The incision had severed the skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles, the ligaments and bone, opening the spinal canal, but not cutting the cord.
The instrument used to effect this major injury was a blunt potato-peeling knife.

Despite this terrible wound the patient lived to the sixth day.
Hislop records a case of cut-throat in a man of seventy-four.

He had a huge gaping wound of the neck, extending to within a half inch of the carotids on each side.

The trachea was almost completely severed, the band left was not more than 1/4 inch wide.

Hislop tied four arteries, brought the ends of the trachea together with four strong silk sutures, and, as the operation was in the country, he washed the big cavity of the wound out with cold spring-water.