Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-28

meath the ether cone. held by a young
doctor, indicated the fast approaching
end of her struggle against the anesthetic.
Presently, with a sigh, she passed into
that state of temporary death which knows
no pain. Then DR.. Lorenz, remarking
quietly, Gentlemen, we have no time TO
lose" laid down his manuscript and set
to work.
At times l felt like shooting the Wen
nese. 1t was beyond my belief that a deli
cate, crippled, sick child could hold to-
gether under the fierce twisting, bending.
stretching, hauling, crushing and wringing
OF two powerful men-Lorenz and Mueller.
1t was like a breaking on the wheel. 1t was
like a crueihxion. To follow the demon
s~tration required every ounce OF moral
courage and will power that l possess. And
those critical surgeons sat there with hap
piness lathered on their faces. Fifty Of
them we're past As; the rest, about $50, we're
between 25 and that age. TO look at them
you would have believed them capable Of
more concern at a cat fight.
DR.. Lorenz speaks fair English, but is
hard to follow. His demonstration was
tedious because of his effort to explain the
minutiae Of every detail. His thirty min
~ NAl IN AhGhg hOhAo ~ AhNf
feared he might kill the baby. At last
the climax. Did you ever try to break a
hambone across your knee, or across a billet
of wood? There was a round edged piece
OF maple on the table, about the size Of a
brick. When the child's hip was placed
upon this, and DR.. Lorenz, one hand on the
abdomen, the other on the thigh. laid all
of his 1876 pounds thereon, IL was evident
that something must give way. Even those
blase surgeons leaned forward expectantly
and ceased for the moment looking so
weary and satiated. Then came to every
ear a sound as of a man throwing his ankle
out Of Joint, and we all knew tina the poor
little c~ripple's awful deformity was cured.
The head of the femur had entered the cup
shaped cavity OF the acetabulum, which had
been denied it since birth. And those sur
geons who looked SO tired Of life actually
clapped hands and said "Bravo!"
DR.. Lorenz could have finished the DEM
onstration in FIVE minutes had he so de-
sired. But the labor is terrific. II is a
simple matter OF hands and fingers and
weight. The Viennese was greatly ex-
hausted. 1t makes an ordinary person feel
queer to see this man correct in a few
minutes deformities that have existed for
years, and that by the mere laying on OF
hands," The Viennese is no hypnotist.
mesmerist or worker OF miracles. He pre-
tends to no divinity. But wouldn't you
rather have his hanos than all the mil
lions Of little old Carnegie?
DIR. Mueller works like a Trojan and
seems never to tire. His enthusiasm never
flags. The instant DR.. Lorenz' hands drop
after the completion Of the diarthrosis DR..
Mueller m half a dozen nurses and
proceeds to place the subject in plaster. His
method is a liberal education in the plas-
tic art. His rapidity is a marvel. The poor
little things legs and body are hermeti-
cally sealed, so to speak, the limbs nearly
at right angles to the body, in which Po-
sition they are to remain for six or seven
months. How on earth the child RECEIVERS
from the b~ruising and awful discoloration
OF the tissues is 10 me a mystery. II l
were SO abused my suierings would be
acute for many days-without plaster. I'm
agine your pain in a wise! Gods! Imagine
the anguish Of a child on recovering from
the ether and its utter helplessness In
suffeFingl
Before the plaster sets DR.. Mueller cuts
certain openings with a h~OOk-buled knife.
and does IL with so free a hand that !
tremble lest the blade go too deep and
butcher the child, But he knows his bust
ness. He is a master workman. DIR. L0renG
explains, while the plaster is being put on.
that the child will be able In a few weeks
to amuse itself by pushing across the floor
a small table or chair on rollers. sitting
on either and using the feet as propellers.
| suppose that is nearly the limit Of
amusement for months. Above the belt its
movements will be unrestricted,
DR.. Lorenz has all along Insisted that q
patient who had been successfully treated
should be instructed TO walk without
crutches, so that the limb could get a
chance TO develop naturally as soon as pos
sible and sustain its own weight. He thinks
too much dependence can be placed on
crutches, and while demonstrating yester-
day he told a story.
when / was In salt Lake City" he said.
II was called downstairs in the hotel 10
see a case. There sat a girl about rs,
weeping. and an older brother vas also In
tears. I asked what the trouble was. ana
she said that two years ago she fell and
hurt her hip and had had TO use c-utchcs
ever since. I Examined her later In a
hospital and found not the slightest trace
OF injury. She had pain when she fcll. two
years before, and started 70 use orutehcS
and after that imagined she couldn't sc,
along without them. ! threw them away
and told her 70 walk and she did. That is
the only miracle ! have performed in
America"