Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-04
SAVED BY A SURGEONS SKILL.
A Girl With Her Vertebrate Fractured
Expected to Recover.

Mary Hooker. a pretty little brunette,
nineteen years old, and employed as a serv-
ant in the family of A. L. Doll, No. 101
West 10th street. New York. is lying in
the hospital OF the New York Polytechnic
with a broken back. and will in all proba-
bility recover. This astounding result will
be due mainly to the skill of a physician
who is a professor of surgery in the Poly
clinic, and his assistants.
The circumstances which led to the acct
dent are of by no means unusual character.
Mary stood by the dumb waiter shat. in
the rear of the kitchen and tried to reach
the sliding door, which had slipped from
her hand and glided upward. She Is short
and plump and could not reach 1t. She
mounted a chair. stretched out her hand.
and the chair. probably because she stood
on its extreme edge. tipped forward.
There was a piercing scream. followed by
a resounding thump, which came from the
basement of the house. The girl had fallen
foremost down the shaft, and struck the
ground in sitting posture. When the
janitor and the tenants reached her side
she was as she had fallen, in sitting
posture, with her back against the wall Of
the shaft.
She was conscious, moaning piteously,
and at the attempt to raise her to her feet
shrieked with pain. The doctor had al
ready received call, and was hurrying
to the house. In his hasty examination Of
the girl he noticed a slight protuberance
or curvature In the dorsal vertebrae, Just
below the fourth cervical bone. The alb
sence of numbness and the appearance Of
the injury told him that although her back
had been broken there was just a chance
to save her. He determined to take the
chance
A Roosevelt Hospital surgeon was now
assisting him, and the sufferer was
lifted into the ambulance and placed in a
position that would not further affect the
fracture. Then she was driven down to
the Polytechnic. Once there, no time was
lost in getting to work. An anaesthetic
was administered. and the patient was laid
on the operating table. The doctor first
made an inciSon in the back, beginning
at the first dorsal BONE and extending about
eight inches. The lapels of the flesh thus
made were turned over and held down by
retractors. and then the doctor made a sec
ond incision three inches in length, dividing
the tissues. The injury that the girl had
sustained was now apparent. The terrific
conclusion as she struck the ground with
legs and spine had made three distinct
fractures of the dorsal bone. but, as the
doctor had supposed, the fracture had not
extended to the spinal cord. This circum-
stance may save the girls life. third in
ciSiOn, this time inch and a half long,
and exposing the marrow, was necessary
before the three pieces of broken bone
could be removed. This was the most
difficult and delicate of the operations, and
II was accomplished with complete success.
Then the missions were sewn together;
the girl was enveloped in a plaster cast,
and the operation was over.
Early in the evening she recovered con-
seriousness and was resting in almost en-
tire freedom from pain. 1t is understood
that an attempt will be made to replace the
missing pieces of bone Paralysis of the
lower limbs may supervene as a result of
nnI
to regard. with hope the chances of a COM
plete recovery.