The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-28
MAGIC OF BRAIN SURGERY.
IN THE KNIFE LIES HOPE FOR THE
MENTALLY UNSOUND.

The Wonderful Field of PoSSibiIi-
ties Opened Up by Recent Expert
ment-An Authority Who Believes
That Many Species of Insanity
May BE Cured by Surgery.
Washington Letter in New York Sun.
Among the recent visitors to the capital
is a 81. Louis surgeon who has made
special study of brain surgery and is
gathering material for Il publication on
that interesting subject, which, almost
more than any other except abdominal sur
gery5-ehows the progress of the past half
century or less. He finds a vast amount
of information and great many iustra-
tive instances in the medical archives of
the civil war. He was asked for an opinion
on the case of Frank Collier an eccentric
Chicago lawyer, who recently went the
rounds of the New York surgical authori-
ties and is said 10 have undergone an or
GRAFTON at home. Il have no personal
knowledge of the case" he said "but from
a description which l had a few years ago
and from the newspaper accounts of his
escapades, did not have the impression
that Golfers mental peculiarities, which
are certainly pathological were the result
of an injury. They pointed rather TO a
progressive breaking down of cerebral It's
sue We do not look for such lively indica-
TONS where there is a pressure of bone on
the brain.
THE type of all cases OF pressure from
fracture of the skull" he continued lis
that of the man who was kicked by a
horse. AS the animal raised its leg the man
shouted Whoa, but was struck on the
head by the iron-shod hoof before he could
complete his sentence. He remained IN
conscious for three days. When an opening
was made in the skull, the inner table was
found to be depressed and pressing on the
brain. The instant this was raised con-
seriousness returned and he completed the
cry which he began three DAYS before
Molly" the animals name. Where his
mind soul, spirit, vital spark, or whatever
presides over consciousness was during all
that time is a mystery that stumps the
philosopher.
1t is astonishing that Robert Louis Ste
Venson and other literary men have been
able to describe so well some forms OF in
sanity resulting either from a clot effused
IN the brain or from injury to the head
In the case of Mr. Henry, in the Master
of Ballantrae,' he has given an accurate
picture of the progressive insanity fol-
lowing an effusion that results from a
paroxysm of anger particularly straight
minded, level-headed and considerate man.
always temperate and self-contained Is
transformed into an inebriate and a re-
pusive object whose most intimate friends
have to recall with an effort his earlier
qualities in order to tolerate his presence
Stevenson has been hideously true to the
record in depicting this once admira ole
character, changed almost to a monster
6xytl oil .ofT
its channel in the minute vessels OF the
brain. IL is appalling to think on what
slender thread hangs our sanity. our af-
liability and even our affections. OF
course, Shakespeare remains supreme in
his portraiture of one form of insanity.
He was far in advance Of the medical
knowledge of his time No modern alien
list has ever presented Hamlets type of
mental disorder so accurately. SO exact
and comprehensive is this product of The
insight of genius that Maudsley prefers
It to any other as the basis of a study
prefers It to Esqurols record Of actual
cases of lunacy in the Paris hospital for
the insane.
1.-THE operation of trephining," said the
surgeon in reply to a question, was more
common at an earlier day, though there
is strong tendency to a revival since
surgery has been freed from its worst
dangers. Under the precautions and ex-
emptons of modern surgery a great many
operations that were resorted to only when
there was no other hope of the life of the
patient have been freed from their worst
dangers The trouble has not been from
breaking the continuity of tissues, but
from the Incidental complications, sucn IS
blood poisoning, erysipelas, gangrene and
so on, if the patient survived the shock.
The trephining of the skull is now looked
upon without the late fears. II is sim
pie the instrument being like a circular
steel punch except that the edge Is GER
rated for saving out a disk the size of
half dollar. 1t has been said that some
of the skulls of the ancient mound-build-
ers show perforations of this kind and 1t
has been asserted that they resorted to
the operation in cases of Injury. 1t prom
ises most when used for the radical cure
of epilepsy.
"The victims of that disorder are surely
among the most unhappy and pitiful OF all
wreiched human creatures. They may be
rational. apparently normal In all their
mental processes and with the same affec-
lions and ambit ons as other men. Yet
they are condemned to increasing seizuers
to more frequent and more violent out
breaks OF the mania in which they are
powerless to control themselves-and they
have the melancholy surety of becoming
entirely insane or imbecile. Medical treat
ment OF the disease has been hopeful! at
times. there have even been specific rene
dies, but surgery offers the only assurance
Of relief and escape. Since the work of
brain localization has advanced, surgery
has been more and more relied upon to
effect a radical cure. The fact that the
disease does not spare persons of unusual
brightness make the progress toward i'm
becillty peculiarly painful and shocking.
The worst or, rather the most dangerous
type, Is shown N connection with well
known tragedy that is by no means soli-
tary. In a Michigan hospital for The in
sane. where Il Is cruel to c0niine ep.leptics,
was one Of uncommon quality. he was
young man Of good family and an agree
abe personality, well educated and but
for this faint he would have promised a
useful career His seizures, though not
frequent. had been increasing in violence,
and at the suggestion Of the superintend-
ent he was sent to the hospital, which
is also an asylum. He had contracted
strong liking for the superintendent who
had given particular attention 10 the case.