The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-25
DAILY, $40 A YEAR
CENTS A COPY.
WEEKLY 2-TfhIESl-A-WEEK 81 A YEAH
CAN LIVE WITHOUT A STOMACH
SURGEON MAKES A REMARKABLE
DISCOVERY.

The Astounding Fact Proved By the
Result OF An Operation on a Wo-
man-FindIng IL a Hard Mass In
capable of Performing Its Func-
Hons, the Surgeon Removes IL In
It's Entirety-Fhe Subject of the
Operation Now I'm Better HeaItIE
and walking About.
New York. Dec. a.-The Medical Record
will tomorrow publish the following ac-
count of the first successful removal Of a
human stomach: "The feat itself is the
most brilliant and daring ever attempted
in recent surgical history. but the attend-
ant discovery that the stomach is not a
vital organ, is even more important Hith-
erto Il has been considered utterly im-
possible for a person to live without u
stomach. With the fail of this long-recog-
nized axiom the old authorities OF medi-
cine and surgery may be entirely changed
and the field of possibilities which the dis
covery opens up is practically limitIess
THE operation which so startled tha
medical world was performed In Zurich,
Switzerland by DR.. Carl schlatter on
Sept last. The subject was Anna Lam
dis, Sc years. of age, a silk weaver. This
woman has complained for years of stom-
ach trouble. Dr. Schlatter diagnosed the
case and found she was suffering from am
exceptional large oval tumor in her stom-
ach. Laparotomy was performed. and
Dr. Schlatter found that the woman's en-
tire stomach was a hard mass.
THE doctor during the operation, seeing
the organ was useless, went to work,
freed II from its delicate attachments. cut
ting, twisting and clamping among the
most vital organs with the GOODNESS and
deliberation Of an expert dentist drawing
hard tooth. The technical details OF the
operation can only be appreciated by
members Of the medical profession.
when DR.. Schiatter had excised the en-
tire stomach he firmly united a small coil
or intestine to the oesophagus, thus maxi
ing direct connection between the alimen-
tary canal and the bowels. The work OF
joining the intestine and Oesophagus was
delicate. They were bound together with
sutures. The organs were allowed TO drop
back into their positions, the abdominal
wound was sewed up and all there was 10
show that Anna Lands has lost her stom-
ach was a slight retraction toward the
diaphram. The operation lasted nearly
two hours and half. The loss OF blood
wes slight.
'The period following proved that the
sterilization had been perfect and the
operation wonderfully performed. The pa
tent although old and feeble, exhibited
but few OF the serious symptoms that us
ually follow a vital operation. Minute
quantities of liquid food were given to her
at short intervals. With the exception OF
occasional vomiting this food seemed 70
be assimilated, despite the absence OF a
food receptacle. In the second week after
the operation she was given solid food. It
was retained and digested without dis
comfort. Even DR.. Schlatter himself mar
veled at the most unexpected success OF
his bold work. He was handicapped in
giving the patient solid food because she
had only one tooth left IN her head.
"On Oct. !, month and five days after
the stomach had been removed Anna
Lands left her bed. BY Nov. 25 she was
feeling perfectly well and was walking
about Her weight increased and appar-
emily she was In far better health than be-
fore the operation.
"Dr. Edmund Charles Wendt OF New
York city, correspondent OF the Medical
Record who obtained DR.. Schlatter's per-
sonal account OF the feat, states that ON
the 9th Of this month he saw Anna Lam
dis, and TO all intents and purposes she liz
well woman. She is still under observa-
ton at the Zurich county hospital but Is
able to do her fun share OF work In the
wards. She has had many medical visitors
from all quarters OF the globe. and by this
time has grown qaite proud of her de-
pleted body.
DIR. Wendt concludes from the success
Of the removal of the stomach, that the
human stomach Is not a vital organ: that
the digestive capacity of the stomach has
been considerably oyerrated; that gain 10
weight may take place despite the abb
sence Of gastric activity; that the cheml-
cal functions of the human stomach can
be satisfactorily performed by the other
divisions Of the alimentary canal.