The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-26
DOLLARS FOR HEART BEATS,
Edward lighthouse Earns His Living by
Showing His Heart to Doctors.

New York, Decent Der 25.-It is exceed
ingly rare to find d man whose heart is
SO completely in his business as is that
of Edward W. lighthouse. Mr.. lighthouse
is at present staying at the PusQam
house in Fourth avenue. His heart is his
business-or rather showing the beatings
of his heart to the medical profession
and to students at medical colleges
throughout the country is his business
Mr.. lighthouse has hole in the left
side of his chest large enough to admit a
mans hand, in which the pulsations of
his heart can be clearly seen. This
opening extends from the third to the
seventh rib and is three inches wide. 1t
is the result of an operation for the radi-
cal cure OF an abscess in the pleural
cavity, performed by DR.. Roswell Park
four years ago at the General hospital at
Buffalo.
Mr.. lighthouse was employed in the
meat-dressing room of I'd. Armour in
South Omaha in 1885, and while there he
took severe cold which resulted in
pluerisy Of the left lung. An abscess
formed in the pleural cavity and became
SO dangerous as to demand surgical in
reference to save his life. He abandoned
his work at South Omaha and decided
finally to go to the General hospital at
Buffalo for treatment There East
lander's operation was performed upon
him by DIR. Park.
The operation consisted in exsecting an
inch and half from five ri BIS in the chest
with the superintendent tissues, and
a similar exsection at a corresponding
point in the back. This opened up the
entire left chest. Then nearly the
whole of the left lung was discovered to
be gone.
Through this opening the ribs in the
back and the tissues between them can
be plainly seen The hearts action is
also visible. On account of the cavity
formed by the collapsed left lung the
heart is pushed toward the left into this
the right lung. This has entirely oblit-
Grated the apica. impulse and the lower
tip of the heart beats in the cavity in
stead of against the interior walls of the
chest as it does under normal conditions.
When seen by a reporter yesterday, MIR,
lighthouse was sitting in the corridor of
the Putnam house reading newspaper.
His appearance does not indicate his
peculiar physical condition. He is tall
and looks as strong and rugged as any
man. He talked freely about himself,
and said that he soon discovered after
leaving the hospital at Buffalo that he
could not do any work which demanded
much exertion. He went. to Bellaire
Ohio, where his wife and three children
were staying, and found it difficult to
make living for himself and family. A
month or SO ago he adopted. the plan of
exhibiting himself to the medical pro-
fession for livelihood.
He has exhibited himself at clinics in
Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus and
Louisville. During his present visit in
this city he has been shown to several of
DE-. w Gilman TbOpaDcpntS n1acsaS at I'll q
University Medical College, and also at
a clinic conducted by DIR. Alfred L.
Loomis, in Bellevue hospital. He was
also shown to a class in the Woman
Medical College, and in the Long Island
College hospital. He was also seen at
the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
DR.. W. Gilman Thompson will take Mr..
lighthouse to New Haven next Thurs
day, where he will be exhibited to he
medical faculty there. From New Haven
Mr.. lighthouse will go to Philadelphia,
Washington and Baltimore.