Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1897-01-22
sm GRATING EXTRAORDINARY
a :oes Button Provcs nm Enicien. Aid In

- .oes Button Provcs nm Efficient Aid In
Modern Surgery.
The unusual manner in which piece
of skin was cut from boys thigh and
grated IN his eye TO enable him to wear
nm srtificial eye to replace one de-
btroyed by accident has been brought
10 the attention of the physicians of the
New York Academy of Medicine. The
patient is Richard Won Romcr. of .Jer.
sey City, a foundry land and very
Iealthy specimen of uoyhood. Some
weeks ago while he was pouring some
noiten metal in . mold it splashcd and
drop of it struck the hoy ia the right
eye. 1t burned away part of the upper
ia almost instantly ard sank into the
pupil. destroying the sight. DR.. Il. 7.
Chambers, of Jersey City, was called,
and, applying cocaine 10 reduce the
pain. he examined the eye. lie found n
tiny spcck of the hardened metal in the
ball of the eye, and decided that thr eu-
tire organ would have to lie removed
When this was done and the injured
surrounding tissue vas cut away the
hurgeon discovered that there wasn't
enough of the eye socket left 20 hold in
place even the smallest sized artificial
eye.
pr. Chambers resolved to try u deli
rate feat of Thicrsch grating TO rem
rdy the defect. Previous successful
experiments at skin grating had been
made when the skin was grated on u
Hat surface. The difficulty in this case
lay in making the flesh grow into "A
cavity lilse the eye socket, and us too
much prcssure DESTROYS all chance OF
the grated flesh growing upon the sur
lace to which it is applied, the under
saking was particularly hazardous.
Three weeks ago the surgeon went
about his task after an unusual meta
cd. The injured eye socket was on
tirely healed by this time. The nipht
before the operation he prepared Il
section. measuring two by four inches,
of the flesh of the thigh and swuthcd
II in antisertio bandages over night.
The next day he put the lad under the
influence of ether. The eye socket was
sprayed with cocaine, an incision was
made in the tissue, the section of flesh
was cut away from the thigh and
transplantcd TO the upper part of the
eye socket and fitted in the fresh in
cision.
Before this was done however. the
surgeon had to devise Il means of hold
ing the graft III place without too great
pressure. He hit upon the 'ncdicnt of
using an ordinary fiat-surraccd over
cout button about an inch in diameter
This was covered with nntscptic
Fauze and fitted in the cavity. The
graft OF skin was stretched over IL, and
the button and the skin graft were
bound firmly in the eye socl o.. and al
lowed to remain II week undisturbcd.
The button had four holes in il, which
permitted the free' circulation of the
fluids of the eye while the grating
process was in progress Al the end of
the week che bnndage was removed.
and 1t was discovered that the trans
planted flesh had grown won thr eve.
making new and healthy upper lid
that would hold an artificial eve in
place.
The secret of the success of the opcr-
htion, DIR. Chambers said, was The pres
ence of the holes i'm the button.
The boy was at IL recent meeting OF
The Academy of Medicine. and shove
the assembled physicians that the cy.
could be removed and replaced wit
ease. He had practically u row CIV
socket. All pnin had disappeared, nnu
ill danger of the sound eye being af
fected through sympathy. Two ph,
sicians reported that they had trict
skin grating for somewhat similn
injuries. but had failed because the,
had not used the button, or a slmila
device. They declared they would tr,
the experiment over again with the
button. and report the result to the
academy.-N. Y Sun.