Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-06-05
FIRST ON RECORD.
"A Daring Operation Performed by Ply
sicians with Splendid Results.


The surgeons scalpel was welded with
new triumph at the Randalps Island hos
pital, New York, few days SINCE and
case Of acute trismus, or malignant lock-
jaw, cured. This is the first trial Of sur
gerry I'm the treatment Of this exciting dis
ease on record. 1t WINS one of those daring
experimental operations which are per-
formed in strictest secrecy and never be-
come known to the public mind unless the
result is satisfactory to the operator.
In its mild form trismus Is curable In
about five eases out of ten, but when acute
Is always considered fatal inside of 48
hours. The result OF this new operation,
which is the first practice Of the theory Of
Drs. Jean Bigelow and M. Morris Bernard,
who jointly performed the trial. has caused
the widest enthusiasm among the physi-
clans and surgeons present, and it Is be-
licved that the method will bo universally
adopted
The fortunate subject of the recovery is
Miss Susie Merrill.
Miss Merrill was first discovered with
the dreadful nalady by her younger sister,
who at daybreak cone day last week aroused
the family and announced that Susie must
have hydrophobia,. as her face Immediately
became convulsed when a glass of water,
DR.. John Fl. Hrayden, q physician living
almost directly oppcsitetthe Merrills, was
called and soon made ~ clear diagnosis Of
the disease known to medical men as iris
mus, which, in this case, was plainly caus-
ed by a cold in a cavity in the young wom-
ans gum, where a tooth had recently been
drawn. The doctor advised the immediate
removal of the sick one to q hospital, rs it
was evident that the disease was increas-
ing in its symptoms very rapidly, and
proper treatment could not otherwise be
given. His advice however, was unheed-
ed and another doctor called in attend
ance. But soon the pretty young wom-
ans father, seeing her condition grow
more and more serious, cane to the con-
clusion that perhaps he was not doing
right, and hurriedly obtaining q cab took
his daughter to tho hospital, but by this
time the disease had made it's abode in her
jaws in its most acute form.
When Miss Merrill arrived Mt the hos
piual, her jaws were perfectly sealed. She
had eaten absolutely nothing in several
days and was growing weaker and weak
or. AS exhaustion is the immediate cause
of death In trismus, this condition caused
her life to be despaired Of at once. The
operation Sinown as tracheotomy--thato of
opening the throat-had to be performed
In order to- obtain proper nourishmcnt and
stimulant for one suffering such intense
agony and avoid the dreaded exhaustion as
much as possible. But this had no effect
on the continuous spasmodic contrac-
tions, which completely dwarfed those ex-
hibited In right lively case of ''the
snakes" and were something terrible to
witness.
The disease finally became uncontrolla-
BILE, chloroforp having to be abandoned,
and the fair victim becoming more and
more exhausted rs the spaSms increased In
violence. At this period trial for life
was determined upon by the surgical staff,
and after administering ether another OPP
Grafton was perfnrmed DR.. Bigelow han
died the knife. He made delicate in
cision directly under the left jaw, careful.
ly Gssecting away and severing a small
portion of that branch of the facial nerves
that operate tho jaws, which was found in
q highly diseased oondition.
Miss Merrill fully regained conscious
ness after the wound was dressed, and the
convulsions failed to reappear. She opened
and closed her mouth voluntarily without
much difficulty. A perfect cure will be
the result OF an actual experiment with
life and death, which, though extremely
daring and may cause DO little criticism
from followers of the old school, who
would have abandoned the sufferers life,
seems to have been fully Justified
Louis Globe Democrat
The March OF Civilization.
xa-t- A