Septic arthritis of the shoulder
Object numberGC.1199.a
TitleSeptic arthritis of the shoulder
DescriptionSeptic arthritis of the shoulder following a fall
The preparation is the right shoulder-joint of an adult woman, opened from above—in spirit
Six weeks before admission to the Royal Infirmary, the patient fell, injuring the right shoulder. It continued painful and much swollen until the period of her admission, when the whole extremity was oedematous. When the swelling of the shoulder was pressed, a gurgling sound was produced, as of air passing through a fluid.
On making a small incision into the abscess, much gas, smelling of sulphuretted hydrogen, came away, with a thin, foetid, greenish-coloured pus. Two days after admission two incisions were made into the abscess in the shoulder. The joint could be felt exposed, by a large ulcerated opening through the capsular ligament. A very large abscess was opened soon after in the lower part of the arm, and greenish matter, thin and foetid, was discharged. The opening into the upper part of the joint has been artificially enlarged. The cartilage at the margin of the articular surface has disappeared, leaving the bone exposed below. An early stage of the same process is seen at the middle of the head of the humerus.
There is some irregularity of the surface of the encrusting cartilage of the humeral head, and at the anatomical neck the bone is exposed. The articular capsule is slightly thickened and the synovial surface has lost its smoothness. the joint affection may be subacute septic arthritis secondary to an unrecognised primary lesion.
Production periodNineteenth century, early
Object nameJOINT, shoulder
Object categoryAnatomical, specimen
Dimensions
- Jar Height: 14.9 cm
Diameter: 10.2 cm