The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-03-26
AT THE CLINIC.
AN HOUR WITH THE MEDICAL STU
DENTS AT ANN ARBOR.
Operating Upon a Laughing little Cripple
"A Lady Student-Iaughins on Both
siaes-The Terrible "AGoxa"-
Dramatic Situations.



The students are RANGED in somi-circular
tiers, each position commanding a full view
of the patient and the operating surgeon.
looSel up with considerable interest at tho
amphltheatre of faces that were rangel
from the floor on which l stood, almost to
the ceiling.
The first operation was one that certain
young lady viii be very thankful for eight
cen or twenty years from now This youag
lady OF the future is at present very sweet
and pretty baby 6 months old. One Of the
senior medical students-a lady--sat before
the class with the baby laughing
on her lap 1t made very
touching domestic figure The lady
student might have been Howells' "Dr.
Breea,' or the "Dr. Fay of Elizabeth Stu
art Phelps She was tall and well proper
toned; wore dark olive-green dress that
fitted as it should and became her exceed
inSly Her fine face was more than hand
some. There was an expression in it of skill,
knowledge firnness and courage. l take
her as typical OF the very best example of
our American lady medical students 1t
seems to me that no other country can pro
duce combination at once so womanly and
50 professional She assisted at nearly all of
the operations, and confess to unbouIed ad-
miration of her alertness in every emrr-
gency and her skill,u dexterity. The baby
looked up at her AMI smiled The girl pate
the little thing on the cheek and the baby
crowed and laughel. Dr. Maclean held the
rosy foot Of the child in his hand and briefly
explained to the students the cause and rom
edy Of the trouble that was apparent to all
The two little feet were turned in toward
each other til! the toes touched They were
at right angles to the natural position, and
the troub!c-if uaremediei-would cause the
child to become a hopeless cripple.
At signal from the doctor a young man
poured from bottle the an85thetic on
towel This was spread over the laughing
face of the baby. There was frightened
cry, stiiiad sob or two, then stiffness. With
careful quickneSs the lancet entered the
baby's anlde-once -twice-uhTice. Not Il
drop of blood was spilled The little feet
were bandagei into their correct position
with a speed ana deftness that were truly
wonderful During this there was not a
sound in the room. The first to break the
silence was the baby, whose tremuIous cry
Of returning consciousness just as the last
thought she had boon taken mean ai-
vantage Of, Just as she wanted to crow
and laugh at the lady who held her There
was nothing revolving about the operation.
DIR. Maclean had done what Shake spaale
thou yht impossible, and had spilled no drop
of blood When that baby takes its first
steps those chuhby feet viii be ready to d.
their part
A girl Of u was next trBndlei in uncon-
scious She lay on The wheeled table to have
a tumor taken from the 81 la OF her face -
terrible legacy Of that dread disease -scar!si
fever The great difficulty in this case va
the almost unavoidable danger Of cutting the
facial nerve, in which ca one side Of tas
girls face would remain as paralyzeL Ths
operation was performed. The awalling wa.
to be the test The Students looked on ii
breathless suspense. The doctor touched the
lips of the reviving girl with the point of G
| neelle Finally the girl gave a pitiful wal
that carried with it the suspended dread
with which she had doubtless regarded tbs
Trial she was to pass through when the
mercful anRsthetic overcame her.
Instantly mGrmur Of appreciation was
heard The students were quick TO cate
she cries on both sides Of her face now,
said the doctor. But she will laugh OF
both sides of her face afterwards"
II cut ny ankle with an ak eight year
| ago." said the next, as no laid down lli
| crutches, "and there she Is" With that Ii
stuck out his iare foot and leg, paIliI
witAered and apparently useless. When tht
man limped bacl; to the room from waic|
he came, DIR. Maclean announced that h,
| was going to treat the ankle with the caUtar
| This instrument is tine white-hot iron tina
| became somewhat celebrated from tie fqc
| that Clara Morris, the actress, was benefited
| by its use in Paris some years ago. tn.
| item went the rouuis I'm Ter the heading
Tho Terrible Muxa," AMI benefited Cllr;
also rs frst-rata free advertisement
When the man next came in be lay IN
| conscious On the table The Caut,r i,
| strange instrument, who's, working | mus
| alGlit | do not under,tapd. Oae man held
bottle, another a seemingly compressabt
| green bulb Thes3, and tho cauter whicl
the doctor held in his hand wero c1nnec.eI
| by rubber tubes The bottle contained naph
tia, and by some means an intense fam
seemed to he directed along the pencil-iIl
! cautor, that speedily produced white hea
at the point CT the instrument As the doc
tor held it there was Kissing sound. an.
then with a z-z-z-z.z-2 the point became dul
red, next bright red. and finally glowia
white. With this, as with pen Of fire, Tn
doctor wrote on the white ankle of thu I'm
conscious man Doubtless he wrote "heal
| ing" Every touch of the moxa was fol
lowed Ivy blac.; mark and smell Of burn
ing flesh Now and then the surgeon woul
hold the dulling iron nthe air for q momsn
till the fame dashed It into a white hsa
| again.
Although the students applaud5d ia
pluck Of those who stood the operations Will
nut the aid OF tine unTsthetic, yet Ou a
other occasions the utmost silence was main
tanned. There was nothing theatrical abou
the clinic, yet some Of the situations wer
certainly as dramatic as could he imagined