The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1847-03-11
From the Edinburg Witness.
SURPRISING CASE


Another experiment with the inhalation OF
ether was made in the Royal Infirmary yester.
uay' oy Prof. Miller, and proved eminently sue.
cessful.
Inc patient was mddle-aged Irishman-a
navy, who had sustained compound frac-
.ure Oh the leg nine weeks before. The fracture
haa not united, inconsequence of the presence of
uead piece OF bone, and it became necessary to
remove this by painful operation. The patient
was seated on table, and the inhalation was APP
piieu ny means OF very simple yet beautiful ap-
Paratus, made by Squire, of London and which,
we understand, had been sent TO Professor Miller
ny Mr Llston-a very suitable gift, under pres
en' circumstances, from that eminent surgeon to
ms o'e pupil. AT first little effect was produced
Dut ai'er some minutes the patient fell back
marVs, as II In swoon. The operator was then
ABOUT o proceed but the man Immediately OBJ
Jecteu, saying that he was not asleep and that he
trusted nothing would be done till he was asleep.
TIT iuil twenty minutes more the inhalation went
oh lhe man confused and laxative, but wide
awake, aud occasionally expressing verv en-
pnsucaily his conviction that it would not do
~ engln' however, while in this wax eful
STATE, the operation was begun Incisjons were
made on the shin, and flaps were dssected off 60
aS 10 expose the bone beneath A portion of this
was sa"h and clipped through, and then the dead
June was removed. Only during the clipping of
'.ie Oone with strong straining pliers did anv
sign OF feeling escape from the patient, who was
pussy lnhahng all the while, and now and then
protesting that it wouldn't do The operation
OCCUPIED ~ ABOUT ten minutes, and, from the high
~ sensitive nature of the parts implicated. mnst
HaVe peen attended with excruciating suffering
uhder ordinary circumstances After it was
oFer, 'he professor said TO the patient, Il suppose
you wont let me operate to-day sCertainIv
not SAID the patient; sit won't do; | must be
asleep. The thing has Mt succeeded with me.
anu 1 am sure 1t can't succeed with any one else.
lor ala every thing could to get asleep for nv,
. own sake' and I'D do any thing to please you'
GU won't even let me make a cut into the lep,'
mo ! must be asleep; we can try it another
trhe, ms plain proof of his utter unconscious
ness Oh me operation having been performed was
acAnoW lodged by the operators in hearty round
Of applause. The patient then sat up. and see.
ing the wound, burst into an lmmoderate fit Of
laughter, saying, No doubt there's blood, or
something very like it but havn't felt single
tnlng done to my leg. That bates the gIobe .
and, on being asked decidedly as to his having
.ielt any thing he repeatedly answered, Not
a'porth He got into amazing spirits, and re-
FUSED to leave the table until he had told All
about the toldrums of the business And then.
with the manner OF tipsy man, and very happv.
ne kept surgeons and students in roar of laugh.
ter Tor some minutes with a narrative of his con.
ditlon during the inhalation, which, Irish like,
seemed to have been a strange medley Of jmag
mary nights and killings going on around him,
but wholly irrespective OF his own leg aud the
operation. On being 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 casd quite
conclusive as to the powers OF the ether, because
mere was no more painful operation in all surg.
cry, and because the patient, having been avow-
edly hard and habitual drinker of spirits, was
one OF those persons who are least SUSCEPTIBLE of
the ether's influence. The whole proceedings
seemed to give the greatest satisfaction to the
medical and surgical officers of the institution,
and to large assemblage OF interested specta.
tors. Perhaps the most remarkable thing in
such strange tale is, the circumstance of the
man being so wide awake and laxative, while
all the while quite insensible to the cutting Of
his limb.