New-York tribune., 1886-02-01
SAVED BY SURGICAL SKILL.
REsEcrIoN SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED.
THE PATIENT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL IN THREE
WEEKS, ATTENDING TO HIS BUSINESS.


Since the famous surgical operation per-
formed by Dr. Bull at the Chambers Street Hospital,
where ho sewed up seven gaping wounds In the intes
tines OF patient which made by pistol shot ana
saved the injured mans life, as was recorded ID ihE
TRIBUNE about year ago. there has been no case OF
general interest TO tho medical profession as the
operation which was recently performed at St. Vncents
Hospital The case is only Of interest because OF
bodncss aud the exceeding decacy with which 1t was
carried through but also because surgery, In this
instance trumphed over nature In remarkaDle man
ner and for the first time In America scored
in operation OF the knd performed
The patient was John James, a coored man. tfty-seVen
year. old. of No. 1879 South Fitth-ave. Late on the
night of Decembor 30 last James went to his humble
homo after q hard days work Upon entering his
apartment he found tall, stawartnegro named Thomas
in conversation with his wife, He called upon Thomas
for AN PLANTATION OF his The answer that lie
received was powerful blow on the head from Thomas
Then the two men grspped while the woman screamed
foe help They fell the floor and rolled over and over
Thomas at last got James underneath and with one
hand upon his rOat, he seized knife with tho other
sunk 1t O ht in his victims abdomen aud then
slashed downward with all his strength james stopped
struggling and Thomas, thinking he had killed him,
fed.
Tho noise Of the conflict attracted the attention OF
police officer who when he what had been done.
called an ambulance and the man. who looked as
IL he dying, was removed TO st YIN
cents Hospital. 1t was then little atter
midnight Dr. Kelly the house was called from
his bed to case and thought from the first
view that the wounded man could last only little
while There was a savage cut IN the abdominal wall
which penetrated clear through It, and section OF tue
intcstnes hung out Of tho wound and the man was
virtually dsembo relied. There was dangerous inter-
nal and external hemorrhage The full extent OF the i-
Jury could be determined by superficial examna-
tlou enough could be to show that the sharp
shoemakers knife with which the cutting was done had
penetrated through the Intestine and opened gap III
II about three inches long, which caused IL 10 collapse
n the man was left alono 1t meant certain death From
the which tho intestnes had been acerateu u
was utterly impossible TO untoi with sutures so as
10 AFFORD relief been done several times success
fully since DIR. Bulls operation There was only one
chance left. a desperate one. indeed. aud that
was 10 perform the operation OF resection Whlch
bad for It's recommendation an unbroken hne
of deaths Dr. Key determined TO take thls chance OF
saving The mans fo. The patient had everything III ns
favor naturally His body showed strength ana ylgor
aud the muscles tense aud hard mt his age was
raiust him. Dr. Dennis the consulting surgeon OF the
hospital was for and after he carefully looked over
the work be done he cams To tho same conclusion as
the house surgeon that the only thing hatc0ud nc dOho
was 10 perform the dangerous operation OF resecton
About o'clock In the morning the operating was
Iii up a. brightly possible, the necessary ASSISTANTS
and nurses were called from their beds and IN less than
wo hnur. after the patient was admitted to the hospital,
roouged sigh aud cOnvul,vc uphcaval OF me abdo-
men Indicated that the patient was under the hueheo
of An nr.tnrtc ana tie surgeon stood his bUdy
win hs knife ready To give the culOred his Ouly
chsncc of c Wtile a steady stream OF the vapor ot
bicholrie of mercury directed from an
irrigaior upon the wound In the abdomen, the
surgeon enlarged the InclHioh. WI'cH was apVu'
two the left Of the mcdth me- uilI he hI h
creased length about three Inches lh!' gave MN
plenty Of room TO work IN As tne Dony htu m aTSnu5 5
been drained to large extent 10y tue "ouhu It'e ue
urrhagc followed the extension OF the Wpuu IN 1he
abdoinlhAl G''I'5 n'lo "'S - 80 ,l 'J.rL IN the
found which htd p"r"n" t.o',ci "'t , ~ IT,
neighhurlls u -iu-. Ils care uly taken out Inc
ilonu or small bowel. wh Gu the yloIonsunse OF IhomAs
had nccrated. Wa, InuhI 10 "l"'s, :" ~, to i ha
wall and % I,,dely separated -p tha' IL cplu ps
readily moved Then the ilcuin was drawn slowly ahd
careful y out of the UId. Hot cloths being IN adncss
the Intestine wrapped up IN ihrW 80 a' 20 eN'e
from the all except that port on hio .L u,,p o 'S, &
cAtI'nl "a " @ ln ~, men and tbr other tlgrue
saturated with bicuIOndo OF mercury, an assl -taht
careful drew his kufc s across the bow el making
Tb. 1nrration was repeated at the ond OF tho
wound aud piece Of Intestine about hye inches long
was eat clear OF the bOiy and thrown into alan.
Then IoIowel the delicate feature OF the opera
ton The ono. OF the bowel brought together and
were trimmed evenly aS 10 make perfect IT. BeinE
a collapsed satrit was dnlcnIt To hnnd, lhen AZ az
Bar they were nnaly 60! ofgnrr Pe[ecy aId , nsld sdd
ber of stitches arranged and nrracrd that II would
bc well ngh Impossible Tor them 10 be ,epdred and 10
keep all irritating nIld7 ont oi thc aoIonlLA cS,.y
Tnts part of intestine being Joined as strongly IL NOT
more than natural sitr. search was u,adc lor
furt.cr iniuues inc entire ntes'i,s "ero ah % u o'
Of the body aud examined After they were wrapped
upi nutistpuc coverings they were h'd at ono SIde
Gnd the exploration was coh'lhueL INC S'oI,o
ach carefully gone over anu tne
up IN turn. and submitted to rigid scrutiny
Bat other injury could be- found. lhe lnt',unes
were pn back into the body and last look was taken az
the surgeons work. the patient at hit point began To
show signs Of great shock incident to the operation
and stimulnts were freely hypDdermcay IN the
-houlIrr. with an occasional injection ~ morphine.
Everything being arranged IN the body property lhe IN
ci,,on IA the cused, the prrtoueum being
rrst united with cagut sntures and the thick wal win
henyy .Itnres OF .ilyer wire lodoform having been
apriukled upon thr wound heavy antisrpuc dressings
were wrapped around the abdomen ana the patient was
taken 10 his cot. -, ,,,
For three or days he hung between He ana death
He was carefully watched all the time ana Kept III "A
aoss state TaHn hD bt VHu To rally aud IN
week from the time OF tho operation when tho banddge
was ur.t removed tho wound found To he hr'llhL
naturally Ills strength was kopt up By stmuants and
auid food. weeks al danger was considered 10
b over and the wound had entirely healed. In three
g.rka h. was told 10 to his family well man.
and he goes his business In grocery store
without any Inconvenience.
----~--------
4 TOOTH GROVIAG INTO HIS NOSE