Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1847-03-24
New Light in surgery.

! We copy from among the many surprising
cases of the successful application of this dis
covery, recorded in professional journals as well
as in daily papers, the following from the Ed
inburgh Witness:
Another lnperment with the exhalation of
either was made in the Royal Infirmary yester-
day, by Professor Miller, and eminently sue
cessful.
The patient was middle aged Irisbman-a
'.navvo"-who had sustained compound frac-
ture of the leg nine weeks before. The frac-
ture had not united, in consequence of the pres
ence of dead piece ofbone, and ipbecame nee
essary to remove this by painful operation.-
| The patient was seated on table, and the in
halation was applied by means of very beauti-
Jul yet simple apparatus made by Squire of Lon
don; and which, we understand, has been sent
to Professor Miller by Mr.. Liston-a very suit
able gift, under present circumstances, from
that eminent surgeon to his old pupil.
AT first little effect was produced but after
some minutes the patient fell backwards, as if
in a swoon. The operator was then about to
proceed, but the man Immediately objected say
ing that he was not asleep and that he trusted
nothing would be done till he was asleep. For
full 20minutes more the inhalation went on: the
man cofusedand talkative, but wide awake, and
occasionally expressing very emphatcally his
conviction that lit would not do At length,
however, while in this wakeful state, the opera
ton was begun. Incisions were made on the
shin, and flaps were dissected off so as to ex-
pose the bone beneath. A portion of this was
sawn and clipped through, and then the dead
bone was removed. Only during the clipping
of the bone was strong stralniEg plies did
any sign of feeling escape from the patientwho
was busy inhaling all the while, and now and
then protesting that lit wouldn't do The OPP
Grafton occupied about ten minutes, and from
the highly sensitive nature of the parts impli
Gated. must have been attended with excrutia-
| ting suffering under ordinary circumstances.
After it was ever, the Professor said to the
patient, 81 suppose you won't let me operate to-
day. Certainly not" said the patient; Sit
won't do; must be asleep. The thing hasn't
succeeded with me, and am sure it can't sue
coed with any one else, for did every thing
could to get asleep for my own sake, and I'd do
any thing to please you. 'You won't even let
me make cut into the leg p '.No; l must be
asleep. We can try it another time.' This
plain proof of his utter unconsciousness of the
operation having been performed was acknowl-
edged by the spectators in hearty round of
applause. The patient thent sat up, and seeing
the wound, burst into an immoderate fit of laugh
ter, saying, No doubt there's blood, or some
thing very much like it; but haven't felt sin
gle thing done to my leg. That bates the
globe: and on being asked decidedly as 20 his
having felt any thing he repeatedly answered
Not ha'porth. He got into amazing spirits,
and refused to leave the table until he had told
'al about the toldrums of the business"
And then, with the manner of tipsy man,
and very unhappy, he kept surgeons, and stu
dents in a roar of laughter for some minutes
with a narrative of his condition during the in
hi iob r.; 10 I'd ba,
a strange medley of imaginary fights and kill
ings' going on around him,bu wholly irrespec-
tive of his own leg and the operation. On be-
ing carried out he declared triumphantly, This
is the very best thing that has ever happened
in the three Kingdoms The professor stated
that he considered this case quite conclusive as
to the powers of the ether, because there was
no more painful operations in surgery, and be-
cause the patient, having been avowedly hard
and habitual drinker of spirits, was one ofthose
persons who arc least susceptible of the ether's
influence. The whole proceedings seemed to
give the greatest satisfaction to the medical
and surgical officers ofthe institution, and to
a large assemblage ofinterested SPECTATORS
Perhaps the most respectable thing in such a
strange tale is, the circumstance of the mad be-
ing so wide awake and laxative, while all the |
time quite insensible to the cutting of his limb.
A GIRL OF SpIRIT.-A fellow who gave his
name as Charles Morris, supposed to be an old
State Prison bird, was taken into custody on
Friday evening last by officer Roome, on the
charge of having committed villainous as
sault and battery upon the person of an interes- |
ting girl of IA years old, named Margaret Van
Ostrand. of No. 726 Greenwich street, under
the following circumstances, viz: Morris cal
led at the residence of Mr.. Van Ostrand about /
three o'clock on Friday afternoon, and inquired
if Mr.. Jones lived there. On being answer
ed in the negative, he inquired of Van Ostr and
who did live there. On being informed by her
that her father and Mr.. Southmayd occupied
the house, he then inquired if either of them
were in, and on being again answered in the
negative, pressed the door open, walked into
the house, and requested to be furnished with
piece of paper on which he could leave COM
muncation. Miss V. o. accordingly went up
stairs to a back sitting for the purpose OF
obtaining the paper, and was instantly follow
ed by Norris who seized hold of her, threw
her down on the floor, put his hand over
her mouth in order to stile her cries. failing in
which, he took out his pocket handkerchief and
attempted to thrust it into her mouth, in doing
which he put one of his fingers into her mouth,
which she bit so severely that the villain is not
likely to forget it for the present. After relea-
ne accomplished only by selling Miss V. o. vi
olently by the throat the villain fled down stairs,
the youthful heroine pursued him and caught
him by the coat as he, was leaving the house,
when he threw the intrepid girl violently into
the gutter-nothing daunted, however, she a.
gain started in pursuit and gave the alarm of
"stop thief p which brought TO her aid two
gentlemen, one of whom, MI. Harriet, finally
secured the fellow and delivered him into the
charge of officer Roome. On searching him
several skeleton keys and other burglarious i'm
plements were found in his possession The
villain doubtless went to the house for the pur-
pose of robbing the same, but finding no'one in
except Miss V. o. and little sister five years
old, resolved to commit an outrage upon her per-
son, and nothing but her courageous conduct
saved her from such fate. Justice Roome,ln
default of $500 bail, committed the accused to
prison for trial.-.N. Y. Tribune.