The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-26
BE MAY RECOVER.

Plenty of Men Have Lived After Receiving
Worse Injuries than Kiines.
The tenacity with which William Kline
olings to life, Notwithstanding the ferco
hacking he received at the hands of his un-
known assailant, has given rise to consid-
cradle speculation as to the probability OF
his eventual recovery. Such q thin Is not
considered impossible among physicians,
and they have precedenss upon which to
base their conclusions as to the possibility.
and perhaps probability, of his recovery.
Though injuries to the brain are very seri-
Gus and usually fatal, surgical records cite
q number of noted cases whore the injured
person recovered after receiving injuries
greater than those received by Kline.
Modern surgery has achieved successes
in operations upon the brain which would.
q few years since, have been considered
miraculous and which would probably not
then have been attempted. In the case of
Kline there Is but one place. over the eye.
where the brain has been penetrated.
There are several fractures of the skull in
additio n to this which probably tend to
com plicate matters, but the injury TO the
brain. as stated. IL IN but the one place.
Kline has the advantage OF having re-
ceived almost immediate attention. IS he
was discovered by his wife In less than
hour after the inluries had been received
and assistance called at once. The wound
was supplied with drainage tubes at once
and this. with the advantages of antisep-
Ito surgery. is greatly III his favor and
makes the chances for his recovery much
greater than In most OF the GASES Cited In
the surgical textbooks.
A JOurne al reporter called upon Dr.. Hays
yesterday evening and asked him for q
statement of some OF the cases that have
become noted In the profession. Hevery
kindly devoted about an hours time to an
examination of textbooks wherein notable
cases were cited. Probably the most extra
ordinary instance OF recovery after injury
to the brain known in the history of sur
gerry Is that OF the man who had . ramping
rod blown through his head and recov-
cred. This case is cited In all the medical
and surgical text books treating of the
brain. A man was engaged at blasting.
and while he was at work there w as an
accidental discharge of the blast and the
tamping rod which the man held in his
hand was driven entirely through his head,
entering under the chin and passing out It
the top of his head; There was thought TO
be no possible hope for his recovery. yet he
lived and suffered no impairment OF his
mental faculties. This case happened aJ q
time when the man could not have the ad-
vantages afforded by modern surgery.
In the American Textbook of surgery
was found n case where q man had at
tempted suicide by driving nails into his
head. The man drove four nails through
his skull and into his brain. one of them
penetrating the occipitsl bone, and, despite
this, the attempt was unsuccessful and the
man recovered. In commenting upon the
case the author said that recovery had
been known in cases of wounds in the
brain where it seemed miraculous that the
person should escape death. In cases
where the wounds were inflicted with
knives recovery was more likely. and
cases had been reported where the knife
blade had remained in the brain for dey 8
and even years and the injured person
had recovered. The same authorities cited
cases where a pistol ball had been known to
remain In the brain for years without seri-
Gus coneequen ces
Dr. Hays said that the history of surgi-
cal operations upon the brain for the re-
moval of tumors afforded numerous In
stances of the removal. both OF portions of
the brain tissue and sections OF the skull.
followed by recovery of the patient W here
the amount of brain tissue disturbed ex-
ceeded that in the case of Kline. In suoh
operations portions of the skull as large as
the palm of the hand and tumors weighing
four ounces have been successfully re-
moved. Considerable areas of the brain
tissue have been cut away with safety
when il has been found necessary to do so
in surgery practice, and iJ Is probabl that
larger amounts Of the brain tissue may be
removed without causing death than Is
even now believed. The statistics OF sur
gicai operations upon the brain show that
in about 20 per cent of the GASES the opera
tions are successful and the patients re-
cover
Members of the profession of this city
have encountered several notable cases
where the brain has been injured. and tn
person injured has recovered. In some of
these cases there has been no noticeable
eject mon the patient. and the recovery
has been com lete. remarkable case as
one that happened about thirty years ago
in this CITY. A bOy. two years OF age fell
from Q window, and struck upon his head