The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-13
A NOVELTY IN SURGERY.
Portions of an Adult Idiots Skull Re-
moved.
A Washington Special.

moved
A Washington Special
If a novel operation just performed here
proves successful there will lie one idiot less
in the world. The patient operated upon is
the son of a prominent foreigner. The sur
geons opened the imbecile's skull, removed
a large amount of bone, closed the skull.
and intimate that lie may not only recover.
but become level-headed man. This is the
first operation Of the kind ever performed
upon an adult
Speaking of the operation the surgeon who
performed it said:
This gentleman was placed under my
care few days ago by his father to be
treated for lmbeciity. He is young man
of a. Up to the age of 20 he was possessed
OF a remarkable. YOU might even say bright
intellect. He had been through college and
stood well in his class Soon after reaching
the age Of 90 he began 10 snow signs Of fail
ing mental lOWer. When l saw him four
years after that he was almost q complete
idiot, at which time he was placed under
my charge. He would sit by the hour star
ing at vacancy and laughing in q silly way.
His speech was incoherent, and he rarely
gave a logical answer to question. His
general physical health WAS very strong.
Afte: a thorough examination / came to the
conclusion that his falling mental power
was due to the dispTOpOrtion in the growth
between the brain and the skull, tbat MS
brain had grown raster than the skull had
grown, and. as a consequence. IL compressed
against the inner surface OF the skud sub
jecting the whole brain to pressure ana re-
tarding its development.
''Irepaning was decided upon, and to-day
| performed the operation, having first OBJ
tanned full sanction from his father TO do
anything thought pro er TO do.
u first made a semi-lunar inCisiOn in the
scalp at a point about two and half
| inches above the eye on the left side,
turned back the flap, and with trephine
removed two buttons Of bone, leaving two
| holes in the skull at a distance Of about
| three-QuaTterS of an inch from each other.
| | then with q pair of gougng toreepS re-
moved the intervening bone, SO that 1t made
| one large opening in the skull, about two
! two ami half inches in length by one inch
/ in width The scalp was then brought for
ward and the wound closed. A CORES pond
| ing operation was then performed on the
! other side, Immediately over the right eye,
| So that had two holes in the skull such as
| l describe, covering them with the scalp.
! the patient, of course, being all this time
| under the influence of an an8Sthetic OF
| ether.
"Antiseptic measures were used during
| the operation, so that | anticipate that the
! wounds will heal in a healthy way. The
patient came very near dying from heart
! failure, not rallying well from the ether,
| but by hyTolermic injections OF whisky. re-
| peated several times, ne was brought out Of
| his weak state and at this time, eight hours
after the operation, his pulse Is 90 and
| respiration IA temperature normal.
Now, what l hope from the operation is
! that the removal of this large quantity of
hone from the skull will enable the brain to
expand and take OFF the pressure. may
say that the brain, after the removal OF the
bone rose in the Opening more than it
usually does. giving the appearance of the
pressure having been removed from it. 1t
will take three or four weeks to determine
what has been the result upon the mind of
this young man, and in the meantime lie
may posSibly--althOugh l do not think he
Wilde from Inflammation of the brain as
a direct consequence of the operation"