The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-14
D1GEsTs WITHOUT A STOMACH.
Juan ~Patritti- ets~Preconceived
Ideas In Regard to Digestion. -.

Juan -~Patritti- psets4Preconceived
Ideas In Regard to Digestion.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 10-An Italian
named Julian Patritti has upset all pre-
conceived ideas in regard to digestion and
nutrition. Without stomach, and con-
sequently without the assistance Of the
gastric juices, he digests and grows fat
on soups. spaghetti, raviola, tamales.
beef, mutton and pork, properly season.
ed with garlic. and drinks his usual al
lowance Of wine. A year ago Patritti was
dying of cancer Of the stomach. Today
he Is hale and hearty, does his work at
ploughing or driving a milk wagon, and
does not know what dyspepsia means
During the last year Patritti has done so
well that he has purchased a ticket for
Europe, and next week will start on a
trip to Italy to visit his old home. g..
Patrttfs case is one of the rarest known
to medical science. The first operation
for removal of the stomach was in Zurich
Switzerland. The patient was a woman,
and after her stomach had been removed
she lived two years. but was fed on pep
tonized food. Another case was that of
Mrs. Magendle, who had her stomach re-
moved in German Hospital in this city,
eighteen months ago. She Is still alive
and lives on peptonized food, but Pat
r1tt1 eats and lives just as he did before
his stomach was removed, and his only
complaint is that now he can only work
eight hours a day instead of ten, as for
merly.
Patritti is dairyman in San Mateo
county. He is thirty-nine years old. Aout
this time last year he was admitted to
St Mary's hospital and Dr. George
Childs Macdonald diagnosed the case as
one Of cancer of the stomach 1t was
learned from the patient that he had been
i'll and unable to work for about three
months. Before that he had never been
i'll in his life. He was very much eman-
ciated and weak
The case seemed hopeless, but the doc
tor decided as a last resort to remove
the whole of the stomach. With the as
sistance of Drs. Frazier, Kingwell, Nc
Monogal and Bailey, DR.. Macdonald sue
cessfully performed the operation, but the
patient was almost in q state of collapse
when it was over. He gradually rallied,
however, and soon was in the road to
recovery.
A month after the operation Patritti
thought he was well enough to go hime
Without asking anybodys leave, he slipped
out of the hospital and was met in Mar
ket street during the afternoon by DR..
Macdonald, carrying a grip-sack weigh
Ing twelve pounds. He objected strenu-
ously to being taken back to the hospital,
but DR.. Macdonald insisted, and back he
went. He was kept in ST. Mary's until
July %, when he was discharged. At that
time he weighed 107 pounds and he gave
the doctor to understand that his usual
weight was 1876 pounds
From the hospital Patritti went to his
ranch in San Mateo county, and there ne
has lived and worked ever since He eats
the same kind of food as others in that
section and claims that he can digest
pork as easily as chicken. A year ago
he did not weigh 100 pounds and today
he Is within two pounds of his regular
weight-135 pounds. A few days ago he
told Dr. Macdonald he was well as ever
he was, but grumbled because he got tired
when he had been ploughing six or seven
hours. whereas before his stomach was
cut out he could work ten hours and not
feel fatigued.