Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-02
A DEFORMED FACE.
Remarkable Surgical Operation
Performed on q St. Louis Girl.

From the st. Louis Globe-Dcmocrat
A remarkable combined surgical and dem
tai operation has Strengthened the crooked
face of st. Louis girl recently brought
to Roc sevelt Hospital. Yesterday morning
when the doctors discharged the patient.
they pronounced her case an unusually in
tere sting one, fully demon strating surgeryS
powers in remodeling facial deformity.
The brave girl who underwent the tortur-
Ing operation is Miss Marie Bolenhaus, the
siXteen-yesr- old daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
G. s. BoienhAuS. Before being operated on
by the surgeons her mouth turned UP two
inches on the right side of ner face and
her jaws worked III opposition. AS a child
the deformity had not troubled Marie, but
as she adYa iced into womanhoood and
found herself Ensousht in the social circle
of her SchooimateS she became thoughtful
and melancholy. Miss BolenhauS is an
only child of we'-to-do parents. The oc-
casional tears which drorped from beneath
her gracefully lched ey clashes moved her
father to the deterJninall on that II II was
within the bpy;nds of surgical transformd-
ton his daughter should be made happy.
Accordingly, the young girl arrived here
with her mother about SIX weeks ago ana
entered Roc Seyeit Hospital.
liz describing the operation. DR.. Winkler,
who is a professor of operative dentistry.
said:
''Miss Marie was presented to me to see
if by combined surgical and dental opera
ton a strikingly marked deformity of her
face could be adjusted. Upon inquiry l
found that when the yorEg lady was about
four and a half years cid she lost almost
the entire lower jaw Oh the right side by
necrosis. Que to some unknown cause,
probably an accidental blow or fall. which
fractured the bone. The fractured part
must have GENE away almost entirely
from the sloughilg of the tissues in the
neck under the jaw,and Iery little through
surgical interference at the time. Inc
peri ,Steum was thus left intact Upon
careful examination, l discovered that it
had filed up with new growth of bone,
which, however, did not grow larger than
three and half year old child's should
be. but the development OF the jaw on the
o;her side OF her face being normal, had
pushed her chin around so much that ii set
directly under her right eye instead of be
ing at the lower center of her face.
Il decided that If the new growth CT bone
We're saved through. it would be possible
to force the chin aroi,nd to the front of the
face and hold it there permanently. | ac-
ViSed the operation without the slightest
hesitation. The surgical part Of it consist
ed mainly III making delicate incison in
the neck under the defective Jaw and saw
ing the malioImed bone squarcly in two.
"A few days later l inserted two hard
rubber appliances, one or each jaw. The
patient had only nine teeth to the lower
set two being On the defective side. 1
hsated the jaws 10 their RESPECTIVE teeth.
On each Of tEeso appiianc IS was cleat so
arranged that when ] wrapped floss silk
fully three-eighthS OF an inch beyond
Whole l desired to place it in bringing the
chin 10 its normal position. These cieats
were allowed to hc!n the jaw thus about
two weeks, While TIE external wound was
rapidly healing and the space between the
bore WAS rapidly filing Up with inierstitiai
tissue then removed them to make
some needed alterations in their position.
They were aftcrward replaced and kept
there on the jaws two weeks longer. BY
this time the wound was sufficiently heal
ed TO enable me to begin the work of in
sorting some perma nent appliances
Il separated and shaped up the crowns
of the three last moiGrs on both jaws.
This was done with gold and the crowns
wer" soidered together that they We're
capable OF being sprung into their places.
On the lower Jaw l sodered an upright
bolt 50 that it could slide up and down on
a gold bar fastened to the upper jaw by
the same m =. In this way perfect free
dom in opening and closing was provided
the jaws. but ct the same time retaining
the lower one perfect i'll the new position
The contrirance worked like a charm.
Ion the right side of the lower jaw.
whore all but two teeth had been lost by
the trouble in early ohI!Ghood l placed
small Plate which Carred some teeth
around in front at the right corner aud ex-
tenuing back, afforded 4 grinding surface
for the teeth Oh the upper jaw. This made
perfect shape 10 the right corner of the
mouth and will also harden or tougher the
irte:Stittaf tissue between the ends OF he
divided bone
although ] have now said al there is
to he tcld of Miss BoeI haUs' treatment. l
feel that would like to add that she prov
Ell herself n most coura seous little patient.
She was naturally Mell-moiied as to IA
cial features otherwise. Her rose. eyes and
forehead were perfect. and she had hcauti-
full eyes, too. When she left the hospital
she was a Very pretty and. naturally, a
happy girl. The clouds of her younger life
were cleared away. and new and brighter
existence seemed TO be opening up before
her