The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-25

New York Dec 24-The Medical
Record will tomorrow publish the fol-
lowing account of the first success of
the removal of a human stomach:
The feat itself is the most brilliant
and daring ever attempted in recent
surgical history, but the attendant dis
covery that the stomach is not a
vital organ, is even more important
heretofore it has been considered ut
Ierly impossible to live without a
stomach. With the fall of this long
recognized axiom. the old theories of
medicine and surgery may be entirely
changed and the field of possibilities
Which the discovery opens up is prac-
tically imitless.
DIAGNOSIS
The operation which has so startled
the medical world was performed in
zurich, Switzerland, by DR.. Carl
Schlatter, on Sept last. The sub
Ject was Anna Lands, 90 years of age,
ana silk weaver. This woman had
complained for years Of stomach
trouble. DR.. Schlatter diagnosed the
case and found that she was suffering
from an exceptionally large oval tu-
NOR in her stomach. Laporotomy was
performed, and DR.. Schlatter found
that the wOman's outer stomach pre-
sented hard mass. Then this daring
operator, seeing that the organ was
useless, went to work and freed it from
It's delicate attachments cutting, twist
ing and clampjng among the most vital
organs with the GOODNESS and delibera-
ton of an expert dentist drawing a
hard tooth. The technical details of
the operation can only be appreciated
by members of the medical profession.
JOINED THE INTESTINES.
When DR.. Schlatter had excised
the entire stomach, he firmly united a
small coil of intestine to the aesoph-
agus, thus making a direct connection
between the alimentary canal and the
bowels. The work of joining the in
testine and the aesophagus was most
delicate. They were bound together
with Sutures. The organs were al
lowed 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 a
slight retraction toward the diaphrag GIN.
The operation lasted nearly two hours
and half. The loss of blood was
slight
The period following showed that
the sterilization was perfect, and the
operation wonderfully performed. The
patient, although old and feeble ex-
hibited but few Of the serious symp-
toms that usually follow a vital opera
ton. Minute quantities of liquid food
were given to her at short intervals.
With the exception of occasional vomft-
ing, this food seemed to be assimil-
ated, despite the absence Of a food re-
ceptaele.
RETAINED FOOD.
The second week after the operation
she was given solid food. 1t was re-
tanned and digested without discom-
fort. And even DR.. Schlatter himself
marveled at the almost unexpected sue
cess of his bold work. He was handi-
capped in giving the patient solid food
because she only had one tooth left il
her head.
On Oct. II, month and five days at
ter the stomach had been removed
Anna Lands left her bed BY Nov
1 she was feeling perfectly well, anC
was walking about Her weight in.
creased and apparently she was in fan
better health than before the operation
Dr. Edmund Charles Wendt of New
York City, the correspondent of the
Medical Record, who obtained DR.
Schlatters personal account Of the feat
states that on the 9Th Of this month
he saw Anna Lands. and that to al
intents and purposes she is a well Wo-
man. She is still under observation al
the Zurich county hospital. but is able
to do her full share of work in the
0dIQS. one udS udu IllduA IDGulcd
visitors from all quarters of the globe
and by this time has grown quite proud
of her depleted body.
NOT A VITAL ORGAN.
Or. Wendt concludes from the oper-
alton that the human stomach is not {
vital organ; that the digestive capacity
of the stomach has been considerably
overrated; that q gain in weight may
1aSnife the a hSRnca of -
trio activity; that vomiting may occur
without a stomach, and that the chem
zeal functions of the human stomach
can be satisfactorily performed bJ
the other divisions of the alimentary
canal
Commenting upon all these things
the Medical Record editOrially will say
Whatever we may venture pro o.
con on the question at issue, the fac
appears to be proven that the human
subject can live and be reasonably ac
tive for months without any stomach
whatever, and obtain all the necessary
digestion and nourishment from VIVA
remains of the intestinal tract. Is i
possible that the latter may have
new set of functions not yet known, o.
has the Importance of stomach diges
ton been misappreheaded and overrat
ed? In any event we are now brough
face to face with very curious demon
stration. which destroyed the validity
Of many preconceived opinions, and il
a great measure utilities the results O
many previous experiments.
In the matter of q brilliant achieve
rnent, the operation takes first rank
and the daring and brilliant surgeon
will receive the well deserved congrat
ulations of his peers throughout th'
world He has opened the first chapte
In a new history of surgical triumphs.