Arizona republican., 1898-01-02
LIVING WITH NO STOMACH
The Authentic Story of a Unique
 Surgical Operation

l
 Surgical Operation
 IA surgical operation by which the entire stomach of a woman, aged 56 years, was removed successfully more than three months ago, without~any material injury to the health or ac- tivity of the patient is fully describ- ed in the last number of the Medical Record.
 The case is described by Dr. Carl Schlatter of the( University of Zurich who performed the operation Anna Landis Was silk weaver of Zurich and according to her own story had froD( childhood had abdominal pains with vomiting. Medical treatment afforded no relief, and the progress of the disease drove her to the hos pital on Aug. 26 of this year.
 On examination it was found that a hard oval shaped tumor as large as a mans two fists had grown in or on the stomach. She was unable to re- tain any kind of food or nourishm h. in her stomach and "she clamored for relief by surgical interference"
 Accordingly, after such prelimi- rary strengthening of her vital forces as was ne cessaIy, she was placed on the surgeons table on the 9th of last September. When her stomach was disclosed glance was sufficient to show that the entire stomach was hope1essly diseased, although the channel from the mouth to the stem ach and the intestines leading from the stomach were in a normal cOndi- tion. To leave the stomach in place was to condemn the woman to certa,n n and speedy death. Tor reasons that will be given further on there was a slight hope that she might survive if the stomach were wholly removed
 Accordingly the surgeon clipped off the oesophagus close to where it en- tered the stomach and then cut eff the intestine perhaps two or three inches below the stomach. The walls of the stomach were also freed from such connections as existed with su.- rounding parts of the body and then the entire organ was removed.
 Having the stomach out of the way it became necessary to unite the in- testine with the end of the oseophagus On attempting to unite the two ends it was found that they could with difficulty be made to touch, in fact, the strain of bringing them to juncture was so great that to unite them per manently was manifestly out of the | question.
 In this pred; came nt Surgeon Schlat- ter found that what he calls the knuc. kle of the intestine below the severed end Git might we'll be called the first bend in the intestine, as it lay coiled in the abdomen) could easily be brought to join the end of the oesoph- agus. Accordingly he closed up the end of the intestine absolutely, as one might close the end of severed ar terry. Then he took the bend of the intestine in hand, cut slit in it thai would just fit the severed end of ths oesophagus, and sewed the end and the slit together.
 This done, there was then a direc! channel from the patients thrcs; | down through the intestines, while in place of a stomach was the end of the intestine-a length of about fifteen inches that lay on one side.
 The entire operation required two and half hours.
 The pulse, immediately after the op- eration, was 96, but it rose to 14O lat CT and eventually to 16O, and the tenn perature became as high as 3S1 de- grees Centigrade.
 For two days the patient was ncur- ished with enemas Of milk, eggs and brandy. On Sept. g milk, eggs, bull lon and wine were feu to her at in- tervals of two hours. On the 18th the abdominal wound was found to be healing admirably and the tempera- ture and pulse were steadily approach ing a normal condition By the 18th as much as cup of milk and an egg was taken at one meal, with scraped meat in addition, and on the 26th she was allowed to eat half young chicken. This, however, appears to have overloaded her substitute for a stomach, and she vomited up ten ounces of milk and meat flores.
 Not to give tedious details, it may be said that on Oct. II the patient was able to leave her bed, and that when she was examined on Dec. by Dr. Edmund c. Wendt of New York, he was 'struck by her ruddy complex ion, fair general appearance, clean, moist tongue, absence of all foetor ex ore, moderately full and vigorous pulse, and general alacrity" She in formed him .'that her appetite was good. She relished her meals, and her taste was unimpairedl Her bowels acted naturally once in Esfour hours. Her sleep was H