The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-11
A WONDERFUL OPERATION.
Transforming a COHgenital ImbeCile Into a
Rational BEING.

Can you think of an operation that would
create mind Can you conceive of the
meaning to humanity of a discovery that
would transform congenital imbecile into
a rational being Such an operation was
the one was privileged to see.
The patient was child about one year
old. OF good parentage and of healthy
bodily growth, aside from the fact that its
skull was that Of a newborn child and it
had hardened and solidifed into that shape
and size. The soft spot" was not there,
and the sutures or seams Of the skull had
grown fast and solid, so that the brain
within was cramped and compressed by its
uDyielding bOny covering.
The body could grow-did grow-but the
poor little compressed brain. the director of
the intelligent and voluntary actions of the
body, was kept at its first estate Even
worse than this its struggles with its bony
cage made pressure which caused distortion
ard aimlesS or unmeaning movement. The
arm and leg turned in, III that helpless pathetic
way that tells of i'm ecility. In short, the baby
was physically healthy imbecile-the most
pathetic object on this sad earth. Upon eX-
animation, the surgeon, gentle, sweet ma
tured man, whose enthusiasm for his profess
sion-fOr the relief of suffering makes him
the object of devotion of many to whom he
has given life and health and the inspirer and
final appeal for many brother practitioner,
discovered what he believed to be the
trouble. Led by that most uncommon of
all things, common sense, he believed that
this little victim uf natures mistake might
be changed from condition far worse than
death TO one of comfort for itself, and to
those who now looked upon it only in
anguish of soul.
After explaining to the parents and the
surgeons who had come to witness the
wonderful experiment Q0r, after all, at this
stage it was but an experiment based upon
common sense) that 1t might fail; after
modest and simple statement of his reason
for undertaking so dangerous an operation,
with no precedent before him; after
explaining that the parents fully under
stood that not 10 try it meant hope
less idocy and that the trial might mean
death-he began to work. will try TO tell
what it was in language that is not scien-
titic, and may seem tn those accustomed to
surgical terms inadequate and unlearned;
bat TO those who are not technical medical
students believe the less technical Ian
guage will be far clearer.
Tie child's skull was laid bare in front.
Two tracks were cut from a little above the
base or top of the nose up ana over to the
back of the head. One of these tracks was
cut on each side, the surgeon explained, be-
cause II would give equal expansion to
the two sides of the brain. and
because it would cause death to cut
the head, where lies 'the superior lOngitud-
inal sinus" He left therefore, the solid
track of bone through the middle, and cut
two grooves or tracks of bone, one on either
side, where nature (when she does not make
a mstake) leaves soft or yielding edges, by
means of which the normal skull expands TO
fit the needs of the brain within.
The trench made displaced OF cut away
one-Quarter Of an inch of solid bone all the
way from near the base of the nose to the
J. so ha md IT In, In - tha I'm
of the head on each side a crosswise cut
was made and one inch of bone divided.
Another cut was made on either side, slant
ing toward the ears. This was one and
half inches long. The surgeon then ten
DERBY inserted his forefngers, pressed the
internal mass loose from the bones where it
adhered and pushed the bones wider apart.
This process widened the trenches to one
inch.
The wound was now dressed with the
wonderfully effective new aseptics. and the
flesh and skin closed over. The operation
had taken an hour ana half. There was
little bleeding. The baby was, of course,
unconscious during the entire time. Oh, the
blessings of anasthetics! And now comes
the wonderful result of this bold and rad
ical but tender and humane operation.
The baby rallied well. In three days it
showed improved intelligence. In eight
days this improvement was marked. From
a creature that sat listless, deformed and
unmindful of all about it, it began to take
notice." like other children. From an 1T"
it had been transformed into 'he." 1t
had been given personality. 1t ate and
slept fairly well.
On the tenth day the wound was exposed
and dressed. 1t had healed. or united by
first intention" as the doctors say: and
again one can bnt exclam, ION. those
wonderful aseptie dressingsp' 1t had united
without suppuration. 1t was a clean
wound, Clearly healing.
One month after the operation the feet
and hands had Strengthened out, and lost
their jerky. aimless movements. The child
is now child. 1t acts and thinks like
other children, laughs and coOes and makes
glad the hearts of those who love it-From
Common Sense in Surgery" by Helen Fl.
Gardener, in Harper's Magazine for October.