The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-11-09
OPERATION ron HARelip.
Performed Upon q child OF -Four Months
4 Snrviral gncnesa

Performed Upon Child of Four Months.
a Surgicai Success.
There is ut present under treatment al
the Roosevelt hospital a child not quite 4
months OF age, who has been the subject
Of very difficult and delicate surgical
operation, in spite Of which he still lives
aud seems to enjoy life. The child's
parents had been married ten years 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 harelip may 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 wifeas discovery, had q
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 a notion that her child
would have the same defornity as its
father. The idea haunted her, and in
some way il seems 70 have affected the
infants development. When it was born
she saw at the first glance that the baby
had harelip. The child was unable &c
take food in the way Il should have. Ii
could not nurse. Food had to be given
by the spoonful, and the result was that
the infant suffered for proper and suffi
cien6 nouFishment. At last it was evi
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 ii
in the operating room of the hospital.
Ether was given the little patient in such
quantities rs was safe for one 50 Young,
and, that no evil consequences might re
suit from It's struggles if pain should be
felt in spite Of the anasthetic, the patient
was put into a tight fitting rubber bag,
which was closed around its neck. The
surgeon then, selecting a sharp curved
histoury, or knife with pointed blade,
commenced the operation. The NAL
formation 10 be corrected as the first
step was to close the brad fissure which,
like the letter a, divided the upper lip.
The next step was TO dissect the flesh,
muscle and all, from the hone beneath
on both sides Of the mouth for some
little distance. A slight incision was
then made from the left corner
Of the mouth in the direction
Of the ear. rs the mouth was
u -
was now made from the left nos
tril directly into the Gap on the right
side. in the direction of the right corner
of the mouth. This was planned so that
it left a triangular vacancy, the apex oi
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
sutures and carefully stitched. Stitches
were then passed into the mucuous lining
Of the flaps in such way as TO evert il
and bring sufficient to the outside along
the lower border TO form the vernilion
border OF the lip. The fissure in the
cheek was then sutared together care
fully and the external operation was
finished.
1t now remained for the surgeon &c
bring the bony roof of the mouth to
gether in the middle, by which means il
was hoped that the fissured palate could
be closed and 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 ineised the soft mucuous mem.
brane on both sides of the fissure and.
taking care not 10 wound the blood yes
sels, raised the periosteal membrane from
the bony wall Of the cavity beneath, and
uniting this flap from each side in the
middle of the fisssire, thus formed g
periosteal tent over the mouth, FOR tht
protection Of which against the tongue't
action he put thin silver plate, made
for the occasion, in the mouth under
said tent. AT the interior end Of ths
fsssure he united the two parts of til,
soft palate, thus forming a good palate
and completely closing the cleft.
The periosteal membrane above re
ferred TO has the property of forming
new bone, which IS deposited on its in
ner side. 1t forms the outer or hard
layer Of all bopes, and its finely rauify
ing blood vessels supply the outer layel
of all bones with nourishment. 1t is ex
pected that bony roof will grow owe,
the tent Of periosteum that was made /.
close the fissure. When this bony roo
is formed the silver guard viii be takeI
from the child's mouth, where it mus
remain until then.
The little patient is rapidly recoverin,
from the effects OF the operation. Tn
wounds are all healed with the exception
of that in the hard palate, and firm
bony arch is forming over the roof of tn
mouth. The child's own mother scarcel,
recognized it after the first bandage
were removed. Ia a few days the lttl
one viii leave the hospital cured -Nev
York Cor. Globe Democrat.