The morning call., 1891-02-16
THE SEAT OF LIFE
Laid Bare for the First Time by
Eminent New York Surgeons.

In private operating-room in this city
one OF the most marvellous pieces of surgical
work ever done and, it may be safely said,
one never before attempted. has just proven
a success, says a New York special to the
PittSburg Dispatch. The diagnosis of tu-
NOR of the fourth ventricle and cord was
made ont. The beautiful sufferer, wealthy
Cuban, had been thoroughly prepared. and
being deyout Catholic, had confessed her
self TO priest and had taken what might be
her last communion on the morning before
the operation. The surgeon had her taken
from her apartments to the operating room,
aud as she prepared to take the first nhal-
atlOns OF the ether she pressed the crucifX
TO her breast and hade the doctors gond-by,
never expecting 10 awake in this world again.
Al o'clock in the morning she was well
under ether, and a silent group of surgeons,
the most distinguished in New York, stood
around her inanlmate form. Taking a
sharp scalpel the surgeon began by making
an incisi0n in the back of the patients
neck, commencing from the Occpital pro-
tuberance and running down to the base of
the neck directly over the backbone. lie
now detected the strong band known as the
llgmentum nuche to one side and continued
his in2isiOn down to the yeTtebra of the
Cervical part of the column. No sign ap-
peared Of tumor.
" 1t must be entirely" said the operator
within the bony canal OF the spine itself"
He now carefully diSSected away the mus
Giles from the lamelle OF the second AMI
third yeTttbrR. Then taking a trephipr
placed its sharp teeth against the bony wall
OF the canal and worked it into the cavity,
cutting away buttOD-Shaped piece of bone
directly over the exit of the medulia OBJ
longata, which here comes from the Uranium.
On removing this the menngeal mem branes
came out of the aperture thus formed
as though there was considerable pressure
within. This was good evidence that tho
tumor was close by. But there was ex-
IRENE danger of wOunding the center of res
piration, which meant immediate death if
the least false move of the knife were made.
Another button of bono was removed
slightly higher up at the base of the skull
ITSELF and the same protrusion Of membrane
took place from the new opening. And now
the wing-hke markings that cross the me-
culla al the fourth ventTicle could be made
out. These are the alec cinerial of the
Psychologist, and just below their conhu-
enee lies the terrible center Of respiration.
This center was quickly recognized, and
to one side of II, directly infringing on its
boundaries, lay small red prominence. OBJ
long in shape and not larger than pea.
The experienced eye OF the urgeon at once
recognized this as tumor Of the sarcoma
type. The whole cause of the patients long
years Of suffering was made clear This
tumor was slowly but surely destroying the
nerve centers of the medulla.
Tile danger of removing the tumor from
such 4 vital spot was apparent to all, and
the surgeons consulted in low voice before
proceeding further. Then the operator took
up a delicate, almost tairy-like knife, OF
blstoury. ana began to cut between the
tuner and the nervous tissues of the me-
dulla. Great drops Of sweat stood out on
his forehead, aud, except the heavy breath
ing Of the patient under the ether, the room
was as silent as a tomb. The least cut of
the knife into the mcdulla meant death :;
her life hung on a hairs breadth. Should
the patient cough during this delicate dis
section and turn aside the sharp point of
the knife, death would be instant
But the surgeon was quick at his work
and marvellOuSly skillful; a few cuts more
and it would be over. He had just removed
his knife from the wound to change it for
sharper one when the patient coughed
Providence or chance saved ner, for had the
knife been there the movement Of the head
would have been fatal A moment more
and the tumor was removed. But the ten
sion on the operators nerves had been so
great that he was now obliged to stop
moment before finishing the operation.
The wound was now treated antlseptcally
and closed, drainage tubes being left in to
allow the free discharge OF any resulting
products of healing
One OF the most remarkable circumstances
OF this operation was the immediate inI-
provement Of the patients breathing aud of
her circulation, once the tumor was re-
moved. She stood the operation very well,
and ever since has felt greatly relieved
The seat OF life has been exposed and life
remains.