The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-03-19
X RAYS BROUGHT JOY
AuTTLE GIRL NEED NOT GO THROUGH
LIFE A MONSTROSlTY.

She Has Three Right Hands Examine
ton Proves That Two Can BE Removed
Safely and the Arm Reduced In Size.
n, '?eration at Present.
The light of the penetrating K rays
thrown from the Crookes tube is to o
little girl Of Long Island City, whose
name l am o at liberty to mention, a
light that gives her assurance she need
not go through life a monstrosity. The
child is we'll known to the surgeons ut
the Polytechnic hospital in East Thirty
fourth street, New York, all of whom
are deeply interested in her case. She
was first taken to the hospital in 1883,
when she was only 2 years old.
The child was born with an abnormal
~ large right arm and three right
hands. Her parents desire to have the
arm reduced to normal size and the su-
perfluous hands removed. The surgeons
believed the operation possible, but
were never able to determine exactly
what the internal conditions Of the arm
We're and could not be assured that the
removal of two hands and the superflu-
Gus flesh and bones Of the arm would
not destroy the nerves and muscles that
would be left and render useless the one
hand that remained.
The X rays permitted the surgeons to
see clearly all the bones in the arm and
to know just what cutting would be
necessary.
DR.. George r. Fowler had charge Of
the case. He delegated DR.. S. Ormand
Goldman to have photographs made.
These were made by Frank Martin, an
expert, and were exhibited at a hospital
clinic. 1t was then determined that a
successful operation was possible and
that the hand and parts of the arm that
would be left would be almost perfect,
but that possibly the hand would not
be as free in motion as a normal hand.
The surgeons concluded that the opera
ton might be performed at any time
and that nothing would be lost by delay.
The Child's parents were consulted.
They said they were satisfied to know
that a successful operation was possible.
II will not be performed for the present,
but at any time, when the parents de-
sire, the surgeons will cut away all but
such bone and tissue as are needed in a
perfect arm. and, following the photo
graph as a guide, are confident that
after the operation the girl, instead of
being the mOnstrosity she now is, will
g. be only slightly deformcd-So slightly
in fact that the defect will be detected
by the closest scrutiny only.
The girl has been deeply interested in
the study of her case, and when she was
Informed Of the conclusion the surgeons
had reached she danced with glee.
The report of the case states that the
Y ray picture shows that there are in
the girls right shoulder, arms and hands
II scapula, two glenoid fossa, two
humeri, a~rticulating with the glenoid
fossR Of the scapula; -hree ulna, two
radii and three hands, having together
1G fingers, two of which are rudimen-
tary.
The outer hand Is nearer perfect, but
lacks power i'll the thumb. One Of the
TWO elbow J@lntS is sIlghtlV III advance
Of the other, thereby limiting greatly
the normal t1exion and extension, these
movements existing only to IA slight ex-
tent. Each hand moves independently
Of the others, and all "a mov in uni
son. The child has probably three cen
tiers on the left cerebral hemisphere of
the brain.
asked DR.. Goldman, who prepared
the report on the case, to explain the
additional nerve centers Of the brain.
He stated that as Zach finger moved sep
erately and independently each must
have its own center in the brain. He
added that it is probable that if the
arm should be cut in two there would
be two arms that would move separate.
ly.-Ncw York Herald.