Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-08-05
WITH THE KNIFE.
The n Osf Wonder fal Operation Known
I'm Surgery.

NEW YORK, August Son Thurs1sy af-
ternoon DIR. Dange, one of the visiting sur
geons of Bellevue Hospital, performed a rare
operation upon an aDeurIsm of the external
lilac artery in the presence of nearly 100
physicians Among them were DIR. A.
Ftuhrer, DR.. Lutte, Dr.. Henry 2. Ssnds,
DR.. Charles Pnelps, DR.. Whitlemore of New
Haven, and DR. Smith OF the Uaited States
srmy. Invitations were sent to all the prom
inent surgeons Of the city, bat few could ba
present, and the attendance WAS composed
principally of the home stats of the various
city hospitals. The patient is flute player,
thirty years OF age, and was formerly
employed 10 one of the tbeater Or
ches ras in this city. He had been
troub ed with aueurism tor nearly a
year. IL showed iisplf- in his lefres zfofb,
whsfe l. caused proturb 1nce the size ei
hen egg, and the pressure upon the nerves of
bic left leg was so great as to cause a numt =
neps in that limb, which, in time, becrme
nearly paraiszed. Three weeks sgo be con-
suited d.. Ltuge, who advised an operati n,
ptal. Ga Tnursday afternoon he was taken
lnro the bospusl smphitbealer. d..
L,nge, assisted by Dr.. Charles Nc
B.arnsy, Dr.. Samuel Lswergood, DR..
Robert T. Morris an Dr.. w. +. Ward
we'll, cut through the patterns abdomin al
wall into his abdomen. The intes,iues were
urued 10 one side while DIR. LANCE reached
| into the orifce aud tied the comm N lilac be-
low the point where it branches off fro n the
aorta, and just aoove the aneurism. The iu-
lesiin-s were then replaced, tue cut sewed up
ard the patient restored to consciousness
| More than a week HIS elspsed since the
operation, and the patient is considered
| likely 10 recover. III the tneurism had been
tllowed 10 rem in, the continued flowing of
| lhe blood through 1t would nave enlarged il
aud weakened lis walls, and il would nav.
| been likely 10 burst with the slightes. strain,
Ii would have increased in size with lime,
aud the abuormal ,reseure upon the sur
rounding organs and Derves would have led
10 various Disorders. The operation
| stops the fi)w OF blood through the ssuenr-
| ism, which becomes hard and smaller.
Il also stops the circulation through the
lilac arteries, which supply the lett leg with
lis sustenance, causing tn blood TO course
| from an overflow, as il were, from the upper
part OF the body through the I'm al blood
vessels which form a chain of condicts all
over the sysem. III this collateral cIrcula-
ton is not suficieat 20 give the member lie
! life, il will prob bly, have to be smputaied.
This is one Of the dangers 10 be feared. Among
the other effects which may follow such
an operation are py &c MIA or blood poisoning
from the sloughirg OF the sac of the aneuf-
ian, peritonilis or infam nation of the living
membrane of the abdominal cavity, the
loosening of the ligature which binds the
lilac snd secondary hemorrhage. The pa
tieut sometimes never RECEIVERS from the
shock of the operation. The operation is
one OF the r.rest known in surgery, aud ha,
been seldom performed: DR.. Erichsen il
his stsDd4id work on surgery in 1879, SAID
that it had been performed forty times with
only ten recoveries. 1t has been perform+c
a number of times since then with the same
proportiouate results. DR.. S4nds on e per
formed it in this city. The patient recovered
but his legs had 10 be suputaied afterward
g,ngrene resulting from imperfect circula