The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-08-02
MARvELs OF SURGERY.
The Brain Probcd with steel and HcsrinI
Restored to Mutes.

| MARvELS OF SUHGEhf.
The Brain Probcd with Steel and Hearing
Restored to Mutes.
To open the skull and penetrate the
brain is not so common o surgical feat
that It has ceased to be wonder. In
deed such an operation performed at the
Roosevelt Hospital has attracted the
attention Of the entire medical pro-
fession.
The patient, who is a physician, was
thrown from his carriage last fall, strik.
ing heavily upon his head. He was re-
moved to his home, where upon exam
ination 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 1t 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 pa
tient was brought to this city. The
physicians who examined him concluded
that the trouble was due to pressure on
the brain, especially on that part of 1t
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 decided
to open the skull, lay bare the surface
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 covers
any particular faculty or function is
obviously a difficult task. After care
fully mapping out the head by the most
delicate measurements the spot corres-
ponding to the center of speech in the
brain was found. Then the patient
having been rendered unconscious by
ether, tho surgeon, after the prelimin-
ary incision of the scalp, removed by
means of trephine a round disk of
bone imme iiately over the spot indi-
Gated, somewhat enlarging with cutting
forceps the opening thus made. The
outer delicate membrane covering the
brain was now brought into view. Be
meath it lay large, dark mass of clotted
blood, extending down into the sub
stance of the brain. The clot was care
fully removed, when the effect of its
pressure was clearly perceived in the
impoverished circulation of the part
The wound was then dressed with every
precaution and the patient was per-
mitted to recover from the operation.
The following night, for the first time
after his injury, the patient was able to
say eyes" and NO" The condition of
his right arm was also improved, and it
is believed that he will eventually re-
cover.
AS rule mules are born deaf, but
sometimes severe diseases in infancy
destroy completely the sense of hearing.
Under these circumstances even a par
tial recovery of hearing is extremely
rare. A girl who is now nineteen com
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 the school of the Deaf
and Dumb Asylum at Fordham. Coming
to New York this spring she was placed
under treatment with slight 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 appropriate treatment combined
with dilatation of the middle ear by in
fiation, improvement was soon noticed.
In month the young woman heard the
ticking of watch held twenty inches
away and conversation at distance of
ten feet, and then she began learning
how to talk. A month later she could
hear watch at q distance of five feet
and conversation across the room.-N.
V World