The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-01-23
Wonderful Surgery.

of a wonderful surgical operation recently
performed in the former city. DR.. F.
Herf has long been resident of San
Antonio, and is justly considered one of
the best physicians and surgeons in Texas.
San Antonio contains wonder, the
like of which cannot be found in the
United States. 1t is nothing more nor
less than child, seven years old, that,
instead of masticating and swallowing its
food in the usual manner, is fed through
an aperture in the stomach made for that
purpose. The child is gaining strength,
can walk and play, and bids fair to soon
be as stout and healthy as any other
child. On Saturday last determined to
go and see the child for myself. The facts
are as follows:
About two years ago Mr.. s. T. Lumley,
at that time living in Pennsylvania, had
the misfortune to have his little daughter
Jessie drink solution of lye, which
negro woman had carelessly left on the
| table. A large quantity of the corrosive
liquid was swallowed. Death is the cer-
tain result in such cases. There have
| been quite number of cases in San An
| tonic, where children drank concentrated
| lye, and none have survived except in
this instance. The lye destroyed the
| mucous membrane, and a structure of the
esophagus is formed, which means that
| the throat, or, at least, the channel
through which the food goes into the
stomach, is drawn together or contracted
to such degree that only liquids, and
not much of them can pass through. If
the child does not die at once, it fingers
| for year or SO, and then goes into con-
sumptive condition and perishes of slow
starvation. 1t is impossible for human
being to live exclusively on liquid nour-
ishment; but where concentrated lye has
been taken there are times, particularly
in cold damp weather, when the sufferer
cannot even swallow milk. All attempts
! to open the closed up esophagus are ftl-
| tile, hence the sufferer slowly starves to
death.
Such was the condition of the little
| girl, Jessie Lumley, when she was brought
to San Antonio for treatment. The child
was very much emaciated, and could not
swallow even liquid food for days at a
time. AS it was the only possible chance
she had for life, her parents consented
that the operation of making an opening
in the stomach should be attempted. The
operation has been performed in Eng
land, but this is believed to be the first
time it has ever been attempted in the
| United States. Your correspondent call
not give the technical terms, but can
max the modus operandi ineligible to the
general reader. An incision four inches
long was made few inches to the left OF
the pit of the stomach, at the beginning
OF the short ribs, much stitching being
required. Through this incision the
stomach is reached. The next part of the
operation requires the most delicate
handling imaginable. 1t consists in sew
ing the stomach to the walls of the abdo.
men, but the greatest care has to be taken
not to penetrate the stomach itself. The
needle and stitches only penetrate the
skin of the stomach. The result is that
the stomach, as the wound gradually
heals, grows to the walls of the abdomen
The patient was put under the infiu-
ence of chlorOform. and the operation
successfully performed by DR.. F. Herff
assisted by his son, DIR. John Herf. and
DIR. Amos Graves, all of this city Unfor.
tunately the child had an attack of the
chills and fever, which had to be cured
which gave it set back. sThe operation
described took place three weeks ago
The stomach had grown on to the sides
of the abdomen, and eight days ago the
final operation of making small incisior
into the stomach, through which the fooc
was to pass, was performed, and twice {
day during the past week beefsteak, cu
) up fine, has been passed with the forceps
|, into the stomach, and the child is steadily
, gaming strength.
On Saturday last visited the child, il
company with DR.. Herff, and saw it fed
We halted in front of a one story house
which we entered. A little girl with ligh
hair and blue eyes, was sitting up in bed
surrounded by playthings. Her mother
young woman of about thirty years o
age, was busy in the room.
Don't you want your supper, Jessie p
said the doctor,
81 want steak. don't want any bread
,'cos it hurts" said the little girl, who's,
thin features and pale complexion showed
the result of her long fast
: The mother brought in rare beef
steak, which the doctor proceeded to cu
/ up in small pieces, crumbliDg up som,
bread at the same time. The food bein,
prepared, the child lay back on the bee
and the opening in the side was exposed
1t was only an inch in length, and pre-
: sented the appearance of badly healed
, cut. 1t was little infiamed. stood by
and saw the doctor take one piece afte
another and carefully introduce 1t with
the forceps into the stomach, until tn,
plate was nearly empty. The child com
planned little at times, but did not ap
pear to suffer any. She finally said, "My
stomach is full, and as there was no mort
steak, the doctor desisted Finally som,
cotton was placed in the opening, . band
age put on, and she sat up and was sooI
fondling her playthings.
The following additional facts may bt
of interest to the medical fraternity anc
others interested. No particle of sole
food has passed through the child's throa
since the accident. A grain of rice nearly
strangles her. Milk is also injected into
the stomach through the opening. Tht
only possible danger is from the wound
closing up, hence it is kept open with
cotton. At first plug of expansive cot
ton was used. There is no reason why
the child should not become stout ane
healthy. The food digests readily, JUS
the same as if chewed and swallowed
To the inquiry if this mode of taking
nourishment would have to be kept uE
through life, no definite answer was
given, as it depends on the possibility o
reducing the structure of the throat. DIR
Herff proposes to have, as soon as the
opening heals up completely, an instru'
ment introduced into the stomach.
HANG ON LIKE A BEAyER.-When ou1
Tom was six years old, heS went into the
forest one afternoon to meet the hired
man, who was coming home with load
of wood. The man placed Master
Tommy on the top of the load and drove
homeward. just before reaching the
farm, the team went pretty briskly down
steep hill. When Tommy entered the
house his mother said: Tommy, my
dear, were you not frightened when the
| L.