The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-02-11
SCIENCE TRIUMPHs.
A Living Mans Bowels Removed
From the Cavity.
the Intestlnes Carefully Replacod-Pre-
cautions Against Perltonltls-rhe Pa
tlent Able TO waik.-An Inter
esting Operation.
IN. Y. Trlbune.l

IN Y. Trlbuae.l
The abdominal cavity of man has alwavs
been avoided by surgeons. Men OF great
or or less eminence, who would look with
certain degree OF professional pleasure
upon an operation In almost any 9th ,r
portion OF the boly, have hesitated whom
tho question OF OK plorin this region was
raise !, and have listened to an l shaped
their action upon the principle "when
there is a wound in the bowels, iron what
eve ,ause, it Is bad surgery to touch or
probe it."
DR.. Otis, In ''The Surgical History Of the
Rebs hon." says that 10 cases where the
tntestines have been known to b, p creed
by ball there wa, not a sin sle recovery.
turgeons generally say that more than
Inc out of ten die from such an injury.
his great mortality IS caused by the in
ANIMATION of the abdominal cavlty-per-
onitls--which follows the wound. The
oats OF the intestines being per. Grated by
. bullet the contents thereof escape, and
che p, ritoneum (lhe membrane lining the
interior of the nb lomen and covering the
otgans contained therein) become IN
1amsd. This Is almost certain to termi-
mat fatally.
In the last few years, however, surgeons
have grown more bold, an surgery has
cons, quently made great advances, par
ticularly In dealing with tumors situated
In the abdomen. Surgeons OF another age
would have tainted at the suggestion OF
siuking knife In the abdomen aud remov-
tns tumor, yet to-day the operation Is
II, quently per ormed, and the death rate
Is nos more than ten In lOO cases. Even
portions Of the bowls Lave been cuS out
and tho severed ends united by stitches In
removing tumors, and rec very has fol-
lowed Ia large number OF cases. But the
most brilliant case yet recorded, where the
newer methods OF surge y we're prominent
ly brought into use, is an operation recent
iy per ormed at the Chambers street Hos
pItal. In this case precedent was openly
hId, and the attending sur 5eons, with a
colra eand boldness equaled only by their
ski. and delicacy, saved a human life, in
ol probability, aud per ormeI an oper-
eu1n OF a kind that never before had Deen
at en- led with success
Wal lam McElr1y, a truck-driver, was
scci iientaily shot on November II, 1881
with s-caiiber pistol. de ien to the
noor, Tut remained conscious. An am,
pulance look MN 10 the IhhmLers street
Hospital, where an examination showed
snat the ball had entered the abdomen
about two inches 70 tue LETT Oh ana a little
Ielow the navel Inc external wound was
h'snt' and the Daii nad stopped ~ some
polLt WITHIN the abdominal cavity
Inc patient was sent 70 oed' sunering
greatiy rom the snocK, anu careluily
wa ched- WITHIN Few hours signs OF ex-
Gavasation appeared his features were
pinched' his pulse feeble and tremulous.
Excruciating pains radiated from the seat
o. injury over the whole abdominal re-
glon, ana were attended with signs OF COL
tAps+ Inc muscular enort OF breathing
was confined 70 tne thorax' ana there was
aiook OF great anxiety upon the lace IL
was evident tnat tue oreaued peritonits
would soon be lully developed A consult
cation was held and II was determined
that death would speedily ensue unless re-
uel was anorueu IN some measure anu me-
so'o 'iea'hion' "A' uoe'ued upon
Within twenty hours after being shot,
hcElroy was unnsieirod 70 the op railing
taiie. Ether was admins ered, and he
Ioon became UNCONSCIOUS. Elaborate pr
,autions were taken TO prevent the intro
ducti"n OF disease germs into The woLnd.
q spray OF vapor OF carbolic acid was
played constantly into tho room, which,
70 maintain the temperature OF the body,
was kept at uniform temperature OF "
Cog. The knives, forceps, needies and
sponges that were TO be used were kept In
warm solutions. An incision was first
made into the external wound, and II was
foun TO extend Into tho abdominal cav
tty. Considerable hemorrhage began, but
the blood was absorbe by sponges. The
tncision was then Increased to about eight
inches through tho abdominal wall, the
wound was opened wide and the intesIines
wer1 exposed. The how of blood increased,
ami u ran Into the abdominal cavity. Az
Ter the hemorrhage was Thought under
control the cavity was sPonged out and the
soHrcn ior 'ne oaii oosua'
A small section oil the intestine was drawn
carefully through the opening at time,
thoroughly inspected Tor iacerations, and
iaid upon the Geast between layers OF
Cloths that had previously cen wrung out
oi warm water. Th's process was con-
unued until the entire lnlestines were
taken out OF the body. Tie lullet was
found in the last section and removed.