The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-14
MAsTIcATIoN By MACHINERY.
Metallic Jaws, Worked With a
Spring, Late Triumph Of Surgery.
From the New YorL World

Metallic Jaws, Worked With a
Spring, Late Triumph of Surgery.
From the New York World
1t looks as though happy day of eman-
cipation was approaching for that unfor-
tunate class of invalids whose distinguish
ing mark is a visor-llke hood and chin
rest of leather. They are victims of sar-
coma, a cancer which fastens its malig-
nant roots to the jaw of the sufferer and
yields only when removed, bone ana all.
by the surgeons knife What has rem.
dered this operation particularly distress
ing was the hideous and lasting disfguYe-
ment which it entailed. Once the knife
had cut away half of the lower jaw, the
unfortunate victim babe farewell TO solid
food for all time to come. Mastication
was impossible, and the remaining half
of the Jaw could be held in place only
by grewsome harness hooding the head
and bracing the cleft chin. DR. Charles
McBurney and Surgeon Dentist West
lake, of New York, with remarkably
ingenious yet simple mechanical inven-
ton, have changed all this, and unfortu-
mates minus half lower jaw can now
be readily rehabilitated, with the powers
of mastication retained, as well as with
all the outward semblance of health and
anatomical completeness. This was ex-
perimentally determined in a quiet way
one year ago, when a Mrs. Kiddoo, of Sa-
vannah, Ca, submitted to an operation
by DIR. McBurney Half of the lower law
was removed and DR. Westlake's appl;-
ance was substituted. 1t was a remark
ably successful experiment, and without
distiguring hood or externally applied
support of any kind, Mrs. Kiddo has been
living and eating as though natures
equipment had not been curtailed in the
least degree.
The appliance destined to save sufferers
from the disfguring hood and its accom-
panying necessity of liquid food is sim
plicity itself. After the bone is removed
the patients lower jaw, or what remains
of it, is fastened firmly in proper position
by means of a metal plate, which holds
1t firmly to the upper jaw. This is to
prevent the distending of muscles, which
would naturally follow an operation
During the two weeks which this plate
remains in undisturbed position the pa
tient is fed through a small aperture
placed at the center of the mouth. When
the plate is removed the teeth in the up
per jaw over the amputated half are
firmly capped with gold. So also are the
teeth on the lower jaw close to the place
of amputation. This accomplished. il
only remains to connect the gold-capped
upper and lower teeth with a fine but
SJrong spring ana the work is per-
fectly done. That delicate spring is
the key to the puzzle which for years has
detied solution. 1t takes the place of the
amputated bone, holds the half Jaw in
position and does its full share in the
work of mastication. So much depends
upon this spring that a surprisingly
delicate test is employed in determining
its proper strength. The aim is to have
it conform in this particular to the mus
oular power of the remaining half law.
To properly determine this delicate
ligatures of silk are first fastened to the
patients teeth, upper and lower. The
free ends of these threads are coiled
around an exceedingly sensitive scale and
the patient is ordered to move his re-
manning jaw in all directions Registered
on the scale are the degrees of force ex-
erted, and this record is used as guide
in fixing the strength of the all-important
spring.