The Portland daily press., 1869-10-14
Miscellany.
Surgical Operntion-An Extraordinary

We take the following statement from n,,e ere
Alexandria (Va.) Gazette of wednesday e'eh-
ing: ,,la l,noun
Stephen Van Rensselaer, Irunole, hIown
here as the man with the wen, c',iZen vi
Fairfax county, 81 years oid' anu VINO LOT
long number of years past Ias oeei frequent
Nv observed on the streets of this city with an
immense fieshy tumor suspended from his
chin. Yesterday submitted to a surgical opera
ton for the removal of the excrescence. Since
last seen publickly the tumor had greatly en-
larged, and previous to the operation. it ex-
tended from the whole under surface of the
lower jaw to the navel, and was about twenty
seven inches in circumference. lis under sur
lace had become irritated from rubbing against
the breast bone, and the irritation had pro-
eresseu INTO inflammation, and from it there
was profnse discharge of very offensive MAJ
Ter, and this discharge had debilifafed the pa
tent considerably. The formation hao oeen
gro ing Tor twenty years, and ior long lhe
the patient had thought about having 1t re-
moved and had consulted many surgeons up
Oh the subject, but the objections were so nu-
merous that be could not make up his mind
to undergo an operation for its eXtirpation
untl it had bee me so unwiedly and the odor
from it so disagreeable that his il e with it
was a torment to himself and his friends, and
death preferable, and at this lac stare. and
when the danger of an operation had conse-
qnenty been greatly enhanced, he consented
10 FISK The use OF the knife He was 50 years
GA, as mas boen stated. and Was not well sup
pleo WIN good blood, hut il the tumor were
ahoWeu 10 remain he must necessa4 tally have
died III a short time, and while he remained
alive, with il, he would remain in constant
ni,ery, and cause of pal to Others, so DR..
NJ. NJ. Ltw's determined to amputate it, and
this he di assisted by l'rs. | Town, French.
fHlaUor aud POwplI n fhic +
Faiitax Court Ii use, ,este day at the Rail-
road House, up er end o King street.
lhe p tlei took drink, and was laid on
the taoe at halt past even O'CLOCK, A. NJ.
aud put under the influence of chloro,orm
Tue ih'egument covering the tumor was iul
OF large veins and small arteries. aud as a.
m In feature in the success of the opefatIop
was the saving OF every dlop Of blood possible
long needle was inserted just und.r the
SKIN, at The neck of the tumor, rarried entire
around The latter, immed atciy bcneath the
sntn' oloosht out at the same opening through
which it entered, and the two ends of The
Six WI which 1t was threaded drawn to-
getber and tied tightly, SO as to compress as
N .ch as it was able the blood vessels that
supplied it. An incision was then made in
the skin about ten inches long, and the tu-
NOR which proved to be of gristly character,
and looked exactly like beef7s heart enlare-
from its attachments as butchers tear kidneys
from their surrounding lat, until its neck or
pedi lie was reached.
The chain of the ecraseur an instrument
used for dividing parts of the human body
sleWly, and tor mashing the the VEINS and ar
1eries TO prevent Their bleeding Was then car
rled through the middle of the neck of the
tumor and an attempt made to cut through
one-haif Off, but ESQ tough and un, ieldnr
character was it, that the ecraseur. aftel re.
ducinS the size OF what it contained to about
the diameter of an inch, could not divide it.
ana It's use was consequently aband med, and
knife substituted, with which the whole ap-
pendage was removed in a moment. Tie
little blood that oozed ION the stump was
stopped by the application of a styptic. The
superaoundan' skin was then cut awav. the
eaSes sewed together and dressed. and at four
O'Clock IN the evening, when the operation
terminated, the patient, WHO had long before
recovt red rom the effects of the chloroIorm
ani who had not altogether lost more than
three eills OF blood, had SUITE ed so little that
ne wanted to walk from the operating table to
his bed in a"other part the room. and is
now doing well and will probably recover"