The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-16
TEE BLIND MADE TO SEE.
One OF the Most Wonderful Surgical
Operations on Record.


old persons has increased greatly during
the last ten years. Re backed up the state
ment by statistics taken from the private
practice Of physicians and the hospital
records, and the figures were certainly
startling and surprising to the staid ana
dignited old doctors at the academy. The
kind OF blindness To at appears the most fire.
quently is unfortunately that which is the
most dangerous, being a disease Of the optic
nerve. This it is supposed virtually places
the malady beyond the reach of even the
sometimes magical touch of modern si-rr-~rv.
and persons with this disease are doc med to
live forever in the world of darkness ne
disease develops slowly, but its progress Is
irresistible, and the poor unfortunate sees
familiar objects fade away in the distance
at first. Then the range Of vision becomes
shorter, until at last even the brightest light
does not make the slightest i'm
preston upon the nerve centers in the
brain, and all is night. 1t is terrible
atfiiction, and what makes it worse is the
fact that it develope in persons whose sight
has been normal from BIRTH which, by COM
parison, adds an hundred-fold to the mental
torture. The cause of this increase in blind
ness has been sought after diligently, and
every detail in the lives of the patients has
been taken into consideration to throw light
on the subject.
THE DIRECT CAUSE
OF the malady has been located with fair
degree of exactness in the spinal cord at a
point near the cerebellum, but what induces
the irritation at this part OF the cord is not
known.
Prof. Demarest exhibited before the
academy very interesting case os what
has always been considered permanent
blindness, but which, under an entirely
novel method OF treatment, gives evidence
that it is being conquered, and it may be
that cure has been discovered, and that
blindness will have to take back seat and
cease to be one of the most terrible Of hu-
man Affections. The patient is Rosa Perazzo
an Italian, 26 years old. She was at one time
a dream of loveliness, with exquisitely
nodded features, dark skin, waving hair,
big black eyes that shone with a brilliant
luster, and crimson lips that were only made
to kiss and whisper tales of loves. Here
was the ideal Italian face that makes the
artist throw down his pencils after an at
tempt TO reproduce 1t on canvas. AS she is
now there never was an object more hid
eous or one more worthy Of sympathy.
She was married six years ago to an
Italian, who came here from the land of
cloudless climates and sunny skies and left
a wife and several children behind, a very
common thing for Italians to do. Shortly
after the marriage Rosa's eyes became af-
fccted, and her sight slowly faded away.
It was pitiful, indeed, to look at those
lovely eyes, without the slight
and know that the sight was going and
would soon be gone. While she was in this
condition, and barely able to distinguish
light and form new factor appeared on
the scene. 1t was a case of E1och Arden ON
the woman's side, and very bad one at
that Mrs. PeraZzo No. l was a marked
contrast to No. 2 She was as ugly as the
other was beautiful, and she demanded that
her husband return to the arms OF his first
choice.
Perazzo thought that No. was good
enough for Italy, but in this free country
she had no show, and he stuck to No. 2.
No. saw that she could not make any
Roadway into her husbands affection SO long
as the pretty face was around, and, with
the hellish instinct that lives in the Italian
heart, she decided to get rid Of the beauty
in her own flendish way. A few cents got
the necessary stuff, and then she lay In
wait for an opportunity. It came quietly
enough, as the woman, who was nearly
blind, could never be on her guard, and
while she was rocking her 3>months-oid
babe, which was Nesting on her bosom, the
fiend stole up to her and threw cupfui OF
the oil OF vitriol into her face.
THE HORRIBLE STUFF
Burned its way into the flesh and destroyed
every trace of beauty 6nd ali that was left
OF the sight in both eyes. She was taken to
the Harlem hospital, and was in the greatest
agony during the long months that the heal
ing process was going on. Prof. Demarest
took charge of the patient at the hospital,
and her case being one Of great interest to
the medical profession, he made a special
study Of every symptom. The only way
that we know what is going on inside of
the skull is by the external manifestations.
and from these the professor concluded that
the blindness which existed in the patient
before she was burned with the vitriol was
due, in large degree to internal hydroce-
phalus or dropsy of the brain. The case
furnished splendid opportunity of testing
new surgical idea, and the surgeon was
not slow in taking advantage of it
The patients head was shaved, washed
and wrapped in carbolized cotton for two
days, and then ether was administered.
Two flaps of the scalp and pericranium
were cut in the frontal region. one in each
side of the median line. A hole was bored
through the skull, which was very thick,
with trephine in two places, and: a small
button of bone taken out The brain mat
ter forced its way into the holes, indicating
that there was a heavy pressure behind.
The smallest trocar that is made was forced
through the brain substance to the depth of
three inches, and an opening made
into the central cavity. The patients
head being placed in a favor
able position, the trocar was taken out, and
a fine stream of clear fluid ran out for sew
eral minutes through the cornea. Then it
came out in drops until the cavity Yves
emptied. This took several days The
wound in the scalp was closed, with small
opening left for drainage. The patient ex-
pressed great relief from the absence of
pressure in the head, and the wound healed
rapidly without any
BAD SYMPTOMS.
Prof. Demarest believed, from what be
had found, that the pressure on the optic
nerve having been removed, the patient
could have seen had not the eye been
burned.
To test this belief the surgeon performed
an operation which, for delicacy and skill,
has never been surpassed in surgery. The
cornea In the patients eyes was opaque,
and no light could reach the retina. Either
was not given, reliance being placed in the
local anesthetic cocaine, which acted ad-
The 4 per cent. solution of the
cocaine was applied to both eyes until they
could stand dull probe against them with
out blinking. Then the eyes were put in
specially constructed wise to hold them
steady. The instrument invented by Won
Ripple was used to trephine the cornea on
line with the iris and crystalline lens. The