The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-06-22
DISEASE PHOTOGRAPHED.

New York Press.1

L
retary of the National society
of American photograph artists,
established a little workshop in
the grounds of Bellevue hospital,
for the purpose of extending
the field of his art 10 the
photography of surgical cases.
For fourteen years he has given his
services to this work gratuitouslv.
His collection Ofphotographs, illus
trating surgery, is the largest and
most valuable in the world. They
would fill seventeen large tones,
and it would take a week to look at
them. He has made a revolution in
the method of illustrating surgical
works. Before 1870 books on suge-
ry depicted operations and diseases
by means of wood cuts. The latter
were not only not satisfactory in
themselves, but were often exag-
gerated.
The surgical profession will not
now submit to wood cuts at all, but
insist upon seeing photographs of
operations. In the later works of
surgery, wood cuts have been
discarded and in their place
photographs of the subjects for IL
lustrations are put. Indeed, photo
graphs have in some instance the use
Of text. GA physician came to me
the other day." said Mr.. Mason to a
Press reporter, "for a couple of pho
tographs illustrating disease
which he was studying. He said
that the two pictures gave better
idea of the subject than forty pages
of descriptive matter" Five large
photographs of the lungs in various
stages of consumption, in some of
which they had been hOneycombed
by the disease, were shown the re-
porter. 1t was remarked that they
told more than a thousand pages of
text. A professor from the medical
college came to me one day." con-
tinued Mr.. Mason, "and told me
that he had been teachingclasses for
years how the leg ought to be am
putated, and that they never seemed
to understand it. 1 took a series of
photographs showing the successive
stages of successful ampu-
tation. They were used by
him for his classes" Since Mr..
Mason began his work, photography
has been employed in the great cit
les of Europe as an invaluable ad-
iunct in making surgical history.
81 have seen more disease than
any other man in New York." said
the photographer, as he took down
large tome filled with his photo
graphs and opened it for the reporter
to look at. 81 am free to say this
because L have seen the importBnt
cases of all the different physicians
more cases than have come under
the observations of any one of them"
"This," said he, pointing to pho
tograph of a fine-looking young
man, whose hands and feet had
dropped off, sis an Englisman who
died here with leprosy, with which
he had been infected in India. He
was there vaccinated for smallpox,
and it is supposed that the vaccine
matter had come from leper. The
patient was heart-broken. His death
was twelve years ago."
"This is Professor Woods great
case of the reproduction of the low er
eating photographs of a skull in two
positions. A girl who worked in a
match factory had her lower jaw
affected by phosphorus, and was OBJ
liged to have itremoved. Professor
Wood left remaining all adjunct of
the lower jawbone, whose function
was to nourish it. From this a new
jawbone grew. Nothing of the kind
was ever heard of before. When
the girl died, many years after, she
left her skull to DR.. Wood. 1t was
sent to Europe for scientific men to
| see.
Among the photographs was one
showing the hands of woman bent
in an unnatural position. "This was
case to lead poisoning" said Mr.
Mason. "The lady lived on Fifth
Avenue. She first noticed that she
couldn't play the piano. Her fingers
had lost their delicacy of touch
Then she began to lose all use OF
them. A physician was called in
and found that some of the muscles
of her hand had been paralyzed. He
was at loss TO account for it. Al
length he noticed a cosmetic on
her dressing table. Upon ana
lying it, he found that the
cosmetic contained lead. The
woman had used it ON her arms
and face, and was suffering from
lead poisoning. She could close heI
fingers, but could not open them
A pair of steel springs were put on
| hay. n n ndo 70 onrsn or bor fin norc no ok
in place again when she wanted to
open them. She finally recovered the
use of her hands. Here you have the
case of boy dead with the lOckjaw
They always bend in this half-cres
cent way when they die of this dis
ease. The picture is taken to show
the characteristic position"
A case of progressive muscular
atrophy presented some singular
features. The victim was a very
muscular boy, who from over-ex
ercise, had caused a wasting away
of his muscles. His arms below hi
elbows were like those OF an oars
man; above the elbow they were
shrunken to mere pipe-stems. Hi
legs below the knee were like those
OF q pedestrian; above, ike those o.
q footman. He suffered no pain, bu
lost all strength.
A rare disease shown in the bool
was case of elephantiasis, or thick
ening of the skin. The disease oc
ours in tropical countries only. an(
the victim had contracted it in thu
south. His leg looked like one o
the big trees of California. 1t wa
four feet around, the extra growth
being an unusual thickness of th'
skin. This is a hasty glance at {
few of the marvellous aud singular
cases pictured in one book of Mr.
Mason's large collection.
There are numerous cases shown
of the transplanting of skin, which
may be taken from another person
or even from a dead person.
| Boston Baked Beans.