Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-07-16
VERY RARE SURGERY
EXPOSED THE SPINAL. COLUMN AND
- CUT THE NERVES OF FEELING.

Sensation Was Destroyed, but the Power
Of Motion Still Left-A Hazardous Oper-
alton Successfully Performed by Gin
oinn.ti Surgeon.
Amputation Of the sensory nerves was
the only remedy left to relieve the excruci-
ating sufferings Of Mr.. George Dowden, q
wealthy merchant Of Greenshurg, O., who
was patient at the Good Samaritan hos
pital, Cincinnati, preparing for the ordeal,
which be underwent recently. J.. 80
A little over year ago Mr.. Dowden ex-
perienced sharp, shooting pains, ranging
from the shoulder through both arms, and
90 intense became the agony at times that
he could not find relief even in the most
powerful opiates. The disease was various
~ diagnosed and treated under the hands
OF skillful physicians, but that they erred
IN the diagnosis was sufficiently proved In
the fact that oil treatment wns unavailing.
Mr.. Dowden Is 80 years of age, and the
constant sufferings soon began to tell upon
his system, and, as he was growing worse
from day to day, he was advised to proceed
to Cincinnati to consult some of it's able
physicians. In making his selection, he
chose surgeon who, in daring and knowl-
edge in his special branch of practice, has
no peer. He saw the case and, after care
full inquiry into it's history and a thorough
examination Of the patient, decided that
the trouble lay in the spinal cord. TO con.
firm this diagnosis it was necessary to
make difficult and hazardous operation,
to which Mr.. Dowden readily assented. as
life had almost become burden under the
existing circumstances.
Every preparation having been made to
secure the best septic conditions, the opera
ton was undertaken. After the patient
had been placed under the influence Of
ether an inoision was made from the me-
dulla oblongata, or the base of the brain,
in a straight line along the cord to the end
Of the several cervical vertcbre, making
an opening about 81 inches long and dis
closing tho spinal cord to that length.
Strange to say, neither the surrounding
tissue nor the cord itself showed any in
Illumination, and the only conclusion that
could be reached was that the trouble lay
within the cord, and If that were the case
medicines and the knife were useless.
In this dilemma only one course re-
manned, and that was to amputate the
nerves. The operation was rare, and had
scarcely been attempted a dozen times in
nerves had often been stretched, and the
amputation of the fifth nerve in tio-dou-
loureux, or facial neuralgia, had been sue
cessfully performed, but tho nerves an
terror to the spinal cord had always been
approached with caution by even the most
daring surgeons. But nothing could be
gained by hesitancy, and on the spur Of
the moment the operation was begun. For
one hour and a half the keen edged scalpel
piled in dangerous proximity to the cord,
while the amputation Of the delicate nerves
that supply sensation to the shoulders and
arms proceeded, destroying the conduits Of
pain and leaving those parts of the pa
TENTS body as insensible to feeling IS II
they were SO much stone. With the irri-
cation, dressing and stitching of the
wound, the operation was completed.
When the patient shall have recovered
from the temporary shock due to the oper-
alton, he will find all pain gone. He will
then experience the strange sensation Of
entire loss of feeling, although the effective
use of the shoulders and arms will be in
nowise impaired, as the motor nerves were
not Observation-Disclosures Enquirer.