The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-12-22


tions and tableauX to come off. Al
so, there was one of the patients, al
old sailor, who couldsing in grand
rich. stentorian baritone and brin.
down the house. Our chairman
| Adams, of course-had Just begun
and was delivering himself in 3
Isemi-serious way of some very elo
quent remarks, amidst great ap-
plause-for nothing pleases the low
! est classes better than few orator..
cal fiourishes-when "tinkle tinkle
tinkle, tinkle," " went small, high
pitched imperious bell. 1t was the
I.accident bell.
Oh, We lay mortals, We little know
how the social and domestic JOYS OF
a medical man are at the mercy OF
a bell ! We invite our friends To
tea, we welcome them and anticipate
a pleasant evening, and-there goes
/ the bell We turn into bed on a
cold night, and Just get warm and
snug when-there goes the bell
We come home tired and wet,
change boots for slippers. and get
comfortable by the fireside, and
/ there goes the bell Ny bell expert
ence began that night at St. Mich
acl's, and | shall not soon forget it.
i was Sir Carver's taking in
week :" and his assistants had to at
tend to the accidents. Adams nod
ded to me, and off went to investi-
gate, knowing it might be anything
/ from cut finger to a railway smash.
| found a scene of considerable ex-
element in the accident room. Two
policemen, aided by Il crossing
sweeper and a cab-man, had lust
brought in 4 patient and some
spectators had pushed their way in
out of curiosity.
Just happened outside, sir !;
knocked down by a runaway cab,
sir"
Lost a lot Of blood 'fraid it's a
bad case, sir. Thus said the no
liceman.
Ask Mr.. Adams to come down
at once ; clear the room," | said.
1t was a young, fair-haired girl of
eighteen or nineteen, perfectly pale.
unconscious and almost pulseless.
\ strange contrast to her rough.
swarthy, weather-beaten bearers. 4
deep wound in the neck was bleed
ing profusely but on tearing open
the dress, | found | could stop the
hemorragc almost entirely with my
finger.
Adams was there Immediately :;
in Il minute he knew all about it.
and had settled his course of action.
Send for Carver. Take her to the
operating room at once. Ask the
other men TO come.' And then to
me keep up steady pressure, and
don't take your finger away for an
instant"
Nothing could be found out con-
corning her. No one was with her
when she was struck down. She
was very tastefully, though not ex-
pensively dressed. Her features
were exceedingly regular and pretty,
and when the color was in her face
she must have possessed a very con
siderable share of good looks. Moth
ing but a purse and a handkerchief
were found in her pocket. The
former was well filed, and the latter (
was marked Il. Stead" Adams I
said at once that she was a lady.
| do not know whether it had ev-
er happened before at St. Michael's /
that on the occurrence of a sudden /
emergency, no one of the surgical .
staff was at hand. Strange to saw. /
it happened so tonight. Sir Carver /
Smith and two of the surgeons lived I
close to the hospital; but in five |
minutes the messenger returned |
with the news that Sir Carver had I
been called to some aristocratic ce-
lebrity at the West End, who had |
met with an accident, and had tax |
en- oHe of the assistants with him. |
The second was out of town. and I
the third, who had been left to act .
in emergencies had been taken sud
denly i'll.
We had been discussing the case, /
and offering advice upon it with all |
that calm assurance which charac- /
terizes embryo surgeons. But mat
ters now became serious. Half an |
hour would suffice to summon one /
of the other surgeons ; but it was
plain that something must be done |
at once. We all looked at Adams, |
who had said very little hitherto, |
but had gone on to make every |
thing ready. He simply said "Be-
gin to give chloroform ] am going |
to operate"
what are you going to do ?' we
asked.
He told us but | viii not inhict /
any details upon my readers, but
will simply say that the sharp end
of a shaft had made a narrow deep
cash in the root of the neck and had
large artery. The opera
ton contemplated, afforded almost
the only chance of life, and TO delay
it any longer would, Adams said, be
throwing that chance away. 1t was
an operation Of the highest difficult
tv and danger under the present /
Of the parts and could |
its performance have been anticpait- /
ed. the theater would have been /
crowded with spectators from all the |
hospitals IL London. And here was
a young surgeon OF twenty-five, call /
ed on at a lew minutes notice, TO un-
dertake what many a long expert
enced surgeon might hesitate TO at
tempt, for it was impossible to per-
form it without much additional
loss of blood and it was not at all
that the patient might
not survive the operation, to say
of after dangers.
Adams carefully explained to the /
other house surgeons what assist +
ance they would have to give him Il
and when the patient was ready /
at once. Perfect silence /
reigned, broken only at intervals by |
a word from the operator but in
deed he had little need to speak, for |
we were well drilled at ST. Michael's |
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