The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-20
A WONDERFUL OPERATION.
ONE NEVER BEFoRE PERFORMED
WITH SUCCESS.
Surgeons Remove n Mans Hntcstincs
10 sew UP Bullet wounds and
safely Restore Them i'm Place.

Satcil Restore Them in Place.
The following account of an extraor-
binary surgical operation appears in
the New York Tribune of recent date
In the last few years surgeons have
grown more bold, and surgery has con-
sequently made great advances, particu-
larry in dealing with tumors situated in
the abdomen. Surgeons Of another age
would have tainted at the suggestion of
sinking a knife into the abdomen and
removing tumor, yet to day the opera
ton is frequently performed and the
death rate is not more than ten in one
hundred cases. Even portions of the
bowels have been cut out and the sew
cred ends united by stitches in removing
tumors, and recovery has followed in a
large number of cases. But the most
brilliant case yet recorded, where the
newer methods surgery were prominently
brought INTO use, Is an operation recently
performed at the Chambers Street hos
pitai. In this case precedent was openly
dctcd, and the attending surgeons.
with courage and boldncss equaled
! only 10y their skill and delcacy, saved
] human life in all probability, and per-
formed an operation of a kind
that never before had been at
/ tended with success.
William McElrOy, a truck driver, age
twenty four, of No. 81 Rutgers street,
was accidentally shot in the liquor store,
! No. 20 Essex street, on November 2,
! 1881, with thirty-two caliber pistol
| He fell to the floor, but remained con-
scious. An ambulance took him to the
! Chambers Street hospital where an ex-
animation showed that the ball had en-
| tered the abdomen about two inches to
/ the left Of and little below the navel.
The external wound was slight, and the
ball had stopped at some point within
the abdominal cavity. The patient was
put to bed, suffering greatly from shock,
and carefully watched. Within few
hours signs of extrayasation appeared.
His features were pinched, his pulse
feeble and tremulous. ENcruciating pains
I radiated from the seat of in Jury over the
whole abdominal region, and were at
tended with signs of collapse. The mus
cular effort of breathing was confined to
the thoraX, and there was look of great
anxiety upon the face. 1t was evident
that the dreaded peritonitis would soon
be fully developed. A consultation was
held; it was determined that death
would speedily ensue unless relief was
afforded in some manner, and heroic
treatment was decided upon Within
twenty hours after being shot McElroy
was transferred to the operating table.
Ether was administered and he
soon became unconscious Elaborate
precautions were taken to prevent the in
PRODUCTION of disease germs into the
wound. y spray of vapor of carbohc
acid was played constantly into the
room, which, to maintain the tempera-
turc of the body, was kept at a uniform
temperature of eighty degrees. The
knives, forccps, needles and sponges
that were to be used were kept in warm
solutions. An incision was first made
into the external wound and it was
found to extend into the abdominal cav
ity. Considerable hemorrhage began.
but the blood was absorbed bv sponres
The incision was then increased to about
eight inches through the abdominal wall
the wound was opened wide, and the
lntcstines were exposed. The flow of
blood increased, and it ran into the alb
dominal cavity, After the hcmorrhage
was brought under control the cavity was
sponGcd out, and the search for the ball
began. \ small section of the intestine
was drawn carefully through the open
ing at time, thoroughly in
spectcd for lacerations, and laid
upon the breast between LAYERS
OF cloths that had previously been wrung
out of warm water. This process was
continued until the entire inicstines were
taken out of the body. The bullet was
found IN the last section and removed
1t was found to have penetrated the in
tcstine in seven places. As fast as each
wound was discovered further search
was stopped until the decorated portion
was scwed with extremely fine silk
thread. The knots made in drawing the
wounded surfaces together were left in
position.
After all the wounds were closed the
cloths were carefully removed from the
intcstincs and they returned to their pro
per position within the abdominal walls.
The large incision was then closed and
it as well as the bullet wound WAS sewed
up with silk. The operation lasted two
hours and the patient was kept under
the influence of ether the whole time.
Measures were at once taken to prevent
peritonitis Morphine was given in small
doses by hypodermic injections. 4 large
COll VI IuDDcI llDc WAS placed on the
abdomen, through which stream
of ice water was constantly kent
running. For two days no nourish-
mcnt was given through the mouth,
the patients strength beng kept up by
enemata of beeljuice. This was done to
allow the stomach and bowels te rest,
and permit the wound made by the bull
let to heal. AS soon us food could be
given properly, McElroy gained strength,
and in a comparatively short time was
able to sit up in 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 months
from the time he was injured, and about
a week afterward he was discharged
cured.
The only drawback in the progress of
the case to convalesccnce was an abscess
that formed in the wound made by the
bullet, few weeks after the operation.
This hOWpVpr was fnully cDI,1u.l Ia,