The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-07-19

Surgery has reached a point at which
almost any marvel may be expected,
but It has remained for a Russian sur
geon to attempt-and succeed in per-
forming-an operation hitherto re-
garded as fatty impossible. He has
repaired the great femoral artery; has
spliced on to It an artificial length,
just as a plumber might solder a piece
Of leaden pipe to a brass one. The
better to comprehend exactly how rad
ical and difhcult a thing DR.. Kaintsky
accomplished It is necessary to explain
something Of the nature and functions
Of arteries. In the first place an ar
terry differs entirely from a vein. II
a vsin Is cut the blood escapes for
a while and after a little the vessel
lies fat and collapsed. An artery does
not It's inner coat is so arranged that
a series Of stih hbrous rings surround
Il and prevent It from collapsing. That
is one OF the reasons why when an ar
terry Is severed blood continues to flow
from It. These were only some OF the
problems which confronted DR.. KANT
sky when they brought to his hospital
in st. Petersburg a very rich farmer
and cattle raiser named Ivan Poitin-
kosh. This man, while driving in a
sleigh, had collided with a stump.
Poitinkosh was hurled out violently
and in falling was practically impaled
upon a broken branch. The jagged
piece of wood struck him just below
the hip joint and ranged down for
about four inches. The wound pro-
duced was an exceedingly ugly and
ragged one. It was directly over and
in line with the fermoral artery,
which supplies the entire leg with
blood; but, although this great vessel
was entirely laid bare and badly
bruised It fortunately escaped pune
ture. The injured man was not
brought to the hospital until three
days after the accident, and It was at
once evident to DR.. Kaintsky that only
heroic measures would save either life
or leg to his patient. 1t appeared to
DR.. KaintskY that gangrene was
threatened. AS nearly as the surgeon
could estimate he had Just three days
before an operation became absolutely
imperative. He had already determined
upon the heroic operation Of removing
the injured part of the femoral artery
and replacing It with an artificial sub
stitute. DR.. Kaintsky wanted to make
q tube six inches long which so closely
resemble the actual tissue Of a human
artery that it would be borne without
protest by the organism in which it
was to be placed. At the end Of those
three days DR.. Kaintsky, tired but
triumphant, emerged from his labora-
tory. Poitinkosh was anaesthetized
and carried to the operating table.
DR.. Kaintsky pointed out to the watch
ing surgeons and students the signs
on the foot Of the patient that marked
the onset of gangrene, and then he told
them that he intended to remove part
Of the injured artery and replace It
with an artificial substitute. Under
the best conditions the dissection Of
the femoral artery is a dangerous piece
of work, and here was a case where
the vessel was almost concealed by in
jured tissues. At last the artery was
freed and the surgeon showed his won
dering assistants that nearly four
inches Of the vessel was ready to dis
integrate. All eyes watched DR..
Kaintsky as he himself placed clamps
upon the big artery. The artery clamp
having been fixed, DR.. Kaintsky cut
away about four inches Of the artery.
From the pocket in front Of his oper-
ating gown DR.. Kaintsky drew a silver
aseptic case. This he opened and from
it drew a small, hollow, elastic, almost
colorless tube about five inches long.
Almost imediately DR.. Kaintsky began
to place the artificial artery in posi-
ton. He drew it between his fingers
so as to expel all air and placed a
pair of artery forceps upon one end.
Then he slipped one end of the artery
into the tube and stitched 1t into place.
Quickly the same procedure was car
ried on at the other end, and then DR..
Kaintsky removed the clamp which
was holding back the blood from the
mended artery. The blood rushed
through its new channel, pumping out
the collapsed tube. and 1t was actually
dificult to tell the artificial artery
from the real one. At the same in
slant, too, a good healthy pulsation
could be felt in the patients ankle
Philadelphia Times.