The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1869-01-28
wonders u MeAsrn Surgery.


The following i brief summary Of An ar.
Discoveries and inpsevsmenis in surgery
By tho local application Of sufficient de-
gree Of cold, insensibility can be produced
in any desired part, 20 that . man with most
exquieitively painful wound on the arm, Or
fel6n on the finger, can now look down, 10
his perfect ssnses, upon the knife - u en-
tiers bic own body, and performs the most
difficult operation without giving him the
least pain. A French surgeon has invented
"a instrument he calls the ''ecr1ssur,' or
crusher, to perform operations dangerous IN
surgery, on account Of the loss OF blood
from the small vessels, if performed with
cred into q loop, which encloses the part
to be removed, and by turning the screw the
chain 10 tightsssd until the parts are sepa-
rated. The blunt chain % turns up and twists
the ends Of the blood vessels that hemor-
rhage is prevented.
The eye is now examined by an instrument
called the opthAlmoscope, BY which the
depths Of the alobs Of the eye can be readily
and fully explored, and through its aid a
great deal Of what has been written and con-
iectured about diseases Of the eye has been
found to be wrong. The intricate passages
Of the ear, the nose, the whole Of the wind
pipe and passages Of the lungs are now care,
fully explored.
Perhaps one Of the best results Of modern
science has been through what 10 called icon.
servative'' surgery, the rule Of which is to
savS I'll that probably can BE- saved from the
the ampu.ation knife. Many of our brave
soldiers complained Of the reckless haste
with which, in the lste war, some surgeons
would cut of arms and legs on account of
trifins wounds. This complaint was often
Just. But one Of the most distinguished sur
eeoas in the world has lately written "At
Kings College it 10 rare to SEQ an amputa-
ton IN nine cases ont Of ten, exctsion Tor
the cutting ont Of the diseased portion Of the
limb) should be performed in its stead.
A boy 1t tho West was caught under fall
len log, and had his leg broken and twisted
upon itself at right angles with his thigh. the
bones prot1uding through the flesh. and no
suffering, was taken to . hospital. Modern
conservative surgery, instead Of amputating
the limb, ~ the old fashioned surgery would
have done, sawed Of the protruding bones,
turned the leS back again to its place, and
put on IN instrument to keep it Of equal
length with tho other, and now the boy
stands, runs and jumps with two sound legs.
TBE OID RACE DYINa our IN MAssAcHU-
sErTs.-A Boston correspondent writes that
the decrease in the number Of children in
Massachusetts 10 subject for our alsrmists
TO ponder upon. Many towns in the State
have been settled over Two hnsdrsd years,
and their history includes from nix to eight
generations. The records of many Of these
towns have been examined by State official
with respect u I relstive number ofchildren
in each eensratiea, and il appears that the
families comprising the 6rst generation had
on % average between eight and ten children.
The next three generations averaged between
SEVEN and eigt to esch family; the fifth gen
GRAFTON about FIVE, and the sixth less than
three to each family. These changes are as
suggestive e they are startling. Now it is
rare to find married persons having one, two
or three children. This, also, isshs testimony
Of physicians Who have been extensively en-
gagged in the practice ofnedicine from twenty
to forty years in the State. II it were not
for foreign emigration Massachusetts, would
run oct soon. As IL u, the Irish servant is
now { portion Of its existence.