The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-14
MADE SANE BY THE x-RAY,
Reason Restored to the Inmate of an
Illinois Asylum.

What made you hit me?"
These We're the first rational words
uttered by Charles Burrell since nearly
dozen years ago his reason was de-
throned by his being struck by a brick,
reports the Chicago News
Monday, at the Kankakee asylum,
aided by the Z-ray, DR.. w. G. Stearns
operated on the young man and to-day
the cloud which has SO long obscured
the light of the patients mind had lifted
and again was demonstrated the great
utility of the invention which makes
known the hitherto unknowable Bone
pressure and tumor had been removed
from Burrelfs brain and he again be-
gan his thread of life where seemingly
it stopped when little playmate in
jured him.
There is great improvement said
DR.. Stearns, the superintendent, and
I hope for still better results. Demen-
tia has gone so far, however, that I am
afraid the young mans brain will never
be perfectly healthy"
The patient spoke thankfully to the
surgeon when he finally realized what
had been done for him. When permit
ted to talk he asked how long he had
beeen i'll. His mind went back to the
day when he and another boy We're
romping at the Burrell home III Che
banse, I'll.
1t was there a childish quarrel arose
and the visitor becoming angry, threw
a brick at young Durrell, striJliy him en-
the left side of The head. The injured
boy was dared Cor Il moment and then
began running around in Il i.cla 1t
seemed imposs Bile for him to pursue
an undertaking course.
1t was discovered later Tat this was
due to the fact that that portion of the
brain controlling the muscles on the
side haC been numbe,7 Not acting rs
quickly as his still lively right limb,
the left leg caused it's owner to travel
a circuitous path.
AS the years passed the unf ortuna.e
lad grew worse instead of better, as
had been hoped, and was sent to pri-
waite institution in Wisconsin. HIS
case being pronounced incurable there
he was removed in 1896 to the Kanha-
kee asylum, where DR.. Stearns has
proved that the patients case was not
beyond the hope which the latest dis
coveries in science have neld forth.
"Burrell," said DR.. Stearns was put
in the chair, and the Z-ray, genera
ted by million bolts of electricity, VAS
attained and a skiagraph taken Of the
skull. The skiagraph, or photograph,
showed thickening Of the Bone near
the top of the skull on the left side
This was operated on in the usual man
ner, the bone being removed and the
foreign matter excised and the patient
put to bed.
There can be no doubt of the great
value to medical science as applied to
the treatment of insa nifty of DR.. Roent-
gems discovery. There are, of course,
many cases where the unknown ray re-
veals nothing; but, for instance, where
there Is pressure of the bone on the
brain or a gathering of pus, the ska
graph gives a clew to the course of
treatment to be pursued better than
any other diagnosis. I have made hun
dreds of experiments with the ray, both
at the asylum and in company with
Professor Fuchs in his laboratory in
the Schiller building. I intend to con-
tinue my investigations in Chicago,
where / will resume private practice
soon. With an invention which enables
one to see a mans heart beat and gaze
at his brain it begins to look as if the
time We're nearly at hand when .impos-
sible' will go into the list of obsolete
Words