Existing comment:
The Case of Private Carleton Burgan:
Private Carleton Burgan, Company B, Purnell's Maryland Legion, age 20, was admitted to the general hospital in Frederick, Maryland, on August 4th, 1862, with pneumonia. He was given calomel, a strong mercurial drug. On August 6th, doctors discovered that the calomel had caused an ulcer on Burgan's tongue. The ulcer soon spread to his cheek and the roof of his mouth. The ulcer became gangrenous. The gangrene disappeared on August 27th, but it had destroyed Burgan's upper mouth, palate, right cheek and right eye. The bone of his right cheek was removed to halt any further spread of the gangrene.
Burgan's condition made him a candidate for reconstructive surgery. Dr. Gordon Buck of City Hospital in New York performed a series of operations to rebuild Burgan's face. Dental and facial fixtures were crafted to fill in the missing bone and support the skin. Burgan's case was the first involving total facial reconstructive surgery. He went on to live a normal life, with minimal visual and physical reminders of the damage. |