Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-02-27
4 .A WONDERFU L DBU G..
Marvellous Properties Of the Newly DIS
covered IAnnesthette.

Marvellous Properties % the Newly DIS
ss$sz ssS XII covered Ansesthette. Bs.# 81
Cleveland Lead Ter: s Have you ever: 4
seen an operation performed On the eye
by the aid Of the wonderful anasthetic
Ecocoaine z" asked student Of Western
Reserve medical university Of "a report +
or the other day. 5 4 h. s.s ri 3
u No, was the reply. s a. 4. n
"Then come with me. It is to be
given another experiment at the college
to-day" The student led the way and
conducted his companion TO the little I
room where the patient and . group oil I
doctors were gathered. The former
was suffering intensely. The eyes were
extended far beyond their natural
size by the swelling OF the iris. The
eyeballs were pressed against the lid.
and the least touch caused the most in.
tense agony. The disease is known as
glaucoma. and former operations to re-
ieye it mad occasione;a. tho patient Sc
ysre suffering. The interest manifested
by the gentlemen present was profound.
Several were practical ocu]ists, and all
were liable to meet single handed like
case in their own practice. The pa-
tlent, q fine-looking gentleman Of about
IS years, was assured that the opera
ton would DO absolutely painless, but
the suffering he had endured for the
past month or two had weakened his
nerves, and it was sometime before he
could summon sufficient courage to per-
NIT the operation to go on. Finally he
dropped On his back on the couch, shut
his teeth tightly together and said, SEQ
on, gentlemen" The physician, who
was to perform the operation drew
from his case a miniature vial tightly
sealed and labelled 'Hyarochlorate OF
Cocaine" The seal was broken, and
the patient directed to open his eyes as
widely as possible. The doctor also
drew his watch, and laid it upon his
knee. -Four drops OF the anaesthetic
were then let fall into the right eye.
The little second hand moved
FIVE points and four drops more
were let fall. Five seconds more were
waited for, and the same amount was
again dropped into the eye In ten sec
onds more the doctor touched the eye
lightly with his handk erchicf "Do YOU
feel any pain ?" he asked the patient.
"Not the slightest. answered the lat
ter. The eye was then pressed against,
The lid was crowded against it, and the
patient was directed to touch it with
his finger. It was as callous as stone.
The eye was then slit with little knife,
and the iris was split in two. A pair OF
delicate forceps were then inserted and
piece of the iris extracted. The opera
tion may have lasted two minutes, and
during that time the eye did not even
twitch, and the patient assured those
about him that he felt nothing whatever.
AS has been said before, the operation
is not new one, but it has hitherto
been performed under very adverse CIT
cumstances owing to the inability oil
the patient insensible for sufficient
length OF time. The operation witness
ed by the reporter was the second in
which the ansesthetic has ever been
used outside of New York.
Cocoaine Was produced from the Ieai
by Neiman. 81 German chemist, in 1880,
but it was left for DR.. Carl KIoller, OF
the Vienna general hospital, in 1884. to
find that this new alkaloid rendered.
that extremely sensitive organ, the eye,
so completely insensible that its surface
might be gouged, scratched and cut
without exciting ally sense Of pain OK
even causing motion. Since then 1t has
leaped by bound professional favor
and An agent previously regarded rather
as of mere chemical interest has been
demonstrated to he Of such value in eye
surgery as to advance in price to the
almost fabulous sum of over 5000 per
ounce. It is valuable not alone as az
anestletic, marvellous as is such a boon
to sufferer. While destroying sensi-
bilitv it enables the patient to obtain
entire control Of that organ. so that
operations can be performed with great
er certainty Of success than is possible
with ehloroform or ether.