Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-05-08

1he New York Herald publishes an
account of very interesting operation
recently performed at the New York
Hospital.
The removal of kidney is not an or
dinary matter in surgery and is usually
attended with much danger. The dam
ger is vastly increased when the patient
is almost in extremis, but when the op-
Grafton is successful and when three
weeks after it the patient is sitting up
in bed playing the banjo, then, indeed,
is sketch of the case interesting to the
public, although the professional man
may hold his more or less experienced
head in the air and cry, Pooh That's
nothing !"
The subject OF this operation is 26
years old. He had never been i'll day,
was an athlete and noted for his
strength and endurance. He was q
graduate of Williams College. The dis
ease which finally brought him to the
dissecting table is no ordinary one. 1t
is suppurated inflammation of the kid
ney, technically pyelonephritis. To
understand the nature Of the operation,
which is called nephrotomy, it is neces-
sary to state that hardly one in thou
sand successfully wthstands the shock
of the operation. Statistics also show
that for causes other than pyeloneph-
ritis requiring the removal Of the right
or the left kidney only one in every two
recover. 1t is the first time in the his
tory of the New York Hospital that
such an operation has been successfully
performed. A we'll known society lady
in New York had kidney removed
about two years ago and lived for
twelve months after. That operation
was entirely successful and death was
due to other causes.
The case of this young graduate,
however, was q hard one. His illness
was sudden and at the beginning the
best physicians who attended MIN could
not accurately diagnose it. His rapid
decline was alarming and remarkable.
Within seven days he was at the edge
of the grave. Then it was that g bet
ter diagnosis was made and the trouble
located in the right kidney.
His only chance of life was an opera
ton. He was removed to the New
York Hospital. DR.. Robert F. Weir
was the surgeon who operated. The
preparatory treatment required two
days, but the patient lived through
them, being brought TO the table, how
ever, with very little vitality. 1t was
known in the profession that "good
case" was at the hospital and many
well known surgeons came to see DR..
Weir operate.
DR.. Weir began with an incision six
inches in length in the right loin. This
was carefully followed by gradual
working through the posterior abdomi-
nal wall. The depth of the organ
renders manipulation most difficult.
Slowly, but surely, however, DIR. Weir,
aided by three assistants, cut the
diseased organ away from its surround
ing tissues.
The crisis came when the renal artery
and vein had to be severed, and din ecily
afterward properly closed with liga-
lures. Here the greatest skill and
the most delicate touches had to be
exercised, and the surgeon was equal to
the emergency. At the expiration OF
about three. quarters of an hour the
right kidney was safely removed, the
arteries and veins successfully ligatured
and the many wounds made by the
knife were quickly dressed.
When the young man recovered from
the anHsthetics it was seen that he was
hanging on to life by the merest threads.
For twenty-four hours stimulants were
continuously applied. He was blessed
with q magnificent constitution, and on
the third day after the operation he
was resting easily. At the hospital he
is now pronounced out of danger.
According to a rule of the hospital
his relatives were summoned before the
operation. They are prominent people
in Connecticut town. The case was
stated plainly to them and they gave
their consent. They were in an ad-
joining room while the operation was
being performed and were overjoyed
when they heard it was successful.