Sulica Lucian
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Laryngoscope. 2007 Feb;117(2):364-70. doi: 10.1097/01.mlg.0000249949.27249.82.
In 1936, like many individuals who felt the menace of fascism, George Orwell traveled to Spain to lend his support to the cause of the Republic, battling a right-wing coup. Spain, during its Civil War, was an eye-opening experience for him, yielding insights that allowed, and even compelled him to write Animal Farm and 1984. Spain was also a close brush with death. In May of 1937, in a trench on a windswept ridge near Huesca, Orwell was shot through the neck by a sniper, leaving him with a paralyzed vocal fold.
A thorough review of firsthand accounts of Orwell's injury and subsequent care was made. These are presented in the context of current knowledge of ballistics, penetrating neck trauma, and vocal fold paralysis.
Orwell survived largely because of the nature of his wounding with a high-velocity jacketed military round. His recovery followed a course in many ways typical for patients with vocal fold paralysis. His writings leave us a unique and extraordinary account of the experience of being shot, of the medical care of the day, of the handicap of paralytic dysphonia, and of survival and heroism under extraordinary circumstances.
1936年，像许多感受到法西斯主义威胁的人一样，乔治·奥威尔前往西班牙支持共和国事业，对抗右翼政变。西班牙内战期间的经历让他大开眼界，这些见解促使他，甚至迫使他写出了《动物庄园》和《1984》。西班牙之行也让他与死神擦肩而过。1937年5月，在韦斯卡附近狂风呼啸的山脊上的一条战壕里，奥威尔被一名狙击手射中颈部，导致他一侧声带麻痹。
对奥威尔受伤及后续治疗的第一手资料进行了全面回顾。这些资料是在结合当前弹道学、颈部穿透伤和声带麻痹知识的背景下呈现的。
奥威尔能活下来很大程度上是因为他所受的伤是被高速带套军事子弹击中。他的康复过程在很多方面符合声带麻痹患者的典型情况。他的作品为我们留下了关于中弹经历、当时的医疗救治、麻痹性发音障碍带来的不便以及在特殊情况下生存和英勇表现的独特而非凡的记述。
