The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-26
NEW MARVEL in SURGERY
Tumor Removed from Inside the
Spinal Cords Sheath, the First
Case of the Kind on Record.

From the New York Sun of May 3.
An entirely new operation, as the
surgeons who participated in it be-
lieve, was performed at st. Luke's
Hospital on Tuesday on Bache Nc
Evers Schmidt a young broker. A
tumor was removed from inside the
sheath of the spinal cord. To get at the
tumor it was necessary to cut into six
vertebrae. Mr. Schmidt was kept un-
der anaesthetics for more than three
hours. The operation was successfully
performed, and there is hope for Mr..
Schmidts ultimate recovery. The OPP
GRAFTON was performed by DR.. Robert
Able, acting in consultation with DR..
Charles l.. Dana, and ,E. p. Fowler,
Mr.. Schmidts family physician.
About sixteen months ago Mr..
Schmidt slipped on Il rug and fell,
striking the back of his head with some
violence. Not long after that accident
he fell from a bicycle and the back of
his head was again struck violently.
He was unconscious for some time af-
ter the fall from the bicycle. Just how
much these two falls had to do with his
subsequent illness none of the ply
sicians concerned with the case is able
or willing to say The guess of one Of
them, at least, is, however, that the
connection between the accidents AMI
the subsequent illness was direct and
unmistakable.
MISTAKEN FOR RHEUMATISM.
DR.. Fowler was not in this country
when Mr.. Schmidt met with the ac-
Cidents. The physician who was called
10 ha b1
of the Schmidts, "a East Seventy fifth
| street. thought that the trouble was
| rheumatism and shaped his treatment
| accordingly. The surgeon who came
| into the case later say that the dag
| nosis of rheumatism was perfectly
reasonable, and they do not censure
| the man who made it. The symptoms
did not yield to the treatment for
! rheumatism. There was considera BILE
lameness about the patients legs and
| back. DR.. Charles l.. Dana was called
! into the case at about this stage of T..
He said that he could not see that there
was any rheumatism, but that he was
quite sure that there was an inham"
nation of the sheath of the spinal
cord among the upper vertebrae. Dr.
Dana's view of the case was so much
more serious than that of the othey
physicians who had been consulted that
the young mans family, which natur-
ally inclined to the more hopeful views
turned to stll another physician, and
DR.. Dana dropped out of the case
temporarily. A number of German
specialists were engaged, but their ef-
forts TO reach the ailment as rheuma-
tic were no more successful than had
been the work of the first physician
who had been summoned.
DR.. Fowler returned from Europe
His examination Of the patient led him
TO substantially the same conclusion
that had been reached by iDr. Dana
Before he had time To establish ms
own ideas of the treatment necessary
man from Philadelphia saw Mr.
Schmidt and expressed the opinion
that there was nothing the matter with
him further than IAN impeded circu.
latiOn." He said that it would be easy
enough for him to re-establish the
young mans circulation. DR.. Fowler
retired. The family took the young
man 10 Philadelphia to be under the
constant care of the physician who
was to restore the young man to health
by quickening his circulation.
STEADILY GREW WORSE.
A week or two ago they brought him
back, He had been growing steadily
worse. His knees were drawn up under
his chin and his heels were drawn
close up to his hips, He had little OF
no control OF his fingers, and his necR
was beginning to assume a distorted
position. The services of two nurses
were necessary to control him every