Delaware State journal and statesman., 1869-10-05
Surgical Operation--An Extraordinary
Case.

We take the following statement from the
A'exandiiq (Va.,) G1sene. of Wednesday
evening.
"Stephen Van RensaRr Tumble, known
here as the man with the wen, citizen of
Fairfax county, SO years old, and who for a
long number of years past has been frequent
ly observed on the streets of this city. with
an immense fleshy tumor suspended from
his clin, yesterday submitted TO a surgical
! operation for the removal Of the excresence
Since last seen publicly the tumor had great
~ enlarged, and, previous TO the operatiop.
II extended from the whole under surface of
Inc lower jaw to the navel, and was about
twenty seven inches in circumference. Its
under surface had become iTritated from rub.
bing against the breast hone, aud the irrita-
tion had progressed into Inflammation. and
from y there was profuso discharge of very
offensive matter, and this discharge had de-
! bihtated the patient considerably. The to-
NOR had been growing for twenty years, aud
Tor long time the patient had thought
ABOUT having II removed, and lad consulted
many surgeons upon the subject, but the OBJ
jettions were so numerous that he could not
make up his mind TO undergo an operation
Tor lis extirpation until ii had become so un-
wieldy, and tue odor from ii so disagreeable.
that his life with il was a torment 10 himself
and his friends, and death preferable, and al
Nh'7 ietsN Sidlsff ullu Wutn Lue NllHcT Ot an
operation had consequently been greatly en-
hanced, he consented 10 ,isk the use of the
knife,
lie was fiily-twO years old, as has been
stated, and was not well supplied with good
blood, but II the tumor were allowed 10 re-
main, he must necessarily have died in a
short time, and while he remained alive.
with it, he would be in constant misery, and
a cause of pain TO others, so DIR. M. M. Lew
Il fc 1atnrnnina1 to aF 10
assisted by Drs. Brown, French, Gregory.
and Powell, of this city, and Fox, of Fairfax
Court House, yesterday, The patient took
n drink and was laid on the table at half-past
II o'clock, A. NJ, and under the influence of
chloroform.
The integument covering the tumor was
full of large veins and small arteries, and as
a main feature in the success of the opera.
ton was the saving of every drop of blood
possible, long needle was inserted Just un-
der the skin, at the neck of the tumor, car
ried entirely around the latter, Immediately
beneath the skin, brought out at the same
opening through which it entered, and the
two ends of the silk with which il was
threaded drawn together and tied tightly,
so as TO compress as much as II was able the
blood vessels that supplied it. An incison
was then made in the skin about ten inches
long, aud the tumor, which proved TO be oil
a grislly character, and looked exactly like
beef's heart enlarged TO three times Its nat
ual size, was torn from its attachments as
butchers tear kidneys from the surrounding
fat, until its neck or pedicle was reaehcd.-
The chain of the ecraseur, an instrument
used for dividing parts of the human body
slowly, and by mashing the veins and arte-
ries 10 prevent the bleeding, was then car
ried through tho middle of the neck of the
tumOr. and an attempt made to cut through
one-halr of it, but of so tough and unyield-
ing character was it that the ecraseur, af-
ter reducing tile size oil what ii contained TO
about the diameter of an inch, could not di-
vide it, and its use, consequently, had to be
abandoned, aud knife substituted, with
which the whole appendage was removed in
moment. The little blood that oozed from
the stump was stopped by the application of
stypic.
The superabundant skin was then cut
away, the edges scwed together and dressed,
and at four o'clock in the evening, when the
operation terminaied, the lalient. who bad
long before recovered from the effects of the
ehlcrolorm, aud who had not altogether lost
more than tnrea giifst 5so0t, issss- Sd .fef 60
so little that he wanted 10 WALK from the op-
eiaiing table TO his bed in another part of the
room, and is now doing we'll, and will pro-
| badly recover.