72 Injuries of Bone. 



" At the end of this time his breathing became more affected. On 

 the twelfth day after the injury his breathing became more rapid — 60 per 

 minute. It afterwards became slower, and he died. He was frequently 

 bled and cupped, but without relief. 



" At the post-mortem examination much coagulated blood lay over 

 the sixth and seventh dorsal vertebra, and the spinous processes of these 

 vertebraj were broken. The tube of the spine was forced in upon the 

 spinal marrow, and a sharp portion of bone belonging to the body of the 

 vertebra had pierced and lay pressing on the spinal marrow. A rib was 

 fractured on the left side, the broken extremity of which pressed against 

 the pleura. This side of the chest showed marks of inflammation." 



The body of the sixth dorsal vertebra is severely crushed 

 and comminuted, as in the previous specimen, and the upper- 

 part of the seventh body has been broken off on the right side. 

 The heads of the fifth and sixth ribs have been broken off 

 on the left side. The laminae and spine of the sixth vertebra 

 has been fractured horizontally, and the left lamina of the' 

 seventh vertebra vertically. One of the pieces of the body of 

 the sixth vertebra was driven back upon the spinal cord. 



B. C. 1. 4. M. 8. 



3. 79. Healed Fracture of the Dorsal Spine, after Severe 



Crushing". — Dorsal vertebrae, from the sixth to the eleventh in- 

 clusive, with the corresponding ribs — macerated and dried. 

 The laminae are removed to expose the spinal canal from the 

 back. 



The spinal cord was torn across, and the patient survived the injury 

 nearly two months. 



The condition seen is the result of extensive crushing and 

 comminution of the bodies of the seventh, eighth, and ninth 

 vertebra;, with subsequent healing. 



The spinal canal is entirely obliterated by crushing back of 

 the bodies upon it. The crushing has been so complete that^ 

 except for the presence of the ribs, it would have been almost 

 impossible to have said how many vertebrae were involved. 

 On the left side, the seventh, eighth, and ninth ribs are packed 

 as closely as they will go. It may be noted that, as is com- 



