Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-02-01
FED BY MEANS OF \ TUBE.
NO Food Has Passed Col. Murphy's
Mouth for Ten Years.

Frederick Seelig, upon whom the
rare operation of gastrostomy was per,
formed on Thursday afternoon, was re-
ported as resting quietly yesterday,
ana it was said that mis- meals were
given to him regularly and that he
seemed to strengthen under the nour-
! ishment
The operation performed upon Mr.,
Seeing recalls the fact that similar
one was performed 10 years ago upon
Col. Michael c. Murphy, who is now
president of New York city's Board OF
Health. Colonel Murphy'h health has
been remarkably good ever since he
submitted to the surgeons knife. and
he suffers but little inconvenience. al
| though food has not passed his lips in
10 years. During all the time Colonel
Murphy has been an active man OF
| business.
During these 10 years Colonel Mur-
ply has had his daily meals pumped
into his stomach through a hole cut in
its walls. A silver tube is kept in the
opening and does. not cause Colonel
Murphy any inconvenience. The food
passage in his throat is hopelessly and
forever closed.
Strange to say, so thoroughly &C
customed to this mode of life has Col
onel Murphy become that It is doubt
full if it ever occurs to him that he is
in any way handicapped
Colonel Murphy's case is one of the
medical marvels OF the age. Since
1890 practically every particle of food
that has gone to build up the wasting
tissues of his frame has been pumped
into his stomach through an incision
in his abdomen. This process has to
be gone through with every morning,
noon and night. Colonel Murphy sits
back in his easy chair in his office, in
the Board of Health Building, and
smokes and laughs and chats with his
friends and tells them that he enjoys
the unique experience of taking his
meals lying down.
Previous to 1889 Colonel Murphy
was one Of the strongest and health
lest men known in New York politics.
In that year he was serving his thir-
teenth year in the Legislature, the
last six as a Senator. He suffered dur
ing that winter from what he supposed
was Indigestion. Later he learned
that he was suffering from an ulcer of
the stomach. At the end of 60 days
his stomach was pronounced healed.
In the meantime Colonel Murphy
had almost died of starvation. From
a portly man of 225 pounds he had
wasted until he weighed barely 100.
He was taken to Saratoga, where in
1-vv it was found that he was suffer
ing from structure of the oesophagus.
operate on him and DR.. Weir per-
formed the operation of gastrostomy
upon him. His case was watched
with the most intense interest by the
most eminent surgeons on both sides
of the water. Few believed that the
cure could be permanent. DR.. Weir,
who was naturally more interested
than anybody else watched the case
jealousy and attended to the feeding
of the patient personally. Hhe decid-
ed on what kind of food Colonel Muir
ply should receive, and finally made
out a list, which has been followed
ever since.
Colonel Murphy receives into his
other nourishing foods, but they are
all one to him. Everything is thor
oughly cooked crushed to pulp and
mixed and strained until it is about
the consistency of heavy consomme.
Then it is pumped into Colonel Muir
| phys stomach with a pump specially
/ designed and manufactured for the
| purpose. For year Or two after this
| operation was performed on Colonel
murphy the physicians tried to operate
upon the structure in his throat, but
without success. 1t was finally de-
cided that the patient health would be
better preserved by continuing the
treatment he had been receiving for
several years.
To all appearances Col Murphy is
today in good health. He goes regu-
larly to the Board of Health, at Fifty
fifth street and Sixth avenue, and dur
ing the morning hours attends to the
business of the office he holds. To a
stranger nothing can be noted about
Colonel Murphy which would lead one
to suppose that he took his meals in a
way different from the rest of man
kind, and it is only his intimates who
know of the narrow escape he had from
death and from which the operation
of gastrostomy saved him.-New
York Life.