The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-28
MARVELLOUS FEAT IN SURGERY
TREATMENT OF APoPLExY NOW
MADE EASY.
Hole Cut In Skull of Patient and the
Ffused Blood Allowed to Escape
Operation Described.

New York, Dec. 27.-One of the most
notable surgical operations performed
recently and one which may furnish
precedent for the treatment Of apoplec-
tic cases in which the pressure of a
clot of blood formed on the brain can
be localized, took place at the New
York Post Graduate hospital. This
operation was that of trepanning-th
cutting of a hole in the skull of the
patient through which the effused
blood resulting from d stroke of
apopleXy was allowed to escape and it
was performed by one of the visiting
staff of surgeons and a local physician
who lectures and operates at Post
Graduate and other hospitals before a
body of clinical students and doctors
from all parts of the country, who were
in New York with a view to brushing
up on the latest developments in the
work in their profession.
The patient was Henri Chevallier, a
French dressmaker, 80 years of age.
Chevallier is a man of good physique
and at the time of his stroke, which
occurred Dec. is, was apparently in
good health. Nine. Chevallier said
that her husband had been a. we'll man
most Of his life and had never had an
attack of apopleXy before and that one
When M. Chevallier was seized and
his family physician called it was seen
that he was in condition of imminent
danger. The surgeon referred to be-
forehand, an acquaintance of the
family physician, was called in about
an hour after the attack and dis
covered that the patient was fast dy-
ing. 1t was decided to perform an
operation as quickly as possible, as that
y 70 ha inI1T' &C
life, and to that end he was removed
to the amphitheatre of the post gradu-
ate hospital The operation was per-
formed as a part of the usual clinic.
witnessed by the physicians attending
the post graduate school in the hos
pital. The operating surgeon had sent
for a neurogolist, OF whose services as
a conSultant he wanted to make use
of, but the latter physician was late
in arriving and so the surgeon went
ahead with his work. AS the apopletic
attack had rendered M. Chevallier al
most totally unconscious by paralyzing
the nerve centers, the effused blood
having penetrated to all parts of the
brain, very little ether had to be used.
The skull was trepanned and the clot
of blood formed by the bursting of
some of the small arteries on the left
side of the head was allowed to escape.
Some 90 seconds after the brain pres
sure which was killing the patient had
been removed, his pulse and respira-
ton, which had almost stopped, began
to approach their normal actions. From
that time he has steadily improved.
Not the slightest set back has oc-
CURED to reflect discredit on the judg-
ment used in performing the operation
and the surgeon who carried it through
looks for the patients recovery
The ODerdtjOD seems hayo boov
thoroughly successful, as it was prac-
tically certain when it was decided on
that without it the patient would have
died in few hours. The method of
treatment heretofore used, according to
the statement of a physician seen at
the hospital last night, had been of a
very conservative character. The
principal thing done was to keep the
patient quiet and to provide as far as
possible for his comfort.