The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-07-23
Is a Surgeon Excusablea

"A SauieSCam from farlS states that
the Gazette Medicale created sensa-
tion by maintaining that it is entirely
exousable if an absent-minded surgeon
seWs up some instrument, bandsge or
the like IN the body Of person opera
ted on. Give practitioners" adds
the cablegram, "are now being sued
in Paris Courts for acts of forgetful-
ness Of that sort"
This cablegram was shown yes.er-
day to DR.. j. D. Blake, the we'll
known surgeon Of the city, who has
operated on nearly 800 cases Of appen.
dicitis.
"That is an interesting subject"
said DR.. Blake, "and quite under
stand how the editor of the Gazette
Medicale should excuse any oversight
OF that kind-for oversight it is, and
nothing more. Similar cases have
happened in this country, although 1
cannot recall any case of the kind
IN this city. Any person at all famil-
lar with the many features of diff
cult operation can realize how easy it
is for an operator to make an over.
sight of this kind. And it may not
be the operators fault at all, for he
has assistants in the more difficult
operations, and one Of these may place
spongue iu that part of the body
being operated upon, anl this sponge
may be Tapped over or hidden, so that
when the opening is being closed the
sponge may be overlooked. This over
sight will be manifested, although it
may take some some time to discover
what the real trouble is. 1 do not
think that such an oversight could
have fatal results if the other condi-
tions were favorable.
'The operations in which such ac-
cidents are more likely to occur are
those of the stomach and breast, es.
pecially of the former. In speaking
of spooges we generally mean little
bundles of gauze which are placed in
the opening, either to stop the flow
Of blood or to seperate the infected
organs from those free from disease.
These snonges ere used only cnce auI
are sterilized before being used. Real.
sponges are sometimes used, but they
are more expensive. There are many
ways in which an operator might over
look one of these sponges, SO that it
would be sewed up in person body.
1t is my custom generally to place an
instrument at the end Of each sponge.
The attention of the operator is often
divided between the actual work Of
the operation and the condition of the
patient. While looking after the pa.
TENTS condition bowel may slip over
one of these sponges, or a tissue may
fold over it, so that it is hid from
view, even after careful examina-
tion. In the removal of gall stones
from the. bladder many sponges are
used and it is difficult to keep the field
of operation clear.
II have never heard OF case, how
ever, where an instrument was sewed
up in persons body, although this
should not be the most surprising thing
In some operations where large tumors
are removed. Recently I removed
tumor weighing 40 pounds and yen
can easily understand what large
cavity that made. Numerous small
instruments to stop the flow Of blood
had to be used, and one Of these might
have been concealed and afterward
sewed up.
with reference to the suits brought
in the Paris Courts should not
imagine that any verdicts will be given
the plaintiffs, unless it can be proven
Chat the operators we're incompetent or
negligent. I think the decision rem
dered in this city some time ago, in
which $4,000 damages was asked of
the Hopkins Hospital, would stand in
similar suits here. In that case a
man from Virginia was operated &C
for one condition when another exist
ed. The Court instructed the jury to
the effect that unless the operator
could be proven to have been incom-
petent or guilty Of negligence no YER
dict could be rendered for the plain.
tiff. Baltimore Sun.