Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-01-13
A BROKEN NECK SET.
Wonderful Triumph of Surgery in n VII
lage in Massachusetts.

Wonderful Triumph of Surgery in n VII
lage in Massachusetts.
A rare medical case, and one that
stands almost unparalleled in the his
tory of medicine up to the present time,
has been successfully treated in the lit
tie village of Haydenville, Mass. 1t is
the resetting of broken neck, and
the patient, Michael Mahar, young
man of %, after confinement Of three
months, is now able to walk about the
village streets.
This remarkable case has been the
marvel of the country physicians round
about, but no account of the operation,
which has been thought to be beyond
surgical skill, has hitherto been put
lished. About three months ago DR..
Hubert II. Flagg, of Northampton,
while returning from visit to country
house, witnessed an accident by which
two young men in party of four were
thrown from wagon. One rolled into
ditch and picked himself up, but the
other lay motionless in the road
Jumping from his carriage, the doctor
put his arm under the mans shoulder
ana raised him slightly. The young
mans head fell over backward until it
rested upon the back between the
shoulders. His neck was broken.
The universal maxim in cases of a
broken neck is: "Make death as easy
as possible" but DR.. Flagg, when a
medical student at the University Of
Pennsylvania, had decided that ifa doc
tor got at his patient in time it ought to
be possible to set broken neck as we'll
as dislocated shoulder or thigh. With
out waiting an instant, DR.. Flagg
stepped back of the body, placed his
knees against the patients shoulders,
and took the head gently but firmly be-
tween his hands. Then turning the
head from side to side, delicately, he
gave a strong, steady pull. There was
a sharp snap-the head was again in its
pocket.
Moments were precious now. Res
piration had become imperceptible be-
fore the head was snapped back into its
original position, but this done, there
was Immediate relief and slight res
piration was noticeable. The doctor
forced some brandy down Mahar's
throat. This had stimulating effect,
and his pulse rose gradually from Is
beats a minute, to which dangerous
state 1t had fallen. to about SO.
By exercising great care the young man
was transferred distance ofthree miles
to his home, Or. Flagg holding his head
in position all the time. Delicate and
exciting as had been the struggle against
death thus far, it was now that the real
battle began. To add to the complied
tons, 1t was soon discovered that not
only had the neck been dislocated-or,
as it is ordinarily called, "broken, -
but some of the delicate pieces OF bone
forming the casing of the spinal cord
had been crushed, and when ones
fingers were applied to the back of the
neck they could be felt and heard graf
ing against one another.
The inflammation ofthe spinal cord was
reduced by constant application of hot
cloths to the back of the neck, night and
day, for more than three weeks. An
iron frame held the head securely, so
that the neck could not again be dislo-
Gated by the patients writhing Every
week young Mahar grew stronger, and a
little bunch on the neck, like the en-
largement on welded iron, showed that
the fractured ligaments and broken bone
had knit.
After six weeks he was able to lie on
the pillow without the aid of brace
during the daytime, although it was
always necessary to replace it when he
slept. Then he began to be able to
move his head from side to side, and
after eight weeks it was possible for him
to move it backward and forward very
gingerly, and at that DR.. Flagg began to
hope that he might some time be able
to go without any brace whatsoever-in
fact, that he would become actually as
well as ever.
Three weeks ago, Mahar tried the ex-
pertinent Of walking, ana finding no
difficulty. now goes out Of doors and
about the streets, after most painful
confinement q three months. Every
day the neck is getting stronger, and it
is only question Of time when his re-
markable cure will be complete. In
that event the case would be without a
parallel in the annals Of medicine. AS
it is, there are only two recorded that
approach it.
Mahar's case, aside from its original
ity, is chiefly interesting in thatit shows
that the time honored custom of regard
ing broken neck as necessarily fatal
must be abandoned. 1t may be cured.