The herald., 1897-12-25
.SKILLFUL
SURGERY
Skaters Many Timew0rn
Theories
ExCISlON OF THE STOMACH
OUGHT TO PROVE FATAL BUT
DID NOT
A Swiss Surgeon Performs Laparot-
omy Operation Which Would
Stagger Old Aesculapius
OUGHT TO PROVE FATAL BUT
DID NOT
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
NEW YORK, Dec. 24.-The Medical
Record will tomorrow publish the fol-
lowing account Of the first successful re-
moval of human stomach:
The feat itself is the most brilliant and
daring ever attempted in recent surgical
history, but the attendant discovery that
the stomach is not vital organ is even
more important. Hitherto it has been
considered utterly impossible for per-
son to live without stomach. With
the fall Of this long recognized axiom,
the old theoyies of medicine and surgery
may be entirely changed, and the field Of
possibilities that the discovery opens up
is practically limitless.
The operation which has so startled
the medical world was performed in Zu-
rich, Switzerland, by DR.. Carl Schlatter
on September 9Th last. The subject was
Anna Lands, 56 years old, and silk
weaver. The woman had complained for
years of stomach trouble. DR.. Schlatter
diagnosed the case and found that she
was suffering from an exceptionally
large oval tumor in her stomach. Lap
arotomy was performed, and DIR. Schlat-
ter found that the womans outer stom-
ach presented hard mass. Then this
daring operator, seeing that the organ
was useless, went to work and freed it
from it's delicate attachments, cutting,
twisting and clasping among the most
vital organs with the GOODNESS and de-
a hard tooth. The technical details of
the operation can be appreciated only
by members Of the medical profession.
When DIR. Schlatter had excised the
entire stomach, he firmly united small
coll of intestines to the aesophagus, thus
making direct connection between the
alimentary canal and the bowels. The
work of joining the intestines and the
aesophagus was most 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 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 sterilization had been perfect
and the operation wonderfully per-
formed. The patient, 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 exception Of occasional vomit-
ing, this food seemed to be assimilated,
despite the absence of food receptacle.
In the course Of a week she was given
solid food. 1t was retained and digested
without discomfort And even DR..
Schlatter himself marveled at the al
most unexpected success of his bold
work. He was handicapped in giving
the patient solid food because she only
had one tooth left in her head.
On October II, month and five days
after the stomach had been removed.
Anna Lands left her bed By Novem-
ber l she was feeling perfectly we'll and
was walking about. Her weight in
creased and apparently she was in far
better health than before the operation.
DIR. Edmund Charles Wendt Of New
York city, the correspondent of the Med
ical Record, who obtained DR.. Schlat-
ter's personal account of the feat states
that on the 9th of this month he saw
Anna Lands, and that to all intents and
purposes she is well woman. She is
still under observation at the Zurich
county hospital. but is able to do her full
q a IF tt1aV o~cc 1.nr L =
many medical visitors from all quarters
of the globe and by this time has grown
quite proud of her depleted body.
"Dr. Wendt concludes from the sue
cessful removal of this stomach that the
human stomach is not vital organ;
that the digestive capacity of the stom-
ach has been considerably over-rated;
that gain in weight may take place
despite the absence of the gastric ac-
tivity; that vomiting may occur without
a stomach and that the chemical func-
tions of the human stomach can be sat
isfactorily performed by the other di-
visions Of the alimentary canal"
Commenting upon all these things,
the Medical Record editorially will say:
Whatever we may venture pro or
con on the question at issue, the fact ap-
pears to be proved that the human sub
ject can live and be reasonably active
for months without any stomach what
ever and obtain all the necessary diges-
tion and nourishment from what re-
mains of the intestinal tract. 1t is pos
sible that the latter may have a set of
functions not yet understood, or has the
Importance of stomach digestion been
misapprehended and over-rated? At
any rate, we are now brought face to
face with a very curious demonstration
which destroyed the validity of many
preconceived opinions and in great
measure nullifies the results of many
previous experiments.
I'm the matter of brilliant achieves
ment the operation takes first rank. and
the daring and brilliant surgeon will re-
ceive the well-deserved congratulations
Of his peers throughout the world. He