Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-31
Remarkable Surgical Operation =
Case worthy OF Note.

One of the most remarkable and success
ful operations ever performed by surgeon
was made last Saturday by two member
of the Medical Faculty of the Universit,
here, in the presence of the different classes
Having our attention called, by one of tn
students, TO the fact of such difficult ope
ration having been made, our reporter re
paired to st. Vincent Hospital and wa:
shown into the room of the patien
who has undergone such remarkable
treatment. The name of the patient i:
Eubanks, the Sheriff of White county, and
now in bis thirty-fourth year. In Deem
Der, '6S, while in the discharge of his Off
cial duties, Mr.. Eubanks was approached
from behind by an unseen person, who
dealt him a terrible blow with bludgeon
on the back part of the head, between the
car and Occipital bone, mashing in the
skull and causing compression, from
which he has suffered intensely. Pieces of
bone were driven far into the head by the
abrasion from the club, on the end Of which
was large knot or projection. To lextri-
cate these from their locality near the base
of the brain was the operation alluded to as
being remarkable and new in the history OF
clinics.
With the hope of finding relief Mr.. Eu-
banks visited both Cincinnati and st. Louis
and laid his case before the surgeons OF
those cities, but after examination of the
injury and due consideration as to the ma
ture of the operation to be performed in Or
der to accomplish its object, they stated il
were useless, and would be attended with
fatal consequences. The poor man return
ed home crushed in spirit and almost ask
ing death to his relief At last the father
of the unfortunate man, a former citizen of
Maury county, in this State, advised his son
to come to Nashville and see what the med
ical fraternity here could do. This be ac-
cordingly did, and placed his case in the
hands of the medical faculty Of the Uni
versity.
Though dangerous and impossible as it may
appear to all, especially to the medical fra
ternity, vet the operation of removing these
crisps of bone has been performed in our
city in a manner that gives every reason to
lodged three-fOurths of an inch from the
surface, near the base of the brain, and
were taken out through an aperture made
between the ear and occipital bone. In
making the aperture the skin on the skull
was cut and laid back and since
has been closed and scanned up.
The operation was made Saturday and
up to yesterday evening there had been
no symptom of an unfavOrable nature
on the contrary the patient is doing well
and in cheerful spirits. But little fever or
inflammation has appeared and the patient is
safe. In addition to the probably fatal con-
sequences of inflammation and the injury
which might happen to the brain, there was
much fear of bleeding, operating as they
did in the locality of the lateral sinus.
Should tie patient recover, and we have not
the right TO think otherwise, this will be
one of the greatest surgical achievements
of the present day and may lead to some
thing important as regards surgical opera
tiOns. And while we may add that it
is truly a source of pride to know
that Nashville and her medical college
possess surgeons of acknowledged ability,
and, as in this case, have performed an
operation which the most eminent of other
cities and colleges have been unwilling to
undertake, we also ask would it not be well
for our people to consider the advantages Of
founding first class public hospital in our
city. Its advantages would be great, and
be an additional indueement for students to
enter the college here, which would then
afford clinical advantages to the medical
class equal to those in New York. Our sur
geOns have as much as they can attend to in
this line, and if we had only another hOspi-
tai in which these cases could be treated and
witnessed by the medical students, how
much better would il be, and what addi-
sional inducements for students, and even
young practitioners, to flock to our college
and city. We trust the matter viii receive
its proper consideration from those who
have power to inaugurate the move. Lou
isville, Cincinnati and St. Louis, and other
cities all over the United States, especially
where there are Medical Colleges, have
hospitals in which the student can see many
operations performed, and treat cases of al
most every type, so as to derive profit and
knowledge which might take years of eX-
perience to bestow. Without first class
hospital there can be no first class Medical
College.
We could not have public institution
productive of more good than first-class
hospital st. Vincent is well managed and
affords many opportunities to the students,
yet another hospital on a larger and more
public scale would prove more beneficial,
and we trust to see it begun at no distant
day. -