The Opelousas courier., 1886-11-06
ONLY A PIN.
BUT 1T PLAYED A TERRIBLE
PART IN A BOYS LIFE.
A Wonderful and Successful Opera
ton Performed on a Boys
Ear, and a Brass Pin
Taken Out of 1t.

DTISut UUy dUOub eltSeu years Olu. WlAoe'
youth had been turned to old age b,
suffering. When he came to the Hospita
about q month ago there was a greenish
yellow discharge from the right ear. /
was of long standing, the history extend
ing over two years, and there had beer
a gradual but steady increase in TIT
symptoms. He had headaches that made
the tears start from his eyes at every
twinge, and, from the description he gave
of the feeling, it seemed as if there was
some power on the inside of his head thai
was trying to twist off his skull at the
neck. Another popularity was that he
would fall suddenly limp and appar
emily ~lifeless. These attacks would COM
without warning, and so quickly that
while in the middle of a sentence his
mouth would be sealed as if a grip 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 tif-
teen minutes in defiance of the use OF
every restorative, and then the coma
would pass off of its w accord. 1t was
always followed by an acute delirium,
when the bow would rave, talk all kinds
of nonsense, pull his hair and endeavor
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, and have the most dis
t~ressing nausea. This would last for
two or three hours and would be relieved
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 a matter of ex-
pertinent. They seemed to cause greater
suffering and %aggravate all the the symp-
toms, and it had to be confessed that
there was moth ng that medicine could
suggest that could be of any benefit.
Surgery might do some good, but this
was considered doubtful, as 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
patents ear and find out, il possible,
what was the cause of the discharge,
trusting to luck and a skillful hand to
connect whatever he should find with
the symptoms in the case. Preparations
were made to trephine the mastoid pro-
cess, or to get IN opening into the
ear by cutting through the large bone
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. o
The boy had an unusual repugnance to
ether, and the glistening knife and in
struments in the operating room struck
terror to his heart. A little force and a
few whifs from the ether cone made
him forget his trouble, and he was soon
in dream|and. An electrode was used
of a lamp to light up the ear, as
there was danger that the lamp, when
held close to the patients ear, might ex-
plode the ether. The first CLEAN of
light thrown into the ear showed a high
state OF inflammation. After the ear
had been thoroughly washed a spectrum
introdu ed to distend the opening,
and it was done to the fullest extent, 1t
took q few cuts with a knife to enlarge
it enough for the introduction of instru-
nents. When this was done the surgeon
.ook a small knife and cut the drum
head loose from the auditory plate. 1t
exceedingly difficult on account of S
,he small space to work in, and required a
delicate hand, as the operator was guided {
% a large extent by the ~acuteness I
If the sense of touch. The malleus and s
nous, the little mallet and anvil shaped ]
bones in the middle ear, after an open
ng to them had been made, were found I
% be held in position, although there
gere evident marks of carries or decom- f
position, and the tensor tympani muscle
vas severed. From the condition in c
which these bones were found it was evi- t
lent that they would have to be re- l
moved, as they would only continue to t
lecay and nullify whatever else might Y
'e done. The little nerve which gives t
he sharp, darting pain when the drum +
lead is touched from the outside by a !
substance was then severed. and
his brought into full view the long pro- i
OF the malleus. Tiny forceps, which t
ooked like a plaything, were put into q
he ear and the end of the malleus was
eized. A light pull showed that it was t
ct attached, and a knife Was run around Q
t to sever all connecting tissues. A f
light and constant strain was kept upon {
and after a time it gave way and came |
nut drought the ear. The incus was at
ached to it. The upper portion of the a
zone was healthy. There were a mum !
,er Of small polypoid masses and q guam.
lty O. granulation tissue left behind. ard
isese were all removed by the cutting r
orceps. In consequence OF the active G
lemorrhage the operation had to be sus-
'ended at this point. The work of stop /
ling the bleeding was long and tedious.
a time it appeared as If it could not S
e checked and that the patient would h
to death. But it was finally con- '
rolled, much to the satisfaction of the |
urgeon, who had promised the boy a a
silver dollar when he should ONE n
o his senses, and didn't want to disap \
'oint him. Then the exploration was
ontinned. The bright light was flashed u
n the ear, and every particle of diseased
issue removed, and the only conclusion
could be made from careful obser-
alton was that the p,tient had a chronic t
urulent inflammation of the middle ear t
ract. A number of students who were t
resent were invited by the surgeon to e
AXE q look at the ear. Several of them a
through the speculum, and one h
f them asked the surgeon what a bright r
point was that appeared near n
Eastachian tube. The surgeon had 4
ever known of the presence of such b
thing, and had his eye at the t