The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-06-23
A NOVEL OPERATION
Formed Lately at the New Oily
Hospital
me- SIDE OF 4 NOSE REPLACED
By Flesh Takon From Another Part
OF the Body-..Incidentalt to the Main
Operation, Another is Performed
for the First Time in the United
states.

has come to pass right here in Wheel
ing. Everybody has read, at some time
or other, an account Of the manufactute
OF nose by some physician, its appii.
cation to the face Of some individual
unluckily minus a proboscisi and how
it stuck there and grew there and was a
thing of beauty and Of joy to itso owner
Probably no ono has ever met the
man who had the operation performed,
but anybody can see him in Wheeling
to-day.
An IETRLLIaBScER reportet yesterday
had talk with Mr.. /. B. Van Fosseu,
who formerly conducted hourishing
coal business. For some years he was
afflicted with cancer OF the nose, and
five years ago he had it burned out.
The operation was successful, in SO lar
that Ii stopped the cancerous growth;
but hidoous hole was left, almost the
entire right side OF the nose having
boon eaten away. Mr.. Van Fossen had
read accounts in the newspapers OF
operations OF replacing the nose, but
scarcely hoped 10 be SO fortunate as to
ever obtain a new one himself.
On the 25th of Nav he went to the
now city hospital, and there had an
operation performed by DR.. Frank
Hupp, in the presence of.seyeral other
physicians The size OF tho cavity was
carefully measured and the shape and
measurement marked ofoong the fore
head. The knife was then run on each
side of the nose, extending up over the
forehead slightly beyond tho base OF
tho scalp. The edges Of the cavity on
thonose were pared down and raw
surface formed. The upper part OF the
nose which had been loosened by the
knife was now pushed up and twisted
to one side, and the flap OF fesh and
skin on the forehead was brought down
and placed with its raw edges imping-
ing on the edges OF the cavity in the
nose. The upper flap OF the nose was
then twisted around, and The raw st!e
inserted in the hole in the forehead.
The edges Of the nose cavity aud Of the
flesh brought down from the forehead
were sewed together, and the operation
was over for the time being H..
The wounds healed rapidly and the
flap taken from the nose and placed on
the raw surface OF the forehead quickly
adhered and healed famously. There
still remained wide cash in the fore
head, the part taken from the nose not
being large enough to cover it. An
operation was necessary to replace the
skin on the forehead. Had the skin
been replaced Immediately, before the
raw forehead had tilled up, while the
skin would have grown SO well, yet an
unsightly depression would have been
left in the forehead. To replace the
skin lost from the forehead one OF two
operations was necessary, Incorporation
OF pinhead skin grating or that ofgraft-
ing whole piece OF epidermis. The
latter, however, Mr.. Van Fossen said he
was informed, had never been tried in
this country, though successfully so in
Europe. "Pinhead" grating is the meth
cd usually employed in this country.
The operation consists in shipping OIL
very small portions of skin from
healthy body and applying them to the
place where new growth Is desired.
The different pieces grow out and ex-
tend and finally unite.r covering the
whole surface. Some years ago the
members OF lodge OF Masons in the
west volunteered to give portions OF
thor cuticle TO an injured brother, who
had been injured in IN accident and
whose skin refused to grow.
When the cavity in Mr.. Van Fossen''s
forehead had filed sufficiently with
granulations Of flesh the grating opera
ton was performed. A piece OF skin
exactly the size OF that missing from
the forehead was taken from the front
OF the patients left thigh and clapped
on the forehead. Proper measures and
remedies were used and the;skingrew
in place, Toward the end OF last, week
the patient loft the hospital r. ie-.
As far Us the operation has proceeded
it Is IN undoubted success. The nose
of course is not symmetrical and has a
swollen and crooked appearance. At
the apex OF the nose is q considerable
protuberance produced by the twisted
portion Of the forehead and nose flaps.
This protuberance and the swelling has
been reduced very petceptihly since
Mr.. Van Fossen left the hospital, and
will be removed entirely by a third
operation, which will be undertaken. In
about two weeks. Tho manufactured
nostrii will be enlarged, the organ pared
down, and by the time the entire oper:
alton is finished Mr.. Van Fosseu will
have nose every bit as shapely as the
one he wore in his youth. Fta5 $40
A funny thing about the newnose IS
tho fact, that tho owner haSto shave 1t.
The upper end OF the flap brought
down from the forehead is now at the
end OF the nose, aud tue hair continues
to grow as it once did when it was To-
Gated in the scalp. This annoyance is
only temporary, as the hair can DO re-
moved by an electrical process.
While the reporter was talking to
Mr.. Van Fossen a fly alighted on his
nose, and he attempted to brush the
insect of his forehead. "It's pc
culisrity about my nose, said he. chat
when fly alights on it, or happen to
touch it, my nose feels nothing, but the
sensation OF feeling is in my forehead.
suppose the nerve in the forehead was
brought down with the Zap Of flesh"
Mr.. Van Fossen praised highly the
CITY hospital, and thinks there is mo-
body who can handle patients like the
matfon and the nurses, He praises the
cleanliness, the cooking and everything
connected with the establishment.
M ,,,,;oy, - NTarnd,,;I1a will