Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-26
AN EYE FOR AN EYE.
TranSplanting a Rabbits Con-
junCtiVa Into a HuTa1 Eye.
A Rare and Delicate Operation
Performed in Omaha.

--
"f you want to see q curious surg.
lcal operation performed" said Super.
intendent Isaac Pierce, of the county
poor house, to q BEE reporter, who
was sauntering on the corner Of Fiji
teenth and Farnam streets Friday
morning, "come over to Doctor
Grsddy's Office and see him transplant
a piece Of q rabbits eye on the eye OF
one of our poor house patients"
Anxious to witness an operation
thst 10 rare In opthalmic surgery, and
one which has never bsen performed
west of the Mississippi river, the re.
porter Of THE BEE wal promptly on
hand at the time indicated. When
he entered the office all the
preparations had been made
for the event. A case Of
glittering surgical instruments lay
open on the secretary, an operating
couch had been drawn into the center
of the room fronting the light, and
DR.. Grady was explaining the pecu.
liar features of the operation he was
about to perform to Drs. Stone, Mer.
Ram, Carter and Robert, who were
present 81 assistants. In the corner
Of che room wss q box containinge
the rabbit, all unconscious Of the
par. he was soon to play In the pro-
oeedings.
81 am about to transplant q portion
of the copjunotiva of that rabbit, in
the right eye Of this boy" said the
doctor, In reply to Q question Of the
reporter, as he pointed to a young man
OF some nineteen years OF age who sat
on q chair In the corner. "The con.
j~uctlva Is the mucuous membrane
which lines the interior Of the eyelids
and exterior of the eyebsll. The lad
nearly blind from partial blepharo.
phimosis or partial closure of the lids.
He has been under treatment for some
time and l have made good progress
with his left eye by drawing new
membrane Into the corner and holding
1t In place until 1t became attached,
but all my efforts to produce the same
effect in the right eye have failed on
account of the frisble nature of that
portion of the conjunctiva which re.
mains. l now propose to replace it
with tissue taken from the eye of
that rabbit and let 1t grow In place of
his own"
A few moments only were necessary
TO etherizs the patient, Doctors
Stone and Robert administering the
ane,thetic. A pair of delicate scis.
sors, In DIR. Graddy's skillful hand,
quickly prepared the diseased eye for
the reception of the new membrane
by the deft removal of the old cica.
trices OF scars, which disfigured the
inside Of the corner of the eylids of
the unconscious patient, and left them
raw and bleeding. The operation was
watched with intense interest by all
present.
snow I am ready for the rabbit"
said the doctor. A cloth was quickly
thrown v Q Bunny's head, and In q
trice he was % unconscious Of pain al
the patient whose eyes he was to assist
In restoring to health. Scissors
and forceps, and scslpel, were now
called Into requlsition, and the doctor
began the dIfiSplt work Of d~issecting
from around tho rabbits eye the dell
cate membrane which was to be trans.
planted to the human eye. Deity,
bit by bit, It was dlsengsged from the
adhering tissues and held by slender
curved needles, through whose eyes
we're drawn silken threads, which
were to attach It to Its new home.
Fifteen minutes of rapid work only
we're necessary to complete the dis.
section, when the c%onjunctiva, q thin
and delicate membrane, was lifted
from the rabbit by the threads and
carried over to the patient, who had
recovered from the effects of
the ether. The eyelids were
lifted and the q~uivering membrane
carefully dropped Into the corner,
trimmed until 1t fitted precisely the
abraded surface and then deity SO wn
by three or four stitches to the place.
The patients eyes we're then bandaged
and he was dismissed with the iniuno.
ton to remain quietly In bed for fou,
days to come. In q short converse.
tion with DR.. Grady after the opera.
tion, he stated that 1t was not q par.
tlcularly rare operation, but one moi
frequently performed outside Of tn,
large eastern cities. The disease 4
sometimes ~oongenital, but In tn,
present ase he thought must b,
the result of either inflammation at q,
early age or acute and lon,
continued eranulation Of thei lids
The patients skin was naturally of
puffy character, containing q good des
of fst under 1t, and this increased tn
difficulty. When the membrane va
lost the general operation was to re
place 1t BY drawing 1t from anothe
portion OF the eye, but al stated befor
, In tho present case this was impossible
! owing to the frail nature OF the littl
portions that remained and which rer
dered attachment impossible, TIL
only course that was left was to n
place the oonjunotiva. The docto
! stated that he had no doubt that th
tr~ansplanted membrane would sdher
and grow and complete relief be occ,
stoned.
It was . splendid operation, said D.
Merriam, Al he pulled on his overco,
to leave the room, and in this opinio
The BEE reporter cordially agrees.