Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-02-20
REMARKABLE OPERATION,
DRILLING INTO A MANS THIGH.
BONE BY ELECTRICITY,
The Diseased Interior Clearly Ex-
posed and Cleaned by Aid of a
Tiny Electric Light.

posed and Cleaned by Aid of q
Tiny Electric Light.
A recent issue of the New York Wort.
describes remarkable surgical operation
performed through the aid of electricity
says our informant: The introduction OF
IN electric light inside of bone in 9
mans body after the bone had beer
irllled was novel feature of an interest
ing operation performed at the New
York Pc t Graduate Medical school, in
East Twentieth street, by DR.. Milton
Josiah Roberts. 1t was an operation tc
cure hip disease.
A student of the Burlington college,
VT, slipped on the pavement about seven
weeks ago and strained his left hip.
Soon the pain became so great that he
could not walk 1t was considered
essential that the diseased portions OF
bone should be removed. He finally
came to this city, and yesterday, in the
presence of a dozen physicians, DR..
Roberts performed skillful and success
full operation.
The young man was laid on a bed
spread with blankets in the operating
room, while on table near by was col.
lection of steel instruments. The patient,
an Notwithstanding young man OF
twenty-five, whose sunken eyes told u
story of suffering, watched his bandaged
limb anxiously as the attendants sought
to place him in the least painful position
On the couch. DR.. Forrest, his attending
physician, without word of ceremony,
clapped cone of ether over the young
l., In, hal 80
fumes and sinking into Inconsistencies
DR.. Roberts gave Il history of the case
and told what he proposed to do. From
his examination of the case he thought
there was suppuration of the tissues of
the cancellous portions of the bone. This
produced the painful reflex spasm of the
muscles. The head of the hip-bone was
probably suppurating, or the cancelous
tissues inside were rotted, and the Joint
not affected. The first thing the doctor
intended to do was to introduce Il small
drill into the bone, which would pick up
portions of it, and taking it out, the
microscope would say whether these
Dleces were diseased.
The instrument for drilling the bone,
IN invention of DIR. Roberts, is called the
clectro-osteotome and is worked by an
electrical current generated by strong
primary battery or an accumulation The
old-style system of saving and hacking
away at bones and plying the mallct and
chisel, which is slow and often bungling
is in striking contrast with this. The
electro-ostcotome can rcvolve drills, cir
cular saws, and trephines at speed of
$4,000 revolutions n minute. Five sec
Onds is long enough to saw through the
biggest long bone of an adult and in two
or three seconds the bones of children
may be cut in two, leaving smooth sur
faces.
The patient having become thorough
iy unconscious, the bandages on his leg
were quickly cut, and skeleton femur
was laid over his limb to aid in picking
put the large tubcrosity Of the bone be-
low the hip-joint. The location being
definitely fixed, Dr.. Roberts took his
scalpel and made an incision through
the flesh about three inches wide, laying
bare the hip bone A fine drill was at
tached to the electric ostcotome, and the
electric current from the battery sent it
whizzing in an instant through to the
head of the hip-bonc, about four inches
in length. The drill had scooped up
pieces of bone in its passage, and, the
drill being withdrawn, they were put I'M
der microscope. DR.. Eliot, after min
ute examination, decided that they were
diseased. He was now ready to proceed
still further with the operation He used u
larger drill and then a still larger one,
and the electric current as quickly drove
them through the bone until there was a
hole in the young mans hip bone big
enough to put your finger in. The blood
was absorbed by sponges every few mo-
ments, and the hole was cleaned out as
much as possible by introducing little
sponges into it.
At this point occurred the most fascin-
ating piece of work, from medical point
ton. DR.. Roberts held in his hand a
tiny electric light, its glass globule no
larger than pea and its carbon tilament
as fine as hair and 50 tender in its con-
struction that it coald bear current from
the battery Only an instant at time.
This light the doctor introduced inside
the young mans bone, and as it was
FLASHED up" at few seconds interval,
he was able to see just what proportions
of the bone were hellthy and what were
diseased. TIE light made the interior
as clear to the ordinary eye as if it were
laid open on the dissecting table. The
doctors were delighted with its utility.
Then DR.. Roberts rapidly cut away all
those portions which were diseased, by
means of the clectro-osteotome
Having obtained satisfactory results
from the operation at this stage, a drain
age tube was placed inside of the bone
to carry away any diseased matter that
form, and the reminder of the wound
was nearly al sewed up. Antseptic
handages were applied and a hypodermic
injection of morphine was made in the
invalid's right leg to help him through
when he should regain consciousness.
His senses came to him soon after, and
his condition was all that could be de
sired. The hollow in the bone will soon
heal up and new tissues be formed, and
it is believed that the patient will be able
to use his limb almost as well as before
the accident occurred.