The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-29
A HUMAN MIND
Wonderful Surgical Operation Per-
formed Upon a Child One p.
Year of Age.
Peculiar Cranial Malformation
That Prevented the Develop
ment of the Brain.
he Infant Given q New Mind and Made
to GLADDEN. the Hearts Of Its
Parents.

Can you think Of an operation that would
reate q mind2 Can you conceive OF the
Meaning to humanity Of a discovery that
kould transform q oongenital imbecile into
! rational being7 Such an operation was
he ono I was privileged to see.
The patient was a child about one year
I'D. OF good parentags and of healthy
oddly growth aside from the fact that its
kull was that. of q newborn child. and it
had hardened and solidifed into that shape
Ind size. Tho ''soft spot" was not there,
md the sutures or seams Of the skull had
krown fast and solid, 10 that the brain
within was eramped and compressed by its
tnyielding bony covering. ,
The body could Rrow-did Rrow-but the
roor little compressed brain, the director Of
he Intelligent and voluntary actions of the
body, was kept at its first estate. Even worse
han this, its struggle with its bony cage made
pressure which caused distortion and
UNLESS or u%nmeaning movement. The
Irm and leg turned in, in that helpless.
pathetic way that tells Of imbsoility. In
hort, the baby was a physically healthy
mbecile-the most pathetic object on this
ad earth. Upon examination, the surgeon,
\ gentle. sweet-natursd man, whose en-
husiasm for his professionalism the relief
81 suffering-makas him the object OF de-
lotion ct many to whom he has given life
Ind health, and the lnspirer and final ap-
peal for many a brother practitioner, dis
lowered what he believed to be the trouble.
led by that most Of all things,
bommon sense, he believed that this little
Rictim OF nature's mistake might be changed
from q condition far worse than death TO
bne Of comfort for itself, and to those who
how looked upon it only in anguish OF soul.
After explaining to the parents and tho
surgeons who had come to witness tho won
ierful experiment (for. after all, at this
etage it was but an experiments based upon
pommon sense) that IL might fail; after a
modest and simple statement OF his reason
FOR undertaking 80 dangerous an operation.
with no precedent before him; after 'ex-
blaming that the parents fully understood
that not to try IT meant hopeless idiocy.
and that the trial might mean dsath--he
began the work. / will try to tell what II
was In language that IN not scientific, and
may seem to those accustomed to surgical
,terms inadequate and unlearned; but to
those who are not technical medical stu
dents I believe the less technical language
will be far clearer.
The child's skull was laid bare in front.
Two tracks we've cut from \ little above the
base Cor top Of the nose up and over to the
back OF tho head. One Of these tracks was
cut on each side, the surgeon explained, be-
cause il would give equal expansion to the
two sides Of tho brain, and because IL would
cause death to ont through tho middle OF
the top OF the head, where lies "tho supe-
[rior longitudinal sinus" He left. thore-
fore, the nplid track Of bone Though thc
middle, and cut two grooves or tracks Of
bono, one on either side, where nature
(whsn she doea not make 4 mistake) leaves
soft OF yielding edges, BY means Of which