Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-15
The casarian Operation.
LIFE AND DEATH IN TIE BALANC

LIFE AND DEATH IN TIE BALANCE.
The Cesarian operation, the masterpiece
of obstetrics, was successfully performed IN
Philadelphia upon Mrs Lena Earle, dwarf,
who was thus delivered of n vigorous male
child weighing little over six pounds, and
both mother and child are doing well. Mrs.
Earle is well known to the public, having
been attached to various travelling shows.
Knowing that she was about to become d
mother, and having been informed that it
would be impossible for her TO give birth to
child in the usual manner, she gave up her
seasons engagement, and about two months
ago she went to Philadelphia to consult med
zeal authority. Mrs Earle called upon a
number of physicians, and after consultation,
the physicians decided that the Casarian
operation was the only one by which the
child could he removed with the least posi-
BILE danger to life. Mrs. Earle was Informed
of the decision, and the danger of the opera
ton was fully explained to her, but after
short delberation she decided to submit to it.
Ca the morning fixed for the little woman
to 90 through the terrible ordeal, at an early
hour the physicians who were TO perform the
operation arrived at her residence on the east
side of Seventh street, below Spruce. Mrs.
Earle was somewhat nervous, but resolute.
DR.. Elliott Richardson was the chief opera
tor, assisted by Drs. f. II. Bell Henry,
Smith, Stuart, and two others. The opera
ton was proceeded with according to Parro'
method Mrs. Earle was first placed under
the influence of ether. An incision was
then made on the median line of the aldo
men and the abdominal walls were cut
through A incision was next made in the
womb to correspond with those in the abdo
minal walls, and the infant released. Aftel
that the womb was restored to its bed and
closed, and the other parts brought together.
The clothing and all articles in the room
were subjected to solution of carbolic acid
spray. according to LISTERS method, during
the operation During the whole of the
severe trial, the pulse of the woman remain
ed excellent, and all her symptoms were
favorable.
In conversation with a reporter, promi-
peut physician said From what | have
heard about the case. think that the
chances of the woman's recovery are very
good indeed The operation is so rare that
il is hard to tell how soon she will be out OF
danger. Such an operation has not been per
formed in this city for a number OF years.
The operation is successful only in very
few cases, and will only be undertaken when
there is no easier or less dangerous way for
the living mother. More frequently the
operation must be undertaken upon dead
A,.s:.s xuI.4. 1t 10 h.li..vai tho. the Child il
yet alive.
The first who undertook this operation On
the wear 1900. was Jacob Nufaer, III Sieges-
hansen, in Switzerland "a pork packer; he
saved his wife and child in this manner
From that time il has been practised by ply
sicians according TO the different methods
In every case it is a dangerous operation; nj
a rule only onc-third of the number OF wo
men operated on in that manner survive, bu'
there are remarkable exceptions; woman
by the name of Adametz, residing in kiel
IIolenstcin, from the year 1876 to 1886, sur
vived four such operations, and some OF tn,
children ais, survived ". !. iSRhda5
Mercury.
A correspondent who sends us the above
sends with it the following sketch OF the sub
icct of the operation, who, it seems, is a Chit
tenden County woman:
Mrs. Earle was born in Richmond, Vt,
about 1858, and is thus about p years old.
She is A. inches in height, of dark complex
ION. with dark brown hair and eyes. Like
most dwarfs she looks older than she really
is and her body is large in proportion to heI
height.
Her father was a dwarf of about the same
size as herself. Her mother was an ordinary
sized woman Mrs. Earle lived in Rich
mond until about year and half ago whei
through the assistance of 7. i. Barnum she
obtained position in New York. January
9TH. 1880, she was married 10 Alfred 5.
Earle, WHO'S member of a minstrel troupe,
and a man of ordinary size, weighing about
$50 pounds Both herself and child were
doing well on Thursday, Sept 30.