CHILDREN'S FEARS

Abstract

was 3.6 em.. The patient experiencedagonizing pain and was carried to hospital in a state of collapse. He was pulselessand his respirationswere so small as to be scarcelynoticeable. His abdomen was blown up with air and had the hardnessand tensenessof a well inflated rubber tyre. Surgical emphysemawas noticed over the chest, abdomen, penis, scrotum and perineum. The emphysema,extensive as it was, did not have the extraordinary generalization which characterized Dr. Hailes's case. Until subjectedto operation,the patientwas seized with violent clonic spasmsof the body. Procaine was used as a local anrestheticand a small incision over the left rectus abdominis musclewas made. When the peritoneumwas opened, the air rushed out with a loud report and the anterior abdominalwall fell in. A tear was discoveredon the convex surface of the sigmoid colon. The air hadapparentlybrokenthroughthe mucosaandthen strippedup the serouslining for a distanceof about 18 em.. The colonwas collapsedand almostempty. Small petechirewere scatteredover the surface of the mesentery of the sigmoid. Dr. Buchbinder closed the tear in the sigmoid, made a colostomy openingin a loop of the descendingcolon and closed the peritoneum. The patientdiedfour hours later. The mortality of the accident is enormous,72% of the patientsdying. From the statisticsquoted by Dr. Hailes it. is apparent hat patientshavea better chanceof recoverywhen subjectedto operation.