Existing comment:
Case History in The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, Part I, Vol. II, Surgical History, 1870:
President Abraham Lincoln's case history was described as one of three recorded cases of a contre coup injury in "The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion." In the 19th century, contre coup was described as a fracture of the skull opposite a wound, caused by the transmitted force of the brain. In Lincoln's case, contre coup was evidenced by the fracture of the orbits. Current understanding of contre coup involves trauma of the brain, rather than the skull. |