The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-30
BLOODLESS SURGERY CURES.
LOLITA ARMOUR'S CASE NOT
CLASSED AS SUCCESSFUL.

Other American Cases, In Some OF which
DIR. LOrenZ Himself Operated, Said TO
Average rs or 10 Per Cent. OF Cures
Report on All OF Them Next June.
Lolita Armour, the daughter Of j. Ogden
Armour Of Chicago, is reported to be once
more in the private hospital Of Prof. Lorenz,
the orthopedic surgeon, in Vienna. The
child left here with her parents a short
time ago and Mr.. and Mrs. Armour are now
over there with her. This makes the
second or third time that the Armour child
has been returned to Prof. Lorenz's hos
pital since the operation which he per-
formed on her in this country in 1908 for
congenital dislocation OF the hip. 1t was
the case that made so much talk in this
country about DR.. Lorenz's "bloodless
surgery" and physicians have been fol-
lowing the result with great interest. Now
that tho child has returned again to the
hospital, it is evident, so several physicians
said yesterday, that the operation has not
yet had the SUCCESS anticipated for it.
Very little has been given out about the
Developments in the case since the opera
ton was performed, This was at the re-
quest Of Mr.. Armour, it is said, although
the medical world has been very impatient
to hear about the progress the child has
made and to compare it with the results
in other cases where DR.. Lorenz operated
while on his visit here.
1t il known that the bone slipped out OF
the socket after the plaster was removed.
Physicians are rather curious to know
whether DR.. Lorenz intends to perform
another operation or whether massage
and other treatment are TO be reSorted 10
instead of an operation.
DR.. Newton NJ. Shaffer OF the Cornell
medical school. who practises DR.. LorenZS
method and was with that surgeon almost
all the time he was here, said yesterday
that the case of the Armour child was un-
doubtedly one Of those which could not be
called successful. DR.. Shaffer said that
be saw the child a year ago.
AT that time he said, aher gait was
such that it was apparent that the bone
had slipped out. The case should not,
however, be taken as a criterion. pr.
Lorenz performed four cases for me at the
Cornell Medical College while he was here.
In each case the operation has turned out
successful. In two Of the cases the chill
dren have a perfect, gait. No one would
know that they had ever been afflicted.
slightest limp, but the children are prac-
tically the same as other children. l fol-
lowed these cases up myself, saw to it that
they had the proper treatment for months
and am exceedingly gratified now at the
way they have turned out; The children
in these four cases we're all older than the
Armour child, These operations OF course
depend largely on the condition Of the
bones in each case. The depth of the socket
has a great deal to do with it and also the
subsequent treatment
DR.. Lorenz performed a number Of opera
90 H. H&a~tNn1 fNH D,,Nt,,rai nnJ
Crippled Children here and his method has
been followed by other operators, so that
the hospital has a total of abou ffty-fve
cases Of the bloodless surgery to furnish
evidence Of what its results are. According
to a physician who has been following the
these cases show from is to 20 per
cent. of cures. Many of the children who
were operated upon by Prof. Lorenz have
away from New York and it has besn
hard to follow them up. The American
Medical Association is to meet in Boston
June 3, and before the meeting all Of
the cases where the Lorenz method was
followed are to be investigated n the
will be given to the congress by DR..
Virgil Gibney Of this city.
Or. Lorenz had a great many things to
contend with when he was here, said one
physician yesterday. "He was practically
forced to perform operations on many
children too old to be operated upon with
any great chance Of success. The appeals
made by their parents and others, however,
were such that he felt heewould be open to
censure if he refused. These cases prob
ably have not turned out successfully and
would therefore reduce the percentage of
cures. Operations for d%islocation OF the
hip are rather rare just now because at
the time of DR., Lorenz's visit the entire
Of patients, it would seem, was ex-
hausted and we have got to wait for a new
Statistics have beer compiled showing
that of the cases in and around Chicago
the cures have been about 20 per cent.
tome physicians sly that this is n very
good record considering the nature Of the
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