Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1884-07-05
REMARKABLE SURGERY.
Bruno KnOrr's Wonderful Case Explained
Before New York Medical Men
Trephining of the skull.

Trephining of the Skull.
Prof. Fluhrer, of the visiting sur
gical staff of Bellevue Hospital. yes
terday presented to large gathering
of medical gentlemen, among whom
were Professors Lewis A. Sayre, A.
Post and Charles Mittendorf, Doctors
Anderson, Putnam. jacob and others.
the most remarkable case of success
full surgical operation of the brain that
ever came under the observation of a
surgeon, and which still remains un-
explained from the fact that the patient
recovered and is at present enjoying
the best of health. The case has no
parallel in the annals of medical his
tory, and until it presented itself the
most eclectic surgeon would have
doubted the possibility of introducing
the knife into the brain without fatal
results.
The patient, Bruno Knorr, who YES
terday sat in the amphitheater of the
hospital in the center of group of in
tensely interested physicians, who
carefully examined his head, which
was mass of sears, showing where
the bone was cut out, has remarka-
man, and were it not for his much
chopped-up forehead would be quite
good looking. He appears to be of
very aflectionate disposition, which
is the cause of his stlange wound. On
the evening of January % last he Wis
tied his sweetheart and asked her to
marry him, but she declined; he
pressed his suit, but was flatlv refused,
upon which he pulled out revolver
and fired a bullet into his brain. The
ball entered the forehead, about half
inch above the eyes, directly in the
center. He fell to the ground with
blood gushing profusely from the
wound. He was supposed to be dead,
but nevertheless he was removed to
Bellevue Hospital. Upon arriving at
that place the junior surgeons were
surprised to find that he was still alive.
Through the night they sat by his bed
side, intent upon making observations
as to how long he could really live,
applying only such simple remedies as
would ease the last moments of dv-
ing man. But they miscalculated, for
in the morning they found him still
alive, although unconscious. Afraid
to do anything upon their own respon-
sibility, they telegraphed to the visit
ing surgeon at daybreak, and he came
at once in response to the summons,
hardly supposing that he could do any
thing for the patient. From certain
peculiar surroundings, however, he
was led to undertake most hazardous
operation, which he described to his
listeners yesterday while standing at
the side of the man whose life he had
saved
Finding the pulsations of the patient
growing weaker and life slowly ebb-
ing, he took the most desperate
chances and resolved to operate at
once. Feeling assured the brain was
wounded, from the small particles of
its substance that oo1nd th~c::~-n -
hole made by the bullet, he boldly set
to work, and, thinking that he could
no more than apply the last measures,
he dissected off the flesh around the
wound clean to the bone, holding back
the flaps with pins, and then cut out a
disc of the skull, about the size of a
dime, with a trephine above the bullet
hole, joining the two by chiselinG away
the bridge intervening. On attempt
ing to remove the particles of bone
which had been driven upon the brain
matter by the bullet in its passage and
had set up dangerous condition by
their pressure, he met with a profuse
hemorrhage from one of the large ar
terics, which was cut across It's gatfed
edges scarcely to be seen. The at
tempts to catch it up proved futile,
and realizing that death from the loss
of blood under the circumstances was
a matter of moments he introduced his
finger into the wound and pressed the
artery ATainSt the bone. and f Z n time