The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-21
GIRLS SACRIFICE.
IRA RYAN SUPPLYING MRS.
Wick WITH A NEW SCALP.

o-her's Head-Dela Does IL from
gratitude
From the Nes5 York Sun.
Mrs Minnie Wick, in stepping from a
Low sill in her husbands laundry to the
s,o- caught her long hair in swiftly re-
Living wheel. In an instant the scalp on
- site Of her head was torn off. She was
..tan TO Bellevue Hospital, where the doc
= sawed on the torn skin again, but it did
-. crow again, and in two weeks they de-
,ded to try skin grating.
This was in the middle Of January. Usu>
.nr when skin grating is tried the skin is
,.ksn from one portion of a patients body
md laid over the part that is to receive the
aft Mrs. Wilck's wound was so large
.a5sr it was considered unsafe to take enough
~ from her body to cover it. The doctors
"a Mr. Wick that and he volunteered to
tnrnish the skin from his own body. The
1auo-stion could not be performed for several
Sevs and AIR. Wick went about his business
mil he should be needed.
He mentioned the proposed operation at
bis laundry, and Della Ryan, one of his en-
cloves heard of it. She is Is years old,
PPrsItv with auburn hair, and is a splendidly
davsioued young woman. She had been
working in the laundry since she was u very
small girl. Mrs. Wick had also worked
tbare. and Della Ryan was favorite with
her Two years ago the young woman was
ii with congestion of the brain, and Mrs
Wick visited her then and took dainties and
Aowers to her. The girl was very grateful,
and when she heard that Mrs. Wick was 90
have some one else's skin grated on her
head she went to Mr.. Wick and begged to
beallowed to go TO the hospital and have
the skin taken from her.
Mr. Wick objected at first. He told her
If would leave marks on her that would
never be effaoed. The girl persisted. The
full nature Of the operation was explained
10 her. and the fact that she would be con
fined to a bed for weeks. She said that
that made no difference; she would do any
thing to repay Mrs. Wilck's kindness.
There were still several days before the
operation was to be performed, and Mr..
Wick told her to think we'll before she
volunteered as his substitute. She went
home and talked with DIR. Brennan, her
mothers family physician, and then she was
more than ever determined to give up her
skin So she went to the hospital a week
ago Thursday, and said that she was ready.
The operation itself is known as
Thiersches method. First the surface of
Mrs. Wilck's scalp was allowed to granu-
lust right granulated skin is only a
practitioner will understand, but that is the
condition Thiersche says the surface of the
wound must be in. Mrs. Wilck's scalp was
lust right" the day after Miss Ryan
called at the hospital A solution was
made according 60 Tniersche's prescription,
consisting Of warm. distilled water, con-
tanning one-half of per cent. of common
salt. This is about the proportion of salt
in the human blood, and the solution not
only cleanses the skin, but prevents it from
becoming hard aud dry.
During the twenty-four hours preceding
the operation Mrs. Wilck's scalp was kept
moistened with this solution, and cloth
wet with the mixture was applied TO Miss
Ryan's body on the spot from where it had
been decided to take toe skin. This spot was
on the thighs, and extended from below the
pelvis half way to the knees. 1t had been
selected for its smoothness aud the breadth
of surface it presented. After twenty-four
hours under the solution the skin was per-
fectly clean and soft, and everything Yves
ready for the operation.
Hiss Ryan was an8sthetized and laid on @
surgeons table, while Mrs. Wick left her
cot and seated herself in chair close by.
One OF the surgeons took sharp, wide
razor and made. a light cut in the skin OF
the right thigh, just below the groin. Then
he shaved off the upper layer OF the skin to
the thickness of an ordinary sheet of paper,
cutting out strip about three-quarters Of
an inch wide and seven inches long. The
skin curled up on the keen razor like shay
ings on a carpenters plane. Turning
quickly, the surgeon placed one end of this
strip on Airs. Wilck's scalp, along the edge
of the wound above the right ear, and
pulling the razor gently along the edge Of
the scalp, unfolded the curled shaving until
it lay fat in its place. Its moisture kept it
In place for moment, SO that no bandage
was necessary. Then he proceeded to shave
OF another strip in the same way.
The length of the strip depends on the
operators skill, or the razor may slip. Very
little blood flowed, for the pieces that were
cut off were exceedingly thin.
The surgeon cut six strips from Delia's
right thigh and then proceeded to do the
same on the left thigh. While he was
operating here another physician washed
the right thigh with the Tieresch solution
and bandaged it with rubber tissue. The
same number of strips was taken from the
left thigh, making twelve In all. Some of
these were three or four inches long and
Others eight inches. There were just
enough to cover one-half Of the barred tor
OF Mrs. Wlcks head. Then the left thigh
was bandaged and Miss Ryan was put &c
bed. Mrs. Wilck's scalp was dressed In rub
Der tissue to deep the skin in place. The
operation lasted three-quarters of an hour.
Inc most interesting part of the operation
Is, OF course, Miss Ryan herself. She did
what she did out of pure love and gratitude
LOT MRS Wick, without any thought of re-
ware, and against.th advice of her relatives,
except her mother and her friends. She
was lying in bed at the hospital yesterday
Mnen Sun reporter called to see her. She
was NOT suffering much. She smiled when
asked why she had made the sacrifice. She
old not taink she had done anything to be
proud of. She was simply glad that she
had mad the opportunity to help Mrs. Wick,
who had been so kind to her. As for re-
celVlng pay for what she had done. she
would not think of it. She has had good
many visitors since she has been at the hos
pltal, most of them medical men. They have
Dored her with their talk.
Mrs. Wick is in a bed not far from the
young woman. The doctor said that both
patients were getting along nicely, and in a
week or two, If nothing unforeseen happens,
MRS. Wilck's half scalp will be healed and a
second operation to cover the other half
VIII be performed. Miss Ryan said she did
not regret what she had done.
Miss Ryan's relatives, who object to what
Sne has done and who advised against her
Going it, are uncles and cousins They
mink she is a very foolish girl, and say so.
- ner mother says she don't care what they
~ Shink. Miss Ryans mother is Mrs. Snow.
9Ae lives at All East Thirteenth street. Her
laughter has always lived with her. She
talked at some length with Sun reporter
yesterday. She told about the girls sick
ness, and how Mrs Wilek had Gonna IN cae