The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-25
A STOMACH REMOVAL.
The Most Brilliant and Daring Feat Ever
Attempted in Surgical History.
Not II vital Organ.

New York, Dec 2i-The Medical
Record will tomorrow publish the fol-
lowing account of the first success of
the removal of human stomach: The
feat itself is the most brilliant and
daring ever attempted in recent surgi-
cal history. but the attendant discov-
cry that the stomach is not Il vital or
gan is even more important. Hereto
fore il has been considered utterly i'm
possible to live without a stomach.
With the fall of this recognized
axiom, the old theories of medicine and
surgery may be entirely changed and
the field of possibilities which the dis
eovery opens up is practically limit
less.
The operation which has so startled
the medical world was performed in
Zurich, Switzerland. by DR.. Carl
Sahlatter on Sept. last. The subject
was Anna Lands, So years OF age and
a silk weaver. This woman nad com
planned for years of stomach trouble.
DIR. Schlatter diagnosed the case and
found that she was suffering from an
exceptionally large oval tumor in her
stomach. Laporotomy WAS performed
and DR.. Schlatter found that the wom-
ans outer stomach presented n hard
mass. Then this daring operator, see
ing that the organ was useless. went TO
work and freed IL from its delicate at
tachments, cutting, twisting and
clamping among the most VIlai organs
with he GOODNESS and deliberajIon of an
expert dentist drawing "a nard tooth.
The technical details of the operation
can only be appreciated by members of
the medical profession
When DR. Schatter had eXcised the
! entire stomach, he firmly united a small
coil of intestine to the aesophagus thus
| making direct connection between the
alimentary canal and the bowels The
work Of joining the iutestines and the
-
were bound together with sutures. The
organs were then allowed 10 drop back
into their positions, the abdomenal
wound was seNed UP and all there was
TO show that Anna Lands had lost her
stomach was a slight retracti0n toward
the diaphragm. The operation lasted
nearly two hours and a half. The loss
Of blood was slight.
THE period following showed that the
sterilization was perfect and the opera
| ton wonderfully performed. The pa
tient, although old and feeble exhibited
but few of the serious symptoms that
usually follow vital operation. Minute
quantities of liquid food were given TO
her at short intervals. With the eX-
eeption of occasional vomiting this food
seemed to be assimilated. despite the
absence of n food receptacle.
The second week after the operation
she was given solid food. II was re-
tanned and digested without discomfort.
And even DR.. Schlatter himself mar
yelled at the almost unexpected sue
cess of his bold work. He was handi-
capped in giving the patent su.ia 4oCd
because she only had one tooth left
in her head.
"On Oct. II. n month and five days
after the stomach had been removed.
Anna Lands left her bed. BY Nov. l
she was feeling perfectly Well and was
walking about. Her weight increased
fl.r -l,.. fn,s tor
health than before the operation.
Dr. Edmund Charles Wendt OF New
York city, the correspondent of the
Medical Record. who obtained DR.
Schlatter's personal account of the
fact. states that ON the 9th of this
month he saw Anna Lands and that to
all intents and purposes she Is n well
woman.