The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-08-23
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Under


HOW THEY GU 1 VsS's LEG OFF.
We extract from an article in . The C,rnail
Magazine the isliyWIu= account of @ surgical
operation at one Of the London HO>Iital--
The area ir-elf i small, OF = hDrs-sIDe firm,
and surrounded y SEATS rising on = steep incline
one above another, % the number % Eight DE
nine tiers. From 100 - $50 stu.lent- occUVy
rL-se, and pack pretty ciJs-ly. specially Du tie
lower rows, vh-nc. the b-t Wis T. obtained.
For an asembiage e ys-tas between Eighteen
and twenty-five year,, WI, htvs nothing % d.
bat u wait. they are toierihly wsll-b-aayei
and quiet Tire Jr fDUT practical j1zeT-. how
ever, 10 is evident are distributed among turuI.
and 81 the tia= pass ali tne quicker .Jr LF- rest
The clock has MT long strucS JwJ, when tae
fIldIng-dJOrs open. ard ia walk tvU or three II
the leading surgeons Jf the hospital. fll.1z-i nv
p staff u drsss=r-. and a few professional lI.ker--
o. the latter bang cJnfn-d . Seats re-srvad flr
them on the loves and inn.Tus1-r tier : -n4iI
table. covered with Instrument, r-cuTlas TL.ce
on one side Of the area water. sIJnZ-s. towels,
and lint. are placed on the 1pp.sit~. Th- -lr-
geoH who - about u operate. RAPIDLY g.Inc-=
over the table. and SOS that his Instruments IRE
all there, and IN readiness. H= requests t col
league % take charge Of the tourniquss-, and
with . word deputies one assistant o. take the
fIps," another % hold the limb, "a third I, hand
the instruments, AMI the last - take charg- Of
the spouges. This done, and while the patient =
Inhaling ehlOrDtOrm IN an adJDiuIEs apartment,
under the care Of q gentleman who makes that
his special duty. the operator gives - the Row
husbed and listening auditory, . J-lef history #
the circumstances which Ted 10 an incUT.ble
disease Of the left kneejJint. and tie reasons Why
BE- decides on the operation about be performed.
He has scarcely closed, when the unconscious
patient is brought in By Il couple Of sturdy por-
teTs, and laid upon tne operating tlILe. a small,
but strong and steady erection, four feet long by
,vO feet wide. which stands in the centre OF the
ara. The left being the doomed leg, the right l.
fastened By u bandage - one Of the SUPPORTS of
fba f.bla -. "A = q no our GF harms yrrIIa
the dresser, who has special charge Of tine Csc. Is
seated on q low stool at the foot % the table, and
supports the left. The surgeon who assists, en-
circles the upper part If the thigh with the tour
niauet, placing It's pad over the femorll artery,
the chief vessel which supplies the limb with
blood, and prepares - screw w the Instrument,
thus - make sure that no Considerable amount If
the vital fluid cIn be lost. The operator. stand
ing oH ine icft side Cf the corresponding leg, and
holding in his right hand a narrow straight knife.
of which the blade i Ut least ten inches long, and
looks marvellCusly bright and sharp, directs his
eye To him who gives the chipriDTTn. and awaits
the signal that the patient has become perfectly
insensible. All is silence profound every assist
ant stands in MS place, which ! carefully ar
ranged 50 as not intercept the view of those
around.
The words /. b. quite ready are no sooner whis-
pered. than the operator, graSIing firmly with his
LETT hand the h-h which forms the front part Of
the patients thigh. thrusts quietly and delibe-
Tateiy the sharp blade horizontally through the
limb, from its outer 20 IT, inner side. ;, that the
.high Is rransfixed a littlc above IT, central axis,
and in front of the bone. He next cuts directly
dcwnwards. In the plane at the limb, for about
four inches. and thea ~Obiiqusiy GutwaTd-. 80 as
70 form q tiap. which i seized ard turned NJ
wards out Of the wa; by the appointed assistant.
A similar tran-fxiDn J. again made. commencing
1T the same spJt, but the knife i this time carried
behind the bone . q similar iuci="n follows. and
another irp Is formed and held away rs before.
Lastly, with y rapid circular sweep round the
rome he divides ali LETT uucut and handing the
knife 20 an assistant, whI takes IL. and gives a
saw in return, the operator divides the bone with
r. few wOrkmaulike strokes and the limb l. sever
ed frum the body. \ rusiling sound of general
movement and deeper breathing i heard among
the Iookerz-On. who have followed with >trainiug
and critical eyes every act which has contributed
q the accomplishment of the task and some one
Of the younger students is heard To wi~hp"r 20 his
neighbour, = Five and thirty seconds not bad, by
JOyet''
The operator now seats himself on the stool Just
vacated by the dresser, who has carried away the
le,. and seeks in the cut surfaces before him tine
md % the main artery on which To- place "a liga-
rure. There Is no hyw Of blood. only "A little
1uzing. for the tOuTniquet holds LIES current
hard and fast. Only five minutes uncontrolled
i,w Of the current from that great ort-ry now 50
perfectly compressed, and our PATIENTS career in
this world he closed for ever. How j. il permI-
1entIy held IN check? and what have we - sub
stitute now FOR the hissing, sparkling and sputter-
ing iron, and the boiling pitch? The operator
takes hold Of the cut end of the artery with =
slender. deIicsteIy made pair Of f,rceTs, and
draws il on; u i.ttle, while an assistant passes
round the end 50 drawn out 4 ligature of ezceed-
inSly fine whipcord. fine but strong, and carefully
ties il there with double knot, and - efTectuaIly
closes the vessel. \ similar process is applied To
perhaps SIX OK seven other but smaller vessels, the
Sourniquet is removed. and no bleeding ensues.
Altogether the patient has lost little more than
half Il pin, Oi blood, The flaps are placed in APP
POSITION, the bone l. well covered ~ them. a few
sAsches are put through their e3.es, some cool
wet lint is applied all around the stump, and the
patient. slum1eTinS peacefully, i carried off u 4
comfortable bed ready prepared in some a1iIc=nt
ward. Half an hour hence that patient will
regain cunsciJusness, probably the first ohserva-
ton lie maks will b., - I am quite ready f,r the
operation, when il it going = BEGIN" And il
takes no little repetition Of the assurance that Ill
Is over 20 make him realize the happy truth.
80 IL Is that be who loses the limb knows less
about the process than any one concerned inf
nitely lea my gentle reader. than YOU who have
shared with Us the quiet corner, and have sen all
without losing Consciousness. OF fdiHcing. twas
an early day in the medical session. and many
new u.en were there one az isa>t was observed
% become very-very pale, and then slowly dis
appear no one knew how OF where for neither
We in the area nor those elsewhere had leisure OF
cared 10 inquire
DR. WTSDsHIF MARVELLOUS FEATs or
STRESGIH.-Dr. Windship delivered a very inter
ssting and improving lecture last night at Brews-
ter's Hall. nn Physical training, the best methods,
and the possible results. lie spoke largely of his