The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1889-01-16
WHAT NEXT
CAN WEEXPECT FROM MED
ICAL SCIENCE?
A Woman is Placed on a Table
and Her Stomach is
Removed.
spt cial to Cincinnati Enquirer.

ana Her stomach Is
Removed.
Special to Cincinnati Enquirer.
New YORK, January 5,-There are
many eminent surgeons who are thor,
oughly imbued with the idea of the
olden time, and who do not look with
favor on The remarkable things that
their younger brethren in the profes.
sion have b:en doing in the last tew
years. They are still believers in the
I'D expectant theory. which simply
means to do as little as ycu can and
| expect nature to do it all. When the
patient dies the old forgies fold their
arms aud perhaps say that they ex-
pected too much of nature, and send
| in their bill for what they did not do
as soon as convenient after the funer.
al.
1t was one of these old ,timers who
lose up in the amphitheater in Bel.
levue Hospital after an operation
had been performed recently, and
publicly called DIR. Jacobus, the op.
orator, a murderer. He further said
that he would see that the doctor
would be criminally
PROSECUTED FOR HOMICIDE.
This was an entirely new phase in
surgical operations, and it had arous-
ed much discussion in medical cir,
cles. The fight promises to be Bit
ter one, and will probably end in a
split in the Academy of Sciences.
There was some justification for the
offensive rem 4rk, inasmuch as the op.
Grafton was one that had never been
performed before upon human be-
ing, and was SO extensive in its scope
and -included the extirpation of a
vital organ, secoad in Importance to
none in the anatomy of man. The
old doctor was also backed up by
the record, which showed that in les
ser cases in the same line out of TWEEN.
ty.thrse operations none of the pa.
tients were saved. It would then
seem little less than mur Ter for sur.
geon to undertake such a case.
The patient was Marietta Holly q
| Washington woman, who had come
TO this city for treatment She was,
until year ago, large, robust wo"
man, possessed OF great endurance
and strength. She was an invetsrate
chewer OF gum, but whether that had
anything 10 do with her malady has
not been determined.
Her first symptom was los, of ap.
petite, and food that she ate against
her will was frequently elected. She
lost flesh aud strength rapidly, and
when she was admitted to the hospi-
tai she weighed only seventy pounds
and entirely helpless.
The disease had affected her mind
and she labored under the deluslon
that she was wealthy, aud talked in
cesssantly while awake about her
money and what she intended to do
with it.
The nature of her malady vas hlrd
to determine to q certainty. II was
known to be located in the stomach
and was thought to be u tumor, but
whether cancerous form or not
could not be foretuld. The stomach
was slightly swollen and there was
another protuberance above 1t, fol
which no explanation could be given
The woman was
s1ARvISa TO DEATH,
and it was only her splendid physi'
cal organization that lad kept hei
alive at all.
The patients consent, in her men
tai condition, could not be obtained
for the operation, and DR.. Jacobus
took the responsibility upon himself
and did for her what, in his opinion
was best. For this he has been con
demned by certain surgeons, who arr
built on the narrow-gauge plan.
The patien. was put under the I'M
fluence Of ether, after careful prepa.
ration had been made. e.fUr any emer
gency. An incision was made in tht