New-York tribune., 1885-01-30
EXPLORING THE INTESTlNES.
A SERIOUS WOUND sKILFuLLY TREATED
REMARKABLE OPERATION AT cHAMbHhS ''""NA
HOSPITAL THE PATIENT CURED

Ihe ~, snr1sons. Men of greater or less eni:
nsuce who would look with certain degree OF
psas1Ee, SpqSn SoSV an IpSc Sssatd when
the ouestion of exploring this region was raseu,
and have listened to and shaped tnelr action upI I
the principle When there is hsS @SuS surgery to
touch or probeit This position Is NOT tht ~
when il is considered that statlstics SNOW Una. u
el the Injuries inflicted by bullets IN peace OF wa
those receIyed in the abdomen nave oeen u,osC
fatal In times of war there Is, OF I'D
opportunity to judge OF te eieGV no recorSs Of the
~ Gy;wean and Franco Italian wars and the civil
war in this country show that the moftaiiy Mas
sba 9 per cent in aSs pT WnorG Otis e in the surg
col History of the Rebellion" says that IN cases
where the intestines have been known 10
ha n,erced by ball there was not snSie 10
n"varv SnrSeons generally say that more thah
nine ont of ten die from such an INJURY. a a.o.;or
This great mortality is caused whch follows
4h OF ahe aUn5 The coats of the intestlnes being
nerorated by bullet the contents Thereon escape I pc
and the pertoneum THE memDIanet the oreans con-
ta;ned therein becomes iDfamed. ms IL almost
certain to terminate fatally, Some ,isis woHuer,
have recovered from wounds OF u, TINS de.
scrlptlon, but they are exceptional anu JUG luz &c
that persons shot III the abdomen dle IN splIo VI
For MANY wears surgeons in AL countries have
discussed the propriety of exploring these wounus,
searching for the ball. extracting IL ana eiosas up
oughlv cleansing the abdominal cavity win anti
se1tic fluids About half dozen authoiites'
among them DR.. Otis. OF the on'.eu 2."t tb;s bo u
method The great pTep0nderance OF authority,
however. has always been against It, the argumeMht M
being that it was muc9 9T1 tnyo and trng chance
of recovery than to extnguish the chance ehtireiy
by surgical interference, which could only result IN
death from peritOnltls So great Is the antlpathy
To Touching these wounds that surgeons are ad-
yised by some eminent experts that the examna
ton of them by the finger or proa4e paoa,;nn snUn,d
never be made for fer of causing lnnainmation.
This subject thoroughly discussed at tne .iie e
that James Fisk was shot by T.. D oiokesi anu anu d.
the trial of Stokes several SURGEONS
was had Dractice to prObeOr examine inc aDdohhai
In the last few years, however, surgeons
anentiy IN ade great advances, particularly IN deaf
ing with tumors situated IN the abdonea surgeons
of another age would haye % az .no enS
remoying a tumor, yet to-day the operation Is ire
oneDtly performed and the death rate Is not more
than ten in one hundred cases Evoh p por.sons Ss ~
the bowels have been cut out and the severed ehus
nnited by stitches in removing tumors aud re-
coyery has followed in large number OF ca a,es. out
the most brilliant case yet recorded, whero the
newer methods of surgery were prominently brought
into use is an operation recently performed at the
Chambers Street Hospital. ln thls case precedeut
was OPENLY defied and the attending surgeons with
a coinage and bodness equalled only by their skill
and deIicacy saved human life, in all probability
and performed an operahiOh t Ei snccsss n 'n'
William McElroy, a truck-drlveT, age twenty
four, of No. "a RutgeIs-st was accidentally snoa III
ber p 1884, with 32-calibre pistol. lie
fell 10 the floor, but remained conscious.
An ambulance took him to the Cham9ers street t
Hospi al where an examination showed that the
hall had entered the abdomen about two inches to
the left of and little below the navel The exter-
nal wound was slight, and the ball Ead stopped at
some point within the abdominal cavity. The
patient was put 70 bed, suffering greatly from
shock. and carefully watched. Within few hours
signs of eXtravasatIOn appeared his IeaIurcs were
nincLed nus pulse feeble and tremulous. Excruciat-
Ing pains radiated from the seat OF injury over the
whole abdominal region, ana were s',eanea asns,
with signs of collapse. The muscular enort
of breathing was confined to the thorax,
and there was look of great anxiety upon the
face Ii was evident that the dreaded pefitonltls
wonld soon be fully developed. consultation was
held it was deterIniued that death would speeoliy
unless relief was aiiorded IN some nxnneu, it,
and heroic treatment was DECIDED upon. WlthIh
twenty hours after being shot McElroy was trans-
ferred to the operating table. Ether was aamln-
isfered and he soon became unconscious Elaborate
nrecautions were taken TO prevent the Introduction
of disease germs into the wound. spray OF vapoI
of carboIc acid was piayea cohseahy in,o ture
OF the body. was kept al UNIFORM uem-
perature of eighty degrees he KNIVES. lorGeps,
needles and sponges that were TO be used were kept
I'm warm solutions. An lncisloD was hfst made into
the external wound aud it was found TO extend 10
to the abdominalcayity Consiueraoie heiolInage
began but the blood was absorbed oy sp"hges.
The incision was then increased TO about eight
inches through the abdominal wall, the wound was
fow of blood increased and 1T ran into the aodon-
iuai cavity. Alter the hemorrhage was brought
search for the ball begun small section of the
intestine was drawn carefully through the opening
at a time, thoroughly inspected for lacerationS
of cloths that had previously been wrung
ont of warm water This process was con-
tnued until the entire intestlnes were aheh Zen o o1
ton and removed 1t was found 10 have pene-
trated the Intestine in seven places AS fast as
each wound was discovered further search was
stopped until the iacerated portion was se"ed WIN
extremely fine silk thread, The knots made III
drawing the wounded surfaces together were left
Alter all the wounds were closed the cloths were
carefully removed from the iDteSines and they re-
turned to their proper position within the sbdon,
inaI walls. The large incIslon was theu closed and
1t as well as the bullet wound was sewed up WIN
silk The operation lasted two hours and the pa
tieut was kept under the influence Of ether the
whole time Measures were at once takehto prevent
peritonitIs. Morphine was gwen IN small doses by
bypodermlc injections. large coli OF rubber tuoe
was placed on the abdomen, through Whcha a stream
of ice water was constantly kept running For two
Gays no nOurshment was given through the mouth,
the patients strength heing kept up by enemata o1
bowels TO rest, and permit the wound made by the
bullet TO heal. As soon as food could be gwen
properly, McElroy gained strength, and III COM
paratively short time was able 10 sit up III his cot,
and afterward TO walk about the hospital wards.
He went out of the hospital for the first time on
Christmas Day, less than two month"; from the time
he was injured. and about week afterward he
was discharged cured,
The only drawback in the progress
of the case to convalescence was an abscess that
formed in the wound made by the bullet few
weeks after the operation; This, however, was
finally subdued by soothing treatment though
the edges of the wound remained stubborn aud
would not close. This difficulty was overcome by
skin-grafting, the skin being taken from another
part of the abdomen and planted over the open
wound. and healing soon followed The patent
was advised when discharged to abstain from
heavy work, as the abdominal wall may not be as
strong as before.
A DAUGHTERS UNNATURAL CONDUCT.
Mrs. Johanna Healey, who arrived here from Ire
land on December %, complained before Super,n-
tepdent William Connolly, of the Labor Bureau AT