The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-26
AN OPERATION ON A SNAKE
Surgeons Take a Blanket Out of a
Boa Constructors Stomach
Kansas City Star

Kansas City Star.
On sunday, Aug. g. the Star told of NJrs
! naae Harden.s pet African boa constructor
the blanket on which it had been sieaD;,es
Since that time Babe has lain in her ho%
thinking the matter over and putting forth
5n ner gastric powers to digest the blanket.
BUT the blanket, being of good, stout Canton
flannel, refused to yield to digestion. and II
became serious question whether or not ~
couId stand the strain much longer. 1t was
determined, therefore, to perform surgical
operation on Babe and remove the imnedi-
ment. -o mp
At 8 o'clock this morning Babe was
T 10 the university medical college, at
Ienth and Campbell streets, and placed on
an operating table in a lecture room, tt was
extremely lively as to the first four feet Of its
Dody and heavy as to the other four feet.
The amphftheater was filed with medical
students doctors and visitors Mrs. Harden
stood by Babe and encouraged it to endure
the coming ordeal. DR.. L. Rosenwald took
OH MS coat, rolled up his sleeves and an
nounced that he was ready to relieve s1Rsha',
OF its burden. Babe ran it's forked tongue
IN and out, caressing Mrs. Harden's cheelrs
dered. SN'o
While DR.. Moore administered chloroform
to Babe DIR. Rosenwald drew rough pIans
and specifications Of Babe on the black
board, and, addressing the students in tech
meal language, explained that a similar on
Grafton had never been performed on a snake
before, and that he would make an "explor-
nSOAy ihCiSiOu the abdominal wall
the peritoneum and the stomach of the rem
tile. provided it had them and recover the
blanket if it was there. The students craned
their necks and regarded the preparations
with much interest.
Babe" had, in the mean time, responded
gracefully to the chloroform and was in
sensible. An incision, five inches long was
made In the belly Of the snake and hardly
drop Of blood escaped. But the blanket was
there and was drawn forth without trouble
1t had been rolled into a cigar-shaped cylinder
about two feet long and was as hard as a
brick. 1t was covered with gastric iuice.
which was futfely endeavoring to do its
work. The blanket looked as though 1t had
been compressed by machinery. 1t had to be
soaked in water before it could be unfolded
The stomach Of the snake was as clean as a
whistle and after the blanket had been re-
moved was as empty as drum. Nine
stitches were made in closing the wound and
fresh air. It was soon surrounded by stu
dents, small boys and colored women. In
about five minutes its lungs filled with air
and its forked tongue run in and out and
Mrs. Harden, who was anxiously watching
it, gave a sigh Of relief.
'I am SO glad my Babe didn't de- she
exclaimed. 81 couldn't spare my baby. I'd
sooner have that snake around the house than
lots of men,"
DR.. Rosenwald said that the snake would
surely recover, and prescribed diet of raw
eggs for 1t for two weeks, after which 1t may
eat anything except Canton flannel blankets.
The owner OF the boa constructor conducts
a restaurant near Fifth and Wyandotte
streets. She got the reptile from snake
charmer who couldn't pay board blu.