Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-25
4 Man FLAYED lLIQE.
FROG SKIN GRATED WHERE THE HU-
MAN CUTICLE WAS.
Terrific Experiences of Wesley Keller
Who Fell Into Vat-Livipg and
Getting Along Nicely.
From the indianapolis News.l

general public much, but to Yves. helier
and his friends it means much. Wednes-
day, July 30th, Kellar fell into the steam
vat of the indianapolis Veneer Works,
where he had been working, and was SO
severely scalded that for long time his
life was despaired of.
The injured man was taken to his home,
and DIR. Ralph St. J. Perry, the company's
surgeon, called. The doctor found that
Kellar was scalded from the soles of his
feet to the middle of his chest, and that
one arm was also blistered to the shoulder.
Huge blisters pulled up all over the mans
body, and the fluid which had exuded
from the flesh to fill them had been cooked
to Jelly. In removing his clothes great
strips of the outside or scarf skin came off,
leaving exposed the true skin underneath
cooked until it looked like a parboiled lob
ster. His toes and ankles were so blistered
and swollen as to lose nearly all resem-
blance to human members. Only few
moments were required to show the hope
lessness of the mans condition, and the
surgeon gave d most emphatic opinion that
he could not live through the day.
"There is perhaps one chance in thou
sand of saving him." hesaid. Already the
man was rapidly losing strength, his pulse
could hardly be felt, his body temperature
had dropped far below normal, and he lay
in a stupor What little spark of life was
left in the once strong man was Pickering
and suffering, almost ready to go out; one
little puff and all would be over. How
ever, the surgeon felt in duty bound to do
his best. Stimulants were given and medi-
cines to relieve the pain administered. He
was creased from top to toe with mix
ture of linseed oil and lime water and
wrapped up in cotton wadding from which
all possible impurities and disease germs
had been removed by chemicals. Thus
swathed he was left to the care of his
nurses for few hours.
For two days and nights the case hung
without loss or gain, no reaction from the
shock, no fever or any indication wherein
hopes might be raised; nothing had been
eaten to sustain the failing strength, and
nothing drunk but teaspoonful of brandy
every few hours. During the afternoon Of
the second day there arose swelling of
the membranes of the throat which threat
ened to close up the air passages and so
suffocate the patient. The surgeon was
hastily summoned, and after several hours
of faithful treatment and watching sue
ceeded in carrying his patient beyond the
danger point. The next morning the tenn
perature rose, slight fever came on and
hopes rose correspondingly. He mani
tested some appetite, and, against the pro-
tests of his family, ate piece of pie and
drank some coffee. When the surgeon
was told about the pie, he frowned and
shook his head, but as he afterward re-
marked, Something told me that when
Kellar demanded and ate that pie the
robust American had triupphed over
death, and victory was ours If we worked
for it." Up to this date there had been
no treatment with a cure in view. 1t
seemed too hopeless. But now that re-
action had set in, curative measures were
started at once. Some pus began to show
underneath the skin and in the blisters,
demonstrating that suppuration had be-
gun and the time had come for the re-
moval of any and everything which OBJ
structed the free exit of the pus. To
take off the first dressing was no simple
task
The cotton had become gummed up with
the linseed oil mixture and in many places
closely adhered to the skin; the
weak condition of the patient prohibited
the use of cocaine or other local anesthet-
les impossible. So with scissors and knives
the surgeon went to work, as tenderly as
steady hands could, to remove the dress
ings, and after three hours of the most
tiresome clipping and shipping, here and
there piece being dissected away from
the skin, the task was accomplished. The
surgeon ordered diet of milk and cream
with eggs and other light food.
After two days rest the dressing was
again changed, this time with much less
trouble to both patient and surgeon, and
again on the fourth day. By this time
the old skin, which had been cooked until
there was no chance of its surviving, began
to ZOOS en- from the flesh beneath and had to
be removed. Five days were consumed
by this operation, four hours each day be-
ing spent with the forceps, scissors and
scalpel removing this skin layer by layer
One can only half imagine the agony of
this operation, there being no means Of
deadening the pain. Probably not since
the days of the lnquisition hassuch torture
been endured, and to-day Wesley Kellar
enjoys (?) the distinction of being the only
man living who has been fayed alive.
The raw surfaces, as fast as the skin was
removed, were dressed with an iodoform
mixture, and carefully wrapped in soft
bandages. The dead skin removed, some
thing had to be found to supplant it. To
permit the surface to become covered with
one huge scar would never do, as this
would prevent all perspiration, and the
functions of the skin being forced upon the
kidneys and other internal organs. would
soon so overtax them that death would re-
suit. Fortunately, numerous small points
which had by good fortune escaped the
general destruction of skin were discov-
cred, ard these served as nuclei for the
growth of new skin. But still there were
large areas which could not possibly be
covered by any power within the patient
himself External agencies were neces-
sary. In recent case of severe burning
in one of the New York hospitals the at
tending surgeon had succeeded in making
the skiing of frog grow to the body of the
patient, and in this way had produced a
new growth of skin over large surface,
which, but for the operation, must have
been one huge scar, Disagreement and an
interference in the movement of the
muscles. After some investigation into
the subject DIR. Perry concluded to adopt
this crurse in Kellar's case. Boys were
sent out to capture good healthy repre-
sentatives of the gay and festive batrach-
ian, the fish markets were searched, but
the frog never seemed SO scarce as just
then when he was most needed.
Finally some friends at South Bend were
pressed into the service, the celebrated
swamps of that locality were drawn upon,
and frogs galore we're captured. In day
or two crate of large two-pounders was
installed in the doctors Office. In trans
planting the skin to the body great care
had to be used. The skin to be trans
n,,1 10