Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-01-17
4 HEROINE.
from the New York Herald.

rom the NCW Ofh Ilcia!u.J
In an address delivered at the last ami
versary celebration of the Presbyterian III os'
pital DR.. George F. Shrady, visiting surgen,
referred briefly to the wonderful patience
and courage displayed BY one OF the pa
tients, 1t young girl named Bertha kistler,
who within the eighteen months previous
had undergone seventeen surgical opera
tioDs 60 much was the Doctor lmprcssed
by her heroic endurance Of pain that he not
inaptly styled her tine Heroine OF lhe HOS
ptal."
4 reporter called at the Presbyterian Hos
nitaI and there learned something Of the
girls remarkable history. Fifteen years ago,
when five wears old, Bertha--as she Is tani-
Iiarlr called by every orc III the hospital
cane with her parents 10 this city from Ger
many. Previous 10 leaving the Iathcrland
she had been operated upon by some un-
| siilful village doctor ior Il supposed cancer
Gus affection of the left check. 1t was not,
however, case Of cancer, but growth Of
another aad trivial character The bung
ling surgeon almost literally dug out the
cheek. leaving Il large hole. Nothing but
electrical or SCARED tissue remained. Tie
wound in healing distorted the mouth and
face in frighttul manner.
About the middle of last year Bertha Wis
tied DR.. Shrady to ascertain if anything
could be done to improve her looks. She
/ was, she said, Il poor worker i'll Worsteds
and could not pay fee, but would gladly
go to any hospital and become Il subject for
surgery The Doctor at first hesitated to
accept the charge but so earnestly did she
plead that he finally consented TO undertake
| the task of virtually building up 4 new face.
4 short time after this the first OF the Sc
ries OF operations was performed. This has
been followed by sixteen others. The cigh-
tecnth will probably take place this week,
| and the end is not yet. Several months ago
the girl became a patient III the PrcsDyte-
rian Hospital, and there tie principal opera
tons have been performed. In their course
much of the face has been made over with
| new flesh, transplantcd from The adjacent
parts, dovetailedin with the greatestncety.
| The most important step III the treatment
| of the case was the filing up Of the hole i'll
the face. For this purpose large skin flap
was wanted 1t was obtained by DR.. Shrady
| III the following manner: rectangular
section Of skin was partially separated from
the girls left arm, above the elbow. in in
cision was made in the side OF the torc-
| finger OF the right hand, extending fioln the
| first Joint around to the thumb. The hand
was then brought over to the left arm, and
the detached edge Of the skin flap was sewed
| into the incsion in the finger with fine sill
yer thread The hand and arm We're kept
immovable by plastic bandages. In about
g week the skin flap became united TO the
hand, but the Hap was principally nourished
| from tie arm. 70 change the current of
nutrition the flap was gradually cut from
| the arm, and when it had been nearly sew
cred the finger, and not the arm, Kept the
skin iiap alive When this became appar-
ent the entire skin flap was amputated from
the arm. The hand. with the ingro"n Hap,
was then brought up to the face, the scar
red skin OH the left cheek raised and the
| flap inserted underneath. The hand was
| kept in position by plastic bandagcs and
Il plastic cap. In three weeks the flap be-
came attached 20 the face; the current Of
nourishment was changed by gradual a1npu-
tation from the finger, and finally, when
entirely separated from the hand, the skin
flap taken from the arm became the founda-
tion OF q new cheek.
Though the transplanted skin sloughed
or mortified slightly the operation establish
ed, first and definitely, the principle OF dou-
ble trausplantation. In other words, it de-
monstrated that the hand can be used as q
medium OF transfer OF q portion of flesh from
one par, OF the body 10 another. The girls
mouth is now drawn slightly to one side,
but this defect will be remedied
by future operations The result, SO far as
brought about by DR.. Shrady in Bertha s
case, is Il partly reconstructed nose, new
upper and lower lips on the left side, with
corresponding portion Of chin, and an almost
entirely new check Notwithstanding that
the Girl has undergone so many operations
at Dir. Shrady's hands, she still has implicit
confidence i'll him, and urges him with
strange pertinacity at every opportunity to
shorten the necessary intervals between the
operations.
In speaking Of the case DR.. Freeman,
house surgeon of the hospital, said: Bertha
: is in many respects q most remarkable girl.
Notwithstanding herdeformity OF face, there
is something quite attractive about her. She
has good eyes; her light hair is long and
, luxuriant, extending far below her waist,
and her figure, though slight, is eXQuisitely
moulded. She is of cheerful disposition,
and has made herself very useiulin assisting
in the care of patients. When not thus en-
gagged she devotes herself to Uorsted work.
Since coming here months ago she has
never been outside of the enclosure In
summer she will occasionally walk in the
ward, but we have never been able ro
induce her to so beyond the gate. Strange
as it may seem, she is never so happy as
; Just on the eve of an operation, probably
! because each one brings her sufferngs near
er to an end. After one it is often neces
sarv to feed her for weeks, she being per
fectly helpless. She has always been bright
and hopeful, except when she saw hersel
in glass shortly after the operation o
double transportation. Of course she ther
: presented a distressing appearance, and
! overwhelmed by it, was for momen
= tempted to throw herself out of an adjacen
window. This feeling, however, almost in
stantlY passed AWAY