EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3642, 24 October 1874, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT.

[From the MecV-.il Times and Gazette)

m 9 ne morning, in the midst of the visit, word wax drought to Dr Paul that a man had come to the hospital with a live fish in his throat. Accord*ngly> there was a general rush made to the verandah, where he saw a Coolie, aged twenty, walking in supported by a man on each side, breaching with intense difficulty, and in great distress. The story was soon told. He was that j morning employed iu emptying a tank, | and in catching the fish that’were left j floundering when the water was drawn I ofl. In his eagerness he had one under j each foot, one in each hand, and to | wake sure of a fifth, lie tried to secure it by taking its head between his front teeth, but the fish was too quick for him, and wriggling itself free from the teeth, made its way into the pharynx, A fish of the same sort and size was produced. It was like a perch, 4in. long, with a most formidable dorsal tin, the spines of which, when erected by being pushed the wrong way, stood out at least Tin. A finger passed into the throat easily felt the fish. Here was a pretty case. Put as the first point was to enable the man to breathe, in less time than it takes me to write it a bed was brought out into the verandah, and he was laid upon it and tracheotomised. Then what was to be done ] Pull the fish out anyone would say; but although it was easy to seize the tail, there was tha erect spines of the fin, which would have lacerated the parts past recovery had the fruitless attempt beeu made. Then it was suggested to push the fish tlown into the stomach ; but alas ! it lay doubled up with its* head to the left, and this could not be done. Then, when this was ascertained, it was hoped that the head might be turned upwards with a blunt hook, and so be dragged out. Put the fish would not move. So it was necessary to leave the patient for a few hours. lie was breathing freely, and nourished with beef tea enemata. Next morning it was found that the fish had become decomposed, and it was easily broken up the trachea, whilst the spines offered the greatest obstacle to any removal by the mouth. In order to afford room for clearing the throat, the wound made in the tracheotomy was enlarged upwards through the junction of the alae of the thyroid ; but the patient was very exhausted, and died before relief could be given. I believe this accident is pretty well known auioHgSt fishing communities, ami. that there is a preparation in the museum of one of the Scottish universities showing a pharnyx with the ti.sh impacted. A short time afterwards the history of just such a case was related in the Indian newspapers as having occurred in Ceylon. It is said that the fish was allowed to putrify in the pharynx, whence it was ejected piecemeal next day, and that the patient recovered. Put in order that such a policy may be successful, the patient mu..; be provided with the means of breaching, and the fish should have no spines.