The times., 1897-12-28
STOMACH NO VITAL ORGAN
Three Washington Physicians
Say 1t May Be Removed.
1T is SIMPLY A RESERVOIR
Without Its Aid Food May Be Prop.
eriy DIG ested-Boon to Tight
I-acers if Schlatter's Operation
Is SuCcessful-Co Comments of One
Doctor-Dr. St.arnS a Doub.er.

by DR.. Carl Schiatter, of tile Univ ersit y af
Zurich Switzerland, is one of the most
striking easesofab bdominal lsurgeryuhrecord
and has deeply int crested local physicians
and surgeons. The operation, which alone
/ might carry the name of the hitherto com
paratively unknown physician down tue
ages, WAS the successful remoy al of tn
entire stomachof a woman. The esophagus
1 was connect ed with tie end of small
intestine, and the patient is now able 10
walk around and attend To herdaily labors
just as any ordinary mortal. Ii is the only
/ case ON record where person has under
/ gone such an operation aud survived, and
/ Will no doubt lead to much experimenting
/ in that line.
a number of the leading physicians Of
! Washington We're approached for an )piu-
! ion Of tie Importance of the operation hy
a Times reporter last night. Several said
! that it has been ovefrated, but the greater
number thought il the operation was as
successful as repo-.ed its Importance could
not be overestimated.
DR.. James TaSer Johnson of the job L
! son Sanitariun, at Connecticut avenue
and X street northwest, said: The opera
/ ton is something entirely new TO the meli-
/ cal profession, and in spea king about Il we
must first grant that the operation was
/ performed as stated.
1T certainly seems possible. In my minG
a person ought TO live after the stomach
had been succeSfullyremoved. ThestonIach
is an enlargement of the upper part of the
intestincS and is not absolutely necessary
for the proper digestion and aSsimula-
tion OF food. There have been instances
where large portions of the intestincs aud
of the stoma ch have been successfully .aken
out. / recall an instance where DR.. i;ton,
of Pittsburg, i'll a case of fiiroid tumor pr
the womb, removed five feet of intes.ines
and the patient still lives. Portions OF the
intestires lave been removed many times.
There is on record a case where DR..
Hamilton, formerly surgeon general of
the Marine Hospital, removed Portions
OF the iItestiaes in thiTteen places, where
the patient had been wounded by bullet.
After the stomach had been removed once
the ends of the esophagus and theintestines
would be connected and the food would be
digeSted liz the intestines. The fluids of
the panCreas, an organ which lies below
the stomach, Is discharged through
small duct into the intestines, and thus
come ii contact With the food which
passes through the stomach, and really
digest the greater part Of our food. If
that function belongs TO the intestines
now, there is no reason why the food
could not he assimilated and digestcd
there altogether.
The gastric juices which pour into the
stomach could be administered beneficiany
into the intestines If the stomach Were
removed. The patient could be given pep
sin and hydrochloTic acid, or the patieut
would be able To live on predigested food,
as dyspeptics- do now. The great office
OF the stomach is that of giving the fool
place to stay. 1t is in sense reser
yoir. Some years ago it was thought
impossible that a womb could be removed. !
That is not So now, and the opera lion
is of frequent occurrence, and successful
in almost every case.
The stomach also serves the purpose OF |
regulating the temperature of fluid and |
solid foods before they enter the intestiues |
The many blood vessels in The walls or
the stomach serve To heat the food and /
help to regulate its temperature before it
enters the bov els. The only difficulty in |
the way is that OF performing the opefa- !
tion succes9 ully. 1t has not Yet been
done. II il does become success cur |
society ladies VIII have found door |
that will allow them TO lace tight"
DR. Sterling Ruffin said, in discussing /
the operation: Yes, think il is quite /
possible for a patient to live without a |
stomach, provided tiiat organ could he /
successfully removed. The operation is /
one that mas never before been undertaken /
for the res son that il was such difficult
and fatal one 10 perform. Alithe functions
now belonging to the stomach can be taken
up by the iutestines Tie question hereto
fore has merely been the finding of n way
TO perform the operation successfully. II
Dr. Schlatuer has found that way, it is
great triumph OF surgery"
DIR. j. Ford Thompson said Il believe
that the stomach could he removed with
out bringing certr in death TO the patient.
The operation is such delicate one that
it has Eever heen successfully done.
DO not doubt that il has been done BY
Prof. SchIat;er. II so, it is a great
triumph, hrt IL VIII Eut mean very much,
in my opinion. No stomach at ail is
certa inly lot as go1d as a good stomach.
If the stomach were removed, the person
could live. but do not believe that person
could eat as heartily of everything as
the average ma and have perfect iges-
ton
DIR. s. s. Stearns said: 1T may be true
that such an operation his been performed.
but i am skeptical. doubt its success.
The inteStiueS could be removed in part, rs
they have been, and the person live, but
not the stomach. If the patient should
live il would not ba for a very long time