The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-02
a HUGE TIJMOR.

NEW YORK, May 1-Ellen Anthony, a
seamstress in this city, has just sub
mitted to an operation for the removal OF
what was probably the largest tumor on
record. One day she noticed a little
swelling in her side The swelling re-
mained stationary for time, then sudden
| ly took new lease of life and began to
| develop with the speed of a mushroom S
| growth. 1t spread in every direction and
| the woman was in great agony all the
time. She bore her sufferings with great
| fortitude and declined to have medical
assistance. She preferred to die rather
than submit to the physical mutilation
incident upon surgical operation, which
her imagination greatly exaggerated:
The tumor, for such the swelling proved
to be, became SO large and heavy that she
was practically helpless. She could walk
only with great effort and every step sent
pains darting all ever her body.
The pressure upon the vital organs was
terrific The stomach was forced down
ward and was f1attened to such An extent
that even spoonful of food caused great
distress. The tumor extended upward so
far that when Ellen sat down it hid her
view of objects in trout OF her. A part of
the tumor hung so low that when she was
standing it hung below her knee, aud
when she sat on chair it reached nearly
to the floor 1t also extended about foot
on each side Of her body. Her feet and
legs were enormously swollen on account
of the stOppage of circulation by the press
IRE upon the arteries of the thigh. The
upward pressure elevated the diaphragm
and forced the lungs and heart almost to
the neck. The heart beats could be plainly
heard in the neck and respiration could be
detected ouly in this section. The lungs
We're flattened 50 that the woman breathed
in short convulsive gaSps.
She tried to walk recently and fell down,
and 1t took four men to get her on her
feet and assist her to lounge. She was
in danger of dying any moment from pa
ralysis of the heart or suffocation. Last
week she consented to have something
done for her. Dr. J. III. O'Connor and DR.
Vincent Zolinsky held a consultation at
her room on Thursday. She measured six
feet around the abdomen. They examined
her carefully and concluded that she had
a cystic tumor, probably ovarian. with its
origin in the left side. The patients face
was flushed and the symptoms indicated
partial sutfocation. 1t was decided, in
view of the alarming symptoms, TO oper-
ate at once. There was grave doubt as to
whether it would be safe to remove the
cyst. and the surgeons went on with the
preliminary operation. An lnclslOn was
made in the abdomen and large trocar
and canula were forced through the walls
of the tumor. These walls were very
UnlcR ana SpOnSy. Inere was only q SIlSnC
hemorrhage
The trocar was removed and the canula
allowed to remain. Water began to flow
through the canula at 10 a. N. and contin-
ned until p. M. when sixtY-nine quarts
had been discharged. The fluid was very
dense. Its estimated weight is $50 pounds.
The patient suffered greatly from the shock
and nearly died when the pressure on the
heart was released. The heart beat so
rapidly that its pulsations could not be
counted Stimulants were given freely
by hypodermic injections, and the patient
revived She is still in critical condition
but will probably recover. This is the
largest tumor on record, and more fluid
was taken from the patients body than
ever before from Il human being. Tho
woman was so weak after the fluid was
taken away that the surgeons did not dare
to cut out the cyst, which weighed at least
thirty pounds.