Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1899-11-23
Had a ChiseI in His Head.

Had a ChiseI in His Head.
Charles c. Baker has just returned
to his home in Waynssboro, Pa, after
having undergone the experience of
having chisel driven like an arrow
into his head by an accident and then
having it removed after nearly three
months by askillful surgical operation.
Mr. Baker was employed in the shops
of the Geiser Manufacturing Company
at Waynesboro, Pa. He was operating
a machine in which were two steel
chisels, each 5! inches long, inch
wide and ! inch thick, which were
rapidly revolved by steam power. One
day about four months ago the work
man was found unconscious near the
machine, from which both chisels had
been thrown with terrific force while
the machine was in operation. One
chisel was found on the floor of the
shop; the other one was missing. Mr..
Baker had two wounds in his face, one
over the bridge of his nose and the
other under his chin. Each had sew
cred blood vessel and the man was
nearly exhausted from loss OF blood.
For three days he was unconscious and
then he came to his senses. Said Mr.
Baker the other day to a reporter of
The Sun
"At first l did not feel any unusual
sensation, except that was very weak
from the loss of blood and my head
was very sore. For three weeks l
was attended by physicians, until the
wounds healed, and then | had a Pc
culiar sensation in my head. The
muscles of my neck became stiff, SO
that l could scarcely nod my head for
ward and backward or turn it from
side to side. Then had difficulty in
swallowing. 1t seemed as if my throat
was closing up and l could scarcely
swallow any food at all. My voice,
too, became affected, and while | never
entirely lost the power Of s eech, at
times the members of my family could
not understand what | said to them.
l had heard of the reputation Of Bal
timore hospitals and made up my mind
to give one Of them a trial, as | was
losing flesh from inability to take sufi-
cient food. | noticed at this time that
my head felt heavy, which know now
to have been caused by the weight Of
the steel chisel which l was carrying
around without knowing it.
Zone day after | arrived at the
hospital one of the doctors, with his
finger in my throat, found hard sub
stance, evidently foreign body. Then
another one passed an instrument up
my nostril and struck something hard
which evidently did not belong there.
Then the doctors decided to have an
X-ray picture taken of my head. "
Prof. w. c. a. Hammel, of the State
Normal School, took the X-ray pic
ture, which showed plainly the cbisel
in the bones of Mr.. Bakers
head. One end of it was near the base
of the nose and the sharp end was
nearly touching the backbone. I'm
mediately an operation was decided
upon, and was successfully performed
at the hospital on October 25th by
Drs. l. McLane Tiffany and Cary B.
Jr., assisted by the hospital
staff.
Mr. Baker was first put under the
influence of an anesthetic, and then
cut was made in his face from the right
eyebrow to the corner of his mouth,
running down where his nose joins his
cheek. The flesh was laid back, the
bones exposed, and there was the CHS
ell. 1t did not require a. much force
as had been anticipated to pull out
the chisel with pair of forceps, after
some of the bone had been removed.
1t was found that the chisel had mar
rowly missed cutting blood vessels in
Mr.. Bakers throat which would have
quickly caused his death.
Mr.. Baker said his awakening from
the operation was much like his re-
turn to consciousness just after the ac-
cident. He was aware of only one
thing connected with the operation,
and that was the presence Of twenty
seven doctors, he says, who had con-
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