The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-20
UNDER THE KNIFE.
A Delicate Operation Performed on One
of Hagenbeck's Lions.
Atlanta Constitution.

atlanta Constitution.
The young lion Of the Hagenbeck
show that was so desperately wounded
by a lioness last week was successfully
operated upon yesterday afternoon,
| and the depression Of the skull was
lifted from the brain Of the animal.
The operation was one that required
not only skill in the use Of the knife,
but nerve on the part of the surgeons
who worked so dangerously near the
gaping jaws of the furious lion.
In room CT the livery stable of
Mr.. Vaudyke the lion was placed, and
| while several strong men held the
| tortured beast, Drs. H. G.. and W. E.
Carnes performed the operation. In
the room were present several news
paper men and others Interested in the
unusual operation.
The lion has been in a comatose
| condition for several days, and suffer
ed many convulsions during the time
the skull was pressing against the
brain. At times he was wild and
| would tear his flesh with his claws,
and then again he would be as docile
as a child and could not be aroused
| from the restless sleep into which he
had fallen. His keepers daily ex-
pected the lion to die, as the skull
had been Aattened out until more than
square inch of bone pressed hard
against the brain.
One day last week the lion was
savagely attacked by lioness that
occupied an adjoining cage. The lion
was eating his afternoon meal Of beef
steak, when the lioness reared against
the wooden partition separating the
cages. The lioness threw her whole
weight against the light partition, and
with crash the infuriated beast and
partition fell into the cage occupied
by the young lion who was eating.
The lioness was in perfect rage and
pounced upon the lion with all the
fury that is peculiar to that class Of
animals. The lion was taken COM
pletely by surprise and was at great
disadvantage. AS he turned with
growl to see what had caused the par
| tition to fall, he was caught in the
wide open mouth Of the lioness and
fearfully bitten. The lioness leaped
up into the air and fell upon her prey.
She caught his head in her mouth,
and closed down upon it. The fangs
| penetrated the thick hide and the
skull sank beneath the pressure.
The attack on the lion was 80 sud-
den that the keepers and trainers
hardly realized what had been done,
until it was too late to prevent it.
After the assault the lioness sprang
against the bars of the cage and roared
| and beloved in her fury. The wound
ed lion lay at her feet and screamed
| with agony. It was wild scene and
| the trainers had difficulty in getting
the lioness quieted and back to her
cage.
The lion that had been the victim
of the wrath Of the lioness was found
to be badly injured. He was bleed
ing in several places where the claws
and teeth of the lioness had cut him.
The lion was hardly able to stand
and could but stagger about the cage
in a dazed way. In a few minutes
after the attack he was seized with
convulsions. His manner was pitia-
BILE, and he would writhe in agony,
then, leaping up, would fall from
| weakness. His feet would be drawn
close up to his body, and his tail
lashed fearfully against the bars. AS
he writhed upon the floor he would
claw at everything that came in reach.
Catching the iron bars, he would
almost wrench them from their places.
His claws were completely torn from
the flesh on one foot, and he frothed
| at the mouth.
It was apparent to the keepers that
the animal would die. After the first
day he became much quieter and
could not be aroused from his coma
tose condition. His eyes lost their
accustomed luster and were dreamy
and CLASSY. DR.. Carnes, the veteri-
nary surgeon, was called in and re-
quested to make an examination Of the
lion and see if there was any posi-
bility of his life being saved. DR..
Carnes thoroughly examined the
wounds and found that his skull had
been badly indented and that it was
resting upon the brain. There was
but one way in which death could be
prevented and that was by trephining
his skull and lifting the depressed
bone and relieving the pressure. AS
last resort this operation was decided
upon.
Thursday afternoon the lion was
brought into the city and placed in
room in the livery stable of Bowden
& Stewart. It was too late in the day
to perform the operation and DR..
Carnes decided to wait until yesterday
morning. During the entire afternoon
the lion was in convulsions and his
suffering was great. He would toss
back and forth and writhe on the floor.
Yesterday morning Drs. Carnes be-
gan making ready for the operation.
There was but one way in which the
pressure could be relieved and chat
was by trephining the skull, inserting
an instrument and prizing the skull
bone back to it's proper position.
The lion was removed to a room on
Hunter street and placed on the table
arranged for him. The animal was
suffering intensely and was in a dan
gerously bad humor. Occasionally he
would growl savagely and open his
jaws and snap at those who were
nearest him.
A number of glistening instruments
we're taken from leather case and
placed on a chair. A pan Of warm
water was secured and sponges were at
hand. A bottle Of ether and chloro-
form was poured into wad of cotton,
and the cotton was placed under the
nose of the lion. His feet were
securely tied with ropes and he was
held firmly upon the table by several
strong men. When the first fumes Of
the ether were inhaled the lion made
strenuous efforts to tear himself away.
He roared and snorted and kicked with