The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-04

susesesI GenSus anA skslD-Granh-
- DesesiDsssn ~ se~ses That Are
Deserved IN ~ Operatives Reea-

-% HE theater WAS full Of the pierre
ine smell OF iodoform. About
It's lowest tiers IounEed dog
en- Students. On the ncor stood
II . doctor. gray-bearded, mo-
tignless, hands thrust into his
overcoat pockets. Everybody else on the
floor was ali strained attention and swift
uovement--fhe two elder students behind
the tables with bright steel Instruments
IN small tanks Of wsteY-made antiseptfc.
tho nurse at the table with the sponges
and basins Of water. some clean. some
pink some scarlet; tbs psobafioner at
the sink and tap: the nursing sisters
surgeons themselves. shirt-sIseved. arms
bare TO the elbow. covered up In big white
aprons.
Between their swift movements you
could see lying on the aiab In the center
. human body. Man or woman you could
not say, for over the whole face was =
large leather cap and growing out OF II
q brown bladder like az empty football.
the chIoroformisf held II tight over mouth
ara nose Suddenly the baidheaded sur
geon. stepping aside. lets In . glimpse Of
IN ampufated arm.
There hung from II q bunch Of what
looked like LITTLE steel skewers These
were the clips with which they catch up
and close the ends NJ the severed vessels.
The arm WAS on from above the elbow.
and the second half Of the operation Was
IN rapid. almost steaishy, progress.
You could hardly follow the surgeons
hand an he took bit Of salmon gut from
the watching attendant: before you saw
II was whipped around an artery and had
tied II up The clip was or and passed
back 10 the waiting hand to receive 1t.
HteA 0tt he oil me.
into their tank Then the surgeons brisk
word Of command broke the dead silence.
Hot loiton..s he said. without looking mp.
II was there. ready. In the slight sisters
hand: In a second. as by juggiery. II was
IN the surgeons and being passed over the
wound. Then the flaps OF skin were
drawn
'sIodoform. by another hardly per-
ceptihle piece OF iegerdcmain a pepper cas-
ter was shaking yellow powder on the
wound.
.sBandages'- they had sprung up In
the sisters hand and In second the light
coioyed antissptic dressings were being
strapped on hastily. hrmiy. with exact pre-
cision. Now you saw the leather cap was
OF the face. II was n young man. beard
lesa very pale. roiiing his head over on
the pillow, with a twitter of returning
life. very I'll from the ether
swift - Magic
HUT before he had time to realize what
had happened the MANNED arm was strap
ped 10 his side: . door had opened noise-
lcssiy and he'd had trundled In. the oan-
die of blankets WAS lifted swiftly but gen.
tiy--by the two attendant catching him
ND on the same side % ~ not TO jar the
spnftered body~-back on liz bed In an
instant the bed was away and the door
was shut. And looking around. YOU saw
that al the paraphernalia. the tables and
Instruments sponges and basins. had dis
appeared. too.
II was like dream OF magic, fairy
tale Of the end Of the ntnetcsuth century
70 come In from the everyday 1ustie OF
London and find such wonders being
wrought In the rnidst Of a. The work was
20 silent. - quick, 30 setf-posressed, IL
seemed to move by itself smoothly, infaI-
Nbly, as II those engaged IN II had ceased
to be separate men and women. No hitch
no hesitation. no pause: everything In Its
exact place. everything At its exact time
Almost before you have had time TO won
der another bed has come In by another
door The patient on II Is a woman. wh.ts-
haired 70 years old, But her face II pls-
cid and quite unafraid az she IL lifted
onto the operating table. indeed there is
nothing visible TO brighten hut as she Is
laid down the noiaeiess miracle begins
again. Suddenly the Instruments and at
tendants are all in their places again. The
patient In breathing In anodyne tnsensihil-
fly from the cup ani bladder The sur
reon. tall gray. hushy -hrowed. hls long
hands o model of dsicacy linked with
strength. Is explaining the case 10 the
es,a@nta II ia a cancer and he has au-
.hority to cut II away II IL part OF the
mirarie~~orty nnw you have ceased In DO
suYpriset--shat he has finished hts explain
ation exactly at the moment the patient
= VI q A..sk f.s
gives keen glance at THE stain On the
arm. touches IL. ''s.aipel.'' he says, with
out locking slp. and the keen blade II In
stantiy in his hand.
Rapsd aad Delicate Work.
Ills hand IL travelling over the arfn-bus
surely ras cutting The flesh seems IA
divide before II. se sxau.stsiy edged "a the
knife. go Arm and true IN. fingers ard
wrist. Little streams welt NJ and trickle
Down the arm. Sponge" Ard a SPENCE
has appeared and swep; them away.
CLIP and A elip has sstaed from sts
tank and has stopped The cut vein. Grad
ua,iy~-st IL only seconds. bat they are
backed with the tateress Of hoars-~shefn
grows = deep red cash behind The ever
moving scalpsi. II moves shade more
sscwly now: /, ~ picking sis way among
arteries. and hairs BREATH 10 iStt or
right may mean death. No sound bat tAs
water from tire tap where the probationary
Is emp,yimx the retdesed water AMI re-
ssliinE the haw. far the clean sroag e
There remains The crimson elsssm frtased
with sitps Nav comes what W have s~eia
before. the stps GENE eli enc by une a.
she blood vessels are tied up, The satian
washes all clean. the gasa. which sooss3
az n the half arm had been eat oiss. closes
up tn a natural form and sise. Ansi as
thar dfmsy waking woman II vhiskei
away she saFgeea. ealing fer the easin.
ard passing : around. resumes his re-
marks on The cancer.
The neNs case = cancer. tso arig 4 ~
csnccr 81 the mouth snS inv. Check snc
tsw are 20 sse eui away. Ia keep the a1An
alive yrs snsenslr.e the while ne must
have ehleYatNTm8esi sss pumped into h.s
iungs The ehiesefasasiss has Sc; a long
sshs with a bladder 3, the end TIE
spoaxes in shts ease are srssl saa he,d On
long clips. HE = an @hscers~leeklns cId