New-York tribune., 1885-03-15
BENT LIMBS MADE STRAIGHT.
CUTTING BONES WITH AN ELECTRIC SAW.

| ITALIAN CHILD SUCCESSFULLY REDUCED.
| A novel bonecuttng instrument has been used IN
the wards of the city hospitals on RandalPs Island
and at the Orthopedic Clinic of the Ncw'f0rk fos'-
| Graduate Medical School and Hospital IN East
Twentieth-s, for several months IL has been ell
p,oyod IN performing operations for the cure Oh
various bonv deformtics and diseases Of joints, and
has proved To he of such great utility that 1t VIII
doubtless supersede all other instruments now used
for these purposes The object that the inventor OF
this instrument had in Wow was to do away with
the buugling and unworkmanliko methods which
surgeons have been forced to employ and more par
ticularly to make it unnecessary to resort 10 the
revolving method of using the mallet ana chisei
upon human beings The new instrument is called
the eectro-O steOtOme and is actuatcd by current
of electricity derived from powerful primary bat
terry or from an accumnlator. 1t is provided with
various sizes of trophnes. drills. aud circular saws,
which are made to rcvolve at the great speed or
twelve thousand revolutions minute. The largest
long bone of an adult subject can be sawed
through in five seconds and tho bones OF chill
dren can be divided in from two to three seconds.
The cut surfaces of the bones perfectly smooth
and are in marked contrast to the bruised and
spntered ends of those divided by the chlsel and
mallet Few IersOns have seen or heard of this
novel surgical invention, as the only instrument
made has remained in possession of the inventor and
has never been used except by HIM. He has re-
Trained from urging its claims upon tho profession,
until he had thoroughly demonstrated its utility: 20
far he has performed ity-ono distinct operations
upon living bjects and great advantage has been
gained by Its use III each case
A formidable operation was TO be performed npOn
a patient at RandalPs Islaud last week with the
eectro-osteotOne and q TRIBUNE reporter called
upon the inventor DIR. Milton Josiah Roberts at his
house, No. 10j MadisOn-ave and obtained his per-
mission to witness the operation.
When the preparations were completed a
.,ti, h,xrtt i.lx daft Ital.
ian girl in her arms. who had been di-
vested of her clothing and was crying y3-
ciferOusly, as If expecting the ordai through which
she was to pass. She il about hye years old ana
possesses the bright black eyes. ruddy cheeks and
perfect teeth peculiar toInany OF her race ernamc
Is Madelina Picchiea. Nearly every bone In her
body was ont of line, especially the long bones of
her legs and arms the collar bones anu RIBS. Iho
bones of the arm, between the shoulder and elbow
Joint were curved like bow, and those OF the fore
arm between the elbow and wrist Joint. were sub
ject to "a double curvature resembling the letter y
The curvature Just above tho wIists was 80 grest
that the hands instead of being In line with the
forearm almost vt right angles TO II. These de
formitios were produced by the peculiar modes oi
progression adopted by the child duIlDg period
when her bones were greatly wea kened by disease.
The bones of tho legs were stall more dci9rmed than
those tn. AS in tho attcr tho direction OF
curvature was determined by the patients modes of
progression. In craving upon her hahds ana Knees
the soes OF her ieet were tafned up 80 tat AT rng
angles to them they would he III normal con
ditiOn The bones OF each leg were curved 30 alb
wien the child WAS in sitting posture. the soes OF
her feet rested squarciy upon the table. She was
not able to stand Tor Al instant even Wtii assist
ance With these pronounced delormiteS uncOr-
recteI the patient would have been doomed to
helpless existence and the problem which presented
itself WAS to reduce the curvatuIes ana bring the
bones of the limbs into straight lines.
AS precautionary measure all of the physicians
who were TO take part III the operation bathed their
hands in solution of corrosive sublinate, and the
legs and arms of the patient were washed with the
same solution. member OF the house stan to0a an
ether made OF cloth. sprnkled some ether into
it and pressed it down over the cilfs face. Her
struggles and cries grew less and less until she be-
came unconscious TO force the blood ont OF the leg
selected for the first operation, so that no hemor
rhage would take place, strong rubber bandage
was wound AROUND the liml' beginning at the toes
and gong to the upper part OF the thigh At this
point rubber tube firmly tied around the thigh
and the bandage unwOund, leaving tine leg free
Taking q small scapel. Dr. Roberts made u long-
tudnal division. cut IN the skin and flesh. over
living the tba, long bone OF the leg at the point
of its greatest dei0rnty. After the flesh was dis
sected away t!le two nat STRIPS OF & curved steel
tween it and the muscles nerves ana DOod vessels
adjacent to it, BY means OF these protectors which
were also invented by Dr. Roberts, the soft parts
were pressed out of the way and the bone brought
plainly into view. In performing similar operations
with the chlsel no device Tor protecting the soft
parts has ever boon used, and not frequently death
has resulted from I'M received by the patient
In order to straghten the bone IT was necessary to
remove wedge shaped piece from 1t OF proper die
mensions The Italian attendant formed con-
necton between the battery. aud the electro
osteotome, which was suspended by coiled spring
over the operating table Dr. Roberts then graspcd
his instrument completed the electrical current by
means of O switch and brought the whIrling saw
into contact with the exposed bone The saw was
bone In about two seconds. The second division of
this bone inclined toward the first so as to re-
h sds OF e bone and When ts
ends of the bone were brought together the defOr
ty OF the tba was entirely corrected. An incsiOn
was then made on the opposite side OF the leg for
he
bone OF the leg. 10 reach this bone was necessary
to cut down upon its concave aspect. The protect
| ing protractOTs introduced before and
a wedge shape dpiecc sawed ont with the osteotOmc
but instead ofbeing cut ut the base OF the wedge
apex of it 80 that they inclined away from each
other. The removal Of two such wedge shaped
pieces with any form of chisel is an absolute i'm
| possibility. BY placing the cut ends Of both bones
in opposition the defornity Of the leg was entirely
reduced aud the foo: instead of being in line with
the log was now at right an .es it, the position
| required in walking The piece OF rubber tubing
| which had been tied around tho thigh was
moved and the blood allowed to flow back into the
| limb, aud the wound examined TO see II any hcmOr-
| rhagc would tako place. Only a slight amount Of
blood oDzed ont and after irriRating the part oper-
Innate to flow upon it from small rubber hose the
incisi0ns sewcd mp by Dr. iiallowel the house
physician, with catgut thread. splint of gntta
percha was softened with hot water and applied
upon the pOsterlor and lateral aspects Of the limb
and secured in this position by bandages. Tho
| splnt was hardened by the application of ascoptic
bones against each other, until they became grown
together. pad OF gauze, prepared WIN corrosive
sublinate was placed each incisiOn in the soft
parts aud quantity Of jute was bound upon this
with muslin bandage. This completed the opera
ton on the left limb
A similar operation performed upon the right
log and the defOrnty the homes of both fOrearIns
were also reduced by removing wedge shaped pieces
just above the wrist joint. After having removed "a
wedge from of the .bones Of the forearm il was
found necessary for more accurate adjustment to
cut out an additional segment. THIS was easily ac
cOmplished by the nse of the circuInr saw. Alto
gether fifteen distinct divisions Of the bones of the
legs and arms of the patient were made during the
operation. She bore the operation remarkably we'll