The Irish standard., 1886-11-13
A TRYING OPERATION.

A TRYING OPERATION.
Clever Bit Of Work Performed by
Hospital Surgeons.
A Bright Little Girl Becomes Seriously De
formed, and Is Restored to shape and
Health Through m Heroic, But
Successful, Treatment.
IN. Y. special.]
Lizzie Lucas is bright, ,six-year-o girl
and is now patient in the Manhattan
Hospital. Her father: Captain Lucas il
the master of clipper ship which makes
regular trips around Cape Horn to San
Francisco. As the captain believes in
making the ship his home, his wife always
goes with him, and Lizzie was born in q
gale of wind which kept him fooline
around the Horn for twelve days. She
grew up on board of the ship and became
a sturdy child.
One afternoon as Captain Lucas stepped
out Of the cabin door his eye fell upon Liz,
zie, who had climbed part way up THE
rigging. She was looking as if she intend
ed to go higher Her father shouted to
her in an angry tone. She turned around
suddenly and started down the rope lad.
der quickly. In her haste she lost
her grip and just before the cap.
tain got to her, she fell upon the deck,
striking on her right side. She was un.
conscious. Blood slowly oozed, from a
wound in the scalp, and her right leg be,
low the knee hung limp. She was taken
to tue cabin and in little while recovered
consciousness. The cut in the bead wa:
not serious and there was no sign OF q
fractured skull but there was a compound
fracture of the right leg. As the ship was
then one thousand miles away from any
port, expert surgical treatment was out OF
the question, aud the crude knowledge O.!
Captain Lucas roughly applied was of Lit
tie or nc use in setting the broken bones.
But he did the best he could The littl.
the soon got over the shock and wanted t.
be mp and playing the leg did not get much
rest, aud when the bone finally knit il
made a serious defor1nity.
The vessel was bound for New York, and
tho captain hoped to make speedy pas.
sage, as She wind had been fair and con.
tinued fair until after the Horn had been
passed. Taen head~winds were encount.
cred, and when the good ship finally
slipped through the Narrows she had been
over five months on the way.
The little girl was taken to a private
house, where she remained with her moth
or for several naonths the captain again
being ON the high SEAS and then Lizzie
was taken to the hospital under the ad.
vics of the family physician,
az operation he'd been suggested which
might succeed in restoring the leg to it's
aatural shape and usefulness. Being in g
healthy condition, there was no delay
necessary. and the day following her ad.
,ntttance the roses h&d faded from her
cheek under this influence OF ether,
aud her CHASTITY face lay upon
the operating table. The crooked
leg was forbidding, and it appeared
like hopeless task to do any thing
with it. It was carefully examined by sew.
eral surgeons, and then an Esmarc's band
age was wound tightly around tho leg, be.
ginning from below and proceeding up
ward until the blood had been forced out
Of the extremity. When this had been
done an incision was made with scalpe
over the place where the bone had been
fractured. The knife was sunk to the bone
and slowly carried around the leg unit! the
,ncision was continuous AS had been an
ticipated, there was not a drop of blood
that flowed from the wound. The col
lapsed arteries could be plainly seen, but
there was no use in tying them. The de h
was then turned away from the bone for
SONS distance upward and downward ex-
posing the ragged edges where the bone
had united unevenly. it was even more
twisted than the external appearance
would Indicate. The foot and the exposed
bone we're then wiped perfectly dry, and
tho serious work began. The surgeon, q
man Of more than average strength, seized
the foot with one hand and the bone with
the other, and then throwing all his weight
and strength into the movement, gave &
sudden twist tor the purpose of breaking
the bone at the fracture. 1t did not even
crack.
The case was discouraging. Tho resist
Ance of the bone was said to be due to its
elasticity. The Log had to be broken in
some way or the operation would end in
failure. A macninist's hammer was pro-
cured of large size. The leg was then
placed so that the inside OF the foot and
the hip-joint rested upon the table. A
small block of wood was then laid across
the bone, and the surgeon struck 1t vio-
lent blow with the hammer. 1t did not
break, but the shock nearly threw the hip
joint from the socket. A pressure was
put upon the thigh and the surgeon struck
several blows in quick succession and final
" broke the bone. 1t was in favorable
shape to reset. AS every thing was ex-
posed the bone was adjusted to a nicety
There was considerable trouble with the
fbula or small oone. It was badly out Of
shape, but after repeated trials was get in
good position.
Small openings, called windows were
left in the plaster bandage over
the wound, 50 that it could be
dressed without difficulty, and the
raw surface was packed with antiseptic
gauze. The patient was taken to her cot,
over which mechanical contrivance had
been placed, from which light wires de.
pended. These were fastened to the leg,
which was thus raised from the bed and
held so it could not be moved. 1t is now
three weeks since the operation, and the
boo1aS ave Sc