The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-29
THE SURGEONS KNIFE.
WONDERFUL CASE OFF SKIN GRAFT
ING FOR BURNS.
Seven Near Relatives of Miss Jessie
PrOudfOOt, Submit Themselves to
the Knife to Supply Cuticle-A
Successful and Extraordinary OPP
GRAFTON.

Miss Jessie Proudfoot should be proud
of her relatives. They are worthy OF any
young girls most ardent affection With
in the past two months seven of them
have submitted to the surgeons knife
for her sake From their healthy bodies
they have allowed strips of cuticle to
be cut to supply the needs of her enact
ated frame and, as result, the sufferer.
seemingly doomed to be a cripple for
life, Will soon be up and about, flesh
and-blood monument to the devotion and
Self-Sacrifice of her nearest of kin.
In the early part of last summer, says
the San francisco Examiner, Miss Proud
Harcourt. in San Rafael. narrowly es-
capped death in the flames. AS it was.
her clothing, which had caught fire, was
consumed on her back and the skin and
flesh on the right side of the body was
badly burned. For many days the life of
the girl was despaired of and even when
danger of immediate death was averted
1t was thought that nothing could be
done to prevent her from becoming a
cripple. Where the fire had touched the
body the skin had peeled off in large
flakes in many places. leaving the raw.
inf1amed flesh exposed. Should this heal
up of its own accord, which would be a
very slow process as the doctors unani-
mouSly agreed, the tissues would so con-
tract that one of the girls limbs would
be much shorter than the other Besides
this there was the absolute certainty
that she would suffer pain continuously.
At this juncture DR.. w. f. Jones re-
solved to try the virtues of grating. If
that could be done successfully the scar
tissues would form naturally and the
patient would be certain of regaining
the free use of her limbs. Acting on this
theory, with 175 square inches OF cutfcle
to supply, DR.. Jones set to work at once.
Tries Rabbit Skin.
He first tried a graft of about an inch
q n a ha wild nd five inc Of
rabbit skin, applying it in the approved
methods For a time the graft seemed
to be growing well, and high hopes were
entertained. These lasted only short
time however, when it was demonstrate
ed that it would not answer the pur-
pose.
Not despairing at this, DR.. Jones tried
one after the other, gratis from other
animals. but in the course of time these,
too, proved of no value. DIR. Jones had
called in with him, some time before this
Drs. Dubois and Walker, and while they
were somewhat discouraged at the out
come of their treatment, they concluded
finally that there was just one more
chance. Human cuticle they felt Ger
injured girl. They decided that they
would make the eXperiment-provided
they could find healthy people enough,
willing to suffer the loss for the sake of
isfied that the number of people ready
to make such a sacrifice was small.
They We're mistaken.
When the doctors decided that they need
ed healthy human cuticle they informed
the parents of the suffering girl. The
latter Immediately offered themselves
to the knife to save their daughter and
as soon as the matter became known
to others of the immediate family and
next closest relatives there was not one
who did not make the sacrifice and make
it willingly to benefit the pretty little
twelve-year-old girl they loved so well.
These spontaneous offerings served as
encouragement to DR.. Jones and his col
leagues to make success of the treat
was two months ago, and now the sur
geonS feel safe in asserting that science
and self-sacrifice have triumphed where
naught but failure seemed inevitable.
Seven Persons Supply Cuticie
From the bodies of the seven persons
who offered themselves for the purpose
the surgeons have stripped pieces of skin
varying from half an inch to an inch and
half in width and from four to five
inches in length. These living strips,
! tingling with nerves, We're placed on the
tender flesh of the sufferer and bound
firmly in place with rubber tissue and in
every instance the gratis have been sue
cessful. All the portions of Miss Proud
foot's body touched by the flames have
been covered over with the skin of her
relatives except one patch on the right
hip. This will be attended to some time
early in December, and DR.. Jones stated
last nlght that judging from the pro-
gress made in the other gratis it will not
be long before Miss Proudfoot is as we'll
and as free-limbed as ever.
Aside from Illustration of the self-sac
rifice of those related to the young lady
the case of Miss Proudfoowt will excite
considerable attention in the medical
world. 1t is one of the few cases-if not
the only one-where skin grating has
Then again. the area to be covered, not
less than seventeen square inches, and
the length of time after the injuries
were received. will act as factors in
case which will cause any amount of
learned comment. Taken all around it
is wonderful case. fully as wonderful
as any in the progress of the healing
art within the past decade.