Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-12-14
OPERATION FOR HAREtIp.
Performed Upon Chiid of -Four Month
A krrgicai Success

hrrgicai Success.
There is at present under treatment nj
the Roosevelt hospital a child not quite
months of age, Who has been the subiect
of q very difficult and delicate surgical
operation, in spite of which he still lives
and seems to Cnjoy life. The child's
parents had been married ten wears be-
fore his birth. and his mother had given
birth to three other children who were in
no way deformed. A strange circum.
stance to which the hareIip NAV have
been due is that three months before the
child's birth its mother discovered for
the first time that its father had been
born with both harelip and cleft palate,
and that he had been successfully oper-
ated on while an infant for the former.
the scars of which operation were totally
hid by his heavy mustache. while for the
latter he wore false palate with several
teeth in his mouth. So perfect had been
the work of the surgeon and dentist in
his case, that it would never have been
known by any one had he not. on the
occasion of his wifes discovery, had n
severe toothache, which had made the
removal of the false teeth necessary.
Very unwisely he then told her that he
and two of his brothers had been born
with harelip and cleft palate Being a
nervous woman and in peculiar state
of mind, she took notion that her child
would have the same dcforlnitv as its
father. The idea haunted her, and in
some way it seems to have affected the
infants development. When it was born
she saw at the first glance that the baby
had harelip. The child was unable to
take food in the way it should have. 1t
could not nurse. Food had to be given
by the spoonful, and the result was that
the infant suffered for proper and suffi-
Gent nourishment. At last it was evil
dent that heroic measures must be re-
sorted to or the child would die.
At first the mother would not consent
to an operation, but she did at last, and
on May "a DR.. McBurney performed it
in the operating room of the hospital.
Ether was given the little patient in such
quantities rs was safe for one SO Young,
and, that no evil consequences might re-
salt from its struggles if pain should he
| felt in spite of the an9sthetic, the patient
was put into tight fitting rubber bag,
which was closed around its neck. The
surgeon then, selecting sharp curved
bistoury, or knife with pointed blade,
commenced the operation. The NAL
iOlIiIatti'ii W NC COL ittlcb us tllt llSt
step was to close the broad assure which,
like the letter y. divided the upper lip.
Tho next step was to dssect the flesh.
muscle and all, from, the bone beneath
on both sides of the mouth for some
little distance. \ slight incision was
then made from The left corner
of the mouth in the direction
of the ear, as the mouth was
little short on that side An incision
was now made from the left nos
tril directly into the Zap on the right
side. in the direction of the right corner
OF the mouth. This was planned SO that
it left triangular vacancy, the apex of
which triangle was midway between the
center of the nose and mouth The flap
on the other side was now cut to fit this
vacancy and drawn into it with silk
suturcs and carefully stitched. Stitches
were then passed into the mucuous lining
of the flaps in such a way as to evert it
| and bring sufficient to the outside along
| the lower border to form the vermilion
border CT the lip. The fissure in the
cheek was then sutured together care
fully and the external operation was
finished
1t now remained fer the surgeon to
bring the bony roof OF the mouth to-
gether in the middle, 10y which means it
was hoped that the fissured palate could
be closed ana the patient saved the in
convenience of being obliged to use an
artificial set of teeth and mouth roof like
his fathers. With a sharp knife the
surgeon incised the soft mucuous men,
brane ON both sides of the fissure, and,
taking care not to wound the blood YES
sells, raised the periosteal membrane from
the bony wall of the cavity beneath, and
uniting this flap from each side in the
middle of the fissure, thus formed a
periosteal tent over the mouth, for the
protection of which against the tongues
action he put thin silver plate, made
for the occasion, in the mouth under
said tent. At the interior end of the
fissure he united the two parts of the
soft palate, thus forming good palate
and completely closing the cleft.
The periosteal membrane above re-
J ferred to has the property CT forming
new bone, which is deposited on its IN
ner side. 1t forms the outer or hard
layer of all bones, and its finely ramiiy-
ing blood vessels supply the outer layer
of all bones with nourishment. 1t is ex-
pected that a bony roof will grow over
the tent of perlosteum that was made to
l close the assure. When this bony roof
is formed the silver guard will be taken
from the child's mouth, where it must
. remain until then.
The little patient is rapidly recovering
from the effects of the operation. The
\ wounds are all healed with the exception
: of that in the hard palate, and firm,
bony arch is forming over the roof of the
Q mouth. The child's own mother scarcely
4 recognized it after the first bandages
were removed. In IA few days the little
) one Will leave the hospital cured. New
$ York Cor. Globe Democrat.
t A Plant That Catches Flies.
5 One sees many curious things in ma
G ture and nowhere is there anything
i -. l. Z - lin