Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-09-06
PAINLESS SURGERY.

4 ex * A A a ~ IA AZ a IA "A 4
DR.. John B. Murphy and DR.. Edward
Fl. Ochsner have returned to Chicago
from the triennial meeting of the inter-
national medical congress held In
Paris DIR. Murphy brings with him an
interesting report OF the recovery and
demonstration of me effect OF local
anesthesia as applied in cases of major
surgery. Local anesthesia heretofore
has been applied only in cases of minor
surgery, chloroform aud ether having
been the only known agents used in
cases of major surgical operations.
The efficacy of local anesthesia in
cases of amputations and other major
surgical operations was discovered and
demonstrated only a short time ago by
DIR. Tuffier of France, and has received
notice only in the Partisan medical
journals. Its demonstration by Dr.
Tufier before the surgeons attending
the international medical congress
awakened widespread interest, and the
event was announced as epoch-making
in the annals of medicine.
Cocaine was the agent used by DR.
Tuffier, it being injected hypodermic-
ally into the spinal cord and anesthe-
tizing the entire region about the
point of injection so perfectly that the
most difficult surgical operations be-
low that point were carried on with
he
ried on conversation with the patient
The event, DR.. Murphy says, marks
a fourth epoch in medicine. the other
three being, first, the pre-anesthetic
period; second, the anesthetic period;
third, the antiseptic period. and now
the local anesthetic period.
THE demonstration of the practical
bility of local anasthesia in cases d
major surgery was perfect said DR..
Murphy. "Dr. Tuffier, the discoverer,
opeated on four cases, hypodermically
injecting cocaine into the region occu-
pied by the cerebo-spinal fluid in the
spine, and anesthetizing perfectly the
entire body below the point of injec-
ton. This enabled him to perform
the most painful operation without the
patient experiencing the least sensi-
bility.
THE discovery is a wonderful one
in surgery, inasmuch as out of 1916
case operated upon by him he stated
he had had no fatalities. The discovery
of the practicability of anesthetizing
the spinal cord by hypodermic injec-
tons of cocaine and producing insensi-
bility below the point of injection was
made by DR.. Tuffier in March last. The
fact was commented upon at the time
by French medical journals, but re-
oeived little notice in the United States
or throughout the continent and Eng
land. Like all discoveries of the kind
that have been made, it may now be
termed simple thing. since it seems
to be so easy, the wonder being thar
some one had not hit upon it before
THE discovery removes chloroform
and ether from their places as the
great anesthetizing agents for use in
cases of major surgery. These agents
have been greatly feared by a great
many people owing to their effect upon
the heart and lungs and the distressing
nausea they often produced. There are
no such i'll effects from the use of
cocaine, although, as it is well known.
the drug is not reliable, and has pro-
duced the most distressing results. So
far, however, there has been no danger
encountered in it's application by Dr..
Tuffier, and its use bids fair to become
general rapidly among members of the
profession.
1T has been popularity supposed that
puncturing of tne spinal cord was fatal.
This is not absolutely true, however,
and especially so in the manner IN
which the injection is made by DR..
Tufiier. The needle is pushed into
the region occupied by the spinal cord,
its entrance being demonstrated by
the appearance of the cerebro-spinal
fluid at the base of the needle The
injection is then forced home, its es-
feet being to paralyze the region of the
body below the point of entrance, the
knife causing no pain in the region af-
fected. | witnessed the excision of
four abdominal tumors by DR.. Tuffier,
he talking to the patient while plying
the knife, the man feeling not the
slightest sensation of pain. Chicago
Tribune.