INJURY OF THE OCCIPUT. 
879 
to those about her. I could now examine the occiput. I 
found the small crack in the skin almost healed up ; there was 
no swelling or puffiness whatever perceptible about the scalp of 
the vertex, nor any detectable fracture or displacement or irregu¬ 
larity in the bone, but some little increased heat. 
I opened the temporal artery, and gave issue to a brisk and 
copious stream of scarlet-coloured blood, which mounted from 
the orifice in the form of jet-d'eau, enabling us to collect much 
of it in the blood-basin. She lost six quarts (as nearly as I could 
judge) before the pulse indicated any sinking effect. After 
this, the head was closely shorn, and a blister rubbed upon the 
whole cranial surface. She continued struggling and moaning 
all the afternoon ; indeed, at six o’clock in the evening, she was 
in so pitiable and apparently hopeless a state as to induce a friend 
of Mr. D.’s (who himself was from home at this time) to send 
for me, and beg that I would have her shot, for humanity’s sake: 
and, I must confess, I was half inclined to do so. I, however, 
refused to give any such directions in the absence of her master. 
At seven o’clock I visited her again. The groom said she had 
been more tranquil during the last hour. I remained with her 
for half an hour, and w as mj^self somewhat surprised to observe 
how much less frequent and violent her frantic fits had of late 
become. I determined to put them further to the test, and had, 
wdth that view", the fetters removed from her legs. She lay quiet 
about ten minutes after this was done, and then, to the surprise 
of all present, arose and stood upon her legs. Next, she moved ; 
but she made only one step at a time, and that an un¬ 
steady and faltering one: however, she did manage to walk tw’O 
or three paces. She drank heartily of some cold water that was 
offered to her, and greedily devoured several mouthfuls of green 
meat. 
By ten o’clock at night she had gained strength sufficient to 
walk round her box, which the groom told me she had been re¬ 
peatedly doing. Her pulse now had likewise gained strength and 
become frequent,—60. Her skin and extremities w-ere unusually 
warm; her mouth hot; her eyes more brilliant, with pupils to a 
degree susceptible of contraction from the light. She had staled 
