Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-07-10
HIS HEART ON HIS RIGHT SIDE.
The singular Displacement Ia a Man.
Body.

/
'"s Sihs"isr Displacement ia a Mans
Body.
The physicians Of New York are very
deeply interested In the treatment Of a
man whose heart has In some way been
| shifted from it, natural place 10 his right
! side, and has been doing duty IN an In.
adequate fashion in this novel location
| for two years past. The patient H. la
throp &. Wariord, n native II West Troy.
who was forced 10 give up his place as
cashier in Frcnch's Hotel two years ago
on account Of his mnlndy. Iii. fr.t
seizure, and the first serious illness of bi.
llir, began early in the winter ol 1877.
lie contracted a very severe cold. which
baiiled medical skill, and must have been
plruritic. The cold ran it, course with
great violence, and the physicians agreed
ihat the patient was well advanced in
ia first stage Of rapid consumption.
lAin in the spring Of ls77 Warford had
become cmaciatcd 30 a skeleton. and 20
weak that he was sent home 10 die.
In West Troy he put himself under
the care Of Il physician. who was nj loss
10 account for the absence Of some Of the
most Characteristic symptoms Of CON
sumption, and made "a thorough sound
ing OF the chest Of his patient. He soon
found that the left lung wa- so withcrcd
that IL performed no function whatever,
but singular 10 SAY, he could find no
dis't-c therein 20 account for it, wasted
or alFDphied state. He ra- dumbfound-
cd when, extending his ausruliation To
the right side, hc found the heart Of his
patient beating there quite regularly,
and with a.l the strength that was 10 be
expected in q person weak ~ he was.
War.prd himself was ignorant Ol the
location Of his lifc-pump. He was Of
such robust constitution that his atten-
ilOn had not been called 10 il by any
morbid symptom, but when hc had last
fcli for it hc found it in IT, right place.
This was proof enough tha, the di-piace-
mont bad been forciblc, and not congeni-
tai. 80 the doctor set about finding the
cause.
Dr0psy Of the thorax sometimes pro-
durr- displacement Of that organ, but no
recorded case told Of any such radical
change Of location. Many Of the most
characteristic symptoms Of dropsy were
wanting. but physicians in consultation
finally agreed that Warfords disease was
dropsy, and located the spot where the
dropslcai ciiusion was poured into the
thorariC cavity. But Warfurd was 80
far gogc tha; thcy did not think he could
bear the knife. Unexpectedly he rallied,
and one day .ihey fortified him with
brandy and began to operate The pri-
mary iucisiou. about eight inchc. from
the spine between the Gfth and sixth
ribs of the lcn side. fortunately struck
the very center 81 the diseased portion.
Through q rubber tube. in five minutes,
nearly gallon of purulent -arous matter
wa. drawn Of. For a month after this
Nr!uTd improved. hut then he began "a
sink again. Six weeks after III" first
tapping the operation was repeated. and
seven plnts of matter were removed.
Then HE improvement wa 50 rapid that
for the FIRST time hi. physicians began 20
think Of permanently curing him. He
has now been tapped siN times. and
thirty -rine pintS 81 tho drop-iea. matter
have been drawn of The last tapping
was done three months ago. aud his
physicians hope that another will not be
needed for three months 10 come. The
patient D. 80 much better that hc has re-
turned io New York. and j. about 10 en-
gage in active business again. Whenever
IL sla.l become necessary 30 pump him
out again, his physicians intend to try
TO introduce active Inflammation in the
diseased part, hoping thereby t. cure il
radically. There Is no active disease in
the atrophiod lung. which exhibits some
signs Of returning activity. Should IL
become inflated again and 20 90 work.
they hope that the heart may bc induced
80 return 10 It, normal place.
The only recorded case ai all similar
was described in the English medical
journals a short time ago. The patient
in that case was a cuntnrtionisi who
managed Ia displaCc the organ once too
often. His natural constitution was in
fcrioT 10 Warford's. and he died.