The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-26
A TRIUMPH
IN SURGERY.
First Successful Removal of a
Human Stomach.
DIR. CARL 6CHLATTER HAS DE
MoNSTRATED THAT THE SToM.
ACH is NOT A VITAL ORGAN
AND THAT A HUMAN BEING CAN
BE DEPRIVED OF 1T AND GET
ALONG WITHOUT ANY GREAT
INCONVENIENCE.

old to day publishes the following nc.
count OF the first successful removal of n
human stomach:
1.-The feat itself is the most brilliant
and daring ever attempted in recent sur.
gical history, but the attendant discovery
that the stomach is not vital organ is
even more important. Hitherto it has
been considered utterly impossible for n
person to live without stomach. With
the fall of this long recognized axiom the
old theories of medicine and surgery may
be entirely changed and the field of pos
sibilities which the discovery opens up is
practically limitless.
1.-The operation which has so startled
the medical world was performed in
Zurich, Switzerland, by DR.. Carl Schlat.
ter on September last. The subject
was Anna Lands, Sc years old, and Il
silk weaver. This woman had com.
planned for years Of stomach trouble
DR.. Schlatter diagnosed the case and
found that she was suffering from an en-.
ceptionally large oval tumor in her atom-
ach.
''Laparotomy was performed. and Dr.
Schlattcr found that the woman's entire
stomach presented hard mass. And
then this daring OPERATOR seeing that
the organ was useless, went to work and
freed it from its delicate attachments,
cutting, twisting, and clamping among
the most vital organs with the GOODNESS
and deliberation Of an expert dentist
drawing n hard tooth. The technical de.
tails Of the operation can only be appre.
cinted by members of the medical profess
sion.
'Wheu DR.. Schlaiter had eXcsed the
entire stomach he firmly united a small
coil OF intestine to the oesophagus, thus
T. Il
alimentary canal and the bowels The
work of joining the intestine and the
oo sophagus was most delicate They
were bound together with sutures. The
organs were allowed to drop back into
their positions, the abdom ipal wound
was sewed up. and all there was to show
that Anna lands had lost her stomach
was slight retraction toward the dia.
phragm. The operation lasted nearly
two hours and half. The loss of blood
was slight.
The period following proved that the
Specialization had been perfect and che
operation wonderfully performed. The
patient: although old and feeble, exhibi-
ted but few Of the serious symptoms that
usually follow n vital operation. Minute
quantities of liquid food were given to
her at short intervals. With the excep-
llOu vi OSCttSlpllHl WON lllUR InlS lOOtt
seemed to be assiinilated. despite the elI-
sence OF Il food receptacle. In the second
week after the operation she was given
solid food. 1t was retained and dIotsted
| without discomfort. Aud even DR..
Schlatter himself marvelcd at The almost
unexpected success OF his bold work
He was handicapped in giving the patient
said fDod because she only had one tooth
left in her head.
ON October II, n month and five DAYS
after the stomach had been removed
Anna Lands left her he'd. BY November
.: he was feeling perfectly we'll and was
walking about. Her weight increased
and apparently she was in far better
health than before the operation
"Dr. Edmund Charles Wendt, of New
York city, the correspondent of the Med
zeal Record, who obtained DR.. .,Schlatter's
personal account of the feat, states that
on the 9th of this month lie saw Anna
Lands, and that % all intents and pur-
poses she Is we'll woman. She is still
under observation Mt the Zurich county
hospital, but is able to do her full. share
of work in the wards She has had many
medical visitors from a'l quarters of the
glote. and by this time has grown quite
proud OIL her depict I'd body.
CDR. Wendt concludes from the sue
cessful removal of this stomach that the
human stomach is not vital organ; that
the digestive capacity Of the stomach has
been considerably overrated; that gain
in weight NAV take place despite the alb.
sence of gastric activity; thar the vomit.
ing may occur without stomach and
that the chemical functions of the hui
man stomach Can be satisfactorily per-
formed by the other divisions of the ali
mentnIy canal"
CHICAGO GAMBLERS INDICTED.
True Bills Found Against Thirty. five