The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-29
AN ADVANCE IN SURGERY.


ttrum the Philadelphia FuquiTer)
/ In the recent medical archives in the
library of st. Petersburg is an account OF Z
! most wonderful operation performed by
! Kamtsky. one Of the greatest surgeons OF
his Time. an operation like which no other
! is recorded. Poitinkosh. a rich farmer
| cattle raiser. and reindeer farmer. resid-
/ ing north of st. Petersburg. suffered an
/ injury to the upper end Of the right thigh
caused by being violently hurled from his
sleigh. the latter having struck a stump
/ The farmer in falling was jagged by a
/ snag which struck about two inches below
/ the fold of the flank, causing torn. bleed
! ing gaping wound Of about four inches in
| length, directly downward and in a line
I over the femoTal artery (the large artery
! which supplies the entire leg with blood
the latter vessel having been laid bare
and severely bruised in the wreck, no
| large vessels having been torn.
KamJsky with the great wisdom of a
world of experience wisely apprehended
the possible results of this pecul ar wound
and for the next twenty-four hours he
spent every minute OF his time, valuable
as it was. working with chemical fire
molten substances, and apparatus Of divers
kinds until finally the object Of his et-
forts was finished. a small hollow. e'astir,
I colorlcss tube. about five inches long, the
/ composition of which is not recorded, con-
scqueuuy not known. In twelve hours
after his task was finished careful scru-
tiny Of the injured limb revealed a
slightly blush tintS scarcely noticeable.
on the end OF the great toe. This was
the signal for operation to the surgeon.
and the stockmau was Immediately taken
to the operating room, where in order to
arrest oHcoming grangrene he was sub
jected to an odd and experimental opera
ton
After the patient was auesthe'ized the
wound was uncovered carefully cleaned.
and the tissue carefully pushed and dis-
seCtCd away from the large artery. eX-
posing about three and one half inches Of
bruised vessel, ready to disintegrate. a
clamp was placed on the artery an inch
above where normal sound tissue began;
then he cut the artery at the junction of
the bruised and sound tissue, and, care
fully drawing the mysterious tube from its
aseptic hiding place. he slipped the cut
round end of the vessel into it about an
inch, being exceedingly careful while 50
doing 10 keep the hollow tube collapsed
and empty, so as to avoid all danger p o.
duced by the entrance OF air.
Repeating the same process at the lower
end Of the artery. he inserted the tube into
the end of the vessel about the same dis
lance az the upper end lay in the tube.
Then gently releasing the lower clamp. he
allowed the tube to fill with blood from
that portion Of the vessels below. Then
the final test came when he gently and
steadily removed the clamp above the tube.
thus establishing an unbroken channel
which would carry the blood TO its normal
distribution. 4 slight pouchng Of the tube
at first caused some fear as to whether Il
were strong enough TO stand the pressure
of he heart wave Of blood as the latter
puls1ted through IT'S new channel This
latter defect was overcome however. when
the tube was laid in the bed Of he bruised
eysecjed portion and the external support
of the muscles and tissues gave il sufficient
strength 10 overcome the pressure Of. the
blood stream The wound was carefully
closed the parts set at rest and results
awaited. In thiriy-siX hours the blue tint
had disappeared from the toe and the color
of the skin Of the leg changed from pale
ashy 10 q pink.
Two months afterward the patient was
attending his everyday duties as formerly.
suffering no inconvenience whatever from
his wound Five years afterward the pa
tient died OF acute pneumonia. and a post
norton examination of the seat of the
wound revealed strong firm plastic com
position tube. Immediately IN the "situ"
OF the composition tube. the latter having
been absorbed by the blood not however
before the lymphatics had so encysted il.
just as a bullet becomes euCysted in the
body after months Of time 20 the extent
that when the tube was eaten away by the
blood his ibrOus coat answered the Origi-
nal plan of circulation