Extract of a Letter from John Huxham, M. D. F. R. S. to William Watson, M. D. F. R. S. Dated at Plymouth, February 5, 1762, Relating to Two Remarkable Cases in Surgery

style, and in a manner more elegant than common, is still apparent. I remain, SIR, Your most obedient and obliged humble servant, William Borlase. LXXXI. Extract of a Letter from John Huxham, M.D. F.R.S. to William Watson, M.D. F.R.S. dated at Plymouth, February 5, 1762, relating to two remarkable Cases in Surgery. Read April 1, 1762. I have sent you inclosed two pretty remarkable cases from Mr. Thomas Adams, an ingenious and experienced surgeon at Lifkard in Cornwall. That of the cut throat may serve to make us somewhat more ready and resolute in the operation of bronchotomy, when necessary. How right Mr. Adams may be in his conjecture of the effects of the sheep-shears, I will not say; but, from many well known experiments, particularly that of Mr. Franklin, it seems not altogether improbable. June June the 12th, 1747, I was sent for to assist John S——r, of the parish of St. Clear. The messenger informed me, he had cut his throat from ear to ear. When I came to him, I found a very large wound, near seven inches long, three parts round his neck; the trachea cut almost through; but the knife had luckily escaped wounding the jugular arteries. No considerable haemorrhage ensued, and that was entirely stopped. I endeavoured a reunion of the parts by suture; which I performed in the following manner. I first made two stitches through the external parts and wind-pipe, which I conveniently performed, as the wound admitted of introducing my fore-finger and thumb into the trachea, and left them untied, till I had brought the two ends of the wound into contact by suture; then tying the two stitches, it had a fair aspect for reunion; which, by superficial dressing and bandage, was completed in a month's time. As soon as I had dressed him, he was able to speak, and informed me, as well as his neighbours, that his wife had made that desperate attempt on his life, in a wood, coming from her father's house to the place where she was a servant, by first blindfolding him with handkerchiefs, and then, under pretence of taking measure to make a new shirt for him, took off his stock, unbuttoned his collar, cut his throat, and then ran from him. After he had been about a fortnight employed about his business, as a carpenter, he complained of a troublesome tickling cough, and loss of appetite. His complaints grew worse, and I was fearful of an ulcer being formed internally, as he had every appearance of a consumption. But coming one day day to me, he complained of a soreness externally. On examining, I found a little matter formed, and, on opening it, extracted a little silk, about the length of a small pin, which relieved his complaints entirely. He lived two years in perfect health, and died of the small-pox. June the 28th, 1756, I was desired, by the parish of Duloe, to attend Charles R——s, who, two days before, had been struck by lightning. On my examination, I found it had pierced through his coat, waistcoat, and shirt, a little above the middle of the deltoid muscle of the right-arm. It had burnt to tinder almost all the sleeve of the shirt, waistcoat, and inside of the coat-sleeve, but the outside appeared untouched, except where the lightning pierced. The flesh of his arm, from the shoulder to the elbow, was burnt, especially where the lightning pierced, a full inch deep, and onwards to the wrist and fingers less and less deep, till it did but just destroy the scarf skin; it pierced again near the umbilical region in a different direction, but not so deep: his thighs were burnt in various directions, but not so deep: from the right knee downwards on the outside, it first burnt the hair, then the scarf skin, and continued on deeper, especially about the ankle and instep of the foot. The left leg much in the same manner on the inside, but not so deep burnt. His waistcoat, breeches, and stockings burnt on the inside as his coat sleeve, and the outside appeared untouched: his buckles melted in his shoes in various directions. In this deplorable condition, his arm and the other parts appearing greatly inflamed, I bled, and gave him a purging draught to empty empty his bowels, and the next day put him upon the use of the bark: the applications were a warm spirituous bath, and the common digesters. By these means, there was a separation begun; in two days, the edges of the burnt parts beginning to separate, when I thought to assist nature by deep scarification; but, to my very great surprize, I could no more thrust my knife through the burnt parts, than through hide leather, or a thong; by which means, the separation was rather slow, and the stench intolerable. By the end of July, he was able to walk abroad; and, about the middle of August, perfectly healed. REMARK. The lightning came through the upper part of the window; a pair of sheep-shears lay in the window, behind his back, which, I imagine, collected, and threw it in such various directions about his body. Another man sat by him, slightly struck about his neck and left shoulder. It is remarkable, while the man of the house went to his cellar, to draw a jug of cyder, on his return, he found his wife and children along the floor, and the two men fallen forward, with their faces on the table, all insensible; and the man so much hurt recovered his senses first.