Wichita eagle., 1889-03-16
FOUR LARGE STOMACHS.
The Peculiar Deformity Of q
Brooklyn IN. " Girl
A Surgical Operation Which Led to =
Most Astounding Discovery-Gluttony
Caused by an Extraordinary In
ternai Maiformation.

ternai Maiformation.
1t has long since been claimed by DR..
Delafield the celebrated surgeon, that the
freaks of nature were internal as well as ex-
ternal in the human system, writes the New
York correspondent of the Cincinnati En-
qdifer but the latter received all the atten-
ton and excited all the interest both from
the layman and expert because visible to
the eye and easily understood, although the
former. being hidden and obsure, might be
thousand times more interesting from
every standpoint, and with proper investi-
CATION go long way toward explaining
many diseases and indicating methods of
treatment. BY internal freaks he referred
to malformation of the organs, small, en-
larged and doubled organs, and various
other peculiar and unexplainable combina-
tions, the counterpart of which are seen eX-
ternallv in two headed and four-legged per-
sons, the Siamese twins, etc. The operation
that was performed on Mary Monross re-
Gently is one in point. In this case, it is
true, the operation was not the result of
postmortem experience, because such a
condition of things as was found was never
seen before; but it is safe to say that the
same conditions have existed in many bod
les that have been laid away in the ground
without examination, and which. if they had
been known. would have explained the re-
markable combinatlonin Miss Monross' case,
and given a true explanation OF her symp-
toms. The surgeon would then have moved
with the confidence of knowledge instead of
groping blindly in the dark.
Miss Monross is twenty years of age and
is the daughter of a well-known paint man
ufacJurer in Brooklyn. She is a tall blonde.
rather thin, but graceful in movement, and
has always enjoyed the best of health from
earliest childhood until the last few months.
The singular feature of her whole life has
been an enormous appetite. There was no
limit to it. and she never saw the time when
she could not have eaten more Her capac-
ity was equal to her appetite and food never
distressed her, no matter how great the
amount taken.
A few months ago she began to have
slight commissions and frequent attacks of
vomiting after eating The trouble was
laid TO dyspepsia. and she was treated &C
cordingiy without relief. These symptoms
We're followed with an enlargement of the
abdomen. A careful examination led Dr.
Mundi to the conclusion that a tumor was
forming, but there was nothing in the symp-
toms or external examination to indicate its
character. The heart being pushed out of
place promised a dangerous complication,
and showed that there was no time to be
lost in speculation after the usual injections
and medicines for reducing the swelling
had failed.
The patient was laid on the operating
table. 1t not being known what was going
TO be found, extra precautions were taken
TO have every thing in readiness for an
emergency. The ether was given at two
j. M, and when the patient was thoroughly
under Its influence an incision was made in
the median line above the umDlcus, about
five inches in length, through the abdominal
wall, which was not more than a half inch
in thickness. The surgeon introduced his
hand into the cavity, but could only discover
that there were several foreign bodies
present.
The incision was enlarged to give bet
ter chance 10 work, and this gave view Of
the internal arrangement The stomach
was found to be out of place, and alongside
OF 1t were pouches slightly smaller than
the stomach and one of enormous size By
delicate manipulation the surgeon traced
the attachments of the pouches, and found
at the upper ends they were Joined to the
esophagus and at the lower ends were thick
tubes connecting with the duodenum in
three of them only, while the fourth and
largest of them had no attachment save
with the esophagus. The explanation was
simple There a.e four stomachs capable,
while the bis one was constructed so that
food passing into it could not be emptied.
This caused the swelling, and the decompo-
slton OF 1ood caused the horrible odor
thrown OFF by the patient from the mouth
and skin. After consultation il was decided
TO remove the large pouch. A clamp was
put on 10 close the eSophagus to prevent
hemorrhage, and it was then severed at the
cordlc orlice. The pouch and contents
weighed sixteen pounds. Food in all stages
OF decay was found in il, and the walls of
the pouch had become rotten. Peritonitis
would soon have set in. The opening
in the pouch had been small at the
beginning. but as the food which
trlckled in II increased in size the organ
swelled. The other stomachs were all
sound, and were allowed to remain. A
careful sketch was made OF their position,
and the theory of.theIr action was that the
four Gid not act always together. but, in
case one was filed. the extra food entered
the second, and so on until all would be
A-AkNASA-Q set IL l4Gk1CI. LUIS. u-.IlDg
the quantity OF food, all danger would be
avoided, and only enough nourishment
need be taken TO supply the loss of vitality.
The abdominal wound was closed after
the usual aIuseptic washing The loss of
blood was slight, Tie clamp was removed,
and Hs;ature applied instead. The opera
ton lasted nearly three hours, and was sue
cessiul every way. The patient rallied
quickly Her :r,rss7;-a 7,a-urrsd n, ,he
thlru gay With knowledge OF her inter
nal machinery, however. the supply OF food
can now be restricted. although an enor-f
nous amount could certainly be eaten with
out inquiry, as the patients liver. kidneys
and lntestines are al very large. and abe
to do the work imposed ca them by The eK-
ira storachs. This case is certainly not
1870 o. avs kiad, and the Dig g.uttoas of