VOL. LXVI.] 1'HILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 6/ 



which Mr. N. observed always to increase, in proportion as the bowels were more 

 or less loosened by the medicines he was taking; and, from the violent efforts of 

 the abdominal muscles in the time of his vomiting, most of the stitches in the 

 wound were broken, so that one might plainly see into the cavity of the abdo- 

 men. After dressing the wound, 12 oz. of blood were taken from the arm, 

 and the anodyne draught was given to him soon after. 



Oct. 1 St. Mr. N. learnt from the people about him, that for a few hours after 

 he had taken the opiate, he lay composed; but soon after midnight he awoke 

 in great hurry and confusion, complaining of his stomach and bowels, accom- 

 panied with convulsive twitchings of the tendons; and that about 5 o'clock this 

 morning he brought up another large quantity of bile, which gave him great 

 relief; for afterwards he lay perfectly easy, and got between 2 and 3 hours sleep. 

 At 9 o'clock, when Mr. N. made his morning visit, he found him much refreshed, 

 and without any kind of complaint. His pulse was full, but much steadier than 

 it had been any time before, and his skin was open. The water he had made 

 was turbid, though still high coloured. The wound indeed made but an indif- 

 ferent appearance; the edges of it were very sloughy, particularly the tendons of 

 the oblique muscle, and so far receded from each other as to make it necessary 

 to divide the remaining stitches. The lower part of the wound, or that next to 

 the ilium, was beginning to digest, and the inflammation and tension of the 

 belly to abate. The o])ening draughts, made a little warmer, were continued, 

 which kept the bowels constantly and gently open. In the evening his pulse was 

 rather increased ; and Mr. N. found that, some time in the afternoon, he had 

 brought up a little more bile, though without any previous complaining. After 

 dressing, he directed more blood to be drawn, and the opiate to be repeated. 



2d. The nurse acquainted Mr. N. this morning, that her patient had had a 

 very quiet night, and had slept many hours without intermission ; that he had 

 taken a sufficient quantity of nourishment, and that it had sat very well on his 

 stomach. He found him cheerful, without any complaint, except that of hunger. 

 His pulse was steady, his skin soft and open, his tongue getting cleaner, and his 

 water beginning to break. The discharge this morning from the sore was ex- 

 ceedingly offensive; and when he had taken off the dressing, he was really asto- 

 nished at the horrid appearance! The wound was burst open, in such a manner 

 as to assume a circular form, and was rather more than 3 inches in its least dia- 

 meter. In the base of this dreadful opening, there was nothing to be seen but 

 the circumvolutions of the small guts; and how this amazing breach was to be 

 restored, he could not easily conceive. Had any one taken a view of the wound 

 at this time, who was unacquainted with the real progress of it, he must natu- 

 rally have concluded, there had been a great loss of substance. The patient was 

 dressed with thin pledgets of very fine unformed lint, moistened with the oil of 



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