New-York tribune., 1902-02-03
PRIZE FOR NEW OPERATION
DIR. DAWBARN RECEIVES THE GROSS
HONOR FOR ARRESTING MA
LIGNANT GROWTHS.

HONOR FOR ARRESTING MA
LIGNANT GROWTHS.
To DR.. Robert H. NJ. Dawbarn, one of the Wis
iting surgeons to the City and Polytechnic hos
pitals. has been awarded the Samuel D. Gross
prize of S1,OOG for original research in surgery
by the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery The
academy is trustee of the Gross prize fund. This
prize competition is open to medical practition-
ers in every part of the world According to
the conditions of the fund prize is to be given
every five years to the competitor who has done
the best original work. The work must not only
be original, but valuable to mankind
For the six years ending in October last
the competition has been OPEN and in that time
numerous reports rather essays regarding
surgical research work have been sent to the
committee. An announcement was made last
year, when the trustees met to pass on the work
OF the competitors, that no work of the nature
stipulated in the conditions of the fund had been
found, and the competition was kept open
The work which won for Dr. Dawbarn the
Prize relates to operation for arresting GER
tain malignant growths when they cannot be
cut out when TO do so would put the life of
the patient in jeopardy. He has carried on his
researches in this field for the last seven years
1t is said If his plan had been known at the
time of General Grants last illness the life of,
the general might have been prolonged for a
considerable time. His suffering might also
have been greatly lessened if not relieved alto
gether. This may appear to be a somewhat
sweeping assertion. but it is the opinion of one
of the leading medical men of this city.
THE NATURE OF THE TREATMENT.
The treatise which won the competition
was entitled THE Treatment of Certain Malig-
nant Growths by Excision of Both External
Carotids." 1t is asserted in this paper that in
many cases Of malignant growths of the head
this operation will prolong the life of the
patient. 1t may also bring about a restoration
of the health of the patient, that what may
be called a permanent cure is effected.
The first person operated upon under this
method by DR.. Dawbarn went under the knife
seven years ago. He had a malignant growth
of the pharynx. He is now in good health and
able to attend to his business every day. In
the Long Island College Hospital there is a
patient suffering from cancerous growth on
the face who recently was operated on Dr.
A. T. Bristow performed the operation. He has
said that the patient is improving nicely and
that the size of the malignant growth of the
face has been reduced one-fourth
The treatise OF DR.. Dawbarn. when published
in book form so that copy of it can be placed
in the Samuel D. Gross Library of the Philadel-
phia Academy of Surgery. will contain the his
tories with pathologist's report in each in
stance confirming the diagnosis of malignancy
and specifying the Variety Of forty carotid
operations by the author himself and IS many
more by about a dozen other surgeons. BY the
terms of DR.. Gross's bequest the prize essay
must be published in book form.
NATURE OF THE CAROTID ARTERIES
The chief blood supply to the head is conveyed
by the carotid arteries. The common or main
carotid divides part OF the way up the neck into
a deep branch which practically supplies only
the brain and eye. and a superficial external
branch, which supplies the face. mouth.
tongue nose and indeed all parts other than
the brain and eye The operation is the cutting
out of the entire length of the external carotids
on both the left and right sides OF the neck at
different times, and doing 1T in such a way that
there is less blood lost than from an ordinary
nose bleed.
When the first operations by this method were
performed it feared that the patients might
pay dearly for their longer life by the mortifca-
tion of the tongue other parts thus
deprived of blood. But 1t has been proved that
through various small channels left there re-
mains a slight degree of circulation. and the
normal flesh is able to survive with little blood
much less than would be needed to enable so
vascular thing cancer to be nourished
and keep on growing By the cutting away of
.
cancerous growths shrink and become inactive
and harmless Jumps. The only evidences left
of the operation are two delicate lines one on
each side of the neck.
One of the best practical demonstrations of
the value of the method it is said, is the case
under observation in the Long Island College
Hospital. The cancerous growth on the face of
the patient covers a wide area. No claim is
made that the method will remove the disfgure-
ment of the face due TO the malignant growth
The principal aim is to prOlong the patients life
and to prolOng it in such way that his phys
icaI condition will be improved and he will be
able TO find some enjoyment in life. Since the
principal blood supply to the growth has been
arrested the Disagreement is less as the growth
is smaller. 1t may become considerably less.
and should it be almost entirely removed more
will have been achieved than is expected.
The committee which passed the work of
the competitors for the prize comprised Profess
Keen and Da Costa and w. ]. Taylor, of
the University of Pennsylvania and the Jeffer-
son Medical College. Samuel d. Gross. the giver
of the prize fund, was one of the most prominent
surgeons in this country. He was born in Eas-
, ton, Penn, July g. 1905, and died in Phila-
delphia on May 6, 1884. In recognition OF his
eminence in his profession heroic bronze
statue was built in Washington in 1897 by the
physicians and surgeons of this country.
Dr. Robert II. NJ. Dawbarn lives at No. 100
West Seventy-fourth-st He graduated
from the College OF Physicians and Surgeons OF
this city in 1881. He is member OF the Amer
lean Medical Association, the New-York State
Medical Association. the State and County Med
ical societies. the West End Medical Society
the Academy of Medicine the Society of Med
icaI Jurisprudence, the American Association of
Anatomists and the Pathological Society.
A