The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-12-11
guaersna gutelligeueer.
A BLESSING FOR HUMANITY.
From the Baltimore American.


light.
From, the Baltimore American.
Cocaine, the wonderful anesthetic,
which will bacoJnet the innocent substitute
for dangerous chloroform, is putting sur.
geons into deliriums of delight. They
have found in this newly discovered sub.
stance The long locked for drug which :s
so bland in its nature that when put in
the eye it does not redden It even as
much as drop Of pure water, and yet
in q few minutes will gently and surely
take away all sensation from the eye-ball,
SO that it can be pulled and cut without
causing any sensation of pain whatever.
This condition of insensibili.y does not
last much more than an hour, when the
eye regsins its natural feeling, without
having suffered any detriment. Under the
temporary paralysis induced by this inno
cent drug any operation on the eye can
be successfully and painleasly performed,
and is unattended with any risk whatever.
To eye surgeons and eye patients the
millennium seems to have truly come.
Through an invitatiin of Prof. j. j.
Chisolm, large number of the leading
physicians of Baltimore were invited to
the Presbyterian Eye, Ear and Throat
Charity Hospital on Friday to witness
the wonderful aDmsthetic effects of
cocaine upon number Of patients who
had recently been admitted into the hos
pitai to. have sight restored by surgical
treatment Among these patients were
five cases Of cataract in elderly persons,
some OF whom were very anxious to
escape lie pain of this severe operation,
and yet were afraid to take chloroforn.
The first case brought into the operating
room was stout man, who for several
months past had lost all sight in his
right eye. Tnto this eye an attendant
had put drop Of 2 p. C. solution of
cocaiue, and had under Instructions re-
peated the application every three min.
utes for ono quarter NJ an hour. 1t had
enlarged his pupil, making the white
cataract very conspicuous, but had ap-
parently produced no other effect in the
appearance of the eyebalI. AS q test
that the cocaine had done its work, the
lids were stretched apart and tha opera.
tor rubbed his finger all over the front OF
the eyeball without the patient feeling
any discomfort BY contrast, he touched
the other eye, into which, no drop had
decided uneasinese. This experiment
in 1t had all Of its natural feeling; the
other, under the local action Of the
cocaine, had for the time lost all sensation.
To the surprise Of the doctors looking on
the operator seized the cataract eye with
toreceps and pushed n long, slender
knife right through and across the eye.
ball cutting long and deep cash into it
without causing the slightest change of
expression in the face of the patient. A
sharp instrument was then put into the
wound, and the cataract disl0dged from
its position in the centre Of the eyeball
behind the pupil. Gentle pressure was
made upon the eye, and the cataract was
squeezed through the open cut in the eye.
ball, coming out entire. While all this
was going on. the pa,ient-who was in
his perfect senses, and was answering
questions-did not exhibit any more un.
easiness than If his clothes were being
cut instead of his eye. He expressed
himself as not feeling any pain whatever.
He could see as soon rs the cataract was
removed from his eye.
The eecond patient brought into the
operating room was an old, feeble lady,
for O long time blind In both eyes. The |
ut three minutes' interval for twenty |
minutes. When this eye was rudely |
punched, and sho did not experience
pain, she felt assured that the operation |
would not hurt her. Her blindness |
being the same as the previous patients,
the same steps of the operation were fol.
lowed, her eye cut open, and the cataract |
removed through broad and gaping
wound. When asked, while the onera.
tion was going on, If she felt the cutting,
she said she rather heard it. The cut.
ting ofthe gristly part of the eye sounded |
to her, as she expressed 1t, like the cut |
ting of stiff muslin, and, as che said,
about as painful. Patient after patient
was operated upon, painleasly after this |
manner under the local action of this |
wonderful drug, until seven operations |
were completed. The universal express.
ion of the medical gentlemen who wit.
messed these experiments was one of |
wonder and astonishment that 90 simple |
and bland drop could exercise SUCH a |
powerful controlling influence over pain.
Some referred to its controlling influence |
as miraculous, and all conceded they
had seen the operation of the most won.
derful discovery In medicine of tho nipe.
teenth. century. There can be no reason |
why the pain Controlling effects of cocaine
on the eye should not BE equally shown
on every other part Of the human body,
and It's efficacy as common pain subdu.
ing agent will be at once tested. If it
will permit teeth to be drawn as pain.
lessly as it allows the eye TO be cut, then,
truly the whole human race will join in |
one universal expression of thanks to the
young physician In Vienna who acci.
IDENTITY discoyered theswonderful remedy.
Cocaine tsan extract fs0m coca leaves,
used as common beverage y. tea By |
millions Of people in South America,
where the shrub grows indigenoi ly, and
is also cultivated for its tea leaves. Its