The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-08

4 Surgical Feat That Was Long Thought to
BE an ImpossibiIiiy.

From ne Phaddcpho inQalrsr.
In the recent medical archives in he library
Of st Petersburg Is an account Of a most wonder
iul operation performed by kamtsky. one Of he
greatest surgeons Of his time, an operation lie
which no other is recorded. Poi,irkush, a rich
farmer, cattle raiser and reindeer farmer, residing
north Of ST Petersburg. sufer red An injury io he
upper end Of the right thigh, caused by icing
violently hurled from his sleigh, The latter having
struck stump Tn" farmer IN falling was Jagged
by a snag which struck about two inches tclow
the fold If the flank, causing n torn, bleeding,
gaping wound Of about four inches in length,
directly downward and in a line over the femoral
artery uhe large artery which supplies he entire
leg with blood, The latter yeS~'l having been laid
bare and severely bruised in III" wreck, no large
vessels having been 'orn,
kamisky. with the great wisdom of a world
Of experience, wisely apprehendtd The possible re
suits Of his peculiar wound, ard for the next
twenty four hours he spent every minute 81 his
time, valuable as it was, working wi'h chemical
fire, molten substances and apparatus OF divers
finished, a small hollow, elastic, c"lorlsss rutc.
about five inches long. the ,nmposinon e which
IL not recorded, cnseQuen,lH not known In
twelve hours after his task was finished careful
scrutiny Of the injured limh revealed n Sig h,ly
hlulsh lint, scarcely nOn,calle ON he end # he
great toe. This was he signal for opera ion 10
the surgeon. and the stock man WAS Immediately
~ ~ w 80 ~ a''''N 't'H "" ~ III Wv W
Arrest uncuming grangrcre, lie was subjected
90 an odd and experimental operation.
.\itrr tn" patient wns ancsthet2cG the wound
was uncovered, carefully cleaner and the tissue
carefully pushed ana diSsectei away from III.
lhrg" artery, eNnOsing about three ana one half
inches Of bruls"'. vessel, ready To Gisin,egrate
\ clamp was placed ON ~" artery an inch above
where normal sound tissue began then he cut
the artery a. IT," %iunCtlo" ~ the bruised and sound
TISSUE: and. carefully drawing the mysterious
tube from its aSoptIc hiding place. he slipped
the cut, round enc Il the vessel into II abou, an
inch, being exceedingly careful while so doing
to keep the hollow tub" collapsed and empty,
50 aS to avoid all CANCER produced by the entrance
Of air
Rereating the same process at the lower end
of the artery. he inserted the tube into the end
81 the vessel about the same distance rs the upuer
end lay in the tube Then gently releasing the
lower clamp. he allowed the tube To- ill with blood
from the portion 81 the ,esels below Then the
final test came when he gently and steadily re-
moved III" clamp above the tub, thus estah
fishing an unhruken channel which would carry
the blood To It's normal distribution. \ slight
pOuChing 81 the tuhp al first Causp,i some fear
rs To- whether II were strong enough to stand
tho Tressue If the heart wave II blood as the lat
ter %pulsated through It's new channel This
latter defect was overcome, however. when the
tub was laid IN the bel 81 the bruised exsected
portion nd the external support 81 the muscles
and tissues gave u sufficient strength To over
come, the pressue Of the blood stream The wound
was carefully closed, the parts set at rest and
results awaited In thirty six hours the blu
TINT had disappeared from the toe and the color
ot the skin 81 the leg changed from a pale ashy
To q pink.
Two months afterward tho patient was nj
tending his everyday duties as formerly, suffer
ing no inconvenience whatever from his wnund
Five Years afterwarl the patient died If acute
pneumonia and n poStmortem examination Of
the seat Of the wound revealed y strong, firm
plastic composition tube, Immediately in hp"siuu"
" he composition tub, the latter having been
absorbed by the blood, not, however. before the
lymphaticS had SO encysted il. Just as a bullet
becomes enCysted IN the body after months If
tlulp. 10 the extent TINT whom the tIlO a Al, -,
away by the blood this Gbrous coat answered
the original plan Of circulation