The morning news., 1892-02-22
REMOVING THEAPPENDIX
A USELESS. INTESTINE THAT is
MAKING TROUBLE

Operation Upon Vice Chancellor Pit
ney of A1Orristown, NJ.
(copyrighf)
NEW York, Feb. 2O.-Have you ever
thought that you have a vermiform
appendix. and that If you are not careful it
will be the death of youi Almost every
week it brings some new victims TO the sur
geon's table. That is because we have lost
ell our respect for this useless organ, and the
moment it begins to make trouble we have
it cut out. Formerly men suffered aud died
without knowing just what afflicted them.
Now, thanks to the nerve and skill of
American surgeons. the vermiform appen-
dix rarely kills its possessor.
/ went to see DIR. Bull Immediately after
his successful operation on Capt. K ose of
the British army, son Of the late Sir John
Rose.
This man. Bull. is one of the greatest sur
geons living to-day. but he is still young
man. He is a handsome fellow, tall and
rather stout, with blue eyes and heavy
mustache. He doesn't like to talk about
himself or his work.
Two thousand books have been written
about this little intestine" said he. at is so
far as we can discover, absolutely useless.
Darwin claimed that its existence IN the body
was one proof that we are the evoluted re-
suit Of ape development. On this point
scientists hesitate TO agree with him. The
appendix varies in length from to q
inches, and is about the diameter of goose
quill. 1t is hollow throughout its entire
length, and the unattached extremity Is
blunt. 1t has been known TO adhere to the
liver and TO completely destroy the fuuc-
tional capacity Of that part. In many
cases it becomes knotted about the intes-
tines, causing strangulation. IL is this lit
tie hollow tube OS skin into which orange,
date, prune. grape and raisin pits are liable
to drop. In fact, children have been known
to swallow pins which found a resting place
in that intestine, causing Inflammation and
death. Physicians have been unable to at
tribute any function TO the appendix. 1t is
found ia man and few apes about as
pictured here, while in rodents it has been
known to develop to a size exceeding that
Of the stomach of the animal. But in these
cases it is always what is known as a
glandular organ and has definite function.
In rodents also the valve which separates
the c9ecum, one of the larger intestines,
from the appendix is well developed and
works with the regularity Of all vitals In
man this value is undeveloped and Is given
the name merely because it has q resem-
blance to such part"
When 1t is diseased the only escape for
the patient from death is by the operation
which was performed on Capt. Rose.
The operation lasted little over two
hours, and the captain was kept under ether
all the time. Assisting DR.. Bull IN the
operation were Drs. Francis Kinnicutt, No
Burney and all the other consult
ing surgeons OF st. Luke's hospital. When
the first cut was made IL was
found the knife would have to go through a
thickness OF almost four inches, and would
possible have TO pass under the csecum, as
the appendix was found almost imhedded
and bent into the large intestine. 1t was
at this juncture that one of the physicians
in attendance advised giving up the case at
once, as an incsion into the larger intestine
would undoubtedly prove fatal. With an
undaunted courage the young
surgeon kept on. The jarring OF the
knife the least fraction of an inch
to either side might give the fatal cut. The
diseased part was reached, and with nerve
of most extraordinary character the ap-
pendix was cut off, removed, and the body
again closed up, For week Capt. Rose
lay in almost a stupor produced from abso-
Lutte weakness. He began to mend quickly
after this, and on Jan. IL was removed
from the hospital to his hotel, entirely re-
covered.
1t is remarkable fact that Capt. Rose
found no physician in France, England or
OOA LAhuJ WAO WOuku uuuoTt6ko tu6 case
with any hope OF eventual success. The
captain is large, heavily built man, and
when l saw him at the Brunswick hotel the
other day beside his demure looking little
wife, Lady Cecilia, | could see why it was
that the surgeons abroad hesitated in the
matter. The use of the knife on the stockily
constructed frame meant hours of awful
patience and perseverance, with the pros
pect of an almost certain inability to get
frrh fha ~ tab al, do, nff,ol
Capt. Rose is an officer of the Tenth
Hussars, and served with distinction In
India, where he was q member OF the staff
of the Prince of Wales.
ut is now almost three years since I had
the first attack of what in medical parlancs
is called appendicitis. or, conventionally
speaking. an Inflammation of the intes-
tines" said he. II have no idea what
brought on the disease except that il is
barely possible that the appendix had
wound itself around one of the more useful
intestines aud had caused a partial stran-
gulation, which resulted afterward in
acute Inflammation. 1t Is also possible that
a grape seed lodged In this useless part at
that time and caused the inia nation, but
the operation performed by DR.. Bull
brought me no certain information on that
point. Ihave had fourteen attacks of what
might be called kind Of acute indigestion
These attacks lasted at times an entire day,
at times an entire week, and on one occa-
sion fully two months. The suffering was
Of a most uncomfortable kind. In fact be-
lieve that another attack would have killed
me. Every physician whom I con-
suited abroad told me that the thickness Of
the abdominal wall would make an opera
tion almost certainly fatal But almost
every one OF these men of scierce advised
me to go to America, where there was more
surgical daring and where it was undoubted
that the physicians were better trained 10
perform surgical operations than those of
Europe.
~ came to New York about three mouths
ago, accompanied by my wife, and at once
placed myself under the care of DR.. Will
lam T. Bull, the consulting surgeon of st.
Luke's. was operated on at once, the ap-
pendIx was entirely removed and / believe
that am as well and s.rong to-day as |
ever was in my thirty-seven years Of ex-
istence"
The most recent case was that of Vice
Chancellor II. c. Pitney Of Morrstown. N.
j., on whom DIR. Charles McBurney
operated. He is the physician who per-
formed similar operation recently upon
Lyman Gage, the Chicago banker.
Physicians tell Of two cases in the car1 of