Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-08-09
MA REELOUS SURGERY.
Astonishing Feats Now Being
Performed with the Knife.
Persons Living Who Have Been Deprived
OF Their NIndpipes Lives saved
10y some Wonderful Oper-
atoms.

= "a
ful surgeon, You may have six inches IF
your Jugular vein removed and live for
years afterward without feeling the
loss at all, says the New York World.
a few persons have been thus distin-
! guished and their lives have been saved
as consequence. The operation is
exceedingly difficult and delicate. To
the lay mind il seems impossible. but
we are fast learning that the modern
great surgeon does not include this
word in his vocabulary.
The jugular vein has had more glory
than any other blood vessel The most
| ignorant person knows its location and
that 10 cut IL means certain death.
III hit him on the jugular." is a COM
mon expression among prize-fghters
and toAghs. When man gets hit on a
Jugular he usually goes down and be-
comes specchless for minute or two.
but the jugular % no more responsible
for that than the big toe. There is a
little shining cord--a nervc-iust back
of the jugular which controls speech
and respiration. When forceful blow
Is struck in the region of the Singular
this nerve is paralyzed and what is
technically known as knockout re-
suits.
The tugular is nearly an inch in diam
eter, and II will be readily understood
how easily one can bleed 10 death If it
Is suddenly opened. 1t lies directly un-
derneath the great muscle on the side
of the neck which shows up SO promi-
nently in an athlete when he turns his
head. Except in very feshy person,
a cut of half an inch in depth will
readily reach it,
The removal OF piece of the jugular
Is justifiable in case of a large abscess,
tumor, or growth of any kind 90 the
neck or of inflammation of the walls Of
the vein and the tissue about it. The
latter is very rare. Unlike the removal
of the vermiorm appendix, the removal
of the jugular will never become a
fad" Seldom, indeed, is there any
need of IT,
There are great number of nerves
In the region of the jugular To cut
one OF them is serious. For instance.
the nerve already mentioned which
tions of speech and respiration. These
nerves intersect each other like rivers,
highways and railroads on a very small
map. To cut out piece OF the Iugular
Is somewhat like putting your pencil
down on this map when you are blind
folded without touching river, high
way, or a railroad. But the surgeon
knows the exact location of each little
shining nerve, each little vein, from
long study, and his scalpel IS sharp and
his touch is sure.
The flesh and tissue are cut away and
the vein Is lifted up clear of both. look
ing like full hose when the water Is
turned on, while all the time the great
muscle is held apart by forked steel
hooks something like sugar tongs. A
pair of clamps, shaped like blunt
scissors, with rough surfaces, is fast
ened just above the point where the
upper cut is to be made. Suddenly the
tube collapses, just as the hose does
when the water is turned off, for the |
output Of blood from the brain has
been shut off. A second pair Of clamps
IS fastened just below where the cut Is /
20 be made. Next two strips OF catgut |
or of fine silk are tied tightly around .
lust above the upper pair OF clamps and .
lust below the lower pair, and all that
S left 70 do is to cut out the interven-
ng piece. The whole operation is per-
formed by the skillful hands of two or
hree surgeons more quickly than it is
old
In three months time, the catgut or
he silk will have been assimilated into
he system, a blood clot will have
ormed at the Inlet of the vein at the
BASE of the head. and what was once
he walls of the vein will have become
useless tube, which will also be
assimilated, while tissue will
orm in its place.
But how does the impure blood from
he brain now find its way back to be
is the question that is natural
Y asked. just here is where nature
sserts her versatility adaptability
nd resourcefulness. She makes the
ugular on the other side of the neck
nd the numerous small veins do the
York, and they do it SO satisfactorily
idN Viz PdNANAl HtNtI hllON = llt ulItT- |
nee.
The first operation for the removal Of
&c jugular was performed in India by
II English surgeon. DR.. Smith, on an
asst Indian, who had such bad tumor
n his neck that death was certain. To
ut down and take out a piece of the
lmous old vein was simply rash ex-
eriment in which DR.. Smith himself
al very little confidence. As soon as
he news Of its success was distributed
trough the medical world the vein inn
ediately lost some of its great prestige,
nj the tumor of the neck much of its
)rror. You may be sure that DR.. ;
NTH did not tell the Indian what he
as about 10 do, or the poor fellow ,
ould have probably died of fright on
lie spot, for the ignorant natives of ,
ldia regard the jugular as the seat of =
! life. I,
But the prestige of the jugular has
ceived even a greater blow. A few {
eeks ago in a case of inflammation OF {
9TH sides of the neck and the result =
& disease of the walls of both jugulars 5
~ Tho .fcc,,a arn,p1 tIo,,, e -