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Day 1 at Lazaret 76 – admission

Event ID: 822

Categories: 

Käte Oltersdorf and Manfred von Richthofen - Her 'restless' patient. - Lance Bronnenkant and Reinhard Schröder - 2025 Aeronaut Books

06 July 1917

Voorstraat 47, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
Lazaret 76 (Sint-Niklaas Hospital)
Kortrijk

Source ID: 73

Käte Oltersdorf and Manfred von Richthofen - Her 'restless' patient. - Lance Bronnenkant and Reinhard Schröder - 2025 Aeronaut Books p.  112 

ISBN: 978-1-964637-35-8

R. Frhr. von R. is apparantly vaccinated as required. Family members and unit have been notified.


a. Prehistory:
During an enemy attack on an English squadron, R. Frhr. v. R. was going behind an English airplane and suddenly felt a violent blow to the head. R. Frhr. v. R. cannot say what type of projectile it was. As he determined before the accident, his airplane was at an altitude of about 4000 meters. He did not lose consciousness right after the injury, but hisd arms sank down and his legs slid forward. The airplane went into a dive. At the same moment, he went completely blind. The sound of the engine seemed to come from far away. Gradually, his eyesight returned and R. Frhr. v. R. determined that the altimeter showed 800 meters. This sensory disturbance lasted 1 minute. R. Frhr. v.R. remained conscious throughout that visual disturbance and was able to turn off the gas and ignition. He glided down to a height of 50 meters, then switched the engine back on due to unfavorable landing conditions and flew on a little further until he realized that he was no longer able to control the aircraft. He cannot remember where he landed. R. Frhr.v.R. got out of the aircraft, but then, slighly unconscious, collapsed. The events during his transport to the hospital are cloudy. The injured man also stated that it had only been possible for him to continue to control the aircraft because he was convinced that otherwise it would all be over.

b. Findings at the Time of Admission:
Temperature 37.2 (99°F), pulse 74, strong.
Complaint of headaches.
On the left, on the border between the occiptal bone and parietal bone, there is a wound about the size of a mark coin.
The edges are irregular, slightly grey. The sensory organs show no disturbances. There are no signs of internal bleeding or of injury to the inner plate of the bone.
Operation under chlorethyl anesthesia (operating surgeon: Obergeneralarzt Prof. Dr. Krakse). At the bottom of the wound there is still some muscle with periosteum and galea. A notch on the bone. The bone only shows superficial roughness, otherwise no injuries. The skull was not opened because there are no signs of injury to the inside of the skull. The entire wound was then excised from the healthy tissue. Quite heavy bleeding. Some catgut sutures through the galea, silk sutures. The skin cannot be closed completely; there is a gap about 3 cm in length and 2 cm in width. Tamponade with iodoform gauze pressure bandage.

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