The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-16
HOW HE REMOVED A CANCER.

In the operating room of the New York
hospital, was recently performed one of the
most skiilful and remarkable surgical opera
tons ever performed. or attempted in this
country. The operating surgeon was Or.
W. 7. Bull. who reputation as a bold and
| successful operator is worldwide. The case
| was one of carcinomatons tumor, or cancer
of the stomach. The patient was q woman
90 years of age. Tue plan of the operation
was chiefly original with DR.. Bull, who has
hitherto achieved many brilliant successes
| IN abdominal surgery-in which branch he
stands at the head OF the medical profession
in America. The oDly other surgeon VINO
even attempted this operation anywhere
was BlIlroth of Vienna, but mis- attempts
were unsucce ssful, his patient dying of
internal hemorrhage GA the third day after
the surgical work was do ne. Before oper-
ating. the surgeon SCI forth the facts
of The case III his address to the
audience who had gathered to the
number OF fifty or sixty. The patient was
then brought in and allowed to get thor
oughly under tue effect of ether before the
operator proceeded. The epigastrlc region
was now carefully examined, and tumor
was plainly felt through the abdominal
aud the ensiform appendix. The skin over
the tumor was perfectly healthy.
Taxing a sharp scapel the surgeon
made an incislon, starting from the
lower end of thu breast bone. This in
cision was carried into the cavity OF the
gastric region. On opening the cavity and
pressing aside the Totes OF the liver ana
several intervening organs, the tumor was
found to involve the greater curvature and
posterior wall of the omach extending
from the pylorus, or lower gateway for the
organ, a distance of five or six inches out
ward. AT this stage of the operation
the patient suddenly showed signs of
cola Sc aud l. was feared she
would die on the operating table. She
soon revived, however, sufficiently for tbs
surgeon to judge that the operation could
be safely proceeded With; and taking the
knife again he commenced TO dissect away
the various intra-p eritoneal attachments of
the cancerous mass. He then cut and ligated
the great artery of that part of the stomach
which the cancer involved. The
gastro-colic omentum and the
gastro-hepatic were then cut and their
edges ligated to prevent oozing. This done,
he boldly cut into the stomach itself, sni
removed aoout one-third of that organ con-
tanning the cancerous tumor. He now
severed the Ipylorus from the intestine that
proceeds from it to the abdomen, and thus
completed the removal of all the deceased
parts. The cut end of the intestiIes which
was the duodeuum was then saturated SO as
to form blind p uch. The wound in the
stomach from which the cancer
had . hee1 taken was brought
together and sotured, thus forming
a; smaller omach but, having no
diseased tissue in it, A new lower exit was
made from this ne ~ly-formed stomach, a I'd
to it was sut1red the cut end of the iAtes-
tines, thus restoring the continuity of the
patients digestive apparatus This COM
pleted the operation, and after busting the
exposed internal organs with iodoform, the
organs were replaced In as nearly as possible
their natural position anu the abdominal
wound closed and sutured. Over all
an!iseptic dressing was applied ard
the patient was removed to the ward.
The operation had laste1 three
hours and a half, ard the patient had been
altogether four hours under the effect of the
ether. When she was taken to her bed her
condition was v, ry low, bus her fine consti-
tuition came to her rescue, and she soon
rallied. No food was allowed to her until
the fourth day after the operation. In the
course of three weeks after the operation
she was well and able to be around the hes
pital ward rooms She is now in good
health and at home.