The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-05-08
Entire Stomach Removed a Year Ago, but
He Has Rega ned Former Weight
HIS CASE IS A VERY UNUSUAL ONE.
Food Is MOI Psp.onlsd and Re Follows The Plough
Daily as He Old Before His Stomach
Was Removed

San Francisco. Cal, May s.-An Ital-
ian named Juan Patritti has upset all
preconceived ideas IN regard to dIges-
tion and nutrition. Without a stom-
ach, and consequently without the as
sistance of the gastric juices, he digests
and grows fat on soups. spaghetti, ravi-
ola, tamales. beef. mutton and pork.
properly seasoned with garlic, and
drinks his usual allowance OF wine.
A year ago Patrltti was dying of cam
Ger Of the stomach. Today ne is hale
and hearty, does his days work at
plowing or driving a milk wagon, and
does not know what dyspepsia means.
so we'll that he has purchased ticket
for Europe, and next week will start on
a trip to Italy to visit his old home.
Patritti's case is one OF the rarest
known to medical science. The first
operation for removal of the stomach
was in Zurich, Switzerland. The pa
tient was a woman, and after her stom-
ach had been removed she lived two
years but was fed on peptonized food.
Another case was that OF Mrs. Magen-
die. who had her stomach removed in
the German hospital, in this city, eigh-
teen months ago. She is Sill alive and
lives on peptonized food, but Patritti
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 a dairyman in San Mateo
county. He is thirty- nine years old.
About this time last year he was admit
ted To ST. Mary's hospital, and DR.. G..
-effftis Macbouatd ufaguOsTt me case
as one of cancer of the stomach. 1t was
learned from the patient that he had
never been i'll in his life. He was very
much emaciated and weak.
The case seemed hopeless, but the
doctor decided as a last resort TO re-
move the whole of the stomach. With
the assistance of Drs. Frazer, King
we'll. McMonogal and Bailey, DIR. Mac
Donald successfully performed the op-
Grafton. but the patient was almost IN
a state of collapse when II was over.
He gradually rallied. however, and soon
was on the road to recovery.
4 month after the operation Patrittt
thought he was well enough to go
home. Without asking anybody's leave
he slipped out ofthe hospital and was
met in Market street during the after
noon by DR.. Macdonald carrying
objected strenuously 20 being taken
back to the hospital. but Dr. MacDon-
aid insisted, and back he went he was
kept in St. Mary's until July 2S, when
he was discharged. At that time he
weighed 107 pounds and he gave the
doctor to understand that his usual
weight was 135 pounds.
From the hospital Patrtti went to his
ranch in san Mateo county, and there
he has lived and worked ever since. He
eats the same kind of food as others in
that section. and claims that he can di-
gest pork as easily as chicken. A year
ago he did not weigh loo pounds, and
today he is within two pounds of his
regular weight-135 pounds. few days
ago he told DR.. Macdonald he was as
well as ever he was. but grumbled be-
cause he got tired when he had been
blowing six or seven hours whereas be-
fore his stomach was cuc out ne could
work ten hours and not feel fatigued.
RESIDENTS or rLMwOoD IT IL your duty
to attend the AUCTION SALE of the prop
erty, No. l0l Burnett street at - o'clock
noon. Wednesday, MAY 10th, 1889. g. l. \ II.