Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-09

and with over twenty bands. This will be re- | viewed by Governor Cleveland, Mayor Low of Brooklyn, Mayor Edson of New York and
 other notables. The school children
 ten thousand in number are to be mssssd
 together in one of the streets through which
 the procession will pass. A unique feature
 of the procession will be the presence in 8
 carriage of Mrs. Abelard Reynolds, already
 one hundred years old, who has lived here
 sirce the beginning of the century, her son
 being the first white child born in Rochester.
 After the procession there will be banquet
 with speeches and in the evaning 8 general
 illumination of the whole city.
 Surgery Extraordinary A Patient's
 Brain Sewed Up and the Man On the
 Road to Recovery.
 NEW YORK, June 8-An extraordinary op
 eration performed at St. yincent's hospital on Thursday has attracted widespread attsp- tion as illustrating the great advance made by the medical profession in the means Of saving life when endangered by accident. The mans name is Michael Hoffman, and he waa working Thursday at the bottom of the ele- vator shaft in the building No. 5O2 Green wioh street, which has just been erected. The elevator was being used for the first time and the maa who ran it apparently did not know that Howman was below him, for on the downward trip of the elevator he let it de- scend with great rspidity to the basement, knocking Hoffman down and pinn ming him between the floor and the bottom of the ele- vator. When the screams of the unfortunate man appraised him of what he had done he pulled the rope and the elevator rose just at the instant when further descent of half an inch would have instantly killed Hoffman As it was, when the latter was carried to the hospital it WAS found that the end of one of the eight screws, half an inch in diameter which he had been putting into heavy board at the bottom of the shaft had been forced into his head to the brain. The skull was badly fractured, and six large pieces were removed, leaving fsur square inches of l the brain exposed. This was bad enough, but tine dura mater, or membrane covering l the brain, was ruptured and the gray matter 1 of the brain protruded a distance ! of half an inch. Dr. Keene in an ! told reporter the story of the ! operation as follows: stThere seemed to us to | be no earthly means of saving the mans life | after this discovery was made, until Dr. | Larkin suggested that the membrane be sewed up. This has never before been at- tempted, as the dura mater is as thin and deli cate as the lining of an egg shell, and death always ensues from any medaling with it. Nevertheless the suggestion was followed as B dernier resort. The protruding portion of the brain was carefully pushed back and the membrane drawn together and fastened with several attaches of catgut, which will soon be absorbed The wound was then dressed in the ordinary way, and there he has ain with trepanned hole in his head as ] arge as one's hand, as conscious and intelh- gent as you or I, and with every chance Of being perfectly well in few weeks"
 "Would you call such an operation trepan- lingp Is not that term used only when plate of silver is inserted into the skuIl?" lsked the reporter. ''That is one of the ] greatest of the popular delusions in regard to said the doctor, laughingly. ''I nay be putting it rather strong, but to my and belief there never was a plate ,f silver inserted in the skull of any human being. I do not believe it could possibly be lone with success, and, besides even if it 'ouid be, of what use is it2 The skull, IS i'll Hofmans case, will soon re- orm and cover the opening with 8 growth which, though at first like gristle, yet in a
 ear's time will be nearly as solid as the est of his skull. But it was delicate piece # work, uncovering such an area of mans back what protruded through he ruptured dura mater, and then drawing his membrane together and sewing it with atgut thread. We could see the minute rteries of the gray matter of the brain 'ulsating with each beat of his heart. AL ogether, it was the nest difficult case of the ind which has been treated since St. Vim ent's Hospital was opened"
 Hoffman is getting on finely, and the doc DTS say that in a month frsm now he will be erfectly we'll.