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There were more than 600 cases of recorded spine injuries during the American Civil War. Surgeries upon the spine were regarded as “operative interference” and the surgeries performed were very limited in nature. No instances of formal trephination were reported. Operations included ball removal (thirty-four cases) and bone removal (twenty-four cases). The overall surgical mortality rate was 43%. Wounds of the spine were looked upon pessimistically since results were dismal except in cases that had relatively little true spinal involvement (i.e., only a spinous process without spinal cord injury). One lucky private survived a remarkable gunshot wound to the neck. W.W. Keen, considered the father of American neurosurgery, described the private’s wound this way: “Nearly the entire body of the third cervical vertebra has come away, including the anterior half of the transverse process and the vertebral foramen… What supports his head anteriorly, I can’t conceive…” Surprisingly, this soldier recovered enough to work as a hospital attendant afterward with only residual paralysis of his right arm.<\/p>\n
Culled from:\u00a0Orthopaedic Injuries of the Civil War<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nCivil War Spinal Cord Injury Du Jour<\/h3>\n
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