St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-31
Saved by a Girl Who Receives
the Bite OF a Snake In
tended
%
For Her Royal Mistress--A
u Tumor Develops in Her
I Stomach.
The Latter Is Removed, and
q the Stomach Of a
u Pig Is
Transplanted in It's Place
4 With Wonderful Sue
= cess.


Miss Lola Ferrara, a beautiful Spanish
maiden, was servant in the household
of Dom Pedro when the people rose in
their might. knocked the life out of the
Brazilian empire, and baniShed the un-
fortunate emperor and his family. Miss
Ferrara was an invalid at the time, and
was left by her master to the tender
Mercies of the revolutionists Of Rio
Janeiro.
Miss Ferrara was born in Spain. Her
father was an officer in the Spanish
army and her mother was a peasant
woman. Miss Ferrara came to this city
at an early age and lived with an
uncle, who was quite wealthy. Her
relative lost his money in Wall street,
and she was thrown upon her own re-
sources and earned her own living by
teaching languages and music. Among
her pupils were the children of the Bra
lillian consul. and when Dom Pedro
visited this city several years ago, he
met the poor music teacher and took a
great fancy to her. Heinyestigated her
woman in every respect, and before
leaving for Europe he offered her pO-
sitiOn in the imperial palace at Rio
Janeiro, which was thankfully accepted.
She left here in few weeks, and had
an honorable place in the emperor's
home until the rupture of the empire.
The emperor's family was very demo-
cratic. ami often made short trips to the
little towns and villages within hum !
dred miles of the capital. On one of
these excursions, while passing through
jungle Oh foot, the party was attacked
by
A Large Snake.
There was body-guard of soldiers,
but before they could reach the reptile
with their guns and swords it had
squirmed within striking distance of
the empress. Without a moments hes
itatiOn, Miss Ferrara, with rare courage.
jumped in the way OF the snake, and
when the deadly spring was made she
received the poisonous fangS i'll the
shoulder. The snakes head was cut off
with blow from saber while the
fangs were fastened in the woman's
flesh. Fortunately, there was hut
close by, and in few moments an old
Indian woman was found who had an
'antidOte for snake poison on hand ready
| for use, and she ran to the suffering
girl and gave her some of the drug to
drink. After sucking the wound, the
Indian woman applied poultice of
| wet leaves. Several doses of the drug
were given at regular intervals for all
|, hour, and then Miss Ferrara became I'M
conscious. She was carried back to the
| palace, and was in a critical condition
| when the emperor's physician saw
her. The doctor did not wait
to find out what the effect of
the Indians medicine would be, butput
the patient Immediately on diet of
rum, the product of cane juice. 1t was
| ten hours after the bite before the in
| lection of rum was given hypodermi-
[ cally, and the injections were admins
I tered in the shoulder every ten minutes
! for three hours before any favorable re-
suit was noticed. The heart responded
| when between two and three pints of
| rum had been injected, and in a short
time the patient was restored to con-
| seriousness. The rum was poured into
| her mouth after she could swallow, and
| she took altogether nearly six plntS.
| She was then very drunk, and
| went to sleep. She did not awaken
| for three days. The snake poison
had been eliminated in the meantime,
but she was still in a dangerous state
from alcoholic poison. She recovered
from this aud her health was good for
short time. She then began to suffer
| from terrific pains in the abdomen, es-
peCldiiS diloI cdtiuS. !Ho oy uhptomo
| indicated all aggravated case OF dyS-
| pepsia, but the drugs usually given in
| this disease failed to have any effect.
| AS the disease developed a peculiar
| symptom appeared. After taking food
| the walls of the stomach set up grind
| ing motion similar TO that of the giz-
| card of fowls, and grating sound could
| be distinctly heard. This condition
| continued for week, and the pain was
| very severe.
| The Local Physicians
were unable to give Miss Ferrara any
| relief, and she took steamer and came
| to this city. She consulted Dr.. Knapp,
| aud took room at st. Luke's hospital.
| She was very weak and weighed only
sixty-five pounds.
| The external examination showed
| that the abdomen was somewhat SWOl-
| len, and that there was an irregular
| mass within that was very hard and
| could not be indented with the finger.
| Soon after her admttance to the hoSpi-
! tai the patient was unable to take food.
| Whatever she swallowed was immedi-
| ately rejected. A long probe was intro
| puced into the eSOphaguS, but it could
| not be forced into the stomach. An OBJ
| struction at the end of the esophagus
| might account for this, but there was
| nothing to indicate what the nature of
| the hard, tumor-like body was.
The Patient
was kept alive by injections of food into
| the lower intestine, and as there was no
Improvement in the condition of the
| esOphagus DR.. Knapp concluded to OPP
| crate.
| After the patient had been given an
| anasthetic, an incision was made in the
| abdomen in the median line, beginning
| at the end of the breast. The periton-
! cum and omentum were cut through
| with great care, and large, black oval
| substance was revealed. 1t was in the
! position usually occupied by the stom-
! ach, and was joined to the duOdenum
| and esophagus. The surgeon looked for
| the stomach, but could not find it, and
/ then it dawned upon him that the stony
body was the organ itself in petrified
| state. 1t was about as stiff as sole
| counted for on the SuppOsitiOn that it
! was caused by the Indian woman's
| medicine.
/ The removal of the stomach was post
/ poned until the following day. There
/ was strange spectator at the second
| operation in the shape of lusty young
| pig, which was destined to play an i'm
portant part in the proceeding. The
| abdominal wound was again opened
| and rubber band was tied tightly at
/ each extremity of the stomach. The
1 adhesions were broken skilifuily and
| the attachment at each end of the organ
| was severed aud the stomach was re-
| moved, 1t weighed fourteen pounds,
| and turned the edge of fine steel
| blade. The pig was then called upon.
| He was laid upon the table and his
squeaIs were soon stopped with an
| anASthetic,