Richmond Enquirer

Case of Traumatic Tetanus, successfully treated by Messrs. Pauchard and Parant.

Jean Baptiste Beaugry, 17 years of age, of a bilious temperament, living in St. Valier's Suburbs, was enjoying a good health, when on the 24th December, 1820, while in the act of splitting small pieces of wood, he unfortunately cut with his axe, the muscular part of the ball of the thumb, and divided a large artery. The parents, after much labour, succeeded in stopping the hemorrhage, but it burst out anew several times during the first two days and it was with great difficulty that a stop was put at last to the flow of the blood. The wound was rather long in healing, but it was perfectly so, when on the 8th January last, he perceived that the motions of his arm were performed with difficulty, and that the affected thumb was strongly contracted and bent into the palm, giving the most excruciating pain. The disease increasing, and the parents becoming alarmed, Messrs. Pauchard and Parant were sent for, on the morning of the 9th, when they found the patient labouring under a complete Opisthotonos, his head was violently drawn backwards, his jaws so much closed, that they with difficulty permitted the introduction of the blade of a knife, deglutition was very difficult, his body was covered with a copious sweat. When he attempted to change his position, the muscles of his body became still more contracted, and his belly was most extraordinarily tense.

The following treatment, summarily, has been pursued.—Frequently bleeding during two days, and each time to Syncope; the warm bath, injection and purgings, so as to keep up a continual Diarrhoea.

Opium was administered in large doses, but it appearing to increase the Paroxysms, it was soon abandoned.

Quebec, 25th July, 1821.