Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-01-21
SURGERY WITH COCAINE.
Or. j. Leonard Corning Gives the Result OF
His Experiments.

Or. j. Leonard Corning Gives the Result Of
His Experiments.
At a recent meeting of the Medical
Society of the County of New York at
the Academy of Medicine, DR.. j. Leon
ard Corning read paper entitled the
prolonged Anesthetitation by Incar-
ceration of the Anesthetic Fluid in the
Field of Operation" The paper had
special reference to the use of the n.y.
drochlorate of cocaine in operations of
all kinds, and it was shown that expert
specialists had only reached the point
where the possibilities of cocaine were
in the state of experimentation, and
every day something new was being
discovered in regard to it's wonderful
properties. DR.. Corning related num-
Der of experiments that he had made
with cocaine for the purpose of limiting
it's application to the parts to be oper-
ated upon, effects from its use, and to
prevent any evil constitutional effects
from its use, and to reduce the strength
of the solution.
A prolonged anasthetic condition, he
said, could be secured by suspending
the local circulation while the cocaine
was in the1part to be operated upon.
One of the objections to the use of CO.
caine was that its effects soon passed off,
and the patient would feel pain when
the instruments were used. The brain
was liable to be affected if compare
lively large amount of cocaine was in
iected into the body while the circula-
ton remained free. If the circulation
was checked the percentage of cocaine
could be reduced and the danger of using
large quantity of the solution would
be reduced to a minimum. The solution
usually employed in operations was from
two to five per cent. in strength, but
with this new method tumors, cancers,
assesses have been removed, disloca-
tons reduced, ingrowing nails removed,
and successful plastic and other deli
cate operations performed with solu-
ton containing from one-third to one
per cent. of cocaine. In this new
method of using cocaine a map of the
superficial veins was first made and
then bandages are applied to compress
the parts near the point of operation SO as
to cheek the circulation of blood. Then
superficial hypodermic injection is
given quickly, of from two to five min
inns. After the superficial tissue is
anaesthetized. long needles are inserted
and the cocaine injected into the deep
seated tissue. The bandages prevent
the liquid from being absorbed and pass
ing into the blood, and LOCALITIES it at
the point that is to be operated on. Even.
with the weak solution that is used it is
only a rare case in which supplementary
injections are necessary. The doctor
explained the manner in which he APP
piled the bandages to various parts of
the body, and showed number of rub
Der rings and instruments that he found
useful IN the practical application of his
method. He said that when cocaine
was injected into the body there was a
zone of anesthetized flesh from one-half
to one inch in diameter.
DIR. Lewis, the President, in the dis
cussion that followed the reading of the
paper, said that he had used DIR. Corn
ing's method in the removal of a large
epithelal cancer from the shoulder of
woman. The integument was unusual
ly thick and the operation lasted forty
minutes. The patient did not complain
of pain but once, and that was when the
knife penetrated part that had not
been injected with cocaine. He pro-
nOunced the operation painless and a
success.
DR.. Roberts said that one of the most
important objections to the use of
cocaine is the fear of the patient. Pain
and consciousness have heretofore been
synonymous terms. 1t can now be dem
onstrated to patients that operations
where cocaine is used are absolutely
painless, even though the patient sees
what is going on. If cocaine is not given
skillfully its usefulness is impaired. He
said that he had found Dr. Corning's
method of great service, and that he had
used it in many operations with success.
The most important result attained is
the reduction of the quantity of the drug.
Chicago Herald.