amputation or severance. Eve's
"Remarkable Cases in Surgery" contains many instances of reunion of
both fingers and thumbs, and in more recent years several other similar
cases have been reported. At the Emergency Hospital in Washington,
D.C., there was a boy brought in who had completely severed one of his
digits by a sharp bread-cutter. The amputated finger was wrapped up in
a piece of brown paper, and, being apparently healthy and the wound
absolutely clean, it was fixed in the normal position on the stump, and
covered by a bichlorid dressing. In a short time complete function was
restored. In this instance no joint was involved, the amputation being
in the middle of the 2d phalanx. Staton has described a case in which
the hand was severed from the arm by an accidental blow from an axe.
The wound extended from the styloid process directly across to the
trapezium, dividing all the muscles and blood-vessels, cutting through
bones. A small portion of the skin below the articulation, with the
ulna, remained intact. After an unavoidable delay of an hour, Staton
proceeded to replace the hand with silver sutures, adhesive plaster,
and splints. On the third day pulsation was plainly felt in the hand,
and on the fourteenth day the sutures were removed. After some time the
patient was able to extend the fingers of the wounded member, and
finally to grasp with all her wonted strength.

The reproduction or accidental production of nails after the original
part has been torn away by violence or destroyed by disease, is quite
interesting. Sometimes when the whole last phalanx has been removed,
the nail regrows at the tip of the remaining stump. Tulpius seems to
have met with this remarkable condition. Marechal de Rougeres, Voigtel,
and Ormancey have related instances of similar growths on the 2d
phalanx after the loss of the 1st. For several months a woman had
suffered from an ulcer of the middle finger of the right hand, in
consequence of a whitlow; there was loss of the 3d phalanx, and the
whole of the articular surface and part of the compact bony structure
of the 2d. On examining the sore, Ormangey saw a bony sequestrum which
appeared to keep it open. He extracted this, and, until cicatrization
was complete, he dressed the stump with saturnine cerate. Some months
afterward Ormangey saw with astonishment that the nail had been
reproduced; instead of following the ordinary direction, however, it
lay directly over the face of the