The Portland daily press., 1890-11-19
BOY AND DOG ARE SEWED TOGETHER
While the Dogs Zone Is Engrafted
into the Boys Leg.
Rem arkable Surgical Experiment in
anew York hospital.
Two Good Legs for the HoY, Three
Left for the Dog.

NEW YORK, November 1S.-One of the
most remarkable surgical operations ever
attempted was performed on Sunday after
noon at the Charity Hospital on Blackwelps
Island. A portion of living dogs foreleg
was engrafted into boys leg to take the
placs of the bone that was lacking.
Bound together the youth and the dog lie
on cot. In 10 or IL days, II the dogs bone
unites with the boys, the operation will be
complete and the surgeons knife will cut
the last links of flesh by which the dog is
now connected with the boy.
Should the operation be successful it will
prove great boon to mankind as well as
another illustration of the wonderful results
that may be accomplished by surgery The
operation was performed ~ DIR. A. M.
Phelps, professor of orthotedic surgery in
the University Of New York and the Post
Graduate Medical School, and professor Of
surgery in the University of Vermont, at
Burlington.
Professor Phelps. prior to beginning the
operation, said: "There was a congenital
malfnrmation of this boys leg. 1t has been
operated upon before and has been broken
Intentionally by the surgeon. But weeks Of
waiting, with the most careful attention, has
failed to develop union between the bony
fragments OF Ln6 leg.
II propose today to engraft the ulya of a
dogs foreleg, the homol0gue Of mans
ann, into this wound. l have attempted
this operation once before with a
moderate degree Of success. The
union between the muscular parts was
man and dog was prevented by muscular
twitching of the dogs scapular muscles,
which pulled the bony graft from position.
l will endeavor to correct this difficulty by
putting in peg. have in my hand two
pegs, one of ivory and the. other OF alumi-
mum. There is no union of ivory and bone
and after time it is encysted. l shall use
the aluminium peg, because it Is stronger and
lighter and will not excite the slightest sup
purati0n."
While the docter has been speaking the
boys leg has been opened, exposing the ends
Of the bone to view.
But what is this coming through the door?
1t has the appearance that an Egyptian
mummy might nave had after being first
wrapped in its white linen.
However, it is only a dog, a black spaniel,
firmly encased in hardened plaster of paris
cast The brute is under the effects of an
anasthetic. His right fore leg Is free and so
are his head and tail, but the rest of his
body is immobile. The assistants begin
preparations with the dog. They denude the
leg of hair and render it thoroughly anti
septic. Here comes delicate part of the
operation. Animals are more susceptible TO
an an@sthetic than a human being, and
great care has to be taken that the animal
does not die, for it is a live and not dead
dog bone that is waited Tor the void in the
boys leg,
The surgeon cuts down into the dogs leg
at point where dogs knee ought to be
The graft must be nourished, and to secure
nutrition the keenest knowledge of the dis
tribution of arteries in the canine anatomy
is essential. The surgeon finds 1t necessary
and does preserve that part Of the. interos-
seOus artery from which the nutrient artery
of the bone makes its exit
The head of the ulna, one of the bones of
the dogs forearm, Is sawed off. One and
half inches below this the nutrient artery is
given off, with its numerous ramihcations
throughout the honey tissues. The next di-
vision of the bone must be an inch and
half below. This sewers the interosseous ar
terry, but it Is easily tied. and that prime fac
tor, the nutrient artery, is saved.
In his hands the surgeon now holds piece
of bone an inch and a half long. 1t is sep
arated from the bony parts of the dog, but
connected by flesh and those life giving
ducts, the arteries
All is now ready. The dog is placed along
side the leg of the boy, his head toward that
of the boy. The aluminium peg is passed
through the medullary portion of the bone
graft. Holes are bored in the ends OF the
bones in the boys leg and silver wires are
passed through, connecting the two parts
lOOSelY. lD6 RIdlb ID ncAb uIUppcu DCbWtcH
these two sxtremities aud the medullary pof-
tions of the boys bone are made to fit over
the aluminium peg. The silver sutures are
drawn tight and tied. fhe skin and flesh
flaps of the dogs leg are sewed firmly TO the
sides of the wound in the boys legs and 1t is
dressed antlseptically.
Two long rods of iron are bent to form a
protection over the wound. They are firmly
bandaged to the body by plaster of paris
oandages, and are made to allow the surgeon
to look at his dressing. Last Of all comes
the firm strapping of the dog to the boys
leg. This is done by broad bandages of
plaster of paris.
The vocal chords of the dog have been cut,
and this operation. painless one to the dog
will relieve the boy from the annoyance of
frequent winnings. Besides frequent in
jectiens of morphine will prevent the canine
from becoming restless.
THAT is all we can do for this lad at pres
ent," announces Prof. Phelps. SHOULD the
dog live, l shall remove him in 10 or II days,
and if muscular contraction has not been
too active, and If circulation has been fully
competent, we shall here find canine bone
formation in mans leg producing results
that could not be hoped for otherwise"