The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-02-18
Restoring Mind to an Idiot.

WASHINGTON, February 9.-Ifa novel
surgical operation which was performed
here to-day is successful there will be one
less idiot in the world. Ex.Surgeon
General William A. Hammond, assisted
by three surgeons, opened the skull OF
an imbecile. removed large amount OF
bone, closed the skull, and expects that
the patient will not only recover, but will
be q level-headed man. This is the fret
operation of the kind ever performed up.
on an adult.
saw General Hammond tonight and
asked who the pstien. was. He refused
to give me his name, butsaid that he was
the son of prominent foreign family
"This gentleman" said the doctor, "was
placed under rny care few days ego by
his father to be treated for imbecility.
He is young man of "a. Up to the age
of 20 he was possessed of remarkable,
you might even say brilliant intellect.
He had been through college and stood
we'll in his class. Soon after reaching the
age of 20 he began to show evidence of
failing mental power.
"When I saw him four years after that
he was almost complete idiot, at which
time he was placed under my charge.
He would sit by the hour staring at va.
csncy, and laughing in a silly way. His
speech was incoherent and he rarely gave
logical answer to question. His gen.
sral physical health was very strong. At
ter thorough examination came to the
conclusion that his failing mental power
was due to the disproportion in the
growth between the brain and the skull;
that his brain had grown faster than the
skull had grown, and as consequence
was compressed against the inner surface
of the skull, subjecting the whole brain
to pressure, and retarding its develop
ment. i
"Trephiuing was decided upon, and to.
day performed the operation, having
first obtained full sanction from his faith
er to do anything thought proper to do.
was assisted by Drs. Fisher and Tomp-
kins aud the late Surgeon-General of
the Chilean Army under Balmaceds, DR..
Middleton.
"I first made semilunar incision in
the scalp at a point about two and q half
inches above the eye on the left side,
turned back the flap and Sith a trephine
removed two buttons of bone, leaving
two holes in the skull at distance of
about three-fourths of sn inch from each
other. Then with pair of gouging for
ceps removed the intervening bones 80
that it made one large opening in the
skull about three inches and half in
length by an inch in width. The scalp
was then brought forward aud then the
wound closed. A corresponding opera
tion was then performed on the other
side, Immediately over the right eye, 80
that had two holes in tho skull, such as
I describe, covering them with the scalp,
the patient, of course, being all this
time under the influence of an anasthet-
ic of ether.
"Antiseptic measures were used during
the operation, 80 that I anticipate that
the wounds will heal in a healthy way.
The patient came very near dying from
heart failure, not rallying we'll from the
ether, but by hypodermic injections of
whiskey repeated several times he was
brought out Of his weak state, and at this
time, eight hours after the operation, his
pulse is 66, respiration II, temperature
normal.
"Now, what I hope from the operation
is that the removal of this large quantity
of bone from the skull will enable the
brain to expand and take off the pressure.
I may say that the brain after the reno
val of the bone rose up more into the
opening 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 he may pos
sibly-although l do not think he will
die from Inflammation of the brain
as a direct consequence of the opera
tion."