Reunion of separated Parts, 73 
successful operation was performed lately in Scotland, as appears 
by the following interesting communication to Dr. Balfour by 
‘Thomas Hunter, Esq, Surgeon, Port Glasgow. 
January 6, 1815,—John Galbreath, aged 45, by trade a 
house-carpenter, in the act of hewing wood with an axe (which 
he held in his left hand) struck off his thumb close to the arti- 
culation of the first. phalanx with the metacarpal bone. Being 
confused by the accident, he covered the stump with his other 
hand, and, accompanied hy the foreman of the work, arrived 
about eight minutes after at my house. Upon examining the 
parts, I found the portion of thumb he had supposed cut off, 
lying in the hollow of his hand, buried in coagulated blood, and 
still attached by a portion of skin not exceeding one-eighth of 
an inch in breadth. 
** Had I not been acquainted, through the medium of the 
Edinburgh Medical Journal, of your success in re-uniting sepa- 
rated parts, I certainly without the least hesitation would have 
cast this part from me, and proceeded to dress the stump; but 
I resolved on saving it if possible. ‘2 
* Having carefully cleaned the parts, and removed a smal] _ 
splinter of bone, T ‘replaced them, securing them with three 
stitches. After covering the thumb with dressing-lint, T placed 
a splint of wood above all, extending from the wrist to a little 
beyond the point of the thumb, and secured the whole, as neatly 
as possible, with a narrow ribbon, Finally, wetting the whole 
with tinctur. benzoin. comp. I ordered him to call frequently, 
that I might have the opportunity of ascertaining whether ad- 
hesion would take place, 
“7 examined the parts daily. He felt no pain—no discharge 
took place; no smell was perceivable. In this way he passed 
the time without ever having the first dressing touched, till the 
twentieth day from the accident, when I became so anxious te 
see the parts, that I undressed the hand, and, to my great satis< 
faction, found all skinned, one place, where there was a stiteh, 
excepted. This. was dressed daily, and soon healed, The splint 
of wood was continued for some time alter, to give support to 
the bone The man has been working for some months past, 
enjoying all the advantages of his thumb, only the motion of 
the joint is impaired. | 
** The above is a just statement of the case, and the patient 
signs it with the hand that suffered the injury. 
(Signed)  “ John Galbreath, Patient, 
Wm. Cubrie, Foreman tothe Work. - 
** Thomas Hunter, Surgeon,” 
THE 
