The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-09
BORN IDIOTS TO BE CURED
CRANIAL CAVITY OF A BOY IN
AN ASYLUM ENLARGED.

Was Trepanned, His Scalp Thrown
Back and Two Buttons of Bone Re-
moved by Cylindrical Saw.
trenches Made Along the Sutures
of the Parietal Bones and Small
Transverse Channels in the Poste-
rior Segment.
From the Nei0 York World
Every parent knows about the soft spots
on a ba5y's head. And those who have
been allowed to fondle babies have invaria-
bly, been told to be careful of the little ones
head, because the skull was soft, and If baby
was roughly handled there might be a pres
sure on the brain.
Physicians call these soft spots fontanels.
There are six in all, about the size Of a 90
cent piece each. The anterior one, which is
the largest, is situated where the coronal
| and sagittal sutures meet, and remains open
some time after birth.
just after baby is born its brain grows
much faster than the rest Of its body. The
fontanels are TO give the brain chance to
expand, since, during the first year it grows
much faster than the skull. After eighteen
| months the fontanels become solid bone,
| like other parts of the skull.
| There are many more idiots born into this
world than statistics show, and many suffer
| from a small crauial cavity and being born
with perfectly hardened skull.
For many years the scientists thought
| there could be no cure. Three or four years
| ago Frenchman thought that many Of the
| idiots hadn't been given a chance. He con-
| cluded that II part of the skull was re-
moved in an idiotic child and the brain was
| allo wed to grow cure would be effected.
| His experiments were so successful that DIR.
| Launelogue is now famous man, indeed
| both in and out of Paris
II it hadn't been for DR.. Lannelogue and
distinguished New York doctor, little
| Harry, an inmate of the New York Juvenile
| Asylum in Mount Vernon, would have
| grown up All idiot Harry's father and
mother lived on the east side. They died
within month Of each other four years
| ago, when Harry was q year old. he wasn't
very bright when taken to the asylum, and
developed into a stupid idiot. He did not
grow fast, so that now he is no larger than
an ordinary child of three. He couldn't
remember anything or eat any solid food. 1t
| looked as If Harry was doomed.
Then the doctor decided upon a wonder
| full operation, which will make Harry
famous in all the medical journals after
awhile. He determined to cut pieces out OF
Harry's skull to give the chllds brain a
chance to grow.
The operation was performed a week ago
last Friday, and it was most successful. 1t
is always extremely dangerous to open the
skull, but that was the only chance for the
| child.
The doctor brought from town his brain
electrical boring and cutting apparatus, be.
| sides knives and saws. The left side of
| Harry's head was shaved. The child's
| organs of speech were affected and as the
| brain matter which controls them is on the
| left side, the surgeon operated there. The
head was washed with soap and then with q
solution of bichloride OF mercury, the
strongest of all antiseptics. Then the boy
| was ready for the knife.
Ether was administered, and the moment
Harry was under its influence the surgeon
made rapid cut through the middle Of the
| scalp. Then he made transverse cuts over
| the frontal and back bones of the skull. The
flap Of the scalp was thrown back, laying
the skull bare. From this point on tine
surgeon bad 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 advantage with his
| hands. On the left side, just above the eye
brow, he placed cylindrical saw, which is
used like bit, with which the skull was
| first perforated. s- t71e-
The trepan cut out button of bone Just a
half inch in diameter Back six inches from
the first opening, and near the occlpital
bone or the posterior segment, another but,
| ton was extracted.
The doctor then decided to remove a part
of the skull with punch capable of taking
| out slice half inch long and three-six-
| teenths OF an inch wide
The doctor inserted this punch into the
opening made by the trepan. 1t cut out the
bone smoothly and sharply, and the doctor
made the opening the width Of two incis-
IONS From one opening to the other he cut
away the bone, making a smooth, even
trench, 6 inches long and * of an inch
wide, laying bare the fibrOus membrane of
the brain. The trench ran along the
middle of the junction 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 posterior segment
over the left parietal bone half way to the
occipital.
This ploughing along had to be done with
the greatest care for it would be danger
GUS 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 dis
turbance would cause hemarrhoRe. And
above ell, not moment must be wasted
Each second added to the danger. The sur
Reon ploughed 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 removed. The whole
operation was performed in twenty-five
minutes.
Harry was playing out of doors yester
day. The only trace Of the operation was
his partly shaved head.
THE operation was thoroughly SUCCESS
full" said DR.. S. K. Bremner, the house sur.
geon of the asylum. at was one of unusual
interest, and when l say it was successful
mean only immediately for it will of course
take long time, perhaps years, to establish
its success beyond a question. There is
little doubt, however, of its ultimate sue
cess. The head was dressed only once, and
that was when the operation was performed.
Five days later the bandages were removed
Not drop Of puss had formed
The nurses say that an extraordinary
change has taken place in Harry. He re-
members things and he is hungry most Of
the time. be is also much brighter.
The skull will gradually grow together in
course of time. or its place will be taken by
a cartllaginous growth as hard as bone it
self. Fully so per cent. OF the idiots suffer
from small cranial cavities and these can be
cured by the above operation.
The Trees of Paris.
From the Nei1 York Herald
Paris contains more trees than any city
in the world, which is the reason why its
ctr re md nv