Thomas County cat., 1890-08-07
Marvels of Surgery.

To open the skull and penetrate the
brain is not so common a surgical feat
that it has ceased to be a wonder. In
deed such an operation performed at the
Roosevelt hospital has attracted the at
tentiOn of the entire medical profession
The patient, who is physician, was
thrown from his carriage last fall, strik-
ing heavily upon his head. He was re-
moved to his home, where, upon exami.
nation, no external evidence of fracture
of the skull was found. Later paralysis
of the entire right side of the body was
developed and with it complete in
ability to express his thoughts; in the
course of time the paralysis of the leg
gradually disappeared until the patient
could move it satisfactorily, but the
paralysis of the arm persisted, as well
as the inability to speak. After several
months, and while in this helpless and
well-nigh hopeless condition, the patient
was brought to this city. The physi-
clans who examined him concluded
that the trouble was due to pressure Oh
the brain, especially on that part of it
which governs the faculty of speech,
and that this pressure was probably
caused by clot of blood, resulting from
the rupture of blood vessel within the
skull cavity at the time of the injury.
Acting upon this belief it was decid-
ed to open the skull, lay bare the sur
face of the brain and remove the cause
of pressure if possible. To determine
from the outside of mans head the
precise spot in the brain which governs
any particular faculty or function is
obviously a difficult task. After care.
fully mapping out the head by tn, most
delicate measurements the spot CORES
pOnding to the center of speech in the
brain was found. Then the patient
having beeL rendered unconscious by
ether. the surgeon, after the preliminary
incisiOn of the scalp, removed by means
of a trephine a round disk of bone i'm
mediately over the spot indicated. some
what enlarging with cutting fOrceps
the opening thus made. The outer de-
licate membrane covering the brain
was now brought into view. Beneath
it lay large, dark mass of clotted blood,
extending down into the substance of
the brain. The clOt was carefully re-
moved, when the effect of its pressure
was clearly preeeived in the impover-
ished circulation of the part. The
WOuilU " ~ tIIcu uICoSCu Will cVCIy
precautiOn and the patient was permit
ted to recover from the operation. The
following night, for the first time after
his injury, the patient was able to say
ayes" and "NO." The condition of his
right arm was also improved and it is
believed that he will eventually recover.
As rule mutes are born deaf, but
sometimes severe diseases in infancy de-
stroy completely the sence of hearing.
Under these circumstances even a par
tial recovery of hearing is extremely
rare. A girl who is now nineteen conf
pletely lost her hearing when three
years old through an attack Of cerebrO-
spinal meningitis, and in consequence
was brought up as deaf mute attend
ing until recently tho school of the deaf
and dumb asylum at FOrdham. Coming
to New York this spring she was placed
under treatment wit hslight hopes OF
benefit. Her physicians ascertained
that the delicate, nervous apparatus OF
the internal ear was still sound, else the
case would have been hopeless. Under
treatment, combined with
Of the middle ear BY imitation,
WAS sOoE noticed. In
month the young woman heA the tick
ing Of q watch held twenty inches away
and conversation at distance OF ten
fest and then she began learning how
to tflk. A month later she could hear
. watch ct distance OF dve 1eet and
cocyernstion acfoos the room.