The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-05-31

What Physician II Doing for = BOY Az
Slotted with HIP Disease.

What Physicisn IL Doing for = Boy Az
Slotted with Hip-Disesss.
[From the Rome IN. ~ sentinel.l
A case of hip joint disease and it's
treatment has come under our OBSERVE
ton which is deserving of more than
passing notice. Some six weeks ago
Linnie Shelley, aged Is, son of w. o.
Shelley, in this city, commenced COM
planning of pain in the hip-joint of his
right leg. It did not trouble him much
at first, but seemed to come and go. He
continued attending school for about two
weeks after the lameness came on, but
the pain finally became 80 great as to
alarm his parents, and DIR. r. K. Sutton
was consulted. He made an examina-
ton, and ut once pronounced the diff
Guilty hip-joint disease. It is brought on
by a severe bruise of the hip-bone, caus-
ing an irritation of the socket, which, If
not speedily attended to, results in bone
abscess, deformity, great suffering and
death. It is very dangerous and diff
cult disease to contend with, and pa
tients are generally compelled to 60 to
some hospital where the treatment of
such diseases is made speciality for
cure. But the doctor concluded to take
the case in hand himself. Fortunately
the disease was discovered in the first
stage of irritation. The patient was
placed in bed and ordered to keep as
quiet as possible. The doctor procured
some plaster of very strong and adhe-
sive nature, and placed one wide strip
on the inside and one on the outside of
the leg from the hip to the knee. just
above the knee on each of these strips of
plaster he sewed strong pieces of cloth.
He then caused an apparatus of the fol-
lowing description to be made: A belt
was placed about the hips just below The
waist, connected with which is pelvic
band. On the right side OF the belt,
over the diseased hip, is placed ball
and-socket joint, connected with which
are two iron rods working together so
as to give perfect freedom of motion to
the limbs. Around the leg just above
the knee is fastened strap which is
buckled to the piece of cloth before me n
toned. Attached to this strap on the
outside of the leg is O nut with screw ex-
tension to the upper fastening. The
upper end of the extension rod is square,
and key or wrench has been made to
III IL. ITO plttbUcI duucIcb bO blRutly W
the skin that when the screw extension
is applied the flesh of the leg is drawn
down, and the weight which would
otherwise bear on the hip joint is thrown
upon the pelvic bone by means of the
straps, 80 the head of the thigh is pre-
vented from coming in contact with the
socket, and the ordinary friction and
consequent irritation of the affected
joints are completely obviated. This
ingenious continuance allows full circu-
lation of the blood and freedom of the
limb. At night the instrument is re-
moved, and the patient sleeps on a
lounge. In order that this bone may
not be allowed to go back into the sock
ct, the leg is slightly elevated, and a
weight is attached to adhesive plasters
at the ankle by means of a strap and
buckles. This keeps up the tension the
same as during the day. The boy rests
and sleeps well. Since the apparatus
above described was applied the pain
has entirely ceased, and the patient
walks, runs and plays as well as any of
his companions. The machine has been
gratifying success thus far, and this
mode of treatment will probably result
in the complete cure of what otherwise
might have been distressing deformi-
ty. The physician, the patient and the
| parents have cause for cOngratulatiOn.