The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-23
DR.. LoRENz AND HIS SKILL.
CENTRAL FIGURE IN TRULY
PATHETIC SCENE.

St6NEs
He Went to Chicago for a Fee
Smaller Than American Surgeons
Have Received, md Spent the
Greater Part of a Week Attending
TO Poor CrippIes.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Heretofore the operating room has
carried about it an air of mystery and
horror. Now Dr.. Adolf Lorenz, grad
uate of the University of Vienna, has
thrown aside the curtains and describ-
ed to the world the manner in which
he operated upon the wee daughter of
one of the richest men of the universe.
Who is this man that performs mi
racles in surgery and then fiaunts his
deeds before laymen? who is he who
came to Chicago from Austria for a
fee smaller than many American sur
geons received, and, after dealing sue
cessfully with a most difficult case,
spent the greater part of a week here
attending to deformed children whose
parents are penniless.
If you had visited the Auditorium
would have found him the central fig
ure in a truly pathetic scene. Dozens
of mothers with crippled children sur
rounded his suite, tearfully clamoring
for him to do something for their lit
tie ones. There were children with
shrunken limbs, with twisted feet and
distorted knee joints. And they were
=. as eager as their mothers to have this
man who had cared for a millionaire's
daughter 6afo
In one of his rooms sat the big, kind
hearted Austrian going over a mass of
correspondence. Most of the letters
were from persons in other parts of
America who offered him fabulous
sums to give them a few hours or a day
of his time.
What do 1 care for their money!"
said the surgeon rather impatiently. 81
should like to accommodate them, but
truly l am homesick-I want to get
back to dear Vienna" Then, turning
to one of his secretaries, he said Tell
those waiting outside to attend one OF
the clinics which I am holding at the
hospitals, and then 1 will try to do
something for the tots Again he
turned to his mail. 1t was at this tins
that the interviewer approached him.
Il must beg you to excuse me-" said
DR.. LorenZ. 1.-THE fact of the matter
is have so much work on hand that
l don't see how l will ever get away
from Chicago Truly, you people here
have a wonderful faculty for picking
up man and, carrying him about as
though he were in the center of cy-
clone. Is that not good comparison ?"
While making this comment he kept
sorting his letters.
His Towering Build.
DIR. Lorenz looks up at the caller
| inquiringly and somewhat impatiently.
His mild blue eyes have the slightest
trace of resentment in them.
Il must again ask you not to encroach
on my time. I'm a very busy NAH. I
| like to talk when | have the time but
now l haven't the time" Then he re-
turns TO his desk and sits down again.
The prospect OF changing the mind of
siX-foot surgeon who once held a
physiology in one hand and guided a
plow with the other does not appear
encouraging. The thought of the ele-
mentary medical book and the plow
prompted another question, and,
strange to say, this query caused the
man to forget his letters and his bus
mess cares and start off on long and
interesting conversation.
You want to know something about
my early life?" he repeated in response
to the question. We'll, in the first
place, l was not born in Vienna. I was
born on a farm in Northern Austria
MY father was not particularly
wealthy and when 1 was a lad had
to work hard-very hard.
Il did not go to Vienna until I be-
gan the study of medicine. When 1
entered the university there 1 soon
became interested in orthopedic surg
cry, and l have since made this study
the aim OF my life. I was a poor stu
dent, at least so far as money goes,
and l had no easy time of It,.
Movement Started i'm Boston.
Some fifteen years ago, when II was
generally considered among surgeons
that nothing could be done to effect a
cure of congenital hip dislocation,
Buckminster Brown, a surgeon living
in Boston, conceived the idea Of hold
ing patient in extension, and by
traction to stretch the tissues sufi-
GENTLY to bring the head of the femur
opposite the socket
This treatment met with little ap-
probation in America" continued DR..
Lorenz thoughtfully, but was accept
ed in England, and is used there to-
day In the treatment Of many cases.
Thls was, however, a treatment al
most as bad as the disease, and it was
questionable whether or not any good
resulted from such operations At last
1t was found that the patients were not
cured.
But the effect Of this theory upon
the profession was to stimulate inter-
est and research, and in Germany.
Italy, Austria and the United States
some Slight advancement was made