The Portland daily press., 1885-03-13
REMOVING A PAPILLoMA.
A Case which Has Bearing on
General Grants.
The Life Of DIR. English Of Newark,
n. j., an InVeterate User OF TObac-
co, Saved by Skilful Surgery.

NEW YORK, March 12.--Dr. Thomas Dunn
English, authors poet lecturer, physician and
legislator, who is best known as the writer OF
"BeG Bolt" is now in his sixty-sixth year, and
lives in unpretentious style at No. 494 Wash
ington street, Newark. About year ago he
began to be troubled by constant irritation in
the throat, az point below the root of the
tongue. After a time the difficulty increased
so as to interfere with his voice. DR.. English
has been an inveterato user of tobacco. He
both smoked and cheWed. and at night his
sleep was not easy unless large roll of the
weed was in mis- mouth. When the case of
General sGrant was brought prominently to
public notice, with the statement that the can
csrous growth was caused by smoking, DIR.
English became alarmed. During the last two
months his throat had gradually been closing
up. He suffered intensely from pain, and had
danger of suffocation. All this caused him to
lose flesh rapidly, and left him in q state of
great weakness and physical exhaustion. On
Mar ch 4, the symptoms became SO aggravated
that consultation was held by a number of
local physicians, and DIR. Edgar Holden, a
throat specialist, made a minute examination.
The base of the tongue, the tonsils and larnyx
were intensely infamed, and after the laryngos-
cope was got into proper position in the
throat, the little mirror reflected tunor, or
papilloma, attached to the right side of the vo-
cal chords, just above the true chord It had
grown to such an extent as to hide the chords
from view, and at every inspiration a portion
OF the tumor was drawn into the windpipe an
prevented the proper amount of air from enter
ing the lungs. The lpatient was greatly de
pressed in spirits; coud not sleep, and had a.
constant sensation of suffocation He believed
that he had malignant cancer, which added
to bis mental depression. DIR. Holden dag
nosed the case as papilloma. An operation was
advised, and DR.. English was put under pre-
paratory treatment until March 10, the time
set for the removal of the tumor. On Tuesday,
DR.. English, knowing the dangerous nature of
the case and the chances of a fatal reRalt, calm
ly went through his papers and manuscripts,
and directed what disposition ehould be made
of them. He was thus engaged when Dr. Hol-
demand his assistants, Drs. Smith, Young and
Southland. came to his house. DR.. English
crested them cordially, and after making bis
final testamentary arrangements, sat up in his
chair and said that he was ready. His heart
was SO weak that it was considered dangerous
to administer ether, and cocaine was dis
tributed freely over the mucous men,
One of the assistants seized the pa
TENTS tongue and drew it out OF the
mouth as far as possible. A pair OF
forcepts, specially adopted to the conforma-
tion of the mouth and larynx, was then care.
fully introduced into the mouth. The forceps
throat became the seat Of violent spasmodic
action. The patient was in the act of suffoca-
tion. His face turned blush black, and he
struggled violently to break the paroxYsm
just as the operating surgeon seized knife
and was about to split the trachea below the
point OF attack, the muscles relaxed, and the
patient entered into a temporary state soi
collapse. After the patient had recovered
from the shock of the spasm, being told thai
the danger OF the operation was greatly in
creased, ne told the surgeons to sire away
he would rather be suffocated in a second thar
pass another night like the last. Time an6
time again the forceps were introduced in the
throat and the operation was followed imme.
dlately Dy spssmodic contractions, and no pro-
gress could be made at getting at the tumor
The patients strength was fast going, but hi
courage never faltered. When the surgeon hes
itated he motioned him to go ahead, and hs
would endeRvor to control the spasm bl
force of will. He had great trouble to breathe
and was obliged to fight constantly to proven
safocation. Once the forceps took hold of thu
tumor, but the throat closed and hid the tumo
from view, and it was not deemed advisable t,
remove it then, because of the danger OF injur
ing the surrounding tissue. Finally, the pa
tient made superhuman effort, and the for
ceps were inserted in the throat, he controlled
the return OF the spasm long enough to enabl,
the surgeon to get one good view of the grip tn,
forceps had taken, and in second tn
| tumor was torn from the flesh and taken out
1t measured an inch in lenghth by five-eighth
| OF an inch in width, remarkably large papil
| Iona. The hemorrhage that followed wa
| easily controlled, and the patient was put Il
| bed, after suffering the most horrible tortur
| for two hours DR.. English speedily recovered
| from the shock, is doing remarkably well
breathes naturally, is able to take nourish
| ment with little trouble, and gives promise O
| speedy recovery.