Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
A WONDERFUL OPERATION.
How the Scalp which Was Torn From q
Young WoDsan's Head SIX Years Age
Has Been Restored by the Process oi
EDgrafting.

| amons tiio phlleuIS III ol. Lukeb b HOS
pital, New York, is young woman
who carries on her head an artificial
scalp, and 1t is not entirely complete
yet, but for all practical purposes the
experiment on the young woman may
be said to be at an end. The material
for building the scalp has been furnished
by hundreds ofvolunteers, and over IA, >
600 different pieces have entered into its
construction. The woman's name is
Lucy Osborn, and she is in her twenty
fifth year. She is OF medium height and
build, of good form, and her disfigured
face gives ample evidence of the fact
that she was once very pretty girl.
There is n sweetness about her smile
now which is very attractive, and her
low, rich voice is very pleasant to listen
TO. The only Disagreement apparent to
the eye of "A reporter, who met her In the
hospita,, was found about the eyes. Her
right eye brow is gone entirely, and the
left one is twisted upward and outward.
The eyes themselves are elongated side
ways, much like those of n Chinaman
but they are soft and pleasant to look
upon. The scalp, which the surgeons
have decoyed nature into furnishing in
place of the original. was covered by a
cloth, wound around her head much
like Turkish turban. She talks pleas
antly, and with rare intelligence, for an
invalid, and appeared well satisfied
with the result of the surgeons opera
tions upon her head.
Lucy Osborn belongs TO New nj
ford, Conn, and on September 90, 1874,
being at that time nineteen years of age,
was attending to her work in button
factory. Her hair was arranged in long
luxuriant curls. which covered the
entire head. In the prosecution of her
work she leaned forward toward a re-
volving shaft, and her curls were caught
in the rapidly-revolving cylinder. 1t is
wonderful that her head was not COM
pletely crushed, but, fortunately, her
position was such that her life was not
sacrificed. Her face was wrenched
down close to the shaft, the hair refused
to give way, and the entire scalp was
taken clean off. The skin was peeled of
from the bone. taking with 1t piece of
the integument Of the right ear, and
leaving but n slight fringe of hair on
the lower part of the back OF the head.
Miss Osborn says that the accident was
so sudden and the work was done so
quickly that she was not conscious of
feeling the slightest pain. and she ex-
perienced no faintness or prostration.
The terrible wound bled but slightly
and this Is accounted for by the fact that
the mouths of the blood vessels were so
badly laceraied that the blood coagu-
lated. and thus hemorrhage was pre-
vented. The safety Of Lucy Osborn's
life is probably due to this fact. It was
three quarters OF an hour before the
village physician reached the factory.
He replaced the scalp instantly, and
secured 1t to the girls head with forty.
seven stitches. in the hope that 1t would
agaiu unite with the tissue.
Then followed n reaction, and Lucy
suffered for two nights with a high
fever and delirium. At the end of that
time she regained her reason, but she
suffered greatly from pain. The scalp
was kept in position Tor eleven days.
but matter was constantly collecting
bentath it. and the idea that II could be
induced to unite with the bone again
was abandoned. II was removed again,
and for nearly three months the wound
was dressed with simple ointments. On
December 1, 1874, Lucy was brought to
New York and placed in st. Lukc's
hospital, where Il was at once deter
mined TO endeavor TO provide her with
n new scalp by means of grating. Lit
tie pieces of thin skin, not larger than
n millet-seed, were carefully taken from
the arm of healthy man, and twenty
five of these were grated on the head OF
Lucy n short distance from the border
of the skin OF her forehead. The wound
was first carefully washed in n weak
solution of carbolic acid; then the most
healthy looking spots on the granulated
surface were chosen TO locate the gratis,
and they were carefully applied with
csmers hair brush. The lead was
Lound in lint to keep the gratis In po-
sition, aud nature was left to do her
work. OF the twenty-five gratis first
applied an examination showed that
but four had taken, all the others hav.
ing liquefied and disappeared. These
four had united themselves firmly to
the tissue, and gave promise of a healthy
growth. BY March 10, 1875, they had
increased to the size of silver three
cent piece, and were pushing rapidly
forward TO join the skin Of the forehead.
More gratis were carefully planted, and
while hundreds proved worthless.
enough grew properly to give ample as
surance of the ultimate success of the
experiment. It would be matter o
years. the surgeons well knew, but they
felt certain that In the end Lucy Osborn