Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-07-18
A Man With a Hogs Lung.

4 Man With Hogs Lung.
The Chicago drummer who tells the
wonderful surgery stories was in town
again last week. Two years ago he re-
lated how two doctor friends of his had
successfully removed a diseased stom-
ach from patient and grated into its
place the stomach of a sheep, and how
the patient became perfectly healthy,
but had TO subsist on grass in sum
mer and hay and bran mash in the win
ter.
Cozily seated in one of the big leather
covered chairs at the Hotel Cadillac the
drummer related another marvellous
feat of surgical skill performed by the
two doctors.
Ever since they performed the opCr-
alton with the stomach" he began,
they have awaited an opportunity TO
try Il similar experiment with lung.
They procured three healthy young pigs
and kept them carefully on clean food,
with clean bed and all surroundings
good enough for human being. This
was done in order that the lungs or
whatever part was TO be used for graft
ing should be perfectly sound and
healthy. You never saw such pigs in
your life. They were as nice and dain-
ty as any dude, and knew about as
much as some of them. When the pigs
we're about year old the doctors had
patient with lung disease, on whom
they decided to try the operation.
Careful examination showed that one
lung was entirely gone, but the other
was not so badly affected. If they
could graft the lung of pig into him
he could breathe with his other one
while the operation was being per-
formed and the connections were heal
ing together. He knew it was case of
life or death with him anyhow, and the
disease would take him away very soon,
so he decided to let them try it.
"They had two operating tables and
placed him on ore and pig on the
| other. Then they chloroformed them
both, and one worked on the patient,
while the other cut into the pig. They
handled one about as carefully as the
other, as they wanted to save the pig
alive and see how lie would get along
in the world with only one lung.
''It was good deal more difficult
operation to get at his lungs than it
was to get at the other mans stomach.
They had to cut through the ribs and
make large double opening. Then
thev had to cut the ribs in two places,
so us to turn the flap back out of the
way while they worked on the lung.
1t was like opening the lid of a trunk.
When they got him opened up and
made an examination, they found that
the bronchial tube was so badly dis
eased that it was no use trying to save
him by putting in lung. ltwas pret-
ty serious case, with a man cut wide
open, and no way to fix him up. If
they failed, and the man died under
the operation, the whole medical fra
tcrnity would turn against them, and
they might be indicted for man.
slaughter.
1t looked SO much like crazy scheme
that no sensible doctors would try, and
they felt pretty dubious about it. But
il wouldn't do to let the man die on
the table with his chest all open. So
they resolved to make desperate ef-
fort to save him. They split his throat
open and cut off the bronchial tube.
In less than twenty seconds the lung
of the pig was taken out, with the bron-
chial tube attached, and the whole con-
cern was put into the man and the con-
Dections were soon made. The open
ings iu his throat and chest were then
closed up and the edges sewed togeth
er, and the patient was placed in bed.
As he came out from under the infu-
ence of chloroform they administered
opiates to keep him quiet, and he SEEM
ed to breathe without much effort. He
had hard struggle for life, but the in
cisons gradually healed, and the new
lung got down to business, so that in a
few weeks it worked all right.
''In two months he was able to sit up
in bed, and in another month he could
walk across the floor. But he never,
in all that time, spoke word. His
breathing apparatus was very tender
and sore, and he didn't feel like using
it any more than he had to. But in
about six months the whole business
was healed sound and well, and he be-
gan to make an effort to speak. 1t
wasn't a success.
"He could only squeal. Every effort
to utter a word resulted only in the
language hog uses when it tries to
express its desire for grub. The wind
pipe wasn't built for talking human
language, and it wouldn't do it. But
the fellow was full of pluck, although
part oft was hogs pluck, and he de-
termined to talk or die. He knew he
had human glottis and larynx, and
all the other apparatus, and he kept
trying until he got so he could speak a
lew sy!lables, but it was hard work and
slow business.
The fellow lived out in the suburbs,
ana after he had become able to walk
about and take care of himself, the doc
, tors let him go home. The whole one
ration was kept "a secret from his friends
and, although they knew he had beer,
treated, and was good deal better no
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