child looked bright and well always, and seldom gave any trouble when the stumps were being dressed. On the 21st the right ligature separated, and all ligatures had separated on the left side by the 26th. On June 1st both stumps were quite healed up. The fracture was united, hut still required care.

With

some

in

difficulty

I induced the mother to keep the child but had then to be content with starch bandage, iiud letting the

hospital for another week, putting up the thigh in a child go.

"Walking Fisiies.?Dr. Shortt is expected shortly to arrive from India, bringing with him about a dozen and a half of the walking fishes of India, Murrul and Korava, many of them intended as a present to the Zoological Society's Gardens from Dr. Day. The largest species, known as ophiocephalus ftriatus, grow to upwards of three feet in length, and if they succeed in England, will make a capital addition to our lakes and canals. The smaller variety, ophiocephalus c/achua, will perhaps be more interesting than useful, as they only grow to about Pains have been taken to accustom them one foot in length. to confinement before them in tin boxes.

shipping

by degrees

Dr. Day is said to have come to the conclusion that they breathe air direct from the atmosphere as well as air in solution in the water in which they live.*

* This extract from Ed., 1. M. G.

a

local paper lias been inadvertently postponed,?

[Noyembee 2,

1SGS.