The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-26
Reconstructing a Face.
Extraordinary Success i'm the Transplanta-
tiOn of FIesh-A Girl's Patience.
IN. Y. Herald.l

IN. Y. Herald.l
Bertha Kistler, who for eighteen months
has been under treatment by DIR. George F.
Shrady, visiting surgeon of the Presbyterian
hospital, left the institution yesterday liv-
ing, grateful monument of surgical ingenui-
ty aud skill. Bertha Kistler is now about
20 years old, and fifteen years ago she was
treated by an unskilful surgeon in Germany
for supposed cancerous growth in the left
cheek. The ailment proved to be of anoth-
er character, but the operation destroyed all
the symmetry of the child's face, leaving a
large hole in the cheek, and the mouth and
nose frightfully distorted. Eighteen months
ago the girl called on DR.. Shrady to discover
if anything could be done to remedy the de-
formity.
She was only poor working girl, but
begged to go to the hospital and pay for
treatment by work. DR.. Shrady held out
little encouragement to her, but at last con-
sented to undertake the task of building up
virtually new countenance. Soon after
the first operation was performed, and in
the course of yea" it was followed by six
teen others. Most of the face was made
over by transportation OF flesh from ada
cent parts.
The most important step in the treatment
of the case was the filling up of the hole in
the face. For this purpose large skin flap
was wanted. 1t was obtained by DR.. Shrady
| in the following manner: A rectangular
section of skin was partially separated from
| the girls left arm above the elbow. An in
cision was made in the side of the forefinger
of the right hand, extending from the FIRST
| joint around to the thumb. The hand was
| then brought over 70 the left arm, and the
| detached edge of the skin flap was sewed in
| to the incision in the finger with fine silver
wire. The hand and arm were kept immov-
able by plastic bandages In about a week
the skin flap became united to the hand, but
the flap was principally nourished from the
arm. To change the current of nutrition
the flap was gradually cut from the arm,
and when it had been nearly severed the fin
ger and not the arm, kept the skin flap alive.
When this became apparent the entire skin
flap was amputated from the arm. The hand
with the ingrown flap was then brought up
to the face, the SCARED skin on the left
cheek raised and the flap inserted under
meath The hand was kept in position by
plastic bandages and plastic cap. In three
weeks the flap became attached to the face
the current of nourishment was changed BY
| gradual amputation from the finger, and f.
| nally, when entirely separated from the
hand, the skin flap taken from the arm be-
came the foundation of a new cheek.
With natural anxiety Dr. Shrady watched
the growth of the flesh, and at last had the
satisfaction of demonstrating Individually the
feasibility of transportation of flesh from
one part of the body to another by using the
hand as medium. New difficulties then
arose. The surface of the face was rehabili-
tated, but the girls mouth was drawn out of
shape to such an extent that the corner was
almost directly under the nose.
To restore the mouth DR.. Shrady decided
to.enlarge it on one side and sew it up on
the other, and after this was done the lips
were cut into the true and proper shape and
all traces of distortion had disappeared.
With the success of this last operation,
which made twenty in all, the labor was
ended, and nothing was left but to await
the healing of the incsion. These have at
last become satisfactory, and the girls face
is shapely once more, but, of course, slight
ly disfgured by scars. Most of these, how
ever, are from straight clean cuts, and it is
expected that even they will eventually be-
come imperceptible.
From the first moment of her long mar
tyrdom the girl has not faltered for an in
slant, but has even been impatient for the
next step. Sometimes the doctor would
try to persuade her to forego for a
time the operation, but she persisted in her
desire. A singular feature of the case is
that, notwithstanding the suffering she must
have experienced. she has grown very fat.
She has been constantly the recipient of
flowers, wines, and delicacies of various
kinds from people who, though strangers to
her, have become interested in her singular
and remarkable patience.