The Dangerous Human Bite
A local man's thumb injury from a human bite leads to a six-month recovery and a warning about the toxicity of such wounds.
Few people are aware of the fact that a bite from a human is exceedingly poisonous. A case of the kind occurred in this city last winter, just a week after the Howard street fire. Justus Wentzell had a little skirmish with a man who had had nothing to eat for several days, and the said individual started in to make a meal of Justus, commencing on the left thumb. The man chewed vigorously, Wentzell shrieked lustily, and he would have no doubt finished his cannibalistic feast had not a thump on the head loosened his hold. Wentzell paid no attention to the slight wound for a few days, when one evening it commenced swelling with a bad looking swell, and Dr. Morgan was summoned to examine the injury. It was only with the greatest care that the arm was saved. Mr. Wentzell carried that hand in a sling from that day to last Sunday, a period of almost six months. The skin came off the entire hand, new finger nails developed, and a deep scar that will cling to him for years frescoes the thumb. It was a singular case, and Wentzell can be thankful that he saved the hand.
“The man chewed vigorously, Wentzell shrieked lustily, and he would have no doubt finished his cannibalistic feast had not a thump on the head loosened his hold.”
While the medical understanding of infection has evolved significantly, this story serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of untreated wounds in the late 19th century, when even a minor altercation could lead to life-altering consequences.
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