a remarkable Gun ‘Shot Wound. 545 
‘what fæces he had, through the wound in his belly. On the 
fourteenth he had a common glyfter adminiftered, the greateft 
part of which alfo came out at the wound, the remainder com- 
ing as it went, 2b ano, without bringing any fæces. From the 
fourteenth to the eighteenth he took confiderable quantities of 
gruel and whey, with a little wine occafionally, having no intef- 
tinal difcharge whatever but what was made through the wound 
in his belly. On the eighteenth, as his ftrength was much in- 
creafed, and as the wounds. were confiderably contracted, and 
Jooked well, I ordered another injection to be adminiftered gent- 
ly, when, for the firft time, in eleven days he hada natural 
ftool. From this time he had no further difcharge of fceces 
through his wound ; his excretions became as regular and as 
natural as ever they were ; his wounds fuppurated and. heal 
‘kindly ; his ftrength returned ; and he was exchanged nearly as 
‘well as ever,-on the thirtieth. i | 
‘That the ball had paffed through the colon is obvious, from 
‘the difcharge of perfect faeces and of the injection adminiftered, 
abans., That his life depended upon our not meddling with 
the wound, and upon keeping him quiet and eafy, is alfo plain ; 
as the leaft removal of the orifice in the inteftine from the ori- 
fice through the abdomen, which were fo happily oppofed to 
each other, muft have been. attended with a fatal difcharge of 
the fæces into the abdomen. That the diaphragm and lungs 
were perforated is plain, from the courfe of the ball,and his pro- 
fufe hemoptoe. That Surgeons may be too officious, as well 
as too tardy ; and that where they are not certain of the utility 
they had better leave even the moft defpe- 
ever provident, and 
of their operations, 
rate diforders to the management of nature, 
generally adequate, are points remarkably enforced in this par- 
ticular cafe, Www 
dont ; Soke 
