of Wounded Inteflines . 
427 
THE CASE OF JAMES LANGFORDW. 
IN the evening of the 26th of September, 1775 , 1 
was called, in great hafte, to james langford, a young 
man in the twenty -firft year of his age, who had been 
malicioufly flabbed, with a knife, in the left fide of his 
belly. The wound was between two and three inches in 
length, running from the left os ilium obliquely upwards 
towards the navel. I found him lying on the floor, wel- 
tering in his blood, with a large portion of his inteflines 
forced through the wound ; and I learnt, from the un- 
happy youth himfelf, that, as foon as the wound was 
inflicted, the bowels began to appear; and, by the time 
I got to him, which could not exceed ten minutes, I 
verily believe, that the full half of the inteflinal tube 
was protruded through the opening. This I attributed, 
in fome meafure, to the fulnefs of the ftomach ; for, im- 
mediately before the accident happened, he had eaten a 
very hearty fupper. The wound at firfl bled freely ; but 
the haemorrhage was loon reflrained by the preffure 
of the prolapfed inteflines, which were, to a great degree, 
diflended with air; and from this circumflance I was 
flattered with the befl hopes that they had efcaped the 
affaflin’s knife ; but, to my great difappointment, it proved 
otherwife, as will appear mofl evidently from the fe- 
quel of this narrative. Examining his pulfe, I found it 
(a) He is a journeyman book-binder, 
Thompson, in Oxford. 
Vol. LXVI. 
and lives 
with Mr, ALEXANDER 
L 1 1 
was 
