Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-09-22
A VALUABLE AGENT.
HOW MODERN SURGEONS NOW
USE ELECTRICITY.
SOMETHING UNKNOWN TO OLD
TIME OPERATORS.

A Patients Interior May Be Illunli-
mated SO That 1t May Be Intelli-
gently Explored-The Recent Reyo-
luton in the Making of Surgical In
StrumentS.
Electr1cty is finding a wide field of
usefulness in surgery. By it's aid the
interior of the human body is actually
Illuminated, so that the physician can
gaze upon the internal mechanism of
the patient and find out what is the
matter. For example, suppose that the
digestive organs of a child go wrong.
Perhaps the difficulty may be due to
some object swallowed, like Il penny.
1t is an easy thing to settle the ques
ton by lighting UP the stomach from
within. The instrument devised for
this purpose is as simple as it is ingen-
ious, says the Washington Star. 1t
looks like an ordinary rubber tube, to
the end of which a bulb of glass is at
tached. This, with the bulb end first,
is passed down the throat of the
patient, just like an ordinary stomach
tube. There is no difficulty about
swallowing it, as one who has never
made such an experiment might
imagine. A loop of copper wire eX-
tends through the entire length of the
tube. Its two ends, projecting from
the other extremity Of the rubber
worm, are attached to the battery.
1t is but the work Of a minute to
pass the rubber worm down the pa
tents throat. The electric current is
turned on and light equal in power
to two candles appears within the glass
bulb. This light Eliminates the inside
Of the stomach so brightly that it can
actually be seen through the front wall
of the body, which exhibits rosy
glow. If any foreign body has found
Judgment in the organ it will appear
by an Opaque spot. In this way it is
often possible to find out what ais Il
person whose illness might otherwise
remain a mystery. False teeth are not
infreGuently swallowed.
The digestive fluids act so powerfully
as decomposing agents that the ordi-
nary substances are quickly dissolved
by them. Thus most foreign bodies
that find their way into the stomach
and canJot pass out through the intes-
final canal are soon eaten up. Accord
ingly, the notion commonly held by
ignorant people that frog or lizard
can live and grow in persons
stomach is a very funny one. Nor
need anybody entertain dread lest
d cherry tree or other vegetarian de-
velop in his inside. In cases where
dangerous objects like false teeth do
lodge in the stomach they must be got
rid of in one of several interesting
ways, such as fishing them.
Another interesting operation is call
ed reconsideration Of the larynN." 1t
is applied in eases where something is
supposed to DE the matter with that
organ. An electric lamp somewhat re
'sembling dark lantern, with Il power
full lens, is pressed against the out side
Of the throat in front, directly over
the Adams apple. Everybody has IN
Adams apple, which is the voice box
containing the vocal cords. though in
not make an ugly projection. Close
against this organ from the outside
the lens Of the lantern is pressed, so
that all of the concentrated light is
shed through the throat wall
So thin is the wall that the rays
pierces it and Eliminates the voice box
within, enabling the physician, by look
ing down the patients throat, to eX-
anime it's interior and to see if any
thing as wrong with the vocal cords.
Just as this important organ of speech
is examined by electricity SO likewise
the surgeon lights up the inside Of the
ear and investigates the condition of
the apparatus of hearing. For the
same purpose with the eye the opera
tor is satisfied to use gas light, throw
ing a reflected ray into the dark cham
Der of the organ Of vision by means of
a disk-shaped mirror, through small
hole in the center Of which, he sees
the retina brilliantly Illuminated.
Inside Of the cheek bone on each side
is a small cavity known to medical
science as the ''antrum of Hymore'
Sometimes, owing to Inflammation
caused by an abscess Of 4 tooth OF by
pus. To find out if such a thing has
happened the physician puts into the
mouth of the patient small electric
lamp, which has an attachment of gut
ia percha, so constructed as to push
down the tongue. The light, which
has a power equal to three candles
and is produced by current Of three
volts, Eliminates the whole face, just
as a hollow pumpkin is lighted up by
a candle. If there is pus the ''an
tr1lm' on either side black.
In the bone OF the skull on either
side, just behind the eyebrow, is a cav
ity called the frontal SINUS" These
two cavities are examined in like man
ner by means Of an electric light
inserted between the ball of the eye
and the upper rim Of the bony orbit !
Thus the rays are made to pass
through and transluminate the bones
along the brow. Another sort of cleo
trio lamp is employed for looking
through a finger which may have a |
needle in it. Having found out ex-
actly where the needle is located it is |
easy for the surgeon to cut it out, !
otherwise it might be quite the re- |
verse. By holding such a lamp at the |
back or palm of a persons hand the
whole structure Of that wonderful |
piece of mechanism can be clearly
seen.