Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-10
REMEDY FOR CONSUMPTION.
Surgeons Cut Open the Lung for Relief
  from Phthisis.

rom PnLnlS1S.
 Stamford Sept 1O.-Miss Lizzie Gremmel, daughter of Solon c. Grem- mel, wealthy man of Hampton, N. H., underwent a rare surgical opera tlon here Saturday at the Stamford hospital as a last resort for relief from tubercular phthihis. The results will be watched for with worldwide inter- est by medical men as it promises to open a new field for treatment of con- sumption. \ Miss Gremmel is % years old. Af- ter finishing here academic education she studied music at the Boston Con seryatory of music. A year ago after an illness,, tuberculosis developed By advice of Dr H. M. Ward of Hampton she went to Saranac lake and other north mountain health resorts in the hope of obtaining relief from climatic change. This had no beneficial result and Dr Otis, and eminent Boston spe- cialiSt. was consulted. Miss Grem- | mel's condition continued to grow worse. Another Boston specialist treated her for while and then Dr Otis was consulted again and said her case was hopeless unless rei1er couio be obtained from surgery.
 At the suggestion of pr Ward Miss l Gremmel was brought to Dr T. J.. Riggs of Stamford, on August Il. She was greatly emaciated then and was unable to retain any food except spe- cially prepared defbrinated blood and peptonized milk She coughed con stantly. An examination revealed large cavity in the apex of the right lung and an abscess in the upper part of the middle lobe.
 pr Biggs was satisfied that the only chance the patient had was in an operation which would establish 3 drainage of the lung through the chest wall. Her condition did not justify immediate operation and she was kept on especially prepared food until Sat- urday.
 pr Riggs was assisted by Dr Ro- land Hagen and pr Frederick White horn of New York. Dr D. E. RoWell, Jr. and Dr Root of Stamford. He re- moved five inches of the second rib, four and one-half of the third and four inches of the fourth. The pleura being bound down by adhesions. was brought into the wound and stitched there. Then an exploration of the lung was made with an aspiring needle and both cavities were located. The pleura was opened and the abscess cav ity was thoroughly cleaned as we'll as the cavity in the apex. The cav ities were drained and the wound was then closed with the exception of space sufficient for drainage. The chest wall was strapped and dressed with a dray antiseptic dressing.
 Within an hour after the operation the patient had reacted from the an- aesthetic.
 On the diet of defibrinated bullocks' blood and peptonized milk with some salt solution she continues to improve. A complete recovery is hoped for.
 pr Riggs said that the operation, if performed on well selected cases he believes would be the means of sav- ing the lives of many tubercular patti ents. The objects were he said to supply means of thorough drainage and allow the lung to collapse and be at absolute rest, thereby reducing the cavities at least one5half and prevent- ing the tearing or breaking down of the lung tissues, a result of air pass ing in out, and to permit of local treatmt # the disease