Evening journal., 1903-05-14
SOME CRITICIZE
OTHERS PRAISE
Congress of Physicians in
Washington Discuss DIR.
Lorenz's Methods
WHY SOME OPERATIONS FAILED
II Was Evident From the Tone Of the
Discussion That a Majority Of the
Surgeons Favored Or. Lorenz's
Methods-No Action Taken.


Washington May Fifteen of the
component societies of the Congress OF
American Physicians aud Surgeons
held meetings, some cf them conclud-
ing their work
The methods of Prof Adolph Lorenz.
the Austrian surgeon, In the treatment
of congenital hip disease ard club feet,
furnished the feature Of general inter-
est at the meetings Of the American
Surgical and OrthoDaodical Associa-
tions. 10 tho Surgical Association the
case of Charles Wille.t operated upon
last November by Dr. Lorolz for club
feet. was presented. Although one of
excessive difficulty, the operation was
pronounced q perfect success. No dis
cussion specially c0ndemnatory OF Lo-
REM methods was ELECTED, but some of
the more conservative members of the
association were adverse in their criti-
cisms The statement was made that
the operation of DR.. Lorenz upon Lolita
Armour. daughter Of j. Ogden Armour,
Of Chicago, to perform which the Aus
trian surgeon had come to the United
States, had not proved entirely sue
cessful. It was evident from the tone
OF the discussion that a majority Of
the surgeons in attendance we're sup
porters of the Lorenz methods. No
action, however, was taken.
The storm centre Of the discussion
OF the Lorenz method was at the ses-
sion Of the American Orthopaedic
Association, before which Dr. A. J..
Steele, OF st. Louis cited the case OF a
boy eight years old afflicted with hip
disease, who had been operated upon
by the Austrian surgeon and suhse-
1 quently had died of meningitis. lie
did not attribute the death directly to
the operation, but warned his col
leagues that the Lorenz methods ought
to be employed with great care.
Dr. II. Augustus Wilson, of the JEFF
ferson Hospital. Philadelphia. present
ed a report upon 2S cases observed in
the hospital. eighl Of which were oper-
ated upon by DR.. Lorenz. Or. Wilson
made defense of the Lorenz methods,
and as he had assisted the Austrian
surgeon in all the cases presented, his
judgment carried great weight
Dr. Gwilym G. Davis, OF the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania read a paper In
which he maintained that the Lorenz
methods were too severe, and taat they
had been accompanied by injuries, par
alysis and death
DR.. Henry Ling Taylor, of New York.
expressed his high regard for DIR. Lo-
REM. but maintained that both skill
and experience were necessary in order
to obtain successful results from the
employment OF his methods
Dr. Roswell Park, of Buffalo, one of
the surgeons who attended the late
President Mckinley. did not approve
of the breaking Of bones and the inn
pairment of tissues incident to the
operations of Dr. Lorenz.
DR.. Moore, of Minneapolis. thought
the term "bloodless surgery" applied
to the Lorenz method was unfortunate,
as il appealed strongly to parents who
| wished their children to be cured with
out the use Of the knife. The fact was
that a clean incision would be less
bloody than an operation by the Lorenz
method.
DR., Mckenzie, Of Toronto. directed
attention to the fact that Prof. Loren7
had not claimed perfection for his
method. He had maintained, modest
ly, that 25 per cent. of double disiooa-
tions and so per cent of single aisloca-
tions could be reduced through his op-
/ erations.