Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-03-10
GRATING DOGS BONE TO BOY.
Results of the New York Experiment
Not Entirely Successful.

In the Medical Record of New
York DR.. A. NJ. Phelps publishes an
account of his experiment of grating
bone from dog to that of a human
being. The published reports, the
Doctor says, were incorrect. The
experiment was performed at the
Charity Hospital on Blackwell's
Island in the latter part of 1890. Ac-
cording to the Doctors report. the
patient, lad named John Gethius,
suffered from comminuted fracture
of the lower third of the leg, the result
Of an operation to remedy an anterior
curvature of the tibia which had eX-
listed from childhood. The muscles
of the boys legs were perfect.
The lad first came under DR..
Phelps observation two years ago. A
number of experiments were tried
upon the leg, but failed to relieve the
patient or help the deformity. 1t
was decided, therefore, to try the
bone-grafting process. a dog two
years old was secured and pre-
pared for the operation. 1t was
washed in soap and water and a
The dog was then etheriZed and en-
yeloped in a thick layer Of absorbent
cotton. 1t was placed in a natural
sitting posture Over the cotton were
| placed a few coats of plaster of Paris.
The right foreleg of the animal
| protruded through the dressings.
This leg was shaved and made asep-
tic with bichlOride Of mercury. The
| boy was also anIsthetiZed. and the
ends of the fractured bones were
"freshened." Two elliptical incisions
| were then made in the. fracture four
! inches in length. With saw the
ends of the bones were "freShened. :"
| A space of one inch was made be-
| tween them. The portions of the
bone which were removed, the Doc
! tor says, resembled ivory more than
bone.
The limb Of the patient was then
enveloped in plaster-of-paris ban
dage, beginning six inches above the
incision and extending to the upper
| third of the thigh. The foot and
| ankle were also covered with a plas-
| ter-of-paris bandage. An incisiOn
was then made in the side of the dog
for the purpose Of cutting a piece
which would fit in the elliptical-
shaped wound of the patients leg.
| The elbow was eXcised next; the ra-
dius and ulna were severed and the
J humerus removed. The extremity
near the paw was amptutated The
attachment of the biceps tendon was
also detached from the bone.
The dog was then placed by the
side of the patients leg with the
head toward the patient. An alum
mum dowelpin was passed through
the medullary cavity in the long axis
Of the bone. A steel pin, the Doctor
now thinks, would have been prefer
able. The bones were forced to-
gether by the pin. A silver wire
was passed around the graft. 1t held
the bone firmly in place. A large
tube was inserted for the purpose of
drainage. The patients were put
to bed At times they received
small doses of morphine. After
three days the dog and the boy the
Doctor says, lost their Impotence and
| became fast friends.
In speaking of the results of the
| operation, which lasted about six
! weeks, the Doctor says:
"The operation is a success in SO
| far as it establishes the principle
that is possible to grow large masses
| of tissue from an animal to man and
| to establish the circulation until the
union takes place between opposite
species without danger to either. 1t
also demonstrates that growth Of
new bone takes place when section
of bone is transpla nted and it's nu-
triton maintained by the artery of
the animal This, if continued for
four or five weeks, would probably
unite fracture. Owing to the in
efficient dressing, which is apt to oc-
cur in early operations, the contact
of the transplanted bone could not
be continued sufficiently long for
/ bone to unite to bone. But | am
confident after viewing the speci-
men, and taking all the conditions
and surroundings into account, that
bony union would have taken place
if actual contact could have been
maintained for a longer period. The
stimulation of the graft, however,
has excited a reparatiye process in
the fracture, and it now promises
fair to unite. The boy walks with
the aid of one crutch or cane"
DR.. George E. Shrady, in writing
editorially Of the experiment, COM
| pliments DR.. Phelps, and says that
the trial opens a field for future
study and experiment. He adds,
among other things:
Notwithstanding actual union Of
! bone did not occur, such a possibil-
ity, with different conditions and
surroundings, is reasonably hopeful.
In this particular instance sufficient
| time was not allowed for the compile
| tion OF such a process"
/ Coach Dogs.