The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-25
SURGEONS Of ARCTIC SEA
Adventures in the Far North Are
Their Own Doctors.
SKILLFUL WITH THE KNIFE
Amputations by Man Who Never
Studied Anatomy - Fewer Fatal
Results Than Could Rse SON.
ably Be Expected. -.

| all in sailing ship in regions far from
other human help, like those visited by
Whalers in the arctic and antarctic re
! gions?
J A striking answer to this question has
| been given by Surgeon S. j. Call of the
| revenue cutter service of the United
| States in his report, just published, of
| the trip of the overland relief expeii-
| ton to Point Barrow, Alaska, to sue
| cor the Whalers who were frozen in
| there.
The vast difficulties attending the
| overland journey made it absolutely i'm
| possible to carry any except desper-
| ately needed medical stores, and Sur
| geon Calls outfit consisted of a pocket
! surgical case, a hypoderrnic syringe, a
stethoscope, a half-pound package of
| lint, "a roll of adhesive rubber plaster
fever thermometer, a dozen assorted
bandages, a half roll of isinglass plas-
ter, one-half dozen surgical spongas,
one-ha1f dozen pairs of snow glasses
and one-third Of dozen tooth brushes.
On account Of the low temperature to
be met the liquid preparations We're re
duce to a minimum, and were eight
ounces Of special anaesthetic mixture,
four ounces of tincture chloride of iron,
four ounces of friars balsam and one
third dozen of extract Of ginger.
A Case Of Rude Surgery.
At Unaktolik, in high attitudes, The
first case of rude surgery was found
by DR.. Call. In hut occupied by an
old man, an old woman and their son,
he saw that the old mans legs were
cut off below the knees. He learned
that few years before he had been
caught in a snoWstorm and had frozen
legs and feet The old woman had
chopped off the frozen parts with a
long knife, which she showed the sur
geon. The legs had healed fairly we'll,
despite the roughness Of the job.
Later he found many similar in
stances. Thus he says: There are
now natives hobbling around in Point
Barrow with the loss of one or both
legs, hands or arms, who had no as
sistance from white men or surgeon,
and might say that almost all of these
cases are due to frostbite. In time the
dead and frozen stump. having no SEN
sation.( is chopped away by some mem
Der of the family, and, after long and
slow process of granulatiOn and
sloughing, healing follows. For some
reason the Eskimo refuses to wear arti-
fetal limbs. Cases reported on nearly
10 years ago are on their knees STILL
and the amount Of work and travelling
they do is astonishing"
Serious surgical operations, it was
found, had occurred on the frozen-in
whalers before the revenue cutter ex-
petitions arrived there. All these had
been operated on by Captain Tilton and
Captain George 3. Leavitt of the
whaleship Newport, sailormen who had
had no Previous experience of the kind,
having no knowledge of medicine or
surgery. Operations of the most grave
kind We're performed with rude instru-
ments by these men in a manner which
calls out this,g praise from Surgeon
Call: ~!
Amputations by Whalers,
Before closing this subject I must
speak of some Of. the amputations per-
of the whaling fleet. Their fearIessness
and the results are sometimes remark
able and would call forth the praise
of our most expert operators"
Captain Leavitt's report is: ~r
Il am glad that have the dates of
most of the amputations since the
ships began Wintering at Herschel isl
and. The first was on man belong
ing to the Mary D. Hume. Half the
right foot was taken off. the instru-
ment used being a butcher knife and a
hack saw, Captain Tilton bossing the
job.
1T was the first attempt of the kind
up there, and putting the man under
chloroform, Which was out of our line,
was a slow process. We placed the bot
tie under the mans nose and after he
had taken a Whit we would ask him if
he felt sleepy. This was kept up for
half an hour without any effect We
then made a paper cone, put in some
waste saturated with chloroform and
the man went right off. 1t was a cut
square across the foot. After the cut
ting the edges were drawn together as
far as they would come and gauze,
we'll creased, placed over the cut, fol-
with friars balsam. After four days
the bandages were removed and fresh
ones put on in the same manner. For
wash we used carbolic acid. 1t
turned out well, but the big toe or the
bone the big toe grows on was a long
fingers We're amputated the same
month. Tilton, head surgeon, and
Bodfish and I assistants.
Both Feet Cut OF.
Both feet, or the best part of both
feet, We're amputated from man be-
longing to the Narwhal These feet
were taken off we'll back, the same way
as with other amputations, with the
difference that after the foot was cut
to the bone piece OF canvas was put
on and the flesh hauled back and the
bones then cut off. In this way flap
was formed and the whole business
turned out very well indeed.
Six fingers and three toes We're am
putated from single man belonging to
lHe 1HaSHef. captain Triton was heal
surgeon, while Bodfsh and I We're as
sistants.
"Amputated a finger from the right
hand OF Mr. Tllton, second officer of
the Alexander.
"Amputated a finger from man eb-
longing to the Jeanette.
''Amputated part of one foot from a
man belonging to the Beluga. From
the time he was put under chloroforn
till he came to only so minutes inter-
vened. lodoform was the only anti
septic | used in all my surgery After
such operations as these / used cocaine
or morphine, whichever | happened TO
nave, to deaden the pain. using from
half to fun grain, as was necessary
One Would Not Do.
My next big contract was taking OFF
the right arm of Mr.. West, the third
officer of the Navarch. The arm was
amputated few inches below the
shoulder. celanins off all the burned
flesh. In putting a ligature on She
largest artery gut was used. The
small veins We're touched with caustic.
After bandaging the arm compress
n & Isnr ;,o asJ