The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-11-03
ONLY A PIN.
BUT 1T PLAYED A TERRIBLE
PART IN A BOYS LIFE.
A Wonderful and Successful Opera
ticn Performed on a Boys
Ear, and a Brass Pin
Taken Out OF It.

Nc" 1ork hospital last week, says q
recent letter from the Metropolis to tho
Cincinnati Enquirer. The patient was a
bright boy about eleven years old, whose
youth had been turned to old age by
suffering. When he came to the Hospital
about a month ago there was a greenish-
yellow discharge from the right ear. 1t
was Of long standing, the history extend.
ing over two years, and there had been
a gradual but steady increase in the
symptoms. He had headaches that made
the tears start from his eyes at every
twlnge, and, from the description he gave
of the feeling, it seemed as if there was
some power on the inside of his head that
was trying TO twist of his skull at the
neck. Another popularity was that he
would fall suddenly limp and appar.
emily ~lifeless. These attacks would come
without warning, and so quickly that
while in he middle Of a sentence his
mouth would be sealed as if a grin of
iron were upon it, and then he would
double up. Not the slightest uncom-
Portable sensation preceded them. He
would remain unconscious for about fiji
teen minutes in defiance of the use of
every restorative, and then the coma
would pass off Of its own accord. II was
always followed by an acute dclirium,
when the boy would rave, talk all kinds
of nonsense, pull his hair and cndeavor
to do violence to himself and others.
Then he would fall into a sleep and
awake after several hours all right men
tally, but greatly exhausted physically.
Then again he would become terribly
sick and faint, md have the most dis
trcssing nausea. This would last for
two or three hours and would BIZ relieved
J by vomiting. The muscular strain at
tending the vomiting was something
terrific, and it seemed at times as if he
would turn himself inside out.
a number Of kinds Of treatment were
used at the hospital as q matter of ex-
pertinent. They seemed to cause greater
suffering and aggravatc all the the symp-
toms, and it had to be confessed that
there was nothing that medicine could
suggest that could be Of any benefit.
Surgery might do some good, but this
was considered doubtful, MS it was simply
cropping in the dark. But every surgeon
with the true instinct would rather be
cropping in the dark than doing nothing,
and the House Surgeon at this hospital
has the exploring instinct in a high
degree. He determined to go into the
pat cnt's ear and find out, if POSSIBLE,
what was the cause of the discharge.
trusting to luck and a skillful hand 70
connect whatever he should find with
the symptoms in the case. Preparations
were made to trcphinc the mastoid pro-
cess, or to get On opening into the
ear by cutting through the large bono
behind it, but this course was abandoned,
as it would tend to bring about other
complications. and it was resolved to
open up the internal ear through the nat.
ural channel.
The boy had IN unusual cpugnance to
ether, and the glistening knife and in
strumcnts in the operating room struck
terror 20 his heart. A little force and a
few whiffs from the ether cone made
him forget his trouble, and he was soon
in dreamland. An electrodc was used
instead q a lamp to light up the ear, as
there was danger that the lamp, when
held close to the patients car, might ex-
nlp1n tho ofhor IT, c.A H.
lieht thrown into tn" ear showed n high
state Of inflammation. After the car
had been thoroughly washed n spcculum
was introduced to distcnd the opening,
and it wns done to the fullest extent. 1t
took n few cuts with n knife to enlarge
it enough for the introduction of instru.
ments. When this was done the surgeon
took n small knife and cut the drum
head loose from the auditory plate. 1t
was exceedingly difficult on account Of
the small space to work in, and required a
delicate hand, as the operator was guided
to n large extent by the ~acutcncss
of the sense Of touch. The mallcus and
incus, the little mallct and anvil shaped
bones in the middle car, after an open
ing to them had been made, were found
to be held in position, although there
were evident marks Of carries or dccom-
position, and the tensor tympani muscle
was severed. From the condition in
which these bones were found it was eyi.
dent that they would have to be re-
moved, as they would only continue to
decay and nullify whatever else might
be done. The little nerve which gives
the sharp, darting pain when the drum.
head is touched from the outside by a
foreign substance was then severed, and
this brought into full view the long pro-
cess Of the malleus. Tiny forccps, which
looked like a Dlaythinp. were nut into