Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-20
BROKEN VERTEBRATE REMOVED.
Last Hope Operation on Young Dur
yea-Patient Has "Fighting Chance.',

New York Press)
Three surgeons, two neurologists. an
expert I'm the administration of ether
and an affectionate cousin surrounded an
operating table in Roosevelt Hospital for
nearly an hour yesterday afternoon. Upon
the table lay the son OF millionaire,
only y years old. an athlete. save as to
mind. with apparently everything in life
10 hope for, but with every reckoning
promise of wealth and health marred by
a broken back
The prone patient was Walter A. Dur
yea. the son of +. +. Duryea. the rich
starch manufacturer of Glen Cove l. l.
Ii was on August 7th OF the past sum-
mer when the young man. an expert
swimmer. dived into shallow water at
oyster Bay and broke his back.
Instantly his body was paralyzed from
the chin downv0~d He received every
mechanical relief that surgical skill could
devise. Splints Of cunningly carved wood
and Of carefully moulded plaster of Paris
were made to support his neck and hold
his spinal column in position.
AN HEROIC REMEDY.
But broken vertebrae pressed upon the
spinal cord. and no such makeshift APP
planes, however skilfuly devised, could
relieve the dreadful paralysis.
At last young Duryea decided in his own
mind that life under these conditions was
not worth living. He cOurted the final
appeal to the surgeons knife. which
either would restore his physical strength
or omen the bars to the undiscovered
country. His courage overcame the fears
of his family. who at last yielded to the
repeated plea of the sufferer: Cure me
or let me die!'
Even the surgeons shrank from the
operation. They told young Duryea that
his back was broken. In theory, they
could not mend IL wholly, but they could
remedy the break by removing the frac
tured bones pressing upon the spinal
cord. Stii they reminded the patient Ihat
his case was similar TO that Of Mrs. VIII
liam G. Whitney, who had received the
devoted attention Of the most expert sur
eical specialists in all the land. and yet
the. science of all the wise men at the
close Of a century that has seen the most
marvellous advance in surgery. could rot
save her.
"Oh. cure me or let me die" was young
Duryea's reply.
on THE OPERATING TABLE.
So the wise men of knives and anaes-
thetics brought the helpless athlete 10
The test of the heroic treatment that his
suffering soul clamOred for. Ihey TOOK
him to a private room in Roosevelt. They
removed the splints and the plaster casts.
They used the N-ray 10 locate eN"OuJ
the fractured vertebrae.
Then. between and O'Clock yester-
dav afternoon. the surgeons placed youns
purvea upon the operating tape. l(uilhs
forty minutes they cut hesh ana eA
tTected broken bone The gallant patient
never fiinched. An expert in the aulliiiis
tration of ether. with assistants anu "p-
paratus. was there, but IL was not ne 80,
sarv 10 reduce the sufferer 10 liltnloi "a,
consciousness. Instead. cocaine wa az
Tliod ~ dumb the nerves where the cur
Inc was done. The patient even chatleu
chserfulIv with the surgeons ana ms cou-
ein Ioris while the dreadful operation
was performed o,,a sl,iu lasted
=, l,rc,b 40 minutes, How long lheso
minutes must have seemed 10 'n0 ,oi,st
under the knife, or now lOns 1,iaIdeJ
have been 10 the surgeons "oot"e ex-
10 a. etruuents. applied the coCal1e;
W - INC fragments Of bone, ana looH
"O'Stor The antiseptic treatment, H@S
gu calculated Time, compllCdleu
,,'jtr cmotion. is not TO be counted pS any
c'och TuE OFFICIAL STATEMENT
- a. the precise official stateinC.t
mere mis- operation, issued from
the hospital: 80, raw anDaratus the
doctors found that the hilh ISi 'r.'Doasterior
HHnot,,red and they removed the Pos,eit.o'
lIaCtuio he dfth and sixth YerteDI5'
PIiiicb yrere pressing on the spiIal 49,
- removing the pressure ina tri n"u
d,iced some Of the symptoms ut tb9t
nal damage 10 the cora WIS ~ benefit
a. ie impossible 10 say now niuoi ao,oe at
Will follow the oPSA"''
least is hoped for. eo,,,red hone and
Removal of the fractured pom sninai
other portions pressing on i 9ne fP' The
cord er was hearing the operation with great
patitvnt1 While Mr.. Duryears coHul..
Io GI Was such as to render il exPedem'
tR H the operation be done Under fer f t6e ad
every DIN Of ether Dr. Thomas IL
mlniS ett''' the anaesthetitzer to the nos
Bt BEN bSing on hand for that purpose. icb
p'arh SSS at the S oPsF%t9H p TRde
was PERFORMS - Robert Able, Robert :;
room VIZ Arthur l.. Fisk, surgeons; ana
We p aar Bailey and Edward D. FiSn a
e eT, consultation since Mr.. Duryea
injury, ,,e could say nothing more NOPE
e.i ri iast night than that, with ms youen
ana "a lighting chance FOR ms me-