The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-14
UNDER The KNIFE
SURGEONS WERE BUSY WITH DIR.
LORENZ.
CRITICISED HIS METHODS.
MAJORITY SEEMED TO SUPPORT
THE AUSTRIAN.

Foreigners Treatment of Cases of
COnSenitaI Hip Disease and Club
Feet Was the Subject of Lively
Discussion in the Convention in
WashingtOn-Cases Were Cited by
Both Sides-"BIOOdIess Surgery
a Name to Which Objection Was
Raised by the Critics.
Washington, May 13.-The methods of
Prof Adolph Lorenz, the Austrian sur
geon, in the treatment of congenital
hip disease and club feet, furnished
the feature of general interest at the
meetings of the American Surgical and
Orthopedic Associations. To the surgi-
cal association the case of Charles Will
let, operated upon last November by
DR.. Lorenz for club feet, was present
ed Although one of excessive diff
Guilty, the operation was pronounced a
perfect success.
No discussion specially condemna-
tory of DR.. Lorenzs methods was cited,
but some of the more conservative
members of the association were ad-
verse in their criticism. The statement
was made that the operation of DR..
Lorenz upon Lolita Armour, daughter
of ]. Ogden Armour of Chicago, to
perform which the Austrian surgeon
had come to the United States, had
not proved entirely successful.
1t was evident from the tone of the
| discussion that majority of the sur
geons in attendance were supporters
of the Lorenz methods. No action,
however, was taken.
Instances Were Cited.
The storm center of the discussion
of the Lorenz method was at the ses-
sion of the American Orthopedic AS
sociation, before which DR.. A. j. Steele
of st. Louis cited the case of. a boy 8
| years old, afflicted with hip disease,
who had been operated upon by the
Austrian surgeon and subsequently had
died of meningitis. He did not at
tribute the death directly to the oper-
alton, but warned his colleagues that
! the Lorenz methods ought to be en-
ployed with great care.
! DIR. H. Augustus Wilson of the JEFF
! ferson Hospital, Philadelphia, present
| ed report upon IWenLy-InrSe cases
/ observed in the hospital. eight of which
were operated upon by DR.. Lorenz. DR..
| Wilson made a defense of the Lorenz
methods, and, as he had assisted the
| Austrian surgeon in all the cases pre-
| scented, his judgment carried much
weight.
| Dr. w. NJ. L. Coplin of Philadelphia
reported the case of a 7-year-old girl
who died after DR.. Lorenz had operat-
ed upon her; death, in the view of DR..
! Coplin, being due to shock.
Methods Too Severe.
DR.. Gwilym G. Davis of the Universe
| ty of Pennsylvania read paper, in
which he maintained that the Lorenz
methods were too severe and that they
| had been accompanied by injuries,
paralysis and death.
! 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 OPP
| erations of Prof. Lorenz.
DR.. Moore of Minneapolis thought the
term "bloodless surgery" applied to the
| Lorenz method, was unfortunate, as it
appealed strongly to parents who wish
| ed their children to be cured without
the use of the knife. The fact was
/ that a clean incision would be less
bloody than an operation by the Lo-
REM method.
! DIR. Thomas D. Coleman of Augusta,
Ga. was to-day elected one of the vice
presidents of the American Climatic
| IOUioaI GOciatV