The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-07-28
CURING iDiocY.


CURING iDiOCY. ~
Ar Operation to Give the Brain Room TO
Expand.
A distinguished New York physician
has discovered that children born with
inferior brain capacity. and-showing de-
cided predispesition to idiocy, can be
cured by surgical operation upon the
skull. There are six soft spots known
to physicians upon the Uranium of a
child. The anterior one, which is the
largest, is situated where the coronal
and sagittal sutures meet, and remains
open some time after birth. These
spots are called frontancls, and at the
age of eighteen months become solid
bone. like other parts of the skull The
problem, therefore. was to decrease the
thickness of the skull in certain parts,
SO that it could expand and thus afford
+ greater brain activity. An experiment
has recently been made on a child in
the New York Juvenile asylum at
Mount Vernon, and. there is every evil
t=Henee at-cenp lete1sneeess been
Little Harry Thatchcr's father and
mother died within month Of each
other four years ago, when Harry was
year old. He wasn't very bright when
taken TO the asylum, and developed in
to stupid idiot He did not grow fast,
SO that now he is no larger than an or
binary child of three. He couldn't re-
member anything or eat any solid food.
1t looked as if Harry was doomed.
Then the doctor decided upon won
derful operation, which will make
Harry famous in all the medical jour
nails after awhile. He determined to
cut pieces out Of Harry's skull, to give
the child's brain a chance to grow.
The operation was performed and was
Hfest successful + is always extremely
dangerous to open the skull, but that
was the only chance for the child.
The doctor used his brain electrical
b boring and cutting apparatus, besides
knives and saws The left side of Har-
rvs head was shaved. The child's or
gans of speech were affected, and as the
brain matter which controls them are
on the left side, the surgeon operated
| there. The head was washed with soap
and then solution of bichloride Of
| mercury the-strongest of all antisep-
tics. Then the boy was ready for the
knife. Ether was administered, and
the moment Harry was under its inf
ence the surgeon made rapid cut
through the middle of the scalp. Then
| he made transverse cuts over the frontal
| md back bone of the skull. The flap OF
scalp was thrown back, leaving the
skull bare. From this point on the
surgeon had need OF all his skill.
He decided at the last moment not to
use the electrical Instruments The
bone was not SO hard as he anticipated
and so he could work to better advan-
| tage with his HANDS. On the left side,
| just above the eyebrow. he placed cyl
indrical saw, which IS used like bit:
foratcd. The trepan cut out button
of bone just half inch in diameter.
Back six inches from the first opening,
and near the occipital bone or the pos
| terror segment, another button was ex-
/ traeted. The doctor then decided to re-
move part Of the skull with punch
capable of taking out slice half inch
| long and three-sixteenths of an inch
wide. The. doctor inserted this punch
into the opening made by the trepan. II
cut out the bone smoothly and sharply,
and the doctor made the opening the
width of two incisions From one
| opening TO the other he cut away the
bone, waking smooth, even trench six
inches long and three-eighths of an
inch wide, laying bare the fibrous mem
brane of the brain. The trench ran
along the middle of the junctionso of the
Two side bones at the top of the head.
| This channel was no sooner opened
than the surgeon made two transverse
ones of the same width, but about two
inches long, One passed through the
frontal bone and the other on the pos.
terror segment over the left parietal
bone half way to the occipital. This
| blowing along had to be done with the
i, greatest care, for IL would be dangerous
to cut the membrane, or even bruise it.
| for fear of inflammation. Then, too, in
the cavities directly underneath the
seams are myriads of blood-vessels, and
! the least disturbance would cause hem
orrhage. And, above all, not moment
must be wasted. Each second added tt
the danger. The surgeon plowed
through the skull as fast as his hands
could sever the bone When he had
| finished the cutting the wound was
washed. Then the scalp was drawn
back into place and stitched. The
compress about the head was re
moved. The whole operation was per
formed in twenty-five minutes. Harry
was playing ont ofkdoors in five days
Once Week.