years old who in an
attempt at suicide with a penknife, had made a deep wound in the left
side of the neck. The sternohyoid and omohyoid muscles were divided;
the internal jugular vein was cut through, and its cut ends were
collapsed and 3/4 inch apart; the common carotid artery was cut into,
but not divided; the thyroid cartilage was notched, and the external
and anterior jugular veins were severed. Clamp-forceps were immediately
applied to the cut vessels and one on each side the aperture in the
common carotid from which a small spurt of blood, certainly not half a
teaspoonful, came out. The left median basilic vein was exposed by an
incision, and 20 ounces of warm saline solution were slowly perfused,
an ordinary glass syringe with a capacity of five ounces, with an
India-rubber tubing attached to a canula in the vein being employed.
After seven ounces of fluid had been injected, the man made a short,
distinct inspiration; at ten ounces a deeper one (the radial pulse
could now be felt beating feebly); at 15 ounces the breathing became
regular and deep; at 18 ounces the man opened his eyes, but did not
appear to be conscious. The clamped vessels were now tied with catgut
and the wound cleansed with phenol lotion and dressed with
cyanid-gauze. The man was surrounded by hot-water bottles and the foot
of the bed elevated 18 inches. In the course of an hour the patient had
recovered sufficiently to answer in a squeaky voice to his name when
called loudly. Improvement proceeded rapidly until the twenty-second
day, when violent hemorrhage occurred, preceded a few hours previously
by a small trickle, easily controlled by pressure. The wound was at
once opened and blood found oozing from the distal extremities of the
carotid artery and jugular vein, which were promptly clamped. The
common carotid artery was not sound, so that ligatures were applied to
the internal and external carotids and to the internal jugular with a
small branch entering into it. The patient was in great collapse, but
quickly rallied, only to suffer renewed hemorrhage from the internal
carotid nine days later. This was controlled by pressure with sponges,
and a quart of hot water was injected into the rectum. From this time
on the patient made a slow recovery, a small sinus in the lower part of
the neck disappearing on the removal of the catgut ligature.

Adams describes the case of a woman who attempted suicide with a common
table-knife, severing the