The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-17


illogical knowledge and careful study
of the relation of organisms to various
diseased conditions. With this progress,
operative skill, in many directions pre-
viously unthought of, has kept pace.
Cranial operative surgery has especially
advanced. and notable progress has been
made along the lines of spinal, abdomin.
al and pelvic surgery.
| Woman's work was enlarged relatively.
She who once never dreamed of engaging
in any operation more serious than q
minor one of tins amputation of hand
or foot, or the setting of a dislocation.
OF the mending OF laceration, now VEN
lures into the wide and interesting d.
main of capital cases. Major surgery is
today an open field to her. Her opera
tions in pelvic and abdominal cases are
especially noteworthy.
HOW WOMEN SURGEONS WORK.
| ga woman surgeonl Are there such
things" exclaimed surprised man, as
if new genus of animal had arisen,
something absolutely new, not yet swell
ing the supplements of encyclopedias.
Then, when ne was led into the operat-
ing room and introduced to six or seven
women, each one assisting at a serious
CASE, he discovered that there was not
only woman surgeon. but woman sur
| geons' staff.
| Each surgeon who has an operation on
hand always performs the az tual dissec-
tion herself Her staff not as assistants.
offering such help as she Directs Be-
sides the doctors of medicine, who are
usually internes at the particular hospi-
| tai where. the operation takes place, there
is the head nurse, with two or three as
| sistants, and the surgical nurse, all of
whom are under the supervision of the
superintendent. The number of partioi-
pants in a single operation sometimes
mum bers twelve or fifteen.
| The manner of performing surgical
| operation ia interesting. An entire suite
of rooms is set apart in each hospital
| for the purpose. There are the dressing
rooms, to which the physicians and
nurses repair to robe themselves in
pure white garments, preparatory to the
slaughter. Extraordinary care is. taken
in the preparation. Each woman actual
| ly scrubs herself, to use the language of
one of them, to remove every suspicion
| of dust-like microbe that might be
lodged on the skin. or in the hair Of the
| head. She then gowns herself in loose
fitting waist, made with elbow sleeves,
elr iYt ho tor al
is heavy duck. A towel is then twisted
about her head, and white tennis shoes
placed on the feet. After wrapping a
white linen apron about her the woman
surgeon is ready for the knife.
Then the actual work begins. The pa
tient to be operated upon is prepared in
his or her private room by the special
nurse. A bichloride bath is given to
destroy the putrefaotive organisms pres
emit in the skin. Then, wrapped IN a
cheese cloth blanket. sterilized by ex-
treme heat, he is placed on the operating
table and wheeled into the outer operat-
ing room. Here the duty of the first as
sistant surgeon comes into play. Here
she administers the anaesthetics, mix
ture OF alcohol, ether and chloroform. In
the meantime, under the direction Of the
head nurse, the main operating room,
walled in marble and foored with tile,
has been sterilized by bichloride wash.
The various glass shelves and brackets
are thoroughly purified. The basins and
pitchers are immersed in boiling water.
All towels, sponges, wrappings, and
threads are steamed, hot dried and
steamed again. The various soalpels,
needles, scissors and retraotors are soaked
in Ia per cent solution OF carbolic
acid. Every precaution is taken to
destroy the spores land full-grown bac-
terra, that might possibly have intruded
themselves into this forbidden place.
The patient. now quite under the in
fuenoe of the anaesthetic, is wheeled into
the main operating room in all its spot
less virgin purity. The part to be oper-
ated upon lis exposed. With quiokness
and nicely the surgeon removes the skin
and flesh and probes about with the won
derful, almost s.hidous, analytical knife,
and her still more analytical mind. The
blood which flows from the wound is
washed away constantly by irrigators
and the water used is sterilizd by being
raised three times to the boiling point.
The assistant surgeons stand about
ready for consultation, the nurses move
quickly and noiselessly with the sponges,
towels and basins. Complete silence is
the etiquette of the opera ting room, ami
beyond the occasional questioning by the
head surgeon Of one of her immediate
staff, not sound Is heard save the snap
of the steel instruments and the heavy
breathing of the patient, gasping, though
in complete Inconsistencies under the
anaesthetic. One surgeon stands near the
patients head and keeps administering
occasional doses from the anaesthetio
cone. The operation may last one hour,
or it may last six, and during all the
time the patient is under the knife
kind Of pail and gloom hangs over their
heads. for they have q human life In
their hands.