The St. Johns herald., 1885-05-14
SCIENTIFIC SURGERY.
4 Muscle Transplanted from a Dogs
 Flank to WOman'S Arm.
New York Tribune.


 aged 26, went to Bellvue Hospital
 to be treated for an injury to her
 arm. She was laundress, and
 while at work her left hand was
 caught in a large steam mandrel,
 and before the engine could be
 stopped the greater portion of the
 muscular tissue on the under side
 of her arm had been torn from the
 bone, leaving it exposed. The wound was a severe one and bled profusely. It was thought by the physicians who attended her that the arm would have to be ampu- tated. This was not necessary, however, as after long period of soothing treatment the wound healed. All the flesh that had been torn away from the bone was not replaced, and consequently the tissue on the upper side of the forearm for six inches from the el- bow was cicatricle, twisted, contort- led and stiff. The fexer muscle was so affected that her fingers could mot be contracted, except to a slight extent. They could be extended all right, but when at rest they as sumed claw shape and exhibited painful detormity.
 After her admittance to Bellvue, some minor methods were employ ed to reduce the deformity, with out success. A month ago a con sultation was held between the consulting surgeon and his assist ants, and it was concluded to try to relieve the patient by an opera ton technically known as mus cular transplantation. It had never been performed in this country, so far as the records show, with suc- cess, and only once in Europe, by | Prof. Hirschfeld,a German special ist. There was no particular dan ger attending the operation, the only difficulty being to secure a union of the flesh without pro- ducing gangrene or some local trouble in consequence of the for eign substance being brought into contact with the live flesh of the patient. The patient gave her con sent to the performance of the operation without hesitation, as she was anxious to recover the use )f her arm, if possible. When called upon to go to the large oper- lting room on the top floor of the hospital she went with alacrity, put hesitated a little when she saw he large number of students sit ing in the amphitheater, who were o witness the operation. Her ears were speedily quieted and she ook her position upon the oper- ting table. A large conc contain ng ether was placed over mouth md nose, and in short time she f vas in an an@sthetic state. Her !, eft arm was then quickly barred md the surgeon then began work 7 with his knife. An incision was ] irst made, parallel with the cicat- f ical tissue, and the skin was dis i ected up from the muscle f or the space of three i nches and turned back in the form , f a flap. In consequence of the f ontracted form of the muscles :, here was but a slight hemorrhage, f nd a few slight incisions were r 1ade in the flesh sa as to make the r ntire surface raw. After this was r one the patient was prepared for i, he reception of the muscle.
 Where was it to come from :? o lone of the students who had q watched the operation nus far came forward to volun- ger a portion. of his body. At his juncture a loud barking was q card in an ante-room, and through j side door one of the assistants q d in a large Newfoundland dog. i, he dog showed more hesitation r han the woman, and did not com . the situation; if he had 6 c probably would not have been f here. After being led close to the r. able where the patient lay, he was c 1 II