The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-05
STOMACH NOT NECESSARY.
An Interesting Story Of How a Woman
Lived without this Organ.
Springfield Republican.

last August are OF great interest. The
Republican yesterday described in a
general way how DR.. Carl Schlatter.
of the University Of Zurich, removed
Anna Landis's stomach entirely from
her body, and then set her agoing
again in better health than she had
enjoyed for years.
It seems that when the diseased
stomach had been revealed in all its
hopelessness as an organ Of digestion.
the surgeon made bold to remove it
because, first, it was clear that the
woman would soon die with the stom-
ach, a1d, second, that she might live
without it, inasmuch as other patients
we're known to have survived for con-
siderable periods after the greater part
Of their stomachs had been cut away.
while dogs had lived for years in good
eating and fighting order with nc
stomachs at all.
When the organ had been removed
the problem of how to unite the end
of the esophagus and the end OF the
intestine, in order to make the ali
mentary canal complete: caused some
temporary difficulty. The two ends
would not unite without stretching,
and that would never do. No general
on a battlefield ever met serious
emergency with more GOODNESS and In
telligence than did this German sur
geon. FIn this predicament,' one
reads in the Medical Record. DR..
Schlatter s'found that what he calls
the knuckle Of the intestine below the
severed cut (t might we'll be called
the first bend in the intestine, as it
lay coiled in the abdomen) could easi-
be brought to join the end Of the
esophagus. Accordingly he closed up
the end Of the intestine absolutely, as
one might close the end Of severed
artery. Then he took the bend Of the
intestine in hand, cut slit in it that
would just fit the severed end Of the
esophagus, and sewed the end and the
slit together. This done, there was
then a direct channel FROM the pa
tents throat down through the intes-
tines, while in place of stomach was
the end Of the intestine-a length OF
about Is inches that lay on one side. "
This end, we should say, had now be-
come new vermiform appendix-at
least, something very similar to the
familiar and mysterious organ which
causes the appendicitis.
The pulse Immediately after the
operation was 96, but it became 14O,
aud even 100 later. The patient was
nourished for two days with enamas
of eggs, milk and brandy, and on Sep
tember 8, IA days after she had lost
her stomach, Miss Lands was fed on
milk, bouillon, eggs and wine at inter
walls of two hours. On the 18th tenn
perature and pulse were reaching a
normal condition on the 10th she ate
some scraped meat, and on the 26th, a
month after the operation, she con-
sumed and assimilated half chicken,
although not without some vomiting.
She was up and around October IL,
and on December 9, when examined by
DR.. Edmund c. Wendt, Of New York !,
he found woman SO years old, with
no stomach, ruddy complexion, fair
appearance, clean, moist tongue, MOI
eratcly full and vigorous pulse, and
good general alacrity Of movement.
Her appetite was good, and she had
gained since leaving the surgeon ta-
bic three pounds in weight.
Or. Wcndts conclusions, prcfaced
by the qualification that he would not
indulge in sweeping gencralixations'
on the strength of one case, are stated
in full as follows
/. The human stomach not vital
organ.
=. The digestive capacity of the
human stomach has been considerably
overratel.
3. The fluids and solids constitu-
ting an ordinary mixed diet are capable
of complete digestion and assimila-
ton without the aid of the human
stomach.
4. A gain in the weight Of the body
may take place i'll spite of the total
absence OF gastric activity.
). Typical vomiting may occur with
out stomach.
s, Thc general health Of Il person
need not Immediately dctcrioratc on
account of removal Of the stomach.
1. The most important office for the
human stomach is to act as Il reser-
vo;r for the reception. preliminary