The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-07-23
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Att0nding . Surgical Operation ~ DE-
scribod by . Patient.

Attending . Surgical Operation ~ DE-
scribed BY > Patient.
A gentleman who has recently sue
cessfully passed through a most dan
gerous operation has written descrip-
ton Of the proceeding from his stand
point, from the time he was placed on
the operating table to the day he walked
out of the hospital well man. He re-
lates it as follows:
"'Feel bit shaky, eh?' asked the
surgeon. "A tablespoonful of brandy,
please, sister. Now, that's better
"'We will proceed with the chloro-
form, Mr.. Richardson the great man
said:
cat these words young doctor stand
ing at my head bent over me, holding
towel in his hands. He managed to raise
my lower jaw, and also to place the
chloroform-saturated towel over my
mouth and nostrils at the same time. A
sweet, burning, half-pleasant, half
siclxly odor was emitted as breathed.
"'Breathe away quietly, and begin
to count slowly up to a hundred
"'One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven,' I murmured, and then, some
how, a confusion of thought came upon
me.
"Where had got to? It didn't in the
least matter, knew, but still it wor-
ried me. But yet while even in the act
of deciding to 60 on counting again. to
begin at the beginning. found that !
was being suffocated, but still it was
pleasant suffocation. was uncertain
as to whether should struggle or not.
That also didn't seem to be of much
| consequence. Queer throbbing sounds
seemed to be acting on the depths of my
hrain-I can give no clearer descrip-
ton. There was heavy, steady, but
mighty loud, beating of my heart, each
heat of which appeared to churn up my
hbrain.
"And now was hearing music-the
supplied by the throbbing, heavy sound
in my brain, but around me-just as
though thousands of tiny fairies were
playing the vAry sweetest airs on thou
| sands of most delicately-tuned harps,
and the sweetest of little tinkling gold
and silver bells-the treble portion of
the melody was being enchantingly
played. thought was in sunny gar
den, gorgeous with the fairest flowers
and scented with their perfumes. Twas
free from all disease, was deliriously
happy and contented; the 3lysian fields
were around me; wanted for nothing
but to be left there and to lie and laze
for millions of years.
"But then suddenly the gardens be-
came dark as night; rushing, roaring
wind swept over them; a crash, as of al!
this worlds artillery being discharged
at once, seemed to annihilate me and
everything else, almost before I could
realize any change from the glorious
ness of my previous sensations! Then
came nothingness.
| "Coming to earth again. found my
self in my bed in the ward. The house
surgeon was feeling my pulse. lust no.
ticed that there were screens across the
bed, and that I felt comparatively
sleepy, but a trife sickly. Surely moth
ing could have happened since I fell
into the chloroformed sleep.
"'Why, didn't they do the operation,
after ALP asked. The doctor smiled.
My dear fellow he said, Il oughtnot to
say it, perhaps, but if you only knew
what you have gone through during the
past two hours you'd know why smile
at your question. Why, man, you have
gone through an operation which has
only been performed twice before in
this country. Oh. yes, they did do the
operation, after all. Now, ask no ques-
tons; lie still, don't talk, but try to
sleep. Your life has been saved; you've
a good constitution, and if you do as
you are told you'll walk out of this place
in less than three months a new man:
II did, but I have never forgotten the
operation Of which felt nothing