The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-18
ENoYsTED BULLET PHOTOGRAPHER
Successful Operation on a Young Man in a
Chicago Hospital

| Chicago Hospital
| Chicago, Feb. 17.-Louis Burkart. a
young Freedman, is grateful for the dis
| covery Of cathode rays. In an opera
| ton performed at Mercy Hospital last
night the marvellous practical value of
the Roentgen discovery in science and
surgery was beautifully demonstrated
The young Frenchman came to Amer
lea two years ago. Buried in the It's
sues OF his hand was an article which
the customs officers did not discover. L
was ball which he had acquired dur
ing street fight in Paris. The Mercy
Hospital operation last night was the
! first time Mr.. Burkart had subjected
himself to the surgeons, in the hope that
the undesirable bit of lead might be re-
moved. Eighteen months ago two Chi
caSo surgeons made an attempt to To-
cate the bullet. They were unsuccess-
full.
But the photograph of the left hand.
taken yesterday by means OF the ca
thOde rays, located the leaden bullet
with wonderful accuracy. With the
print as guide the surgeon made an
incisiOn in the palm of the hand and
after a few minutes probing. extracted
the little missile from its two years
resting place. This is the first instance
in which the ROentgen discovery has
been put to practical service in surgery
in the United States.
Theu nique operation took place IN
the operating room in the south wing
of Mercy Hospital al o'clock last even
ing. 1t was conducted by Dr. James
BURY. assisted by the rospital surgeons
DR.. Miller and DR.. Rankin. Miss Tyr
rell, the head nurse, and two assistant
nurses, Miss Dillon and Miss WydeL
were present. The operation was also
witnessed by Rudolph Luurs Of 697
West Madison street, and Mr.. Leslie Of
125 West Madison street, friends of the
patient, and by Charles Z. Scribner.
who has conducted the successful ex-
periments with the cathode rays in the
laboratory Of the Western Electric COM
pany, and who made the photograph TO
which the young Frenchman owes the
removal of the ball.
Young Mr.. Burkart called at the Ia
boratory of the Western Electric COM
pany Tuesday and sought TO know If
the bullet could be located. Nothing
could have been more pleasing or op-
perfume 70 Nj. Scribner and DR.. BURY
who were at the time conducting the
experiments. He placed his left hand
IN the sensitive plate beneath the
Crooke's tube. where the electrical rays
Mere bomb2rding the lower Pert Of the
rays. which shot down through the
black cloth over the hand. throught the
hand and against the sensitive plate. /
The photograph was a fiactering sue
cess 1T the base Of the palm. between y
the tcles which continued into rhe NJ /
gers NJ the left hand was the dark. /
round shadow which was taken for the /
leaisn bullet.
Last night the accuracy Of the photo |
graph Was 10 ne determined. Amid the /
great quiet and silence of Mercy Hos ]
2iial. where black gowEed sisters paced /
me nails and visited th- sick and suf-
ferinE. al was intense interest and sup
7 reSSsd excitement in the little group
about the operating table. DR.. Rankin (
held the case containing the cotton sa.-
urated With ether 70 the patients nos
trilS- The singular sIubborness Of the
patient 70 succOmb 10 its influence was
remark2b BILE Now he laughed in a
maudEn way. now Re swcTe like a
French trooper and now he struggled 50
Violently that IL required the utmost ex-
ertions OF four men 70 hold hin down :
on the operating table.
The doctors had put on their white
rooeS. the nurses stood by the case
bearing the surgical instruments. anti
sepSics and bandages. and stu the
young Frenchnal refused 70 succuub
20 the effects % the ether. Quantities
q the anaesthetic were poured onto the
cotton and when al last the patient did
become quiet most bscuIiaT -nilg RaS
observed. Whatever might have been
Inc reason. perhaps reflex resistance