The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-06-11

Bertha Kistler, who for eighteen
months has been under treatment
by Dr.. Ger rye r, 6hIsdy, visiting
surgeon Of the PresbyteriAn Hn-
Lital, left the institution yestefdsy .
jiviDg,graceful monument of surgical
ingenuity and skill Bertha Kkt)er
il now shout twenty yeArB old, and
| fifteen yesn ago she was tn a.ed by
IN unskillful surgeon In Germany
| for q supposed generous gT0s tn in
| the left cheek. The aiIment proved
| tn be Of another character. but the
opeation destroyed all symmetry Of
the chiId's face, leaving . large hole
| in the cheek and the mouth and noee
frigbtfulIy distorted. Eighteen
months ago the girl called on d.:
shrzdy to discover if anything could
lie done to remedy her deformity.
Dr. Sbrady held out little encour-
atement to her. but At last Cub
sents d to undertake the task OF build
ing Up virtually q new counte-
nance. Soon after the fint opera-
ton was performed. and in the
course of . year it was followed
by sixteen Others. Nest Of the face
was made yer by transplantation of
flesh from adjacent parts The mot
important step in the treatment OF
the case was the filling up of the
holes in the face. For this purpose .
large skin 6ap was needed. 1t was
obtained by Dr. Shady in the fol-
lowing manner: A rectangular Sec
ton of skin was partially separated
from the girls left arm above the
elbow. An incision was made in the
side Of the foref1nger Of the night
hand, extending from 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 sewn into the incision in the
finger with fine silver wire. The
hand and arm we're kept immOvable
by plastic bandages. In about . week
the skin flap became united to the
hand, but the flap was principally
nourished from the aim. To change
the current Of nutrition, the flap was
gradually cut from the arm, and
when it had been nearly severed, the
iDger, and not the arm, kept the
skin flap alive. When this became
the entire skin flap was
from the arm. The hand, |
with the mgr ,wn flap, WA then
brought up to the face, the scarted
skin on the left cheek was raised and
the flap was inserted underneath.
The hand was kept in post on by
bandages and q plastic cap.
Ia three weeks the flap beneath BE-
came attached to the face; the cur.
nourishment was changed by.
amputation from the finger
and finally when entirely separated
from the hand, the skin flap taken
from the arm became the foundation
Of q new cheek.
With a natural anxiety DR.. Shrady
watched the growth OF the flesh and
1t last had the satisfaction of demon
individually the feasibility
If transportation OF flesh from one
part Of the body to another by using
he hand as q medium. New diff
then arose. The surface of
he face was reaabilitated, but the
yirl's mouth va drawn out of shape
such an extent that the corner
vas almost directly under the nose.
70 restore the mouth, DR.. Shrady
lecided to enlarge it on one side and
1t up the other, and after this
vas done the lips were cut into the
rue and proper shape and all traces
4 distortion had disappeared. With
he success of this last operation,
which made twenty in all, the labor
vas ended, and nothing was left but
D await the healing Of the missions.
'hese have at last become salts
and the girls face is shapely
nee more, but, Of course, slightly
isfigured by scars. Most of these,
owever, are from straight. clean
uts, and 1t Is expected that even
hey will eventually become imper-
eptible.
From the first moment of her long
lartyrdom the girl has not raltered
n an instant, but has been impatient
" the next step. Sometimes the
0ct0r would try to persuade her to
,rego for q time the operation, out
he persisted in her desire. A singu-
n feature of the case is that notwith.
the suffering she must have
experienced, she has grown very fat.
he has been constantly the recipient
flowers, wines, and delicacies OF I,
arious kinds from people who,
Though unknown to her, have be- .
ome interested in her singular and
.markable patience.-New York
I