Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-25
LIVING WITH A BROKEN NECK.

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LIVING WITH A BROKEN NECK.
Suppose your neck is brokenl That is the
worst the hangman can do to you'll But the
doctors may get you out even of that scrape.
Old Ransom Floyd, who was shot by
burglar in Westport, N. Y, in February of
this year, lived for five weeks with broken
neck, as shown at the autopsy performed, by
Drs. W. E. Pattison, T. E. Delano and P.
F. LABEL. Joseph Somers, a telegraph
operator in Brooklyn, fell out of his board
ing house window, broke his neck and got
past the fatal stage OF his injury under the
care of the surgeons at the Homeopathic
Hospital.
Frank Spencer, of Elizabeth, N. j., lived
three years with broken neck, as shown at
an autopsy performed by DR.. Morris, of
Bellevue Hospital in this city. Lizzie
Hammond, a servant in the Brooklyn Hotel
in San Francisco, was discovered in the
room of guest, and in attempting to escape
through the window fell to the pavement
and dislocated her vertebre. She was re-
stored to health by DIR. f. T. Lord, who
subsequently, when she at length died of
smallpox, instituted legal proceedings to re-
cover her skull and upper vertebra-which
she had promised him-''in the interests OF
science"
OTHER WONDERS OF THE KNIFE.
"Modern surgery" said another practi-
tioner, gives men new eyes, even robbing
rabbits for that purpose with success. It
gives them new blood, tapping to that end,
the veins Of some fellowman; it takes out
his ribs and parts of his lungs and spine if
he does not like them; it gives him, on oc-
easion, a new larynx to talk with, a new
skin to perspire through; it cuts out his
tongue or his thigh bone, and even stretches
his nerves to get the kinks out Of them; it
straightens his crooked legs and provides
him with good, live tendons from dog
when his own have suffered misfortune and
it makes him new nose, a new mouth,
new kneecap or q new ear if he wishes. It
won't be long before it may make him a
Frankenstein, if the progress of science con-
tinues."
The finest surgeons in the world, says
another eminent medical man of Philsdel-
phia, "are to be found right here in New
York, in Philadelphia, and in Boston. The
expulsion of American students from Ger
man Universities need bring no detriment
to the progress of surgical science in this
country. Neither Berlin, Paris, Vienna nor
London can claim superiority in surgery
over New York. In fact, expect to live
to see the day when medical students from
abroad will come to New York to complete
their education"
THE FIRST AMERICAN SURGEONS.
But the most aggressive surgeon in New
York, when shown his opinion, differed with
him. "It will be long while. believe"
said he, "before foreign students come 10
America to learn their profession. Sick
people abroad are aggregated in hospitals
in close connection with medical schools;
while this is true to a limited extent in
New York it is to limited extent only.
Who are the most eminent surgeons in the
United States2 Don't quote me and I'll
tell you.
"There are Weir McBurney, W. 7. Bull,
Dennis, Sayre, Stimson, Girdner, Smith.
Stephens and 20 others, at least, here. In
Philadelphia there are DR.. Ashurst, DR..
Agnew, DIR. W. H. Pancoast, DR.. j. Will
lam White and DIR. H. r. Wharton. In
Boston there are Drs. Porter, Richardson,
Warren and Homans that think of; in
Cincinnati, DIR. Conner and DR.. George B.
Orr; in Buffalo, DR.. Park; in Charlie ston,
DR.. Kinloch; in Chicago, Drs. Parkes and
Sem; in Richmond, DR.. Mcclure"
SURGICAL INVENTORS.
Surgeons are constantly inventing new in
struments, some of which, like DR.. Grid
ner's electric probe, achieve wide note, DR..
O'Dwyer's new instrument for operating IN
cases of Group, to iutubate the larynx, Is in
teresting. The tube is gold plated and the
introductor is of steel with hard rubber
handle. This operation obviates the neces-
sity of cutting into the throat.
The aluminium bullet probe. invented by
DR.. Fluhrer, who, a couple OF years ago was
consulting surgeon at Bellevue Hospital,
has been used with much success. He in
vented it for use in special case. DR.. S.
Sherwell's nasal and laryngeal scissors are
considered of much value to the profession.
will women at any time soon rival men
as surgeons? Is there not a constitutional
aversion in the mind OF woman to blood
shed, even in the cause of science, and
wouldn't woman surgeon be as apt as not
to faint in the midst OF u critical operation?"
These are questions naturally occurring to
the nd os the observer I d p