The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-06-27
European Correspondence Of the Bulletin.l


BERLIN. June 2, 1875.
Dear Bulletin To ono unaccustomed =
such sights, there is perhaps no regular. tina
is, public, exhibition of the curious, inter
estipg or wonderful, more calculated to exclt'
feelings Of profound surprise not unminglec
with sensational emotions than tie scene
which is enacted privately every day in the
surgical clinic of medical university. The
room in which these surgical operations take
place, is commonly spoken of as the aseater
of surgery, from the fact that it is to the
students q theater of introduction; and, per
hans. because the manner in which the seats
are disposed, is something on the plan of the
ancient amphitheaters OF Rome and Greece,
and the resem blance to the latter is stih fur.
Their crrried out, in the bloody dramas that
these modern arenas of science daily witness.
To visitor from the outer world, who
manages to gain admittance to one of these
surgical clinics for the first time, it seems per.
fectly astonishing, the callous indifference Of
the student audience in the midst of the most
frightful exhibition of the surgeons admirable,
but terrible skill, and the nonchalance with
which the latter proceed with their bloody
work. But the fact is that enc can get accus-
toned to most anything, and these students
who have each carved out every muscle and
artery Of the human body in his course of dis
secting upon corpse. or rather upon numer-
Gus corpses, become so Injured to the bust
ness Of cutting. and to the sight Of blood, that
subject on their tables, or Q patient in the
clinic, is Of no more importance with them
than wax or paper mado model would be-,
and of course to the surgeons themselves who
have been at the business 90 long, this in
difference is even more complete, and nothing
could be more Fortunate for no man could
perform the difficult and dangerous operations
that fall under their hands, unless he was
perfectly cool, and had his mind perfectly
clear of all emotional excitement
The world at large reads OF these things,
but unless one has been spectator it is diff
icult or impossible to form just conception
OF the ghastly, sickening sights that are to be
Witnessed every day in these surgical theaters,
where the actors COMPRISE on the one hand,
suffering and afflicted mortals, and on the
other calm men OF science, who ply their gilt
tering and terrible instruments with the firm
ness Of an inquisitor, cutting through quiz
ering flesh. saving and chiseling bones, and
dabbiing in the blood Of living human crea-
ture, and all the while discoursing plscidly on
the scientific points involved, telling how
they take such turn to avoid an important
nerve or vessel, or why they go crushing
through the bones with their massive shears,
and so on, Just as though the body stretched
out on the table was an inanimate object in
stead of living being. A day or two ago I
was present at series OF such operations, and
saw things that are enough to make on.s
hair rise.
It is not by any means difficult for stranger
to get access to the clinics Of the German
universities, a. there is no door-keeper to de-
mand your ticket, and nobody to ask ques-
tiops, that is unless one betrays his being q
stranger by seeming embarrassed or at loss
what to do, 80 that if one summons up the
requisite cheek, and marches boldly to . seat
in the thester among the crowd of students.
his presence will not even be noticed. In
America, things. are little different and
remember having to go through lot Of tor
malisies over there once or twice, when
wished to intrude into the secret places of
hospitals and medical colleges. On the COCA
sion of which have just spoken when l was
present during tae clinic OF the university
here, the first patient who came up was q
woman about the middle of life, who had
fearful tumor ON the left side of her face,
occupying the whole of the cheek and rising
to projection that was more than on . level
with her nose.
She was placed in o chair, and the profess
called one out to make An examination of the
case. The fellow came forward and took his |
stand before the patient. and in reply to lead
ing questions, gave his opinion on the bear |
ings Of the case, in somewhat tremulous |
manner, but as it seemed satisfactory, and |
after long fire of cross-questions, interposed |
with reference to the tumor itself, which was |
examined in various ways, to ascertain its |
nature and consistence, the diagnosis was |
complete, and we we're informed that IL was |
an "osteo sdrcomd," or q tumor composed |
partly Of bone and partly Of flesh, growing |
directly out of the substance of the upper |
jaw bone, and that the plan was to excise it
This conclusion arrived ct, there was stir |
among the assistants, and immediate prepa- |
rations were made for the operation. Con-
trary to my expectation, no chloroform was
given, but instead. three or four assistants |
held the patient steady, while the professor |
himself seized Q long sharp knife, and with
two rapid motions laid open the face from
the inner corner Of the left eye to the cheek |
in one dire ctiop, and to the upper lip in the |
other. OF course the woman screamed Justify, |
though perhaps the pain was slightly be-
numbed by means of two streams of ether
spray, which were kept constantly playing
upon her face. After this he caught the |
point Of the flap with pair Of dSsecting
sorceps and proceeded to separate the iptegu-
ment from the tumor, which done. he took
short saw and began cutting away at the beny
base Of the tumor, and when it was nearly
OF. he applied q pair of strong cutting for.
ceps and tore it away from its base. 49,
Ibis left exposed CHASTITY wound, which |
had the appearance as if halt of the woman's
face had been carried away BY cannon ball,
and as the tumor in it's removal had taken |
with it the outer wall Of the maxillary sinus,
the large cavity occupying the center of each
upper Jaw bone, this wound seemed to reach |
away back into the middle of the patients |
head: or course there was vast amount of
blood that was gushing out all this time, for
the lace Is rich IN vessels, and after the as
sistants had succeeded in tying the principal
arteries, the word was given for an attendant
to bring in the irons"