Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-14
MISSING CORNEA SUPPLIED
To Blind Grocer by Skin Grating
Process.
FROM HEALTHY BELGIAN HARE
Physicians Confident of Success OF
Their Efforts to Relieve Helpless
Condition of Wilton Heinard.

Most men see the world through their own
eyes. Hereafter Wilton Heinard, a resident
of Northeast Washington, will see the world
through the eyes of a rabbit. BY one Of the
most delicate skin-grafting operations
known TO modern surgery Heinard has had
fastened upon the sightless balls of his
eyes, horribly scared with burning lye, the
transparent cornea from the eyes of Bel
gian hare. Sight is promised him again
after more than year of total blindness.
Late at night on April 10, 1901 Mr.. Hell
nard, a prosperous dealer in the Eastern
market, while on his way home, was at
tackled by a negro whom he had formerly
employed. Robbery was undoubtedly the
object of the assault, for the negro reason
ed that MIR. Heinard had with him the
entire proceeds of the weeks business.
Knowing that his former employer was a
man of prodigious strength. however, the
would-be robber did not risk the uncertain
advantage even of the first blow, but with
fiendish cunning he had armed himself
with can containing strong solution OF
I've. Master and man met at dark point
on 18th street northeast, not far from Mr..
Heinard's home, at 1908 N street. and before
Mr.. Heinard could divine what was coming
he received full in the face a dash of the
burning liquid.
At the sign of hostile motion from the
negro, Joseph Miles, Mr.. Heinard jumped
for him, and the act, while 1t could not
undo the physical harm he had already re-
ceived, probably saved his purse, for some
of the lye splashed back in Miles face, and
the negro fed. Then, with uncertain step
Heinard CROPPED his way to a neighbor'
house, and the latter helped him to the
nearest hospital All this time the I've was
eating it's way into the flesh of his face
and into the delicate skin of his eyes, and
VIII en- the surgeons at the hospital examined
Henard they declared his sight gone. The
negro Miles was captured a day or two
later, and at his trial before Justice Wright
in Criminal Court No. /, the sightless vic
tim need not have testified orally to demon
strate to the jury the enormity of the
crime. Miles was speedily convicted and
given tie limit Of the lava ten-year sen
tence in the penitentiary.
Blind and Helpless
Blindness coming so late In life left Mr.
Heinard practically helpless, and for many
weary weeks and months he sat in his
home almost powerless to stir beyond the
door unless guided by his little daughter
In those weeks and months hope alternateG
with despair, as specialist after specials
was consulted, only to report that little, II
anything, could be done to restore the lost
sense
Finally the attention OF occuIists at the
Episcopal Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital
was called to the case, and they, after ex-
animation of the patients scared orbS Sug-
gested only one possible operation, and the
success OF that could not be promised. The
plan was nothing less than skin-grafting
but on an extremely delicate scale. Friends
and relatives, no matter how great their
anxiety to aid in relieving Heinard's condi-
ton, could be Of no service because the
operation ntpmn1afp6 n pi ~
sections of skin from the body, where ma
lures healing would make up for the sacri-
flee. Skin-grafting operations of this latter
character have become so common as tc
receive only passing notice, but in Heinard's
case the living cornea from two healthy
eyes was needed, and the destruction O;
sight in one individual for the possible re-
Her OF another was not to be thought of.
Used Hare's Eyes.
After giving the matter much careful
thought the doctors supplemented the first
suggestion with another-that the cornea
from the eyes of a Belgian hare be grated
onto the balls of Mr.. Heinard's eyes, A
family council was held, the Injured man
decided that his condition could not be
worse and Ii was determined that he should
go under the surgeons knife. For DAYS
after Mr. Heinard was admitted to the hos.
pital and while he was being prepared for
the operation a rabbitry was established in
one corner OF the hospital grounds, and in
1t specially selected breed of Belgian
hares was installed and fed and watched
with anxious care so that they might be ir
the pink of rabbit condition. 1t was es-
sentlal to the success of the operation that
the cornea of each eye, when taken should
be fairly qutvering with life and marred by
not one blemish in the health of the ami
NAL or by one flaw In the delicate mem
b=aae.
On the day appointed the rabbit and the
man were placed side by side on the op-
Grating table, each under the influence of
anesthetics, and section by section the gos-
samer-like cornea from each eve of the
hare was lifted and planted" over the
sightless balls of the man Long hours
thereafter he lay in a darkened room with
specially designed bandages holding the
crafts" in place, until it was determined
that the healing process had set in, and
that the first stage Of the operation was n
success. Then Mr.. Heinard was allowed to
go TO his home, the only instructions being
that he should rest until 1t was assured
that the new eyes" were as his own.
A Second Operation.
He is to go to the hospital tomorrow to
again go under the knife, but this time the
operation will consist OF merely scraping
the serrated edges and delicately manipu-
lating the artificial membrane as may be
necessary to secure the required convex or
concave surface. Adjustment of probably
powerful glasses to meet the altered con-
dittons will follow-and then Mr. Heinard
Is practically assured of vision-through
the eyes of a rabbit, but none the less
vision.