[Reprinted from The Medical News, December 30, 1893.] 
CIRCULAR-SAW INJURY.^ 
\ 
By B. MERRILL RICKETTS, M.D., 
OF CINCINNATI, OHIO. 
The patient, a white male, twenty-one years of age, 
fell, on July 20th, a distance of twelve feet upon a slowly- 
moving circular saw eighteen inches in diameter. Al- 
though the saw was not in rapid motion, it was started 
by the man striking the band-lever in his falling; the 
saw was perhaps not revolving faster than 500 revolu- 
tions per minute. He struck the saw in a sitting posi- 
tion, rebounding about two or three feet, falling to one 
side. It was found that the left buttock was more 
seriously injured than the right, and that there was numb- 
ness in the left toes, indicating that the great sciatic 
nerve had been injured. It was also found that the 
entire body of the penis was divided, thus allowing the 
urine to escape through the wound at time of micturition. 
The patient was treated by Drs. Titus and Halderman, 
and made a good recovery, with a small perineal fistu- 
lous opening. He had good use of his limb and 
urinated without trouble, though there was occasional 
dribbling from the fistula. There was complete loss of 
erectile power, also of sexual desire. There was con- 
genital phimosis. 
Upon being consulted I advised that the extensive 
cicatricial tissue be divided and that the fistula, if possible, 
be obliterated. To this the man consented. It was also 
my opinion that the man would never have the power of 
erection ; whether or not he would have sexual desire I 
was not able to determine. This presents a question 
that must often be fully considered. Is it best to have 
sexual desire without the ability to gratify it ? If not, 
would it not be best to resort to castration ? 2 
Under the influence of chloroform, a perineal section 
was made, and after the operation there was an uninter- 
rupted recovery. An illustration from a photograph, 
showing the wound made by the saw, is appended. 
I held that it was my duty to remove the entire cicatri- 
cial tissue in the line of the corpus spongiosum, bring- 
ing the two ends of that body together. Although I did 
not do this at the time, I suggested that it could have 
been done, and with the patient’s consent that I would 
do it. However, I am not convinced in my own mind 
that even the removal of the cicatricial tissue and the 
bringing together of the two parts of the corpus spon- 
giosum would be of any material benefit. It is, there- 
fore, a question in my mind as to the propriety of sub- 
jecting the man to an operation that promises so little. 
If there were any possibility of reestablishing the nerve- 
connections, it might be well to take the chances. As 
it is, he will never be able to propagate his kind.