St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-10
ETHER'S INFLUENCE.
Thrilling Experience Under the
Surgeons Knife.

A gentleman recently operated on al
Prof. Bulls private hospital, New York,
for the removal of his left eye, the
socket and membranes of which had
become the seat of cancer, tells the fol-
lowing interesting story of his expert
| ence under the knife:
1.-The doctors agreed that / had can
Ger, and nothing but an extensive
| surgical operation could save my life.
| | felt, on hearing their decision, like a
condemned murderer-as though at a
certain day and hour | should look for
| the last time on earth and encounter
| the terrible
But it will not be painful said the
| surgeon, with pleasant smile. You
will be under ether, you know
1.-The operation was to be done three
DAYS after the consultation that sealed
my fate. How l lived through those
three days l cannot tell. L
wondered if L would have the
courage to face the ordeal coolly. / had
never before thought myself coward.
| passed through twelve battles during
the late war and never Shrank from
danger. But oh! surgical operation,
with all its calm and detailed prepara-
tion-all its aWfnl chauceS-iS quite
another thing. To get on table, lie
down and take either, with the knOwl-
edge that you are about to have the
most delicate organ of your body carved
Like the man about to be hanged, |
felt anxious to have it over
and was greatly after L should
lose all my grit at the last mo-
ment and make a show of myself.
Still, there was one comfort-I should
feel no pain, and my nerves felt much
strengthened by the reflection, when L
compared the surgical operation of the
present day with that of fifty years ago,
when it would have taken six strong
men to hold me while my eye was being
literally gOuged out and | was writing
in agony, conscious of it all.
Sat last the day of the operation ar
rived. | lay down on the operating
table, and the surgeon placed the ether
cone over my mouth and nostrils. l
took long, deep inspiration of the
ether 1t was cold and tasted good,
tingling slightly as it entered my lungs,
and causing a peculiarly delightful
thrill to pass over me. After
taking few more breathS l
began to feel in half Wis
ionary state. l thought was in ball
room filled with the gayest company,
and was tripping the fantastic to some
dreamy waltz with the fairest of the
fair. Then l could not resist singing.
Noticing the doctor looking gravely at
me, l came back at once to the situa-
ton.
".Doctor,' | said, this is delightful
splendidr Just then something seemed
to crack inside my head. l could see
sparks of fire flying all about me.
Every object in the room was in whirl.
The doctor and his attendants seemed
to be engaged in a mad dance
around me, such as the cannibqlS in
dulge in around their roasting mission
airy. Then had most horrible dreams.
| fancied that the doctor was muir
derer, and that he had made his way
into my room in the night by means of
an open window. l saw the awful
knife CLEAN in his hands and
could feel the cold blade as
it descended into my stom-
ach. Then thought l was taken to a
dissecting room and there carved up in
the interest of science. Finally | awOke,
and the surgeon, bending over me,
cauti oned me to remain motiOnleSs, and
at tn same time assured me that the
operation had been successful"
The surgeon said: "The operation was
for cancer of the eye-ball and socket,
and necessarily very delicate under
taking. Tho patient took ether remark
ably well. AS soon as he was uncon-
sciOus the orbit was removed. The dis
eased plates of bone were then care
fully sawed away and the operation
completed. 1t does not seem in telling
of it how tedious it was. For three
hours we worked constantly on the
patient. Much bleeding took place, and
the work was several times retarded by
the need of giving more ether, as the
patient evidently felt pain occasionally.
As to the dreams which he enjoyed
while under ether, they are not I'M
usual. 1t is remarkable fact that
physical memory continues while the
brain sleeps or is under an an@s hetic.
The operations Was unattended with
single unfavorable result, and the pat
ent awaits only the time when the
wounds shall be perfectly healed to
have glass eye put into the socket"