There had been an alvine evacuation during
the time in which he lay in the blankets.
Consciousness began to return in the early part of the following
morning, and with its advent it was discovered that the memory of
everything which had occurred from half an hour previous to the
accident, up to the return of consciousness, had been completely
obliterated. With this exception the convalescence was steady and
uncomplicated, and of about a week's duration. From a letter which I
recently received from my patient, I learned that the lapse of memory
still remains.
My experience with this case has taught me that, unless the data have
been taken very accurately, we cannot depend upon any statements as to
the time of submersion in cases of drowning. My first supposition was
that my patient had been from thirteen to fifteen minutes under water,
but a careful investigation reduced the supposed time by one-half.
This makes the time of submersion about six minutes, and that which
elapsed before the intelligent use of remedies about three minutes
longer.
For a long time the opinion of Sir Benjamin Brodie concerning the
presence of water in the lungs of the drowned was accepted, who says
"that the admission of water into the lungs is prevented by a spasm of
the muscles of the glottis cannot, however, be doubted, since we are
unable to account for it in any other manner.
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