Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-04-02
DETAILS OF ONE BOYS CAST
Or. William fod i4clmu,h Declines TO
Discuss What Was oone-palient
Practically wclI-surgcons Who
Watched Progress Satisfied That
Success viii Sc tho Outcome.
Especial to The Daily rrcss.)

EfCSS mas DcCH lndUc. Ill lnp OlillOU Oh
physicians by the discovery Of nr. vii,
liam Tod iIclmu,h that ccrcbro spinal
meningitis may &c treated by ircphl,
ing the skull. Tie treatment is un
tho sane principle us the operation -:
tapping the spinal cord in tho lumbar
region. which has been employed. al
though IL i. believed il is more eli
cacious IN many cases. Similar npcr.
ations may I've performed n Bellevue
hospital
Tried as Il list resort. The operation
which DR.. liclmuth performed upon
Charles Godron, Il ninc-ycaru'i boy.
far succeeded in results all tina. WAS
expected rhc boy was taken from
his home. No. a9G First avenue, on
March II, suffering from a plainly in.
dictated case Of cerehro spinal muniE-
gitiS. lie was unconscious and his
symptoms indicated that he had reach
cd The last stage Of the disease He
frolhcd nj The mouth, barkcd and went
from one convulsion into another
There was n complete rigidi.y of ;hc
bncli and he had to he restrained.
His mother was informed that the
operation which the surgeon purposcl
to perform was in the nature OF an cX
pertinent and that the chances ot saw
was then practically dying The Child
was place under the influence Of ether
ut o'clock OIL the afternoon III last
Saturday week and taken to The sur
gical amphithoatre of Flower Hospital
Details of Operation.
DR.. liclmulh was assisted by DR.. T..
w. Kellogg the house surgeon. and by
DIR. q. II. TAYLOR. He removed by ire
plihing two buttons Of bone On the
Sides Of the head each little larger
than twenty-five cent piece. The
covering Of The brain was found to b.
much distcndcd. showing that H. WAS
filed by a nliI Incisons half an incl
in length il, tho dura caused Il fluw
then put in to permit Il further cy-
cess TO escape and the boy wa; sent
back Ia his cot.
lie awOkc from his Stupor al half
past three o'clock. an hour and Il half
after the beginning uf The opcraii ion.
and asked fer something To cat lie
said he wished 10 so home. Ills con.
diticn for the last week has steadily
improved. and il VIII be !; question
Of orly "a few days before he will 20
restored 10 health, in the opinion Ct
The hospital physicians.
In theory The operation provides for
the relief OF the cerebral pressure Tho
inflammation Of The mcningcs, on thin
coverings Of tho brain, ca,isns he en-
udation Of luid. which fills up tho Skull
which is II box OF bcnc wilhou, any
outlet. The brain is compressed by
'lis liquid and reduced il, size. The
pressure cnts=nff the blood supl% an /
produces an effect upon .hc various
nerves and ganglia which results III
commissions AMI death.
Two days after the operation tny
drains which wer,, placed in the head
were removed and the skin Which mad
l.cen burned up To permit the trcpliin
Ing was sewGd back in place On a.
CONT Of The youth Of the patient the
skull probably will grow Over The ap
trtut.s and Tie boy Will experience no
III effects from The operation
he opening CT the skull is consider
cd these days as practically II mino,
operation AMI physicians link Ii Will
lcpossibjc 10 Use DR. IlcInurh's moth
oi in desperate cases The Lads sis
Ter, who became i'll with tic sane dis
case a day or two earlier died in Bel
lcvuc hospital
s5 Dr.. Rclmuth Reticent.
Dr. HcJmuth, when seen ycstci,lay
after moor al his Office. al M ~ East
Sixty-second street, declined to sivu
ont any details Of the case, on iii,
ercun'l that he intended 10 make his
:eport upon 1t 10 The profession
through fgular channels. rIlr a.,
cla'cI HAT what had been done va.
4 in he nature of an experiment. and
declined 10 cypress any opinion as ia
W,ai wouI.l dGvelop fiji The treatment
nf ccrchrn spinal meningitis il his
method were employed He spoke 81
~ The details of the case to students of