The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1897-03-03

Too Much Cnrele1sness Exhibited In This
Simple but 1mportant Operation
The Herald contained recently a
brief account OF q little italian girl,
4 years of age. dying from blood
poisoning, which setin the day after
her mother had pierced her cars.
The italian mother, in utter igno-
rance OF the laws of health, drew
green thread through the holes
which she had made in the child s
ears, to keep them open until the
wounds healed. Inflammation set N
very soon after the operation.
This occurrence brings properly
ON the tapis the subject Of earrings
and piercing the ears. With q view OF
learning whether there were many
such cases on record I occurred the
views of surgeon whose practice
for the past 25 years has been large
" confined to women. He read the
brief article before making any COM
rnent. Then, as he returned the pa
i,er. he said No, have never
known of death caused by the opera.
ton before this one IN The Herald.
But ] have seen a great many cnses
of agony and suffering. And I have
never seen the operation done prop
erly by mothers or jewelers.. In the
first place, the ears are never e1-
cept by chance. pierced so that the.
earrings will hang or be held prop
erly. One runs IN and the other out,
as a rule. One is often higher than
the other The lobe is pierced too
high uI or too low down. One hole
Is nearer the face than the other
The danger of blood poisoning is.
not to be ignored as of no account
because the operation IS supposedly
not a dangerous one. There is moth
ing right about this home surgery.
The cleanest person. when it comes
to a surgical operation, is, without
proper scientific having, medically
unclean. If you could but know the
extreme cautions that are taken in
all we'll conducted hospitalsl The
operating surgeonwin not allow any
one to hand him towel even, If
such one has not antiseptically
prepared his hands to act as an as
sistant. All the instruments to be
used have been cleansed. a woman
takes needle any needle, and
threads it with any thread. This
thread may have been in her work,
basket months and months, lying
next to other spools of all colors.
She would not think of washing her
own hands or washing the ear to be
pierced. Acork is taken out of1some
bottle, any bottle, without thought
as to what is in the bottle or how
long the cork has been exposed to.
the dust. This cork is placed under
the lobe of the ear for the needle to
strike against when it comes
through Northumberland suppura-
ton naturally result
ST have always insisted that the
operation should be done by a sur
geon, and by one who will take the
trouble to do it properly. "
But would not so slight an oper-
alton be beneath the notice of a sur
geon, doctor?''
No; the rich can command these,
and the poor could have it doneat
hospitals. .
How about wearing earrings any
way? Are not earrings relic of
both barbarism and ancient Biblical
slavery"
.sIdo not think that women should
wear earrings. But so long as they
will do it the ears should be proper
" treated, so that the rings will
hang gracefully and both alike. And,
more important still, the danger
should also be avoided. Wash the
Lobe of the ear with a disinfeotant.
Make it surgical1y clean, Csc cut
ting needle Passi it through the cen
ter of the lobe, and at right angles
to it. Use silk thread prepared so
that it is FREQ from disease germs
and will turn casiIyin the hole, that
the tissues may not be irritated -
New York Herald.