Gunshot Wound

[Gene C]

JMadonna's attachemment. Very nice work folks. I wondered what one looked likel
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trephine

I have an attachment like that for my Dremel drill.

The other thing in his hand looks like a mini hatchet. I need someone like that operating on me like I need a hole in my head. (Lizzie Borden says get the next larger size)

But seriously folks, for all you do-it-yourselfers out there, considering what Obama don'tcare may leave us with, here is something to put on your holiday wish list.
http://www.acesurgical.com/easyretrieve.html

So order one from your ACE hardware store today.

But, if your not into power tools, there is the old fashion way. http://phisick.com/item/trephine-drill-w...le-19th-c/
(I think my wife may have something like this in her kitchen drawer)

[Rhatkinson]

I've always found this issue interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like much of an intellectual life for Lincoln even if he had survived. That may have been worse than death (as horrid as that sounds.) Lincoln as inarticulate is a sad thought indeed.

"If he had lived, he would at the very least have been partially blind, unsteady on his feet, numb in certain regions of his body and inarticulate. Nevertheless, he might have been able to think and, after much rehabilitation, communicate."

Heath

[Eva Elisabeth]

(08-20-2013 02:16 PM)wsanto Wrote:  A burr hole in this case would probably cause herniation into the burr hole. Today he would have had most of his left temporal bone removed which allows the swelling to occur and the brain to expand freely without herniation. Also his blood pressure would remain greater than intracranial pressure and allow for adequate perfusion.

Like this I assume?:

http://www.medicalexhibits.com/obrasky/2...71_04X.jpg

[wsanto]

(08-20-2013 06:59 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  

(08-20-2013 02:16 PM)wsanto Wrote:  A burr hole in this case would probably cause herniation into the burr hole. Today he would have had most of his left temporal bone removed which allows the swelling to occur and the brain to expand freely without herniation. Also his blood pressure would remain greater than intracranial pressure and allow for adequate perfusion.

Like this I assume?:

http://www.medicalexhibits.com/obrasky/2...71_04X.jpg

Exactly. They keep the bone in the freezer for replacing later. They're kept on a different shelf than where the nurses keep their Lean Cuisines.

[RJNorton]

(08-20-2013 05:47 PM)Rhatkinson Wrote:  I've always found this issue interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like much of an intellectual life for Lincoln even if he had survived. That may have been worse than death (as horrid as that sounds.) Lincoln as inarticulate is a sad thought indeed.

"If he had lived, he would at the very least have been partially blind, unsteady on his feet, numb in certain regions of his body and inarticulate. Nevertheless, he might have been able to think and, after much rehabilitation, communicate."

Heath

Heath, here is what Dr. Lattimer thought. In his book he writes, There seems to be no reason to disagree with those who have stated that Lincoln could not possibly have survived this wound, even in modern times, and that, indeed, it is remarkable that he survived for nine hours, as he did, after the shooting. Even if he had survived, he most certainly would have been a decerebrate 'vegetable'; a cruel transformation from the sensitive, compassionate, and thoughtful chief of state which he had been.

I should add that Dr. Lattimer's book was published in 1980. Possibly medical advances made in the past 30+ years would make the outlook more positive than what Dr. Lattimer writes?

[wsanto]

(08-21-2013 05:55 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Heath, here is what Dr. Lattimer thought. In his book he writes, There seems to be no reason to disagree with those who have stated that Lincoln could not possibly have survived this wound, even in modern times, and that, indeed, it is remarkable that he survived for nine hours, as he did, after the shooting. Even if he had survived, he most certainly would have been a decerebrate 'vegetable'; a cruel transformation from the sensitive, compassionate, and thoughtful chief of state which he had been.

I should add that Dr. Lattimer's book was published in 1980. Possibly medical advances made in the past 30+ years would make the outlook more positive than what Dr. Lattimer writes?

Roger,

Dr Lattimer was probably correct in 1980 but there would be cause for much more optimism today given the advancements in Trauma Surgery, ICU management, and rehabilitation over the last 33 years.

Assuming the bullet hadn't crossed the midline (per Dr. Woodward's report), Lincoln's entire right hemisphere was uninjured. The bullet did not significantly injure any major centers in the brain (except Broca's area that controls speech, and some motor and sensory regions). His right hemisphere could have potentially learned, with a lot of rehabilitation, some of the functions that were damaged on the left. I disagree that he would have survived as a "vegetable". He very well may have survived and been able think, learn, and communicate in a useful way.

Of course it is all moot because under no circumstances could he have survived in 1864.