Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-07-16

,,pn ny nR aIRDyFR OF BELLEvUE HoSPl-
TAI-uow THE SKIN IS USEFUL AfrEk
DEATH.
From the NV York Herald
The wonderful degree of perfection To
which the science of surgery has attained
in tbe United States within the past year
and the practical benefits which daily re-
sult from the experiments made Ill our
hospitals, are attracting the attention oi
scientific circles throughout the world.
One of the latest and most unique opera
tions which has been suddenly called INTO
general use is that of skin-grafting. Al
thourh number of successful cases nre
on record in which French surgeons have
performed this operation, there has peen
little confidence felt in the method until
recently. The f,uore caused by an ac-
count of such an operation, pubhShed III
the Herald few days ago, prove how
little is known about SKIN grating by the
public. But by far the most astonishing
of all the experiments has been tired,
proved and is now included IN the rcgu-
lar treatment of Bellevue hospital by the
house surgeon. DIR. j. III. Girdner, who
has actually succeeded i'll keeping pa
tient alive IN dead mans skin. Learn
ing that DIR. Girdner had made exception
al advances in this branch of surgery
Herald reporter called at Bellevue hospi
tai Yesterday and obtained an interview
on the subject.
Il have been experimenting ABOUT
year on the operation Of skin-grafting
and have obtained some very flattering
results" he said Il had several patients
in nv wards who had chronic ulcers of
the leg which no ordinary treatment
could cure. read one day of the graft
ing experiments performed by French
surgeon. and, fearing that one of the pa
tients would die, decided as last re-
source to graft skin on the surface of the
ulcers. The patient on whom proposed
to perform the operation refused to allow
any skin to be cut from his arms a. body
for the purpose claiming that the PAIN
was too great | determined to try the
skin of Il corpse, rs it would have been
unjust to expect any of the other patients
to make the sacrifice IL save II man who
refused to suffer himself. | cut piece
of skin from patient who died III the
wards n few hours before, first taking
care to inquire whether the cause Of
death was due to IA poisonous disease or
not. then cut the cuticle into small
pieces, which | laid on the Grannlated
surface of the ulcers, and bandaged the
leg up very firmly. In three days the
graft began to show signs OF life, per
feet union having taken place. and i'll
week a splendid skin, smooth and elastic,
had grown over the liberated part. max
ing complete cure and leaving no scar
behind. Since that time | have treated
upward of 30 cases with invsriable sue
cess. l have grated the skin of an Irish
man on a negro, and | have grated the
skin of negro on an lrishman with ease:
In both cases the skin lost its original
color and changed its hue to suit the
wearer The great value i'll skin-graftinS
is to prevent ugly scars. When mans
face is burned the elastic portion of the
skin is destroyed, and i'll healing 1t con
tracts. twisting the countenance out of
shape in a hidcous manner. 4 new skin
given TO the patient heals the affected part
in several days and leaves a mark that Is
h,r,llv- noticeable